Where is the US economy headed?

You never quoted me and you use my words in the wrong way. Either you are incapable of thinking or your ego is so large that you think you do.

Neither of us knows the future. However, it turned out that you were very far off the mark in your similar early forecasts for the recent election. (I note that as the election approached you only half-heartedly stuck with the forecast, perhaps as a matter of pride, but that months earlier you expressed a high degree of certainty about a Democrat vistory.)

You could be wrong again.

Speaking of citizens of CA: How many of them are the children and grandchildren of the people John Steinbeck wrote about? The okies who fled their state for the promise of work in California at the time "okie's" dad emigrated from Denmark. Makes me wonder whether okie would have hated Denmark and Europe as he does had his father remained in the homeland.

Re: selling homes.

One reason to sell a home is divorce.

Another reason -- which may have disappeared or will soon -- is not being able to afford it from a sense other than no longer being able to meet the monthly mortgage. When I worked at Williams-Sonoma, a customer told me she had just remodeled her kitchen in order to increase the mortgage so that she and her husband still had an income tax deduction. They earned so much money as a couple, they needed an expensive mortgage. She said within three to five years, they would have to sell again.

I earned $8,000 that year, working in retail, after finishing my second master's degree. All I could picture was her ugly kitchen: too much marble and a bad floor plan.

People still flock to LA in the hope of breaking into television and/or movies.

If I didnt quote you, how could I have used your words in the wrong way?
I would have had to quote you to do that.

Also, what is the "wrong way"?


And just so you cant claim I "misquoted you", here is your entire statement...

I wrote and was quoted by MM, one of the few times he actually quoted me, but look what he did with it and what that demonstrates about him:
Moving freight by rail rather than by truck must surely save resources.


This was his response:
Not really.
Since the local convenience store, gas station, grocery store, liquor store, or any other local business doesnt have railroad tracks to them for trains to deliver to them, how do you think the goods will get moved from the railroad to the stores?

No matter how much you dislike them, it will still take trucks to move freight.


What does that tell you about him?

His stock and trade is in strawmen.

But, why is that so?

His statement -- which I did not originally answer as I regarded it as beneath contempt -- points to his inability to understand some pertinent facts.

That said, his argument may not be a strawman but an expression of his own inexperience with life and/or his inability to reason.

Hauling goods by truck from where ever they are imported (the captains of industry shipped our jobs overseas to line their own pockets) by rail to an inland distribution center is less expensive than hauling smaller amounts in separate trucks.

Of course, should goods have to move from Detroit to Dearborn, MI, or from Waltham to Wellesley, MA or from Chicago to Joliet, IL, they would go by truck.

And guess what? Not all the goods unloaded in Detroit or Waltham or Chicago would go just to Dearborn or Wellesley or Joliet but to other cities in other directions.

To me, mm's statement, meant as a put down to me, just reflects his lack of thought.

And, sugar, where did I say I disliked trucks? First, that is an example of misquoting me. Secondly, my thinking is better than that. Trucks are inefficient.


As for the rest of the post, if you don't know that the national rail was dismantled, try looking it up.

Now, the federal government is trying to reinstate many rail segments that were dismantled. Is it better that they were dismantled, that is, since you need things lined out for you, will it cost less in the long run to build from scratch rather than enhance existing routes to accommodate modern, high speed rail?

Perhaps it is but I suspect it is not. I know of people who made fortunes from the dismantling of the rail.

BTW, you know those urban trails that people use for skateboarding and cycling? They used to be railways.

Well, nobody's perfect. But at least they held the Senate, so I was half-right. I would point out that you seemed equally certain that HCR wouldn't pass, with some pretty definite statements to that effect during the time when it looked the most dire.

However, I think we ought to be able to look at modern events and attempt some sort of projections of the future based upon them. The fact that we aren't perfect visionaries doesn't preclude our ability to predict what will happen, and right now the elements for an Obama defeat in 2012 don't yet seem to be in place. There are certain things that you would want to see in order to predict that with certainty and I don't see them yet. I am sure that you don't see them yet either, but don't really want to admit it. Various Republicans have been going on the record lately admitting that Obama will be MUCH harder to defeat than certain members of your party seem to think. I think this is a more accurate assessment.

Back on the topic of the economy, I think that various polls have shown that folks are willing to let the top earners' tax cuts expire. I don't see why you should be surprised by this; Republicans have been constantly harping on the subject of the deficit and the debt for two years now, and everybody realizes that one way to help close that gap is to end these tax cuts for the richest among us. I don't think the argument that 'tax cuts lead to job growth' holds much water anymore, as the last 8 years have shown that they most certainly do NOT do so with any regularity. I can't predict what will happen with the cuts - there's a good chance Obama and the Dems will go along with an extension of all of them just to avoid a fight - but the assertion that the populace as a whole wants these cuts or believes in the 'pro-growth' nonsense that Republicans spout is countered by the data.

Cycloptichorn

Here's the one I was looking for! THis guy thinks he is so superior but this post made me feel particularly embarrassed for him.

Had he never continued to throw tantrums on this thread, I would never have answered this patent piece of stupidity. But, Mm has to be a masochist who likes to be shamed. You should never, as an adult, posted this.

Average income? You haven't a clue as to what that means.

The average income includes the kids who work at McDonald's; the older women who are kept out of gainful employment and left to work retail; the grad students who work part-time; seasonal workers who mow lawns, and, of course, people who lost jobs during the year and worked for fewer than 12 months.



Yes, a great many people do not own cars. There is a good bus system here, in part, because of the colleges and people take buses from Northampton to work in the mall; from Springfield to work at the hospital.

Cost of apartments? A studio rents for $600 a month on average in this part of the state, as opposed to $1,200 in the Greater Boston area. Young people share housing but older people generally live in smaller places alone. The average two-bedroom apt. in Northampton is around $1,500 but only $1,000 in Springfield. Of course, rent is lower in Pittsfield where a two bedroom can be had for $600 but Pittsfield is another area, the Berkshires, and not the Pioneer Valley.

My 86 year old dad looked at this and said, "That guy doesn't have both oars in the water." I imagine my ex would suggest you stop picking your nose.

I say think before you type. You are your own worst enemy.

Since you insist on embarrassing yourself, I have responded twice to you.

By the time you read this, you will have had two answers.

You should quit while you are ahead. I am beginning to feel sorry for you, or, I would feel sorry for you if you didn't insist on making the same mistakes over and over and over.

still waiting

(and yes, I've re-read the last coupla dozen pages)

Again #1!

George Soros repeatedly declares his objective to be a "a new world order" with the USA one of its subordinates. Obama is an employee of George Soros. The Obama government is our enemy.

This is the third thread you've posted this on. How much did the republican party pay you for this act?

Mysteryman: How much weight can a single trailer long haul truck (or a tandem trailer) pull? I realize that perhaps depends on the terrain. Thanks in advance. -RJB.

A tractor-trailer combo (tractor and 1 trailer) is legally allowed to weigh 80,000 pounds.
Most of them have an empty weight around 33,000 to 36,000 pounds.
They can legally haul 44 to 47,000 pounds.
Of course, the more you can haul the more you can make.

There are exceptions to these weights, but for most companies, the weights I just gave are the legal limits.

Thank you. At one time I knew all about gross and tare weights. I am working on a "story" for this thread re trucks/trains. But we seem to have moved on to other things here. I will put that in storage.

Please provide at least one shred of evidence that I "hate those hypothetical families of four that live on $25,000/annum," plainoldme. When you make accusations like that, you need to have evidence, okay? Please provide a quote or quotes, or an opinion that proves your claim. If not, I believe an apology would be in order.

Of course I don't expect any proof or evidence, or apology, folks. The above is what pom does here, she routinely makes outlandish accusations because of some crazy or weird preconceived notions in her mind. Where she got them, I wish I knew, but I suspect some leftist college course or courses she has taken, or perhaps she learned this stuff growing up?

Neither of us has a perfect record in our predictions and I don't think either of us has claimed infallability. I'm not forecasting an Obama defeat in 2012 - only indicating that if some recent trends in public perceptions continue to grow he very likely will be defeated. My bet is the Congress and the administration will agree on a limited extention of the current tax rates. (If they don't it will cost me a bundle when I do sell my company stock. I purchased it based on a calculation that the costs/risks were OK with a Capital gains tax of 15% on the return: not so good if it turns out to be closer to 40% - an example of how uncertainty can affect investment decisions that affect economic growth.)

Are you aware that there is a bill before Congress to increase the weight trucks might carry? I think there are safety issues we should worry about if that bill is passed.

I will apologize to you, okie.

I'm sorry that you are stupid.