The Economy

[rwh11385]

How about pulling out of a fucking war that has no point anymore? I didnt care either way at first, I wasnt opposed or supporting it. But now it just seems like we are losing money and American lives. Thats the first thing that should be done.

Pulling out would mean all those lives lost for nothing, and money dumped for nothing. The progress is reversible and leaving a country unstable is how shit gets dangerous. Maybe an Iraqi will be tired of a country in economic instability and being left for ruin after a war, and then grow in popularity on top of a table in a basement of a local club, just like Hilter did.

I say let Petraeus finish out his plan.

http://media.npr.org/documents/2008/apr/petraeus_as_charts.pdf

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=3299

[E30 Wagen]

To add, as Americans, we need to realize that the 1990's are over.

QFT

My dad was living it up in the 90's. He was a general contractor (custom home building), and for a few years was consistently grossing well over $250k a year. He never went to college.

So, he goes and builds us this big house with a big barn for all his tools and truck, we rotate through like 3 suburbans in seven years, ski boat, summer cottage, you get the picture. The 90's baby!

And now he's complaining that he has like no savings. Our family was hit with some major health issues and that hasn't helped, and i've fucked up pretty bad... but still... I respect how hard he worked for us when the economy was good, but I just can't believe how much of a fucking idiot he was for being such an idiotic consumer and not saving enough, especially when it came to buying vehicles. I blame his lack of foresight on him not going to college and getting a bigger world view.

Of course with the housing market going to shit, he's hurting pretty bad. But fortunately my mom got a nursing degree and she got this really awesome job. And fortunately we aren't in a debt crisis.

Just thought I'd share a relevent annecdote since I'm not econ major..

[jflip2002]

What do you guys suggest is the solution to revive the US economy?

How about pulling out of a fucking war that has no point anymore? I didnt care either way at first, I wasnt opposed or supporting it. But now it just seems like we are losing money and American lives. Thats the first thing that should be done.

I think the economy will rebound SOME when there is a new president. Its a trend that every 4 years, Americans tend to not spend as much, when there is going to be a new president. I dont know if its a sense of insecurity, but thats what I would imagine it is.

How bad is our economy really? I mean is it that bad right now, or are we just feeling the effects from the past 8 years of Bush being president? Maybe we have the economy we had before Clinton. I dont know actual numbers (I cant google at work), but I believe Clinton had the economy rolling better than almost any other president in US history. Maybe we just got spoiled based upon how our economy was, and we havent been able to adjust to a slower one.

EVERBODY worrying about this economy isnt going to do anything, but make it worse. Everyone is worried, afraid to spend their money, thinking the economy is going to the shitter. So what happens? Businesses make less money overall, thus rising the price of their items to compensate. This has those paranoid americans believing the hype THEY are creating. When in reality, if people would keep spending within means, and not going overboard with their credit cards (aka, money they dont have), we would pull out of this. More items would be purchased, meaning prices would eventually go down. You know... the whole selling more for less deal.

As for this government check, its a fucking crock. Everyone I know says they are saving the $600 just incase the economy keeps heading the way it is. So this $600 thats supposed to help speed up the economy has done nothing but lost billions of dollars, which are being stashed away. Why not go and spend the $600 on something? Treat yourself? It doesnt have to be American, I dont care. As long as an American merchant touches it, and makes some money off of it, it seems like the $600 stimulus would be doing what it was meant for.

The shitty thing with economics is there is no definite answer. Its sort of all trial and error. Unfortunately our trials as of late, have been errors. But Im very far from an economics major, thats just my view...

[rwh11385]

What do you guys suggest is the solution to revive the US economy?

Eliminate the media except for The Daily Show and Colbert Report.
Get smarter citizens.
Realize we cannot make the world do our biddings and not expect repercussions.
Eat less.
Save more.
Live below means instead of in excess of them. It will make a big difference on a macro level.

[Massive Lee]

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/FRA501A.html

Wow. Great article. Some references are now 4 years old but couldn't be any truer now. Busch's last month's attempt at giving $600 per household to "boost" the economy was obviously destined to be a failure. The rich would keep the money (not making it circulate and create jobs) while the poors would buy cheap Asian-made products. So, the $600 are going abroad. The high-risk housing loans have since evolved into a catastrophy that the government is trying to subsidize. Raise the US currency interest to please foreign investors, and suddenly too many house owners go belly-up.

What do you guys suggest is the solution to revive the US economy?

[gstuning]

The global economy is changing , people don´t care for the dollar anymore, and they haven´t for a good while, being tied into the american financial empire through debt.

The reason for higher oil in $$ is because OPEC doesn´t care for $$ any more
nor the association with the american govt, they want the Euro. The one currency that is growing steady state. Why stick with the buck went it´s useless and nobody cares for it?

You may think they are just running out of oil which is impossible to determine, as you don´t think they let people in and check??
The global economic control is shifting back from USA over to Europe and the East. With Chine and others in the far east about to set off a joint currency to further release themselves from the $$ and be dependent on more localized currency.

Your not going to like this but globally now the dependencies on the NA American market is also shifting. I.e companies don´t need to feed the american market as stronger markets are growing elsewhere as well as it being easier to deal as there are far more trade agreements locally.

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/FRA501A.html

You also might like to look at that article, it as well is not going to bring joy to you guys.

There are going to be MAJOR global changes in the next decades.
So we welcome you here in europe if you want to move over ;)

[AlarmedBread]

What about all the people who are doing just fine and will continue to be just fine through this 'crisis'? If you can't afford your living expenses, maybe you need to adjust your life style to suit your income. Does everyone in the household really need a cellphone, their own internet connection, computer, car etc. etc.? It's staggering how little savings most people have, what the hell are you spending all your money on? I find it hilarious that so many people waste so much money. If you have all this free time that you need to occupy with expensive gizmos and gadgets, maybe you should go get another job and stop whining about how much stuff costs.

Most of my friend's monthly cell phone bills cost more than I spend on food each month.

[rwh11385]

I'd be interested to know if you guys in the US have noticed a price increase in your European imported goods. Theorically, if the US currency has lost 33% of its value, then prices of imported goods shall be 33% higher. If the price hike is not felt yet, probably Americans are still buying from inventory paid a year ago. It is possible that only a small increase is already felt, due to the higher cost of domestic shipping (higher price of fuel). I believe that as soon as the current inventory is sold out, all the parts imported from Europe will be much higher. And you guys will start feeling the new cost of living.

No, this would have came true a long time ago. European manufacturers seem to be taking lower margins at the time being in order to keep prices nearly the same in the US.

335 MSRP: $38,900
UK MSRP: £34,085
DE MSRP: 34,700 EURO

Not exactly purchasing power parity...

The price of Redbull is also the between many countries it seems.

And McDonalds does not price Big Macs as cheap in Euro as it does here:
http://www.economist.com/finance/dis...ory_id=9448015

[Massive Lee]

I'd be interested to know if you guys in the US have noticed a price increase in your European imported goods. Theorically, if the US currency has lost 33% of its value, then prices of imported goods shall be 33% higher. If the price hike is not felt yet, probably Americans are still buying from inventory paid a year ago. It is possible that only a small increase is already felt, due to the higher cost of domestic shipping (higher price of fuel). I believe that as soon as the current inventory is sold out, all the parts imported from Europe will be much higher. And you guys will start feeling the new cost of living.

[ADEN]

Ok wait a fucking minute here, I got to thinking about your country,and remembered a few things and google confirmed them for me.

1: Yemen picked the wrong dog to back in the 90-91 gulf war, so you guys got slapped by some sanctions, your leaders wont go hungry or with out a lavish life style so the common dude has to. 2: A nice little civil war a few years latter prolly didnt help your your economy. 3: since 2005 Yemen has gotten billions in aid money from the worlds bank but has yet to make any reforms to its economy, thus has been cut off. 4: Yemen has oil and processes large amounts of oil and gas yet still has a 40% unemployment rate and remains one of the poorest countries in the world looks like the problem is your leaders are cashing in big and not spreading the wealth, then telling you that its all the evil americans fault.

So you try not once but twice to blow up a US war ship in harbor with a row boat full of TNT. Too bad the 1st one sunk because if it had worked both times you would be in the same situation that Iraq is in now.

Sounds to me like you need to be looking at your own government and you selves rather than blaming someone else.

End rant feel free to come back if you want more ass chewing

first of all we have no sanctions second all the money came the world bank was lost coz of corruption. yes we are a poor country . at the end you fucked up in iraq i dunt think you afford a second war if so be a man and make your words come true and get near iran.but i'm sorry you can't. do you know that the last survey showed that every yemeni has a piece of weapon.after iraq and stealing all the oil we are getting poor so go plam your ppl incharge what did you benefit from iraq's war?

[Farbin Kaiber]

This too shall pass. Blunt said it, I think Jesus did, Lao-tzu said it 500 years before he did, and we are using it 2500 years later.

Look to yourself, no one else, for your problems and answers. You cannot change another person without first changing yourself. Fix your problem do worry what others have done, they will answer to their own doing.

Sorry, my changing to USA made widgets at 40% the cost of comperable China knockoffs, driving a Vespa, Quickly advising friends to stay out of ARM's, using Crisco in my crankcase, and, Spending my Stimulus check on Gasoline(Govt gets more back in Taxes per Dollar) is not going to solve the economy. Looking to anyone aint gonna do anything. Prepare for "Controlled Collapse" time for the market to right itself and stop turning on bilge pumps to try to stop the listing of this ship.

[kylebes1]

This too shall pass. Blunt said it, I think Jesus did, Lao-tzu said it 500 years before he did, and we are using it 2500 years later.

Look to yourself, no one else, for your problems and answers. You cannot change another person without first changing yourself. Fix your problem do worry what others have done, they will answer to their own doing.

[rwh11385]

In addition, Nando used the word education, which does not implicitly mean a bachelors. It could include technical associates in things like automotive repair or HVAC maintenance. These are skilled trades that people can be trained / educated in for the job market. I don't think that someone at McDonalds typically needs more than a HS education, if that... but education and training (or re-training) does not mean give everyone a B.A. and then see what happens.

[rwh11385]

Why do so many people go back for post grad education? For the joy of learning and spending lots of money to do so? No, if you want to learn you could do it for free on your own. It is done to stay competitive, because a bachelors just doesn't hold the weight that it used to. Worthless might be harsh, but a four year degree does not give you the opportunity that it used to. Four people that I work with have bachelors and they are making $15hr. There are fields that do not apply this way so much such as engineering, which always has strong opportunities for its BSE people.

Because it usually puts them ahead of others in certain areas, but that doesn't mean all bachelors degrees have no value. That's just fucking ignorant to say.

What's the major 3 grad school options: Med, JD, MBA. Is a "pre-med" major of value? Meh. That's why you're biased. "pre-law" not really unless philosophy / poli-sci is magically giving you valuable experience / skill sets... BUT, if you do biomed engineering you could have a job and career after 4, and same with economics instead of poli sci. And then what about an undergraduate business degree? Hell yeah it's of value.

Just because you're in a field that expects everyone to say in school for a decade doesn't mean people can't get a four-year education and have a quicker ROI. Construction mgmt, HTM, Education, Engineering, accounting, CIT/CS, etc. can all get out and get going in their career in four years. Sure people can go back for a masters in engineer... but many choose an MBA to advance. Does that mean a BSME is worthless because they want to make $120,000 instead of $60,000? No.

[z31maniac]

is it worthless because people get "degrees" in things like communications and philosophy?

Hahahaha!

I have a Journalism degree with a minor in Philosophy!

But I'm also a Technical Writer for one of the largest marine companies in the world, so it seems to have worked for me.