Brent Nyitray
Fairlington Blade
Let the mutherfuker burn!
jnc4p
Kevin S. Willis
Michigoose
lmsinca
markinaustin
Arcanaut
novahockey
quarterback
ScottC
yellojktSpeaking of the economy. Investors dumping equities in favor of cash and bonds (I’m a cash man, now, myself).
The rich get richer, but everybody else mostly gets poorer. Is it class warfare if it’s kinda true?
We invented the internet, but compared to many other places, our average broadband speed sucks.
This should tell you something about the current Republican field: 56% of registered Republicans don’t have a preferred candidate.
ashot, here, throwing in a link from The Economist about taxing the rich.
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All Things in Moderation 
Kevin, with regard to your musings on the last thread on society being more productive, maybe add this to the mix. I've thought for a while that qualified people keep trudging out to apply for the same jobs that don't exist. We need something like blue and white collar co-ops that can use the Internet to connect idea people with business people with people who have various hands-on skills to create new businesses. Work could be done in different locations with US addresses. It's maybe an old idea with a twist, but it could be effective if there were some umbrella organizing entity that would offer a skeletal template to start from.
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Kevin, re your previous thread comment on production. I've read several pieces in the last year which clearly stated that production is up in the US, between technological advances and workers working longer hours for less money our capacity has grown. Unfortunately, since demand has shrunk this will not increase employment as far as I know. At least it hasn't yet. IMO, the financial industry hasn't done the rest of us any favors. Our son has an MBA from UCR, but he didn't go into financials, he went into business for himself on the rising tide of micro and home brewers. Until the average American pays off their debt, whether home or otherwise, and gets back to work I don't think the problem is production or capacity, it's lack of money at the bottom and the middle, which is obviously the bulk of the population.
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ashot, thanks "The Economist" link. I could support most of that as long as some of the deductions for low income families remained in place. I know that seems like class warfare to some but most of these people spend every penny they have in the economy, and I don't see how ending some of their basic deductions or the EIC would improve the overall tax situation, other than impoverishing people of course.I think the rest is doable as long as we can trust Congress to enact it across the board, which is obviously where reality bumps into a good idea and rolls it.
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it's lack of money at the bottom and the middle"This is the larger point I'm trying to get my head around: what is money? It's a translation medium for productive output and productive work. More productive work for less or misallocated translation medium (that is, money) is not what I'm getting at, I don't think. But, agreed: getting in debt for future productive work that you may never perform should be limited. Without it's capacity to purchase goods and services, money is just paper. And I'm not saying it's production capacity alone (although this is in part true, but I'm thinking about our production capacity in terms of education: I think we'd be better off with more chemists and engineers and architects and multidisciplinary folks in those fields) . . . anyway, I definitely agree the financial industry hasn't done us much favors.
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Lms, I did read your Greek link from the earlier thread. I have often heard that the Greeks are not particularly good at their paying taxes. Lately I've been reading that rich Greeks are not good at paying their taxes. I have no evidence, but I kind of think that, overall, tax evasion is the national Greek pastime. If that's the case, then responsibility for their predicament is a little more evenly distributed. I also know that there has been collusion between various Greek governments, banks and rating agencies, which would deprive your average Greek from electorally correcting their trajectory. I wonder though, if they had known the truth earlier, would have they done anything?
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"Our son has an MBA from UCR, but he didn't go into financials, he went into business for himself on the rising tide of micro and home brewers." Kinda wish I'd had the guts to try that 20 years ago.
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"I have no evidence, but I kind of think that, overall, tax evasion is the national Greek pastime."Sometime in the last year I heard/read a story about the Greeks' prevalence for avoiding taxes of all types. One example was a comparison between aerial pics of swimming pools to the tax rolls. Only some minuscule percentage of pools were on the books.
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Hi McWingIt's funny in a way how we all know more about Greece now than we probably ever wanted or cared to know. I find the personal stories interesting both here and abroad as the direness of the local and global economic stress is felt very broadly among the working class. I don't know how true what you're saying is re tax evasion, but nothing would surprise me. What I find interesting is how did Greece end up as part of the Euro Zone in the first place? Whatever happens, the country is in store for lots of misery over the coming years. I think johnbannedagain mentioned recently that perhaps the end game is approaching with the next tranche of bailout money they're supposed to receive.
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Hi bsimonI thought he was crazy at the time, my son that is. Funny, he started out as a Chem major and ended up minoring in it instead but it came in handy. He apprenticed at Stone out here in CA and still works for them occasionally but branched out on his own about 7 years ago. He's still just doing local which is the case for a lot of the independent guys.
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I see we have a new contributor. Hi Mike. Welcome to our fledgling site, and when you have a chance we'd love to hear from you. If I'm correct I believe you're a friend of Mark's?
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Lms, I saw this. Interesting and sad as well.More Greek Tragedy
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Thanks for the link McWing. It seems the entire world is in a "Catch 22" type economic spiral.
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