114
   

Where is the US economy headed?

 
 
mysteryman
 
  0  
Reply Wed 13 Oct, 2010 10:52 pm
@plainoldme,
Actually, from what I have been able to find out, very few public libraries nationwide actually try to disable porn sites on their computers.

Many of them just ask the person viewing it to either stop, or remind them that it isnt allowed.
After all, do you really want a PUBLIC library, one paid for by our tax dollars, actually trying to block or ban what is legal under the 1st amendment?

You and I may not like porn, but it is protected under the 1st amendment.
cicerone imposter
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 09:40 am
@mysteryman,
Not when it involves children.
0 Replies
 
ican711nm
 
  -1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 12:45 pm

Quote:

ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/suppl/empsit.cpseea1.txt
Year……TOTAL US CIVIL EMPLOYMENT
1980……………..99 million [CARTER]
1988…………… 115 million [REAGAN]
1992…………….118 million [BUSH41]
2000……………137 million [CLINTON]
2007………..….146 million [BUSH43]
2008………….. 145 million [BUSH43]
2009,……….....140 million [OBAMA]
2010.……………139 million [OBAMA] (as of September 2010 and not final year of term)

Year.…….PERCENT OF CIVILIAN POPULATION EMPLOYED
1980…………………………………….59.2 [CARTER]
1988…………………………………….62.3 [REAGAN]
1992…………………………………….61.5 [BUSH41]
2000…………………………………….64.4 [CLINTON]
2007…………………………………….63.0 [BUSH43]
2008…………………………………….62.2 [BUSH43]
2009…………………………………….59.3 [OBAMA]
2010…………………………………….58.5 [OBAMA] (as of September 2010 and not final year of term)


talk72000
 
  0  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 12:55 pm
@ican711nm,
You are a broken record the hallmark of Massagato.
0 Replies
 
realjohnboy
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 01:24 pm
Here is an update on economic news heading into the weekend (in no particular order):
> The U.S. Trade Deficit with China ballooned in August to something like $28bn. Our exports were flat at $7.3bn while our imports, mostly of consumer goods (i.e. crap), hit $35.3bn. Much of this is blamed on the Chinese refusal to allow the value of their currency (the yuan) to rise. Were they to do so, exports to China would be cheaper while imports from China would become more dear.
I am certainly not extremely knowledgeable about China. I believe, though, that there is concern that China could experience social unrest if their exports were to decline precipitously due to a sharp increase in the value of the yuan.
> Overall, the U.S. Trade Deficit for August with the rest of the world climbed 8.8% to 46.4bn.
> The value of the dollar against a basket of other currencies - notably the yen - did fall to a 15 year low this week. Again, this makes exports from the U.S. cheaper, assuming we have stuff to sell, and makes imports from foreign countries more expensive. Our inflation rate is near -0- (excluding food and oil) at the wholesale level, so this is deemed as being okay.

> Mortgage rates continued to fall, hitting 4.19% for a 30-year loan. That is down from 4.27% a week ago. That is the lowest rate since the early 1950's.
I attribute that, in part, to banks only offering loans to the most credit worthy potential borrowers. And also, I think, there is a belief that, in many parts of the country, prices have not yet hit bottom.

> New claims for unemployment rose for the 1st time in a couple of months, driven in large part by cutbacks in state and local government. The increase in real numbers wasn't all that big.
What I did find telling was this from CSX, a big freight railroad company. They reported a decent increase in profits "due to rising tonnage of goods being shipped." Only deep, deep in the article was mention made that there labor costs were not rising commensurately. The increase in tonnage was made possible by putting together longer trains.

Stay tuned for more than you would ever want to know about the new catch phrase: Quantitative Easing.


Cycloptichorn
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 01:28 pm
@realjohnboy,
Quote:

> Mortgage rates continued to fall, hitting 4.19% for a 30-year loan. That is down from 4.27% a week ago. That is the lowest rate since the early 1950's.
I attribute that, in part, to banks only offering loans to the most credit worthy potential borrowers. And also, I think, there is a belief that, in many parts of the country, prices have not yet hit bottom.


The mess in the mortgage market is just now getting ready to explode, if you can believe that. Turns out the paperwork on the mortgages throughout the 1998-2008 period is total **** and both investors and people who are stuck in the mortgages are now calling the banks on it.

I'm going to start a new thread to discuss it here in a few hours.

Cycloptichorn
realjohnboy
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 01:29 pm
@Cycloptichorn,
Duly noted, Cyclo. I look forward to that.
cicerone imposter
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 01:55 pm
@Cycloptichorn,
I heard some financial pundit call it another bubble ready to burst. This low interest environment is only creating bubbles, because people borrow more money to buy long term assets in the hopes it'll increase when they're ready to retire. That goes for investments in the stock market. Sound familiar?

I will continue to criticize Bernanke for his lose money policies that he thinks will create jobs; it doesn't. We've had low interest rates for many years, and unemployment keeps increasing. They still don't "get it."
talk72000
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 01:57 pm
@cicerone imposter,
If the ratio is 15:1 (normal) it is okay but above that it is bad.
0 Replies
 
realjohnboy
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 03:02 pm
Quantitative Easing -
The Fed will not meet again until early November. Bernanke will be making a speech Friday regarding Fed plans.
Here is my take on what is being considered.
Interest rates that the Fed sets (e.g. on extremely short term loans between banks and between banks and the Fed) are at essentially 0%. There is no room for lowering.
Bernanke's new plan is to have the Fed print billions, perhaps a trillion, dollars to buy government securities (bonds and notes). The effect would be to drive up the price of that debt, meaning anyone wanting to own them would have to settle for a lower rate of interest.
The idea is that investors will search for investments affording higher yields or potential yields. Like gold (which rose to a record high today), or other currencies (which would make our exports cheaper and imports more expensive). Or folks people might buy into the stock market, and if it goes up, they might be inclined to feel more confident to spend on stuff...or even homes.
Will this work? I don't know. The fear of deflation inched up a bit on my meter in the last month or so. Deflation would be dreadful.
spendius
 
  1  
Reply Thu 14 Oct, 2010 03:24 pm
@realjohnboy,
Quote:
Well, my shoes, they come from Singapore,
My flashlight's from Taiwan,
My tablecloth's from Malaysia,
My belt buckle's from the Amazon.
You know, this shirt I wear comes from the Philippines
And the car I drive is a Chevrolet,
It was put together down in Argentina
By a guy makin' thirty cents a day.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.

Well, this silk dress is from Hong Kong
And the pearls are from Japan.
Well, the dog collar's from India
And the flower pot's from Pakistan.
All the furniture, it says "Made in Brazil"
Where a woman, she slaved for sure
Bringin' home thirty cents a day to a family of twelve,
You know, that's a lot of money to her.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.

Well, you know, lots of people complainin' that there is no work.
I say, "Why you say that for
When nothin' you got is U.S.-made?"
They don't make nothin' here no more,
You know, capitalism is above the law.
It say, "It don't count 'less it sells."
When it costs too much to build it at home
You just build it cheaper someplace else.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.

Well, the job that you used to have,
They gave it to somebody down in El Salvador.
The unions are big business, friend,
And they're goin' out like a dinosaur.
They used to grow food in Kansas
Now they want to grow it on the moon and eat it raw.
I can see the day coming when even your home garden
Is gonna be against the law.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.

Democracy don't rule the world,
You'd better get that in your head.
This world is ruled by violence
But I guess that's better left unsaid.
From Broadway to the Milky Way,
That's a lot of territory indeed
And a man's gonna do what he has to do
When he's got a hungry mouth to feed.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.


Bob Dylan Union Sundown.

I think the DOW was around 1,000 at the time.

Looks like greed was a good idea.
0 Replies
 
Cycloptichorn
 
  1  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 10:11 am
@realjohnboy,
realjohnboy wrote:

Duly noted, Cyclo. I look forward to that.


http://able2know.org/topic/162738-1

I hope that you will contribute.

Cycloptichorn
0 Replies
 
H2O MAN
 
  -1  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 10:45 am


What have the Democrats and Obama done that has actually improved the economic situation in the US?
spendius
 
  0  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 11:57 am
@H2O MAN,
They might claim that they have stopped the rot.

But Hutber's Law states that improvement means deterioration.
0 Replies
 
cicerone imposter
 
  1  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 12:04 pm
@realjohnboy,
Bernanke is creating the fuel for inflation by printing and increasing the flood of US dollars; that's the wrong decision and a stupid one at that!

These guys don't know what they are doing. Keeping interest rates low while increasing the money supply only creates another bubble that will burst to hurt everybody.

Speculators will use that money to buy more assets in the hopes of greater return in the future, but that process doesn't work as been shown in Japan and the world economies.

With stupid people running our monetary policies, our future looks more bleak than they should be. What will they do when inflation begins to stick its ugly head into all we buy?
0 Replies
 
H2O MAN
 
  0  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 12:05 pm
Deficit Report:

2010 Federal Budget Deficit Over $1 Trillion
ican711nm
 
  -1  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 12:42 pm
Quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051527/posts
Partial History of U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates
Highest and lowest Income Tax Rates 1971 to 2010
...
1971-1981: minimum = 14%; maximum = 70% [CARTER 1977-1981]
1982-1986: minimum = 11%; maximum = 50% [REAGAN 1981-1989]
1987-1987: minimum = 11%; maximum = 38.5%
1988-1990: minimum = 15%; maximum = 33% [BUSH41 1989-1993]
1991-1992: minimum = 15%; maximum = 31%
1993-2000: minimum = 15%; maximum = 39.6% [CLINTON 1993-2001]
2001-2001: minimum = 15%; maximum = 39.1% [BUSH43 2001-2009]
2002-2002: minimum = 10%; maximum = 38.6%
2003-2009: minimum = 10%; maximum = 35%
2009-2010: minimum = 10%; maximum = 35%[OBAMA 2001-2010]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/hist.pdf
Year.......FEDERAL RECEIPTS FINAL FULL YEAR OF TERM
1980......$0.517 trillion [CARTER]
1988….…$0.909 trillion [REAGAN]
1992.......$1.091 trillion [BUSH41]
2000......$2.025 trillion [CLINTON]
2008......$2.521 trillion [BUSH43]
2010.......$2,931[OBAMA] (current estimate for year not end of term)

0 Replies
 
spendius
 
  1  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 12:42 pm
@H2O MAN,
Don't some of these posts make you laugh?

First the Republicans were stupid and didn't know what they were doing and now the Democrats are stupid and don't know what they are doing after having been elected by the parties of the first part. And these are the best people the voters can agree upon. Imagine the shambles if some of these silly sods were put in charge.

Seems like a Tea Party pitch to me.

Perhaps the US is ungovernable which some experts think was the precise intention of the Constitution at a time when " a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" and the population was one tenth the present total, had no roads, no internal combustion engine, no electricity and callouses on its hands. Babies being born in covered wagons. Not that the babies would bother.

The senator from Oregon had about a fortnight in Washington to pitch for his baying electorate. The other 50 weeks went in travelling on horseback through very threatening territory. By which time the concessions he had wrung from their stony hearts in Washington and carried back in triumph had been cancelled.

The Constitution should have banned ******* eh? As Jesus had advised. Or licensed it like the Chinese communists do. Perhaps they didn't like admitting they had a zoo on their hands like the evolutionists reckon and as Malthus (Darwin's ideas man) would have told them had they waited a few more years.

This is good eh? The more food we grow, the more ******* there is and the more ******* there is the more ungovernable we become. It's down in black and white. Darwin believed it.

Solution- scapegoat the best we can find, who are being said here to be no better, and pretend there's no ******* going on.

If we could **** in the open the Greens would rush up shouting "'ere- you can't do that 'ere--don't you know how much oil an American baby is destined to consume?"
H2O MAN
 
  -1  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 01:01 pm
@spendius,
Just blame it all on Bush if you think it will help you sleep better.
spendius
 
  0  
Reply Fri 15 Oct, 2010 01:20 pm
@H2O MAN,
I sleep entirely to my satisfaction.

Hey--Did you see O'Reilly last night pick a fake fight with a bunch of stroppy women to try to prove Fox isn't just as sold out to the hand that rocks the cradle as the rest of Media. Then he interviewed three more women one accusing him of the fakery.

I presume you know the tried and tested method for ladies to rise in organisations ( a licence to print money Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet called them, a Canadian) where the basic skills are being able to read a teleprompter and having a co-operative nature. At first anyway. And think of the cupboard full of skeletons that is associated with. No wonder they are in favour of pre-marital sex, adultery, artificial birth control, divorce and the safety net of abortion.

And he's sympathetic to the Tea Party as well.
 

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