Category Archives: Economy

Economy, Media, Politics

Van Jones, Hijacked

On the subject of the debt ceiling talks, Van Jones had a statement on msnbc yesterday. Saying that “a very small number of extremists” are standing in the way of raising taxes. But Media-ite writer Francis Martel ‘quoted’ him as saying in the headline of this post: ‘A Small Number Of Extremists Hijacked The Base’

If you listen to the interview, it is quite clear that Van Jones was not speaking of the republican base. It is Martel that wants to characterize the Republican base as extremists. This quote is accurate, that there are “a very small number of extremists” on the right who refuse to raise taxes.

Van Jones . . .

We have a small group of people who have hijacked the discussion.

Emphasis on small. His (Van Jones) words. One can only hope that it also represents the Republican and Conservative base.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Of course Van Jones and Obama want to raise taxes. Not because they think it will spur economic growth, because it won’t. But because the economy as we knew it must be totally neutered before it can be rebuilt a-la your favorite European socialist country. Instead of growing out of this economic mess, Democrats want government to be in control of the economy. Free-market capitalism to this bunch is like a crucifix to a vampire.

What I would call an extremist, on this debt ceiling debate, is anyone who wants to raise taxes and increase spending. But being generous, instead of calling them extremists, like the Left does, I’d go with ‘economically challenged.’ The President is holding fast to his strategy. Borrow our way out of debt and to spend our way back to prosperity. You can tell they’ve spent way too much time at Harvard.

Van Jones and Martel both have it wrong. What was hijacked by extremists is The White House.

And what MS-NBC interview would be complete without a faux controversy and Michelle Bachman? What she ‘hoped’ for was that her campaign would gain steam, NOT that the unemployment would go up. But that’s the way the guest host set the premise. Then Van Jones demands an apology. Give me a break. Two liberals in heat.

Link: Van Jones: Budget Talks Are Stuck Because ‘A Small Number Of Extremists Hijacked The Base’

2012 Election, Economy

Obama And Jobs

Offering no new ideas on job growth, President Obama states the obvious, “we still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do.” Only 18,000 jobs were created last month, and unemployment rose .1 percent to 9.2 percent.

And did you notice Obama’s sleight of hand on people in the construction industry who are out of work? He used them as potential workers to push his proposed spending on roads, bridges and infrastructure.

The transcript illustrates Obama’s support for public sector labor union jobs, to the exclusion of private sector jobs in general. And that those jobs were a result of budget cutting, aka reduced spending. Too bad for everyone else that represents the majority of working people. Those are the ones out of work, not because of budget cutting, but because of Obama’s economic strategy.

And over the past few months, the economy has experienced some tough headwinds — from natural disasters, to spikes in gas prices, to state and local budget cuts that have cost tens of thousands of cops and firefighters and teachers their jobs.

There are a few things that we can and should do, right now, to redouble our efforts on behalf of the American people. Let me give you some examples. Right now, there are over a million construction workers out of work after the housing boom went bust, just as a lot of America needs rebuilding. We connect the two by investing in rebuilding our roads and our bridges and our railways and our infrastructure. {emphasis added}

If creating jobs in the private sector construction industry was important to him, he might have instead tried to connect the devastation caused by natural disasters all over the country and the massive rebuilding that is required, with the people who can and would do it. In my fantasy I was hoping he would try something like that. Putting those contractors to work, and all the employees and families that they support, would be the kind of job creation that the economy is starving for.

But no. Rather than try to do that, and not trying to rally the American people and their entrepreneurial spirit, he chose to stick with government spending projects that produce very little towards economic recovery and job creation.

Undaunted by public opinion and the economic reality of the consequences of his policies, President Obama is hell-bent on more of the same. Doing nothing to eliminate the FUD factor (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) from business and investment decisions. So this is the record he expects to run on next year?

Link: Obama’s Rose Garden address July 8, 2011

Economy, Politics

Recovery Summer 2.0

Fewest jobs in eight months added. Unemployment goes back up to 9.1 percent.

With a little over a year to go until the next national election cycle is complete, it has become apparent that from an economic standpoint, the SS Liberal has officially run out of steam. Hull weighted down with the barnacles of false promises and rudder crippled by the reckless mismanagement of a spendthrift captain from Chicago, she sits there floundering in a sea of unemployment and malaise not experienced since Jimmy Carter was at the helm.

President Obama is having great success in his mission to fundamentally change America. Change you can step in.

Link: Employers added 54K jobs, rate ticks up to 9.1 pct |  It’s Official: The Left Is Out of Ideas

Economy

Fueling America’s Decline

Here’s something to cheer you up. NOT! Ready for QE3?

The stock market has risen almost exactly as much as the dollar has declined during QE2 – that’s a net zero.  If you’re a trader or investor the change is negative since you must pay taxes on your gains.  That is, economics follow the thermodynamics principles that state that there’s no such thing as a free lunch; all economic processes involve “loss” (from your point of view anyway.) If you’re not a trader it’s even worse as the impact on the price of everyday necessities has been extreme, while incomes have not risen materially at all.  This has transferred more and more of the common man’s “needs” to the Federal Government, which has responded by writing more and more checks into a deteriorating balance sheet.

Economy, Florida, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics

Organized Labor Call To Action

Gov. Rick Scott will be in the neighborhood June 1. And BIG LABOR is trying to rally the climate change and social justice movements in Florida against Scott for not wanting the State of Florida to spend $300 million buying real estate for the Florida Forever program.

Of the $ 615 million vetoed from the$ 69.7 billion Florida budget, almost half of the $ 615 million was to help fund Florida Forever. Scott’s attitude towards working families, students, the unemployed and the working poor reflects in his attitude towards Florida’s pristine ecosystem- he simply has no respect for Florida’s citizens and the environment we live in!

In a broadcast email, Union representative F. Lee Pryor, Mobilization Coordinator for the The NW FL Central Labor Council FL AFL-CIO laments “we see where Scott and company interests lie and that is with big business!”

Odd that labor would not be in favor of an agenda that would focus on cutting deficits and creating jobs. No jobs, no labor. Organized or otherwise.

Pryor also says . . .

It is entirely up to you to show the strength of the working families movement and join with all of our allies in the social justice and climate change justice movements. We need to stand unified against this corporatist attack from Tallahassee politicians disconnected from the everyday lives of working people in the state of Florida. This is the very reason we must do whatever we can do on June 1st to let Rick Scott know that Northwest Florida will not back down!

Typical of liberals. Organizing to try to spend your money (that we don’t have) instead of their own. I have a suggestion to test their mettle in conservation. Use your own money, not that of Florida taxpayers.

Economy, Fair Tax, Politics

FairTax, Something For Everyone

As the current debate over fiscal reform suggests, very few proposals for fundamental changes in tax policy have the potential to command support across the ideological spectrum. The “FairTax” is the great exception. Correctly understood, the Fair Tax Act (HR 25, S13 with 67 cosponsors), which would replace almost all federal taxes with a direct tax on consumption, should appeal to conservatives, progressives, and libertarians alike.

Continue reading FairTax, Something For Everyone →

Economy, Florida, Politics

Miami-Dade County Mayoral Special Election

Dr. Farid Khavari,  former Independent candidate for Florida governor, is taking his economic plan to the county level. It will benefit a county, especially Miami-Dade county, in the same way it will benefit the state if it was adopted statewide.

The voters in Miami-Dade county are lucky to have Khavari, the man with the economic plan, that can help cut costs for government and the citizens.

Early voting kicks off in the special election to pick a new Miami-Dade County mayor.  Voters can start casting their ballots Monday. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24.

 

Miami-Dade Gets a Chance to Be The Strongest Economy in The Country!

By John Bengston

The United States is deep down in a recession, bordering on a depression, Florida is one of the states being hit hardest and Miami Dade is the hardest hit county in Florida. Needless to say, the folks of Miami Dade are having a tough time.

Recently, voters in the county recalled their mayor after he had increased their property taxes and gave 75% to his upper staff as raises. The big question is now what?

One candidate has stepped forward and said that because of his background in economics he can make this county the prosperous economic beacon for the rest of the country to follow.

It turns out that he is not crazy, but in fact has a multiplex economic recovery plan to accomplish this task of miracle proportion and as sweet icing on the cake, he says he will also eliminate property taxes.

I must say I was very intrigued, as I am sure you are too. I will attempt to simplify and share the highlights of this plan in a small amount of space.

One major theme is to reduce costs, which makes sense, but it turns out he was referring to the cost of most everything and doing so without reducing profits. By looking into the make up of pricing for a product or service, the outgoing expenses of a household, the leading recurring costs that can be reduced are Property Taxes, Financial Interest and Energy. Dr. Khavari refers to these as PIE costs. (Property taxes, Interest and Energy.)

When you purchase a product or service PIE costs have been added to the price at every stage. Reduce or remove these costs from products & services and the cost of living is reduced. It is simple logic so far.

Whether you are paying on a home or paying rent, these PIE costs are a large portion on your outgoing expenses.

To accomplish this on a large scale such as a county of 2.4 million people, we must have a financing apparatus setup such as a publicly-owned county bank to be the financial engine. This is a closed loop banking system where the profits are re-circulated within the community and belong to the residents of the county.

Credit would be readily available for mortgages at 2%, cars at 3% and Energy conversion loans at 2%. It is obvious that money would be saved on interest payments.

Next the energy conversion loans allow equipment such as solar and wind to be installed on homes and businesses, whereas the payment would be less than the current energy costs and in a few years the equipment will be paid for and energy will be free. The same will apply to government buildings, transportation, hospitals etc….

The manufacturing, sales, installations and servicing of these systems will create jobs in every trade and profession.

And finally a portion of the profits will replace property taxes as the funding for local government.

Extra bonuses include the residents being untied from future increased energy costs, future increases in property taxes, dependence on foreign oil, environmentally cleaner, remove the risk of man made or natural disasters from such as BP in the Gulf or Nuclear plants in Japan or from having a whole city without power for an extended amount of time.

And of course over 150,000 new good paying private sector jobs that allow commerce, which creates more jobs etc…

There are many more initiatives to Dr Khavari’s plan and they are based on similar prosperity promoting concepts. This article brings you to the water’s edge, but for a big gulp of what could be the new beginning – visit www.KhavariForMayor.com.

Farid Khavari, Ph.D., is an economist who has written nine books and numerous articles dealing with economics, environment, crude oil, energy, raw materials, banking and financial issues, healthcare, outsourcing, insourcing, cost and social cost. Dr. Khavari is a candidate for Miami-Dade County Mayor.