So, retailers did "OK" on Black Friday. Consumers spent.
I have to admit, I still have a problem with blaming economic ups & downs on consumers. The glitch in the economy comes from an entirely different direction. Consumers are the last stop on the block. If an ordinary, average-income, average-type-job American doesn't feel as if his/her finances are secure, they will cut back on spending, perhaps right back to food, clothing, shelter. Now, what makes Joe/Jane Average feel financially secure? A job. A job that pays enough to cover their needs, plus a bit extra for the future. A job that's gonna be there. A job that holds the promise of advancement for good work.
So, you want Mr/Ms Average to spend? Provide them with jobs.
I read a sci-fi story, once-upon-a-time, where the majority of people were on the dole. Their job was to buy, Buy, BUY. The poor were charged with buying up the produce of the automated factories, to keep the economy going.
Sound familiar?
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Ripples
I've been told all my life that everything we do has ripples that affect others. These ripples may be bad, or good. We may see no effect for years. But, what we do affects the world around us, somehow, someway, for good or ill.
Now, we have an economic situation where a few people's ill-considered actions are affecting 4.5 billion people. Heck, their actions may well be affecting the whole world. I'm no economist, nor business whiz. But it seems to me that these fools here in America affected the whole world's banking/credit/money market. Or were there fools overseas who hopped that train right with them?
So, are they proud of themselves? If your actions affected the whole world -- wouldn't you want it to be over something to which you could point with pride? Job satisfaction, so to speak?
Are they proud of how they've affected the world? Hey, guys! Would you take this to your mother & say "Look what I did!"?
Now, we have an economic situation where a few people's ill-considered actions are affecting 4.5 billion people. Heck, their actions may well be affecting the whole world. I'm no economist, nor business whiz. But it seems to me that these fools here in America affected the whole world's banking/credit/money market. Or were there fools overseas who hopped that train right with them?
So, are they proud of themselves? If your actions affected the whole world -- wouldn't you want it to be over something to which you could point with pride? Job satisfaction, so to speak?
Are they proud of how they've affected the world? Hey, guys! Would you take this to your mother & say "Look what I did!"?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
And your Firstborn ... The Bailout
Here's the text of the proposed bailout with a little commentary after (from the Economic Populist website), and my personal comments after that.
This will turn our "firm economic foundations" into mush. I'm mad & I can't believe Bush actually asked the American public to back this thing! It turns over all power to the Secretary of the Treasury -- with NO recourse! And, a later addition proposes adding in auto loans, student loans, and other credit. However, this 1st version would do that if those loans were tied to your home mortgage (and many college loans are).
So, you won't pay Visa or Ford anymore -- you'll pay the U.S. Government. For your house, your car, your education -- and they're working on healthcare, so add in your medical bills.
How do we stop this fool before he owns us?
LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY
TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS
Section 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as __________________.
Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Authority to Purchase.--The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.
(b) Necessary Actions.--The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:
(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;
(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;
(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;
(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and
(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.
Sec. 3. Considerations.
In exercising the authorities granted in this Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration means for--
(1) providing stability or preventing disruption to the financial markets or banking system; and
(2) protecting the taxpayer.
Sec. 4. Reports to Congress.
Within three months of the first exercise of the authority granted in section 2(a), and semiannually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate with respect to the authorities exercised under this Act and the considerations required by section 3.
Sec. 5. Rights; Management; Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Exercise of Rights.--The Secretary may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act.
(b) Management of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary shall have authority to manage mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act, including revenues and portfolio risks therefrom.
(c) Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary may, at any time, upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell, or enter into securities loans, repurchase transactions or other financial transactions in regard to, any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act.
(d) Application of Sunset to Mortgage-Related Assets.--The authority of the Secretary to hold any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act before the termination date in section 9, or to purchase or fund the purchase of a mortgage-related asset under a commitment entered into before the termination date in section 9, is not subject to the provisions of section 9.
Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.
The Secretary’s authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time
Sec. 7. Funding.
For the purpose of the authorities granted in this Act, and for the costs of administering those authorities, the Secretary may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, are extended to include actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses. Any funds expended for actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses, shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such expenditure.
Sec. 8. Review.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Sec. 9. Termination of Authority.
The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.
Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.
Sec. 11. Credit Reform.
The costs of purchases of mortgage-related assets made under section 2(a) of this Act shall be determined as provided under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as applicable.
Sec. 12. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Mortgage-Related Assets.--The term “mortgage-related assets” means residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before September 17, 2008.
(2) Secretary.--The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) United States.--The term “United States” means the States, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia.
_______________
Please notice the following points:
- the broad reading of the Secretary's power: so long as s/he claims to be acting pursuant to this statute, there is no limit nor review of their authority.
- It appears that entering into crony-capitalist, no-bid contracts a la Iraq and New Orleans, are part of the authority.
- The Secretary's power is unreviewable, not by the legislature, not by any administrative agency, and not by the Courts.
This will turn our "firm economic foundations" into mush. I'm mad & I can't believe Bush actually asked the American public to back this thing! It turns over all power to the Secretary of the Treasury -- with NO recourse! And, a later addition proposes adding in auto loans, student loans, and other credit. However, this 1st version would do that if those loans were tied to your home mortgage (and many college loans are).
So, you won't pay Visa or Ford anymore -- you'll pay the U.S. Government. For your house, your car, your education -- and they're working on healthcare, so add in your medical bills.
How do we stop this fool before he owns us?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
No More Oil
We have to get America off the Oil Standard. It's dirty, it's killing our planet, and, at our current demand, our lives & our economy are in the control of unstable governments & people.
I don't want to switch from foreign oil to our own, either. That keeps our energy based on a resource the majority of which is controlled by others. Not a good answer.
I want to see wind power developed, solar arrays, wave power, hydrogen cars. I want a resource we control ourselves. I want one that's cheap, renewable, and causes no harm to this planet we call home.
There's gotta be an answer. America's stock in trade is ingenuity -- doing things others say can't be done. We can do this. We have to do this.
Energy Freedom for America!
I don't want to switch from foreign oil to our own, either. That keeps our energy based on a resource the majority of which is controlled by others. Not a good answer.
I want to see wind power developed, solar arrays, wave power, hydrogen cars. I want a resource we control ourselves. I want one that's cheap, renewable, and causes no harm to this planet we call home.
There's gotta be an answer. America's stock in trade is ingenuity -- doing things others say can't be done. We can do this. We have to do this.
Energy Freedom for America!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
The Value of America
The DNC is over, and the RNC is about to start (about the time Hurricane Gustav hits New Orleans, if it doesn't expend itself over Cuba), and Sarah Palin has been selected for McCain's VP.
Wow! What a race! A black man up for president, a woman up as vp. And a woman as a serious contender for the Dem prez slot. How times have changed! Wow!
But the issues haven't changed. Jobs, cost of necessities, the environment, war in the Middle East. Some things seem more pressing -- maybe it's just that they've been on the table so long, we feel it's time, and past, to solve them.
Or can they ever be solved? Were people fussing about the cost of, say, arrowheads back when they were chipping flint? Arguing about the smoke from the blacksmith's in the Bronze Age? Or the odor from the Healer's hut as s/he made up this year's batch of potions?
Since it seems so ingrained in us, we can assume they were fighting wars over the One, Real & True Faith before recorded history. We know that 5000+ years ago, religious wars were going on -- The Bible tells us so. Whether you believe in the religion it espouses or not, there is little doubt of it's historical accuracy. Anyway, I'd say it's safe to bet that the same thing was going on when we lived in caves.
Somehow, it seems pointless to me. Politicians are NOT Saviors. They are human beings, all too flawed, just like the rest of us. Sometimes, in their quest for power, perhaps a tad more flawed, more jaded, less caring. At best, I imagine someone beginning a political career desiring to actually gain enough power to actually, really change things, make a difference. Over time, the reality of the political arena infiltrates -- compromise, do business, trade this for that, and eventually they become principle-less, all in the name of Power. That's my "benefit of the doubt." More often, I think people who aim for that career are those for whom power is the paycheck.
Here's what I want from the next administration:
A. Rid this country of it's dependence on oil.
1) This will give Americans control. We will not be at the mercy of unstable, juvenile governments, who do not have our best interests at heart, nor even the same set of moral values.
2) It's dirty -- for the environment, our health, and who knows what else.
B. Encourage the development of jobs that pay adequate wages.
C. Make health care affordable for everybody.
D. A Code of Conduct. I don't even know how to phrase this succinctly. But the lack of responsibility for one's actions, from the top down, has gone wa-a-a-y too far. People are people & will err, but when our government, our businesses, our universities, as a body, operate only by expediency and not by values -- we have lost. If we do not conduct ALL the business of America by the values Americans hold dear -- then America has no value.
Wow! What a race! A black man up for president, a woman up as vp. And a woman as a serious contender for the Dem prez slot. How times have changed! Wow!
But the issues haven't changed. Jobs, cost of necessities, the environment, war in the Middle East. Some things seem more pressing -- maybe it's just that they've been on the table so long, we feel it's time, and past, to solve them.
Or can they ever be solved? Were people fussing about the cost of, say, arrowheads back when they were chipping flint? Arguing about the smoke from the blacksmith's in the Bronze Age? Or the odor from the Healer's hut as s/he made up this year's batch of potions?
Since it seems so ingrained in us, we can assume they were fighting wars over the One, Real & True Faith before recorded history. We know that 5000+ years ago, religious wars were going on -- The Bible tells us so. Whether you believe in the religion it espouses or not, there is little doubt of it's historical accuracy. Anyway, I'd say it's safe to bet that the same thing was going on when we lived in caves.
Somehow, it seems pointless to me. Politicians are NOT Saviors. They are human beings, all too flawed, just like the rest of us. Sometimes, in their quest for power, perhaps a tad more flawed, more jaded, less caring. At best, I imagine someone beginning a political career desiring to actually gain enough power to actually, really change things, make a difference. Over time, the reality of the political arena infiltrates -- compromise, do business, trade this for that, and eventually they become principle-less, all in the name of Power. That's my "benefit of the doubt." More often, I think people who aim for that career are those for whom power is the paycheck.
Here's what I want from the next administration:
A. Rid this country of it's dependence on oil.
1) This will give Americans control. We will not be at the mercy of unstable, juvenile governments, who do not have our best interests at heart, nor even the same set of moral values.
2) It's dirty -- for the environment, our health, and who knows what else.
B. Encourage the development of jobs that pay adequate wages.
C. Make health care affordable for everybody.
D. A Code of Conduct. I don't even know how to phrase this succinctly. But the lack of responsibility for one's actions, from the top down, has gone wa-a-a-y too far. People are people & will err, but when our government, our businesses, our universities, as a body, operate only by expediency and not by values -- we have lost. If we do not conduct ALL the business of America by the values Americans hold dear -- then America has no value.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Magic
Have you read "The Secret"? "The Law of Attraction"? If that's not magic, what is? Even Jesus said, "All that I do, and more, you shall do."
So, who told us there was no magic? Who persecuted & prosecuted the witches, warlocks & sorcerers? Ummmm.... The Church. Why? Maybe, they wanted to keep The Secret for themselves. Perhaps they thought the great masses of people were too stupid to be entrusted with exactly what Jesus came to tell us we were inheritors of.
In fact -- He told us exactly how to work "magic." "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all else shall be added unto you." "If you have faith the size of this mustard seed, you could ..." lift the mountain right into the sea. We could heal the blind, the lame, the heartsick. "Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
I'll bet, if we worked on it, we could teleport -- just 'step' from one location to another. That'd sure solve the transportation & energy problems.
I totally believe this. Yet, I'm afraid. What if it really IS true? What if I'm as great as I think I could be? I'm afraid of becoming arrogant, thinking I'm superior. These words -- this knowledge was given to ALL of us. We all can be great. Why am I afraid to be first? Why am I afraid to be all I can be?
Am I afraid to find out it's NOT true?
So, who told us there was no magic? Who persecuted & prosecuted the witches, warlocks & sorcerers? Ummmm.... The Church. Why? Maybe, they wanted to keep The Secret for themselves. Perhaps they thought the great masses of people were too stupid to be entrusted with exactly what Jesus came to tell us we were inheritors of.
In fact -- He told us exactly how to work "magic." "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all else shall be added unto you." "If you have faith the size of this mustard seed, you could ..." lift the mountain right into the sea. We could heal the blind, the lame, the heartsick. "Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
I'll bet, if we worked on it, we could teleport -- just 'step' from one location to another. That'd sure solve the transportation & energy problems.
I totally believe this. Yet, I'm afraid. What if it really IS true? What if I'm as great as I think I could be? I'm afraid of becoming arrogant, thinking I'm superior. These words -- this knowledge was given to ALL of us. We all can be great. Why am I afraid to be first? Why am I afraid to be all I can be?
Am I afraid to find out it's NOT true?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
What's gonna happen next? We have early, extensive wildfires in California; a devastating earthquake in China -- the area still is quivering, check the usgs.gov earthquake site; thousands dead in Myanmar from Cyclone Nargis; Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines; the drought continues in Southeast US; the Mississippi River Valley floods like it did in the early 90s -- thousands homeless, farmlands devastated.
That's just the natural disasters so far this year.
Oil, this world's main energy source (currently), is up to $145USD a barrel -- putting the cost of transportation up. Food being one of the most necessary items being shipped, food prices are up (and what effect will the flooding in the corn/wheat basket do to prices?). People here in America are curtailing their driving, airlines are raising prices, this affects a LOT of industries. This summer -- the travel, tourism & recreation industries are suffering -- people are just not traveling as much. It's too expensive! This is an industry which provides a LOT of summer/seasonal jobs -- not necessarily well-paid, but jobs none-the-less. The Iraq War is taking wa-a-a-y too many resources -- $162 BILLION USD for a useless war.
This morning, the radio said we'd lost 62,000 jobs this year; due to the recession we're skirting the edges of? And temp jobs are not picking up the slack -- they're down too.
So, higher food prices, higher energy costs, fewer jobs.
Y'know, even a country which has husbanded it's resources well would be hard-pressed to deal with several disasters at once. Look what happened when we had the Stock Market Crash in '29 and the Dust Bowl in the 30s. Too much at one time will take us under.
What's next? Where will it take us? Will we collapse, tighten our belts yet another notch & huddle by the fire -- or rise to the occasion?
Personally, I don't think we have the resources to throw behind another major blow -- or two. I'm afraid for the future.
That's just the natural disasters so far this year.
Oil, this world's main energy source (currently), is up to $145USD a barrel -- putting the cost of transportation up. Food being one of the most necessary items being shipped, food prices are up (and what effect will the flooding in the corn/wheat basket do to prices?). People here in America are curtailing their driving, airlines are raising prices, this affects a LOT of industries. This summer -- the travel, tourism & recreation industries are suffering -- people are just not traveling as much. It's too expensive! This is an industry which provides a LOT of summer/seasonal jobs -- not necessarily well-paid, but jobs none-the-less. The Iraq War is taking wa-a-a-y too many resources -- $162 BILLION USD for a useless war.
This morning, the radio said we'd lost 62,000 jobs this year; due to the recession we're skirting the edges of? And temp jobs are not picking up the slack -- they're down too.
So, higher food prices, higher energy costs, fewer jobs.
Y'know, even a country which has husbanded it's resources well would be hard-pressed to deal with several disasters at once. Look what happened when we had the Stock Market Crash in '29 and the Dust Bowl in the 30s. Too much at one time will take us under.
What's next? Where will it take us? Will we collapse, tighten our belts yet another notch & huddle by the fire -- or rise to the occasion?
Personally, I don't think we have the resources to throw behind another major blow -- or two. I'm afraid for the future.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
They're Principles, not Laws
The Law of Gravity, Thermodynamics, Electromagnetism, etc, etc.
They aren't immutable Laws. They're Principles by which the Multiverse operates, not by which it's governed.
Principles are flexible & manipulable. There's much we can do when we are not fenced by Laws, but guided by Principles.
Think it, you'll see.
They aren't immutable Laws. They're Principles by which the Multiverse operates, not by which it's governed.
Principles are flexible & manipulable. There's much we can do when we are not fenced by Laws, but guided by Principles.
Think it, you'll see.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday is primary (or caucus) day in a bunch of states. It may set the tone for the rest of the primary races.
Will the best (wo)man win? Don't you believe it! If the best person for the job actually got it, we wouldn't be in the mess we are -- billions in debt; engaged in a war we can't win, honorably or otherwise; healthcare priced out of reach of the average American; millions of working poor, unable to make a living wage.
Who will save us?
That question sends shivers down my all-American spine. Here's my answer: WE must "save" us. We can't look to anyone else to fix things for us. The "fix," if there is to be one, has to come from the people, from us, from the grassroots.
We have to stop looking for a politician to fix our lives, our economy, our morals. WE need to do what's right. WE need to hire people for adequate salaries. WE need to turn our backs on the out-of-the-loop idiots in Washington, and begin running our lives the way we know they should be run. Do the right thing, help a neighbor, give a fair days' work for a fair wage, buy locally, grow our own veggies in the backyard. If someone says "Government will help you," we should shake our heads & walk away. (Try not to spit at their feet, it's not polite.)
Let the idiots in Washington entertain themselves with their own importance.
C'mon Boomers, how many times in our lives have we heard that this or that program was going to fix everything -- no more hungry, homeless people; no more schools without current books; no child left behind. Has it worked YET?
No.
Time to take our lives back, and quit expecting some politician to "Save Us."
Will the best (wo)man win? Don't you believe it! If the best person for the job actually got it, we wouldn't be in the mess we are -- billions in debt; engaged in a war we can't win, honorably or otherwise; healthcare priced out of reach of the average American; millions of working poor, unable to make a living wage.
Who will save us?
That question sends shivers down my all-American spine. Here's my answer: WE must "save" us. We can't look to anyone else to fix things for us. The "fix," if there is to be one, has to come from the people, from us, from the grassroots.
We have to stop looking for a politician to fix our lives, our economy, our morals. WE need to do what's right. WE need to hire people for adequate salaries. WE need to turn our backs on the out-of-the-loop idiots in Washington, and begin running our lives the way we know they should be run. Do the right thing, help a neighbor, give a fair days' work for a fair wage, buy locally, grow our own veggies in the backyard. If someone says "Government will help you," we should shake our heads & walk away. (Try not to spit at their feet, it's not polite.)
Let the idiots in Washington entertain themselves with their own importance.
C'mon Boomers, how many times in our lives have we heard that this or that program was going to fix everything -- no more hungry, homeless people; no more schools without current books; no child left behind. Has it worked YET?
No.
Time to take our lives back, and quit expecting some politician to "Save Us."
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