Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
ucodegen
ParticipantJust redistributing wealth through social programs is much akin to giving you kid an allowance. It doesn’t motivate him to find a way to earn more.
Actually it is closer to taking money from the kid that decided to go out and get a summer job and giving it to the kid who decided to do a ‘beach bum summer’..
While ‘redistributing wealth’ has benefits, it also has some severe costs. The act of redistribution does not create value.. just ‘redistributes’ it. The act of redistribution is also a powerful dis-incentive to those that sacrificed their own time to create it. I bet that kid who decided to go for a summer job would have preferred to do a ‘beach bum summer’.
Redistribution of wealth can have a beneficial effect in offsetting the powers of scale when dealing with income. As a person earns successively more, the percentage of that income going to survival level necessities decreases. This leaves discretionary income for many purposes. Taking a small amount of this ‘excess’ is not that much a problem, but removing a large portion would disincentivize the person from putting out the effort to produce this income.
Pick up a book on economics, Thomas Sowell has some good fast reads. You will learn that government spending is simply someone else deciding how to your money should be spent.
There is one area that government spending is useful. Remember, not all spending comes from taxes.. some comes from ‘printing’ as well. One area that government spending is useful is in recovery from recessions or preventions of depressions. Generally, the government should be paying down its borrowed money when the economy is healthy or becoming ‘overheated’. The government needs to do the reverse (spending money) when times get tight. It controls the currency and needs to be a balancing force against the extremities of the market. Unfortunately, not many politicians seem to have the self control to ‘save for a rainy day’.
ucodegen
ParticipantJust redistributing wealth through social programs is much akin to giving you kid an allowance. It doesn’t motivate him to find a way to earn more.
Actually it is closer to taking money from the kid that decided to go out and get a summer job and giving it to the kid who decided to do a ‘beach bum summer’..
While ‘redistributing wealth’ has benefits, it also has some severe costs. The act of redistribution does not create value.. just ‘redistributes’ it. The act of redistribution is also a powerful dis-incentive to those that sacrificed their own time to create it. I bet that kid who decided to go for a summer job would have preferred to do a ‘beach bum summer’.
Redistribution of wealth can have a beneficial effect in offsetting the powers of scale when dealing with income. As a person earns successively more, the percentage of that income going to survival level necessities decreases. This leaves discretionary income for many purposes. Taking a small amount of this ‘excess’ is not that much a problem, but removing a large portion would disincentivize the person from putting out the effort to produce this income.
Pick up a book on economics, Thomas Sowell has some good fast reads. You will learn that government spending is simply someone else deciding how to your money should be spent.
There is one area that government spending is useful. Remember, not all spending comes from taxes.. some comes from ‘printing’ as well. One area that government spending is useful is in recovery from recessions or preventions of depressions. Generally, the government should be paying down its borrowed money when the economy is healthy or becoming ‘overheated’. The government needs to do the reverse (spending money) when times get tight. It controls the currency and needs to be a balancing force against the extremities of the market. Unfortunately, not many politicians seem to have the self control to ‘save for a rainy day’.
ucodegen
ParticipantHe keeps thinking inflation is right around the corner. He worries about the rise of Hitler.
Sounds like the extreme Republicans. Obama as Hitler? That’s laughable.
Someone forgot history. Compare the years of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power with the Great Depression.
Great Depression October 29, 1929 to late 1930s,early 1940s.
Hitler;
joined Nazi Party 1919
Leader of National Socialist German Workers Party 1921
Coup Attempt 1923
Chancellor of Germany 1933
Rearmament of Germany followed by invading Poland 1939.There is no association being made. Many people were getting concerned about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power during the Great Depression.
I think that deflation is still in the cards. Look at food prices and airline tickets.
Inflation is still some time away.
Could be. Many people forget that part of inflation is tied to the price in housing. If people see their house going up in value, many will re-fi with equity out and then spend that money. If house prices are not going up.. then this inflationary behavior does not occur.
I would love for Obama to turn off the spigot immediately. That will cause a crash that would allow those of us with wherewithal to profit.
It depends upon which spigot. If the TARP was not done, all credit would have dried up.. including corporate revolving lines of credit. Corporate lines of credit are used to handle payroll and other expenses and to smooth out the bursty nature of sales in the corporate world.
But I understand that for the economy’s sake more government support is needed. But still, that pisses me off because it’s allowing those smug real estate people to hang on.
Personally, I would really like to see the RE speculators get ‘fried’. Unfortunately this economy is all tied together. One thing that would really reduce the speculation is for the Capital Gains exemption on Real Estate to be removed. I would love to have Capital Gains exemption on any stock held more than 2 years.. but I don’t. Why is RE an exemption? The second would be requiring down payments when buying a property. This would be similar to margin requirements that were phased in by the SEC after the Great Depression. I would also like to see broker licensing and regulation (for both RE and Mortgage) along the lines of regulations that the SEC added to stock broker dealers. Presently, I don’t think there is any regulation that prevents a re-agent from inserting an intermediary buyer between the real seller of a property and the real buyer the broker is supposed to represent. There is for stock and commodity investments and violating that rule can get you banned for life.
ucodegen
ParticipantHe keeps thinking inflation is right around the corner. He worries about the rise of Hitler.
Sounds like the extreme Republicans. Obama as Hitler? That’s laughable.
Someone forgot history. Compare the years of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power with the Great Depression.
Great Depression October 29, 1929 to late 1930s,early 1940s.
Hitler;
joined Nazi Party 1919
Leader of National Socialist German Workers Party 1921
Coup Attempt 1923
Chancellor of Germany 1933
Rearmament of Germany followed by invading Poland 1939.There is no association being made. Many people were getting concerned about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power during the Great Depression.
I think that deflation is still in the cards. Look at food prices and airline tickets.
Inflation is still some time away.
Could be. Many people forget that part of inflation is tied to the price in housing. If people see their house going up in value, many will re-fi with equity out and then spend that money. If house prices are not going up.. then this inflationary behavior does not occur.
I would love for Obama to turn off the spigot immediately. That will cause a crash that would allow those of us with wherewithal to profit.
It depends upon which spigot. If the TARP was not done, all credit would have dried up.. including corporate revolving lines of credit. Corporate lines of credit are used to handle payroll and other expenses and to smooth out the bursty nature of sales in the corporate world.
But I understand that for the economy’s sake more government support is needed. But still, that pisses me off because it’s allowing those smug real estate people to hang on.
Personally, I would really like to see the RE speculators get ‘fried’. Unfortunately this economy is all tied together. One thing that would really reduce the speculation is for the Capital Gains exemption on Real Estate to be removed. I would love to have Capital Gains exemption on any stock held more than 2 years.. but I don’t. Why is RE an exemption? The second would be requiring down payments when buying a property. This would be similar to margin requirements that were phased in by the SEC after the Great Depression. I would also like to see broker licensing and regulation (for both RE and Mortgage) along the lines of regulations that the SEC added to stock broker dealers. Presently, I don’t think there is any regulation that prevents a re-agent from inserting an intermediary buyer between the real seller of a property and the real buyer the broker is supposed to represent. There is for stock and commodity investments and violating that rule can get you banned for life.
ucodegen
ParticipantHe keeps thinking inflation is right around the corner. He worries about the rise of Hitler.
Sounds like the extreme Republicans. Obama as Hitler? That’s laughable.
Someone forgot history. Compare the years of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power with the Great Depression.
Great Depression October 29, 1929 to late 1930s,early 1940s.
Hitler;
joined Nazi Party 1919
Leader of National Socialist German Workers Party 1921
Coup Attempt 1923
Chancellor of Germany 1933
Rearmament of Germany followed by invading Poland 1939.There is no association being made. Many people were getting concerned about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power during the Great Depression.
I think that deflation is still in the cards. Look at food prices and airline tickets.
Inflation is still some time away.
Could be. Many people forget that part of inflation is tied to the price in housing. If people see their house going up in value, many will re-fi with equity out and then spend that money. If house prices are not going up.. then this inflationary behavior does not occur.
I would love for Obama to turn off the spigot immediately. That will cause a crash that would allow those of us with wherewithal to profit.
It depends upon which spigot. If the TARP was not done, all credit would have dried up.. including corporate revolving lines of credit. Corporate lines of credit are used to handle payroll and other expenses and to smooth out the bursty nature of sales in the corporate world.
But I understand that for the economy’s sake more government support is needed. But still, that pisses me off because it’s allowing those smug real estate people to hang on.
Personally, I would really like to see the RE speculators get ‘fried’. Unfortunately this economy is all tied together. One thing that would really reduce the speculation is for the Capital Gains exemption on Real Estate to be removed. I would love to have Capital Gains exemption on any stock held more than 2 years.. but I don’t. Why is RE an exemption? The second would be requiring down payments when buying a property. This would be similar to margin requirements that were phased in by the SEC after the Great Depression. I would also like to see broker licensing and regulation (for both RE and Mortgage) along the lines of regulations that the SEC added to stock broker dealers. Presently, I don’t think there is any regulation that prevents a re-agent from inserting an intermediary buyer between the real seller of a property and the real buyer the broker is supposed to represent. There is for stock and commodity investments and violating that rule can get you banned for life.
ucodegen
ParticipantHe keeps thinking inflation is right around the corner. He worries about the rise of Hitler.
Sounds like the extreme Republicans. Obama as Hitler? That’s laughable.
Someone forgot history. Compare the years of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power with the Great Depression.
Great Depression October 29, 1929 to late 1930s,early 1940s.
Hitler;
joined Nazi Party 1919
Leader of National Socialist German Workers Party 1921
Coup Attempt 1923
Chancellor of Germany 1933
Rearmament of Germany followed by invading Poland 1939.There is no association being made. Many people were getting concerned about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power during the Great Depression.
I think that deflation is still in the cards. Look at food prices and airline tickets.
Inflation is still some time away.
Could be. Many people forget that part of inflation is tied to the price in housing. If people see their house going up in value, many will re-fi with equity out and then spend that money. If house prices are not going up.. then this inflationary behavior does not occur.
I would love for Obama to turn off the spigot immediately. That will cause a crash that would allow those of us with wherewithal to profit.
It depends upon which spigot. If the TARP was not done, all credit would have dried up.. including corporate revolving lines of credit. Corporate lines of credit are used to handle payroll and other expenses and to smooth out the bursty nature of sales in the corporate world.
But I understand that for the economy’s sake more government support is needed. But still, that pisses me off because it’s allowing those smug real estate people to hang on.
Personally, I would really like to see the RE speculators get ‘fried’. Unfortunately this economy is all tied together. One thing that would really reduce the speculation is for the Capital Gains exemption on Real Estate to be removed. I would love to have Capital Gains exemption on any stock held more than 2 years.. but I don’t. Why is RE an exemption? The second would be requiring down payments when buying a property. This would be similar to margin requirements that were phased in by the SEC after the Great Depression. I would also like to see broker licensing and regulation (for both RE and Mortgage) along the lines of regulations that the SEC added to stock broker dealers. Presently, I don’t think there is any regulation that prevents a re-agent from inserting an intermediary buyer between the real seller of a property and the real buyer the broker is supposed to represent. There is for stock and commodity investments and violating that rule can get you banned for life.
ucodegen
ParticipantHe keeps thinking inflation is right around the corner. He worries about the rise of Hitler.
Sounds like the extreme Republicans. Obama as Hitler? That’s laughable.
Someone forgot history. Compare the years of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power with the Great Depression.
Great Depression October 29, 1929 to late 1930s,early 1940s.
Hitler;
joined Nazi Party 1919
Leader of National Socialist German Workers Party 1921
Coup Attempt 1923
Chancellor of Germany 1933
Rearmament of Germany followed by invading Poland 1939.There is no association being made. Many people were getting concerned about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power during the Great Depression.
I think that deflation is still in the cards. Look at food prices and airline tickets.
Inflation is still some time away.
Could be. Many people forget that part of inflation is tied to the price in housing. If people see their house going up in value, many will re-fi with equity out and then spend that money. If house prices are not going up.. then this inflationary behavior does not occur.
I would love for Obama to turn off the spigot immediately. That will cause a crash that would allow those of us with wherewithal to profit.
It depends upon which spigot. If the TARP was not done, all credit would have dried up.. including corporate revolving lines of credit. Corporate lines of credit are used to handle payroll and other expenses and to smooth out the bursty nature of sales in the corporate world.
But I understand that for the economy’s sake more government support is needed. But still, that pisses me off because it’s allowing those smug real estate people to hang on.
Personally, I would really like to see the RE speculators get ‘fried’. Unfortunately this economy is all tied together. One thing that would really reduce the speculation is for the Capital Gains exemption on Real Estate to be removed. I would love to have Capital Gains exemption on any stock held more than 2 years.. but I don’t. Why is RE an exemption? The second would be requiring down payments when buying a property. This would be similar to margin requirements that were phased in by the SEC after the Great Depression. I would also like to see broker licensing and regulation (for both RE and Mortgage) along the lines of regulations that the SEC added to stock broker dealers. Presently, I don’t think there is any regulation that prevents a re-agent from inserting an intermediary buyer between the real seller of a property and the real buyer the broker is supposed to represent. There is for stock and commodity investments and violating that rule can get you banned for life.
ucodegen
Participantucodegen, it sounds like you maybe in the military. If so, then I’m very disappointed in military training. Doubly so if you’re a commissioned officer
Looks like someone is using personal attacks when just about all else fails.. baiting doesn’t work. Don’t have time for such low-brow behavior.
ucodegen
Participantucodegen, it sounds like you maybe in the military. If so, then I’m very disappointed in military training. Doubly so if you’re a commissioned officer
Looks like someone is using personal attacks when just about all else fails.. baiting doesn’t work. Don’t have time for such low-brow behavior.
ucodegen
Participantucodegen, it sounds like you maybe in the military. If so, then I’m very disappointed in military training. Doubly so if you’re a commissioned officer
Looks like someone is using personal attacks when just about all else fails.. baiting doesn’t work. Don’t have time for such low-brow behavior.
ucodegen
Participantucodegen, it sounds like you maybe in the military. If so, then I’m very disappointed in military training. Doubly so if you’re a commissioned officer
Looks like someone is using personal attacks when just about all else fails.. baiting doesn’t work. Don’t have time for such low-brow behavior.
ucodegen
Participantucodegen, it sounds like you maybe in the military. If so, then I’m very disappointed in military training. Doubly so if you’re a commissioned officer
Looks like someone is using personal attacks when just about all else fails.. baiting doesn’t work. Don’t have time for such low-brow behavior.
ucodegen
Participantucodegen, if your research is correct, maybe this is a gotcha moment for you. You can inform FOX that the Washington Post lied and you’ll be famous. You can then go on the talk circuit making speeches to conservatives.
Don’t want to inflame the radicals. I consider it a possible typo until otherwise proven. Also take a look at what they consider the 110th Congress on McCains bio page under roles in congress.. “· 110th Congress: Senator, Arizona, Republican. Jan. 4, 2007, to Jan. 3, 2011.” Huh?
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/
Though I may inform the Washington post to double check their numbers and correct the page.. make it ‘pages’ since that last one is repeated several times for different senators.I think that Germany has coal. I believe the Germans invented the liquification of coal.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germ…Correct term is had. Most of it is gone/used up. It was located in the disputed territories between France and Germany, which I believe France now possesses. From what I remember, it was Anthracite/High Bituminous and not Lignite. The new coal reserves that you are pointing to, brown coal, is not as desirable except for possibly gassification. It also has less than half the energy content than ‘black’ coal and the water content makes extracting all of that energy difficult. If you notice, most of these exploratory areas are located in the ‘east’ Germany area that was finally returned to Germany from Russian control.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignite
The fact that Germany is a signer of the Kyoto Protocol, brings question as to how effectively they may be able to exploit these reserves. (And also noted by the article you also referenced.)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,593296,00.html
Maybe it’s just me, but if the Europeans don’t want us to preemptively defend them from Iraq, we shouldn’t do it then bitch that they don’t appreciate it.
As I said before, and why I mentioned that it would be interesting to see what happened if we didn’t. I’m also not ‘bitching’ that they don’t appreciate it. Other than some lack of economic stability, it might have been worth not getting involved. Again, that is one of the ‘what-if’s..
France has a pretty good military as well, perhaps even as good as the Brits.
They are not even close to the Brits. I have seen both practice at Red Flag @ Nellis. There is a world of difference in attitude they bring. The Brits are all business and the French use it as a dating tool when off base. The condition that they keep the jets in is completely different. I have seen French Mirage(s) with indications of damage from after-burner blowouts used on exercises, with the replacement panels still not painted. I also saw yellow segments in the afterburner flames indicating poor fuel regulation to the afterburner (which can also cause blowouts) on the French Mirages when they throttled up on the line for takeoff.
As far at NATO is concerned, we contribute the most (25-30% as I recall) but not the bulk of the defense organization’s budget and troops.
Was recently 25%, now 22%.
US = 22%, Japan=16.624%, Germany=8.577%, UK=6.642%, France=6.301%, Italy=5.079%, Canada=2.977%, Spain=2.968%, China=2.667%, Mexico=2.257%, all others=23.908%
This is only contribs to the budget and does not include peacekeeping force.ucodegen
Participantucodegen, if your research is correct, maybe this is a gotcha moment for you. You can inform FOX that the Washington Post lied and you’ll be famous. You can then go on the talk circuit making speeches to conservatives.
Don’t want to inflame the radicals. I consider it a possible typo until otherwise proven. Also take a look at what they consider the 110th Congress on McCains bio page under roles in congress.. “· 110th Congress: Senator, Arizona, Republican. Jan. 4, 2007, to Jan. 3, 2011.” Huh?
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/
Though I may inform the Washington post to double check their numbers and correct the page.. make it ‘pages’ since that last one is repeated several times for different senators.I think that Germany has coal. I believe the Germans invented the liquification of coal.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germ…Correct term is had. Most of it is gone/used up. It was located in the disputed territories between France and Germany, which I believe France now possesses. From what I remember, it was Anthracite/High Bituminous and not Lignite. The new coal reserves that you are pointing to, brown coal, is not as desirable except for possibly gassification. It also has less than half the energy content than ‘black’ coal and the water content makes extracting all of that energy difficult. If you notice, most of these exploratory areas are located in the ‘east’ Germany area that was finally returned to Germany from Russian control.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignite
The fact that Germany is a signer of the Kyoto Protocol, brings question as to how effectively they may be able to exploit these reserves. (And also noted by the article you also referenced.)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,593296,00.html
Maybe it’s just me, but if the Europeans don’t want us to preemptively defend them from Iraq, we shouldn’t do it then bitch that they don’t appreciate it.
As I said before, and why I mentioned that it would be interesting to see what happened if we didn’t. I’m also not ‘bitching’ that they don’t appreciate it. Other than some lack of economic stability, it might have been worth not getting involved. Again, that is one of the ‘what-if’s..
France has a pretty good military as well, perhaps even as good as the Brits.
They are not even close to the Brits. I have seen both practice at Red Flag @ Nellis. There is a world of difference in attitude they bring. The Brits are all business and the French use it as a dating tool when off base. The condition that they keep the jets in is completely different. I have seen French Mirage(s) with indications of damage from after-burner blowouts used on exercises, with the replacement panels still not painted. I also saw yellow segments in the afterburner flames indicating poor fuel regulation to the afterburner (which can also cause blowouts) on the French Mirages when they throttled up on the line for takeoff.
As far at NATO is concerned, we contribute the most (25-30% as I recall) but not the bulk of the defense organization’s budget and troops.
Was recently 25%, now 22%.
US = 22%, Japan=16.624%, Germany=8.577%, UK=6.642%, France=6.301%, Italy=5.079%, Canada=2.977%, Spain=2.968%, China=2.667%, Mexico=2.257%, all others=23.908%
This is only contribs to the budget and does not include peacekeeping force. -
AuthorPosts
