Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Finance, the economy & Economics The Economy and Positive Thinking

Funny, I was chatting with a friend the other day and we were talking about the insane cost of fuel etc, I made a couple of predictions off the cuff about changes I saw coming.

One- rail would be the way to go, you can ship so much more on one train to central distribution hubs for local delivery. Much more cost effective from a fuel consumption standpoint.

Two- America is a country filled with innovators, things get tough, the innovators get moving. There will be affordable alternatives to fossil fuel coming in the very near future, many of us are already cutting way back on our fuel use, sadly, so many work long distances from home and HAVE to drive to get to work, but I predict carpooling, light rail around metro areas etc will become more widespread, additionally I'm betting that communities will revert to a more nuclear state, shopping in central areas within easy reach of the consumer, instead of driving 20 miles to the Mall.

Three-Boontime for the solar panel industry, especially the plug-n-play type that doesn't require huge outlays of cash initially, and can be upgraded as one can afford to do so, that's on my list, anything to avoid the increase in summer bills I know is coming! If I can run say, all the fish tanks at the shop off a couple of high wattage plugnplays, they will pay for themselves in just a few months time, at home, a couple of plugnplays would cut my electric bill by almost 50%, leaving me paying for air conditioning only for the most part, how much oil use does that save?? How fast would those panels pay for themselves? And how happy would I be with cutting my contribution to
Georgia Power :-))

Me? I'm buying a scooter, have already cut back on number of deliveries to save the delivery surcharges(which have doubled in the last year)which as a side effect saves fuel(other stores in my industry are doing the same, we're all crying the blues over hundreds in fuel charges monthly!) am trying hard to minimize the pain of the price increases on dry goods for my customers, and finding ways to economize at home, and at the store.

What else can I do? WEll, I can plant a garden for fresh veggies, I can buy local eggs from local farmers, I can buy local produce at the downtown Farmers Market, hmmmmm, if I could only find a way to source my milk and meat locally.............

I liked Ronnie, he was good for America. He wasn't the brightest bulb in the circuit though he used what he had better than anybody elase I have ever seen.

In his 8 years he oversaw the economic phoenix that was the US economy and the downfall of communism and Mother Russia. He was a guy who knew what he could and couldn't do and stuck to what he did well. He was also a guy who put good people in place to do what he couldn't, then let them do their job.

What he accomplished during his years was amazing and America hasn't seen his likes since. Being President isn't really the most powerful position in world, hell it isn't even the most powerful position in the US, but it gives the POTUS the biggest soapbox in the country and Ronald Reagan used it masterfully. What he couldn't get through politics he got through public pressure. People liked him and wanted him to do well. They forgave his mistakes and praised his successes. He was the ultimate politician, as apposed to Bill Clinton who was only the best politician I have ever seen. The difference was that people wanted to do what Reagan asked them to do. He spoke to the people from their vantage point and never tried to show them up. People ate up every word and tried to do what he wanted them to do.

He wasn't a genius, probably wasn't even close, but what he accomplished was nothing short spectacular. Maybe having an actor as President is what we needed, and still need. A president job is to inspire. JFK only did it after he was dead. LBJ never did it, Nixon had a chance and blew it, so did Carter. Clinton came close, but his icky factor got in his way. The Bushes just don't have what it takes. What Ronald Reagan did was inspire a nation to success. You can yell about tax cuts and spending money he didn't have, but the USSSR went out of business solely due to his policies. The economy boomed, unemployment dropped to close to total and most importantly, America felt really good about herself.

I don't care how much money somebody else makes, I don't care about billionaires. They earned it fair and square and it proves that only in America can an ordinary person become wealthy through hard work. I worry about where we are going, but I do not worry about where we came from. Ronnie wasn't a terribly impressive guy, but his accomplishments were very impressive.

REALLY OFF TOPIC. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THREAD-NOT-DRIFTING IS YOUR THING!


And we wonder why language/English is losing its power. (writer shakes head in amazement) It used to be the best was the best. From the above I learn that best no longer cuts it. We can apparently have lots of "bests," but there's only one ultimate. For now. What's the next? The superest ultimate?

If we're not careful language slide will lead us into a world where elected officials can express themselves in the most vulgar ways possible because--what the hell--it's just language, isn't it?

END OF OFF-TOPIC.

Ma,

As a recovery Republican (of which I gave my votes for over 35 years, and the party won't get them again). I don't see any great revelations being delivered from any party when it comes to matters of our economic state. It's scary as hell.

While I see your admiration for Reagan, I don't agree with all of your views and beliefs about his accomplishments...but in maybe one small area. For some reason, maybe it was the Gipper speaking, but he did have a talent for "Inspiring".

As I said in an earlier posting, there's nothing like a good dose of "hope mixed with inspiration". It can cure most economic problems.

Since I hold the title of POLITICIAN as being an insult, then being the best is damning with faint praise. Clinton was the best because he didn't care about anybody or any thing but himself, and there fore would do whatever he had to do to succeed. Lie, cheat, steal, seduce, it didn't matter as long as he succeeded. Ronnie was probably much the same, but he could inspire the populous. He was the Man, while clinton was just the President and chick magnet.

I have open eyes, they were both politicians and threrfore both scum of the earth, but I am such a political junkey that I will forgive that minor character trait and assess their terms from a distance. Clinton got a BJ, Reagan bankrupted the "evil empire". That is the difference between "best" and "ultimate".

Well, here's yet another glitch in the economy, fuel went up 13 cents a gallon here in the past two days, and guess what? Sales fell into the tank.

High prices are causing folks to spend less for sure, but it's the volatility that's really the problem. No one knows how bad it's going to get when teh price runs start, so they spend nothing outside of essentials. When fuel prices are high, yet stable, people can adjust a bit, and my sales were not outstanding, but steady. Start running the prices up multiple times in a day? It's like someone turned off a switch, no sales.

I cannot wait for something to happen to cause a bottom in fuel prices, I will shed not one tear for all those holding futures contracts that aren't worth what they owe on them, not one teeny, weeny little tear.

The Fall of Rome

Positive thinking

In a way, it kinda makes ya hope the Republicans get in, just to see them deal with the fruits of their labor.

... in a way

Bush says rebates going out Monday will boost economy




["Buck Fush"]

A brief history of the markets





"Can"/Will"? "Someone" "EXPLAIN THIS" to Me?

"mired in overcapacity" literally means that we have invested in manufacturing capacity (EG. building factories) capable of producing way more than we have customers able or willing to by those products. Another example would be the last decade's boom in building office space, which now stands empty for lack of tenants. Or lending money to people to buy McMansions they couldn't really afford, so the mortgages have value only in a rapidly rising real estate market.

Inspirational leaders or not, consumer confidence has it's limits: As long as people had equity in their homes, they could be inspired to borrow and spend to pump up the economy. But now that so many of us are maxed-out on our credit cards and upside-down on our mortgages (and those "easy answer" home equity loans) we have reached the point that there just isn't any more easy credit available. We can't spend what we don't have and can't borrow.

Reagan pulled a gigantic con job: He oversaw a massive increase in government spending, grew the government payroll at one of the highest rates ever, created more government debt in his two terms than all of the debt of the entire previous history of the US, and at the very same time convinced most of the public that he was the spokesman for "shrinking government" and "fiscal responsibility". To this day, even with all the facts available, some people are still falling for that one!

We DO NOT need another lovable con man running our already damaged economy and reputation ever deeper into the swamp, while telling us everything is just jim dandy. We need someone competent, who can present the situtation honestly, consider alternatives thoughtfully, get input from multiple sources, and then build coalitions before acting. If we elect somebody like that we won't just see a jump in consumer confidence, we will see a jump in international investor confidence that will boost the value of the dollar while making investments in this country that will turn this economy back up.

One thing to keep in mind: It isn't the price of oil that is high. It is the value of the dollar that is low: Oil is a real commodity that affects the price of every thing that is manufactured, transported, grown, etc. Dollars are just some pretty ink on paper. If we elect a dummy who wants to keep throwing billions down the Iraq-hole, while cutting taxes and printing more pretty paper, then we will see $1000 oil before the end of his administration.