The government has been manipulating numbers in it's favor for decades now. If we calculated unemployment the way they did pre-1980 then we would be at 21.9% (www.shadowstats.com). It's funny how people (politicians) say we are in a recovery but look around you. I have seen more empty retail space than at any other point in my life. Everybody I know has lost at least one job. The Wall Street Journal claims there is no such thing as inflation but their subscription fee has increased 14% compounded from 2004. Their inflation numbers do not count for energy and food. Funny how those are the most important factors to most people.
It's really sad when I hear people I love and respect say things like, "they (government) will get us out of this", and "they are passing a jobs bill which should help". Since when does any self respecting American think the government has done anything to help this country? In 1813 the dollar was worth the same as it was in 1913. In 2010, the dollar is worth $0.03 of what it was worth in 1913. The largest employer is the Federal Government and if every dollar made from every US Citizen was nationalized (stolen) by the government, we still would not be able to pay back our debt.
Why so much attention on Greece who is 2% of the EU's combined GDP? California is 11% of our country's GDP. Why so much focus on Toyota's recall? American automakers must have been perfect in their 100 years. They would never make a car that exploded when hit from behind. Just an example. I guess the government's PR machine is there to help GM (Government Motors) sell more cars.
Rates are being kept artificially low because of the Fed's purchase program. Let's see the real pain of the housing market when rates climb. Everything "they" have done has prolonged this recession/depression. "They" are interested in staying in office so perception is reality. The perception that we are recovering is far different from the reality that our country is collapsing.
Moving on to the clown in the White House. He claimed that healthcare would help the jobs situation. How so? Please explain this to my simple minded self. Wouldn't it be more logical to think that jobs would solve the healthcare issue. People could actually afford their premiums if employers weren't getting taxed out the rear. And why is it that before the Super Bowl I need to listen to this clown getting a patty cake interview from one of the stooges who worships at his alter? Yeah Katie, way to ask him the hards ones (sarcasm). How can you sit there and tell the American public with a straight face that you are going to have a spending freeze and then propose the largest budget in US history with the largest deficit in US history and have no real consequences?
Okay here is the deal with the Toyota's: where do you think the majority of these cars were being built? America. and if they have a total recall on the cars - that means the ASSEMBLY LINES aren't cranking out these defective tin cans. SO who do you think gets to stay home til they fix this mess....... YEP - Americans. So it's like being laid off. Next -- most of these plants are where ---- Yep - RURAL areas -- so if Stacy, John and Rasheed can't work cause the plant is closed....and the Japanese Auto Plants do not have those fancy UNIONS like Detroit did --- WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE ECONOMY in those TOWNS, and HOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE??
Next, WHY SO MUCH ATTENTION ON ATHENS -- well, if you recall the last meltdown it spread in Europe like a California WILDFIRE -- Country after after Country on the brink of collapse......it was a frenzy....but...oh yeah...they didn't show it on the news here in the US...... they were to busy trying to tell us all that it was because of mortgages people couldn't afford. THEY FORGOT to TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE that those bundles of loans were sold to the EUROPEAN BANKS and that is what caused the near collapse of the majority of the banks and investors in EUROPE. SO we are keeping our eye on EUROPE again because this time - they may not have the ability to pull it out of the fire this time.
Okay here is the deal with the Toyota's: where do you think the majority of these cars were being built? America. and if they have a total recall on the cars - that means the ASSEMBLY LINES aren't cranking out these defective tin cans. SO who do you think gets to stay home til they fix this mess....... YEP - Americans. So it's like being laid off. Next -- most of these plants are where ---- Yep - RURAL areas -- so if Stacy, John and Rasheed can't work cause the plant is closed....and the Japanese Auto Plants do not have those fancy UNIONS like Detroit did --- WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE ECONOMY in those TOWNS, and HOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE??
Next, WHY SO MUCH ATTENTION ON ATHENS -- well, if you recall the last meltdown it spread in Europe like a California WILDFIRE -- Country after after Country on the brink of collapse......it was a frenzy....but...oh yeah...they didn't show it on the news here in the US...... they were to busy trying to tell us all that it was because of mortgages people couldn't afford. THEY FORGOT to TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE that those bundles of loans were sold to the EUROPEAN BANKS and that is what caused the near collapse of the majority of the banks and investors in EUROPE. SO we are keeping our eye on EUROPE again because this time - they may not have the ability to pull it out of the fire this time.
I agree with mostly everything you said with the exception of Greece being so important. Not saying it should be taken lightly, all I am saying is that Greece is not nearly as important to the US as California. That is until you think beyond the surface. The US needs investors to finance it's debt. What better way to have this happen than to scare everybody about the Euro while completing overlooking the problems with the dollar. Conveniently at the same time as our enormous deficit comes to light.
Euro gets pounded and dollar rallies. A little too convenient on the timing as well as convenient that no spotlight is shining on our own states deficits.
Think about it.
Lenderbob
P.S. You proved my point by saying nothing was said in the US about mortgages. It reared it's ugly head and now the dollar is in trouble. Again, no real concern here until it happens.
_________________ Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.
I spent a lot of time in 2008 and in 2009 watching Squwak Box at 4:00 AM
The European segment comes on MSNBC -- so dang early, but the information they were reporting was 1 million times better than any of coverage done by any network here in the states. As the stocks began to drop all over Europe and the stock markets were closed in Russia and Italy, the visual was unprecedented to see the entire European union in trouble. The news reports doing stories with the London Bridge in the background was worth getting up for. As I watched all of the meltdown go on in eurpoe - I kept asking myself - how come they aren't reporting this heavily in the US? Then I realized if they put this on TV there would be a run on ALL OF THE BANKS and panic in the streets.
The commentators were straight forward and there was no fluff. They actually said that a lot of the CDO's sold to them by the Americans were worthless. I sure didn't hear that on Bloomberg nor the WSJ.
So true. I remember all of the warning signs and people like Schiff called this mess way before it happened. Everyone called them doom and gloomers but they were right.
I disagree with our "news" networks filtering the news and claiming they know what's right for us to hear and what we shouldn't know. Not their job to tell us what they want us to hear and keep from us what they don't. A true news network will report everything that is newsworthy and the country losing half of their portfolio is certainly newsworthy. Any coincidence that companies like Chase are enormous shareholders in our "news" networks? I think not.
Maybe our country should have been aware of the impending disaster so we could have actually done something about it. Maybe if we did nothing about with the information in hand we deserved what we got. Either way, the people who lost a ton during this mess or are about to lose a ton will think twice before living a leveraged lifestyle.
I stopped watching cnn, fox and msnbc due to their lack of reporting the actual news. It's all political, all the time and the information is such propaganda on all sides I couldn't take it.
Lenderbob
_________________ Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.
what makes masters of the universe is knowledge and anticipation.
none of us are going to cure the human condition.
thus, i call the position we are in 'conceptual purgatory'.
the problem is actually giving a c**p. life is short, so fuggitaboutit. if only it were that ez... but how to motivate all parties low and high to do the right thing???
here's an example: humungoid nuclear power co. buys startup solar power co. I have said it for years:
another example: let the paper/pulp co.'s purchase the hemp mfrs. to convert to green business.
the time is coming. just slower than we would like.
View next topic View previous topic
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
