Economic recovery
Emerson Lynn Jr.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Kansas belongs to a nine-state bloc covering the Midwest and Plains states that Creighton University in Omaha watches for economic progress. Its latest report is encouraging.
The Business Conditions Index for the Mid-America region grew to 56.2 in September, compared with 48.4 in August and 51.7 in July. A score above 50 suggests economic growth in the next three to six months, the AP reported, adding this comment from Ernie Goss, Creighton economist who heads up the survey:
“This month’s large bounce is a welcome surprise and further evidence that economic recovery is under way.”
Not only are businesses and industries doing more business, but jobs are finally being created in our area. Goss warn-ed, however, “that job gains are likely to be very modest until well into 2010.”
Economists here and elsewhere worry aloud that the United States may be facing a jobless recovery. That is, that business activity may pick up but that unemployment will re-main high.
One of the ways to fight that trend is to revive the manufacturing sector of the American economy. For years now, American capital and America’s entrepreneurs have been devoted to so-called service in-dustries: finance, insurance, computer software and similar non-thing things. All the while, industrial jobs fled the U.S. for other countries, forcing America to im-port much of what it used to make.
Examples abound. Most American homes have two or more television sets, none made in the U.S. Few American men own a shirt or a pair of socks made in the U.S. When did you last see a camera for professionals made here?
Ford is left alone as a profitable U.S. car manufacturer.
The leading edge of American business shifted from making things that people need to practicing more sophisticated ways to create wealth because so much more money could be made so much quicker and could be concentrated in a much smaller number of hands. A new plutocracy was created in a remarkably short period of time. Multi-million dollar annual incomes for individuals became unremarkable.
As a result, capital that could have been invested in factories making wind turbines, solar panels, cars that people would buy and houses that working families could afford went instead to money manipulators, who had discovered ways to multiply thousands into millions and millions into billions without creating a single usable, tangible thing in the process. (It all happened electronically, without even creating enough paper in which to wrap a fish.)
The rest of the story is that those clever folks outfoxed themselves and the rest of us and brought the economy down in shambles.
Peering out from the wreckage some might decide that the way forward is to retrace our steps and become manufacturer to the world again. Ah, for a map to that long lost land.
— Emerson Lynn Jr.
sandrahecker10 (anonymous) says...
Medical billing is a fast growing field today. Find a local school to get a degree in medical billing in few months http://bit.ly/l7ZmZ
October 10, 2009 at 6:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
This can all be summed up in one well known word....GREED! The art of getting something for nothing....getting rich without getting dirty.....all for me and to hell with what it does to you. And I fear the sacred cows of American thinking....winning is everything....the ends justifies the means.....profit is king...have not changed making it very likely we will have to relive all this again.
October 10, 2009 at 7:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I think we need to figure out where those cockeyed ideals like "getting rich without getting dirty" come from so we can stem the flow. When the Chinese did it by using melamine in pet food, we came unglued. But in the meantime, Americans were manipulating the stock market and the entire banking industry and mortgage market like there was no tomorrow. We saw them all walking out of places like Goldman Sachs that morning with their little boxes of personal belongings. I didn't feel sorry for them.
I'm afraid you're right, biscuitboy. Those Me Me Me ideals are not likely to change anytime soon. Very few people have a well-defined sense of altruism. They think that it's sissy.
We see it right here in Emporia all the time. Contractors cutting corners is only the tip.
October 10, 2009 at 8:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Everybody gets to pick and choose what is moral and what is not. That is the society we live in. Apparently a lot of people think it's ok to be greedy. When everyone gets to customize their own set of morals everyone has the moral high ground and no one can tell them they are wrong.
R.
October 10, 2009 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Ahhhh yes, seriously, existentialism.
October 10, 2009 at 9:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoehorn (anonymous) says...
No absolutes, absolutely!
October 10, 2009 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
so how do we even begin to move towards an accepted common morality and what would that morality look like? Many will quickly reply.....Why the morality of God of course! But which morality,,,and of which God? A quick check around the TV dial on a Sunday morning...or a cursory visit to a handful of different churches will reveal the morality of God being presented in a variety of different ways. And that's just in the mainstream....when you get out into the fringes it gets even more confusing...and we haven't even considered different God's yet. Is it even legitimate to think that there is such a thing as a common morality...and if not then does that mean we are doomed to continue as we are until we destroy each other?
October 10, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
Wow, this article was dead on!! You know, we Americans are arrogant, but rightly so. Why, we are absolutely brilliant people!!!!! Too bad it only in hindsight.
October 10, 2009 at 11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
To those that would suggest God as morality, I can only point to those who attend church regularly and claim to be believers yet don't practice a word of it in their daily Me-first and-screw-everybody-else life.
Is the rule of law the only common morality we have?
October 10, 2009 at 11:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
create............. for the people you just described......... do you think that is what they are being taught in church? Or are they turning their backs on it as soon as they step outside?
Suppose Obama passes a law that requires everyone to love their neighbor, live in peace and harmoney, etc............ and it goes to a vote to the public.... and passes with 100% approval.................... and then everyone ignores it.
Is it the fault of the law?
I know from your past posts that you seem to have a grudge against "church folk".............. but are some of them the only people that don't practice what they preach? Do non-religious folk do it also? You know, those that claim to be decent, honest, caring, compassionate atheists.......... are they perfect? Are any of them hypocrites?
Just curious. Again, I'm sorry for whatever happened to you in the past that made you have such animosity against people that attend church.
October 10, 2009 at 11:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
BTW - what happened to the Obama Nobel Peace Prize thread?
October 10, 2009 at 11:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
create......it's probably the only common morality we can ever really depend on...and that may be for the best. But then who enforces the rule of law...nothing more than that old bugaboo government that so many of disdain so readily.
October 10, 2009 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
should have read....that many of US disdain so readily....Sorry!
October 10, 2009 at 12:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
"I think we need to figure out where those cockeyed ideals ............ come from......"
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
"But which morality...and of which God?"
Personally, I choose the only one who addresses that each of us possesses the same lying hearts and then gives us an alternative to the condemnation that accompanies those hearts. I have just as deceitful of a heart as anyone but I may not display mine in the form of materialistic greed. I may display it in a less obvious or more socially accepted form that my heart will then use to justify itself.....just as the "greed-mongers" can justify their own wrongs.
".......and if not then does that mean we are doomed to continue as we are until we destroy each other?"
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. -Romans 1:20-24
He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them. -Psalm 94:23
October 10, 2009 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
open_eyes....of course many atheist are hypocrites...just like that peace and lovenik from Philadelphia that kept the dismembered body of his girl friend stored in a trunk for all those years. I can't think of his name right now.
Hypocrites come in all shapes and sizes.....but at least if you are an atheist hypocrite you have nobody to blame but yourself...:-)
October 10, 2009 at 12:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
BTW open_eyes....
None of us seem to know what happened to the other thread....and as ususal the Gazette is keeping its reasons to itself.
October 10, 2009 at 12:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
So...... why single out the religious hypocrites?
I also don't understand your statement that at least an atheist hypocrite has nobody to blame but himself.
There is a rule of law - given by whoever (say, Obama, or the government). An atheist disobeys it, and has nobody to blame but himself.
A religious person has a rule of law given by God. And they disobey it. Who's fault is it in this case?
October 10, 2009 at 12:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
"To those that would suggest God as morality, I can only point to those who attend church regularly and claim to be believers yet don't practice a word of it in their daily Me-first and-screw-everybody-else life."
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. --Titus 1:16
The God of the Bible is a God of love, which is why He bothered to give us the information of our sin condition, but He is also a just God. He is the only God who possesses this balance of love and justice which is one of the things that sets Him apart form the world's gods. You can see that He is aware of the posers and they are counted along with the ones who reject Him as the ones for destruction.
October 10, 2009 at 12:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I'm sure someone in the government monitored it as part of the "Fairness Doctrine" they are trying to push thru.... and found the comments were running 2 to 1 (or more) negative against the prize going to Obama..... and shut it down. To protect our First Amendment rights ;-).
October 10, 2009 at 12:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Lighten up open_eyes
I for one never singled out religious people as hypocrites....and the they only have themselves to blame was mean't as a joke.....they didn't believe in God so they couldn't blame it on anybody but themselves....get it? IT may not have been funny but it was meant as a joke....hence the :-) at the end of it>
October 10, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
no..... create did. I was directing my question more at why she seems to always single them out as hypocrites. I mean, sure, many religious people claim to follow teachings of compassion, forgiveness, love your neighbor....etc....... But don't atheists claim to also? Or does that mean atheists follow laws/teachings of lie, cheat, hate, steal, and murder? So that they aren't held as accountable as a religious person? LOL
As you say..... they come in all shapes and sizes.....
Well, perhaps, since an atheist only has the rule of law given by man.... then perhaps, when they disobey it..... they should blame the government? ;-)
(Notice my smiley face too ;-)
October 10, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
A quick look back through this thread reveals that I never said anything about religious people being hypocritical at all. All the comments I made about religion were referencing all the different interpretations of what it means just with in Christianity itself...and how were we supposed to determine the one correct interpretation. I fear you are putting many words in my mouth that weren't there my friend.
October 10, 2009 at 12:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
open_eyes.....I was typing while you were answering...Sorry!!!!
October 10, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
np - I did the same thing yesterday to goodoleboy by accident ;-)
October 10, 2009 at 12:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
"so how do we even begin to move towards an accepted common morality and what would that morality look like?"
We can't. If we tried it would devolve so quickly our heads would spin because everyone would veto what ever moral standard that they aren't comfortable with, like a lot of people do with greed.
"then does that mean we are doomed to continue as we are until we destroy each other?"
Yep. That pretty much sums it up. Have a great day! :-)
R.
October 10, 2009 at 12:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Thanks muchly for the uplift seriously folks.....:-) You have a pleasant one also.
October 10, 2009 at 1:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Till 2012. That's when the aliens come back to put a stop to all this nonsense. Then they impose THEIR law upon us..... which will happen to come straight from the Ten Commandments....... ;-) LOL
October 10, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
esu42 (anonymous) says...
I really wish that all of the Gazette commenters would get together in person and barbecue or something. I think it'd be an entertaining time.
October 10, 2009 at 1:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
esu42....and just think...we wouldn't even have to buy meat for the barbecue...we could all grill each other....pun intended :-)
October 10, 2009 at 1:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
We could all like wear paper sacks over our heads to protect our identities.....but have our user names emblazoned on our shirts so we would know who we were grilling. This sounds like a wonderful idea.
October 10, 2009 at 1:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
esu42 - now that you've "commented"......... you hosting? ;-)
October 10, 2009 at 2:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalelinn (Dale Linn) says...
Emerson Lynn Jr. has written one of his better pieces, although he doesn’t appear to have said much. One thing he did omit is that we gave tax breaks to the companies that would move their manufacturing out of our country. At the same time we were exporting our manufacturing, we were importing cheap labor. This labor was imported to benefit companies at the expense of the taxpayer.
Our citizenry went merrily along their way while this was being done. The sleight of hand by the banks became necessary to keep the good times rolling. Now the same people that did those two things (export jobs and import cheap labor) are going to “save”us by government take-over of health care. At the same time they are trying to impose another tax on us called “cap and trade” to “protect the environment”. All in the name of protecting the environment, we have to buy our oil from outside our country without doing any drilling anywhere near our borders. As our dollar becomes more worthless (courtesy of the big banks own Federal Reserve) we are going to have more trouble buying oil with the worthless dollar. When you say your prayers at night, be sure and ask for a blessing for those big banks that have had a big hand in controlling our elected officials, destroying our dollar, and causing many of us financial ruin. The United States could not be controlled until it was brought to financial ruin. I’m afraid Goss’s recovery is mainly a “rush” caused by an injection of taxpayer adrenalin that cannot be sustained and will hurt more in the long run.
October 10, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
open_eyes, yes, atheists also have compassion and charity; they practice altruism everyday without being directed by religious beliefs. I don't know if you can call them hypocrites if they don't practice good behavior. Just bad people I suppose.
You're right, I do have a tendency to have this "grudge" as you say. Lotsa reasons. I am not an atheist by the way. I just don't belong, that's all.
About this barbecue that was suggested. I wonder how long it would take before an all out brawl began? Everytime a new topic or news story is posted, I always guess 7. That's my guess for the number of posts before the hackles are raised. Sometimes it's less than 7. Sometimes civility prevails for a longer period.
October 10, 2009 at 5:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
If they claim to practice altruism but in reality don't practice good behavior - then they're just as big a hypocrite. Doesn't matter what you say directs you - your religious beliefs, or just your own sense of compassion for fellow man. You're still following a practice that you have decided to follow. Whether you read it in the Bible, or got it from a cartoon, or arrived at that belief from your parents or all on your own. You're claiming one thing...... and acting otherwise.
But if someone doesn't publicly CLAIM to TRY to be a better person....... then it's not as hyporcritical when they err.... I guess that's what I'm hearing.
It doesn't take even 1 post occasionally - sometimes the article itself isn't even civil - LOL
October 10, 2009 at 7:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The big problem is you can't eat optistic speeches. If the unemployment rate was calculated like it was in the Great Depression-it would be 20%. Our government is addressing bubbles by creating more bubbles. These sequential bubbles will cause destableization of the financial system. One thing that I am conerned about is that Gulf Arabs, China, Russia, Japan and France plan to end trading in dollars. World Bank president Mr. Zoellick said the U.S. shouldn't take for granted the dollar's status as the world's main reserve currency. Gerald Celente-the most trusted name in trends said it's not a recovery but, a big coverup. He said by 2012 a third party will be more powerful than in the past. The more they talk about stimulus the lower the value of the dollar and the higher the value of gold. All the criminal games on Wall Street are about to bankrupt the country. The midwest housing sector is one place to have a better than average hedge against inflation. Right now Real Estate is a window of opportunity so don't pull down the shade.
October 10, 2009 at 10:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
reddog, real estate was a so-called "window of opportunity" not all that long ago when real-estate agents and bankers and mortgage companies were having a high time with sales and credit, credit, credit. All those folks were jumping on that band wagon and not a one was being cautious. Sell! Sell! Sell! Deal! Deal! Deal! Strike when the iron is hot. And where did that finally lead us? Now we're all having to pay for all those who were jumping through your "window of opportunity." I notice that Ditech is once again saturating the TV airwaves with their ads. I also know of several contractors who are very busy flipping houses again. Must be a giant wheel going round. We all need to learn how to hang on without getting flung off.
open_eyes, I don't know what you hear, or what you are trying to get me to say. I don't like to play semantic games. Anybody can be altruistic, no religious direction need be involved. There's no need to claim to be doing this that and the other. Why not just do it because you feel like it and then shut up about it? I notice that yesterday, I received something from the Arts Council with a list of donors. Why? What's the big deal about being on some list? BFD.
Perhaps my view of hypocrisy comes from the culture where I grew up, one where even today, the idea of missionaries staking claim on valuable land while all the while preaching the gospel is just plain hard to swallow. The descendants of those missionaries still own most of the land and only lease it for use. Oh, I almost forgot, some of that land has been donated for various things like hospitals and cemeteries. They must have been caught up in an altruistic moment except that the hospitals are named after the family that donated the land. Another list!
October 11, 2009 at 3:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
There is a series of ads running on TV now that reference information overload......constantly trolling the internet for more and more information. Once all this information is obtained it becomes impossible to filter through any real understanding...so it is just spewed back out as an unreal and disjointed river of mindless data. Nuff said.
October 11, 2009 at 6:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Hypocrisy knows no bounds or limitations......we are all at times guilty of it to one degree or another....anyone who claims they are never hypocritical is almost certainly being a hypocrite. That being said however, open_eyes I believe may have a point when she says that those that make a public statement professing their righteousness....(proclaiming their Christianity)....may be held to a higher standard. I'm not sure that is altogether a bad thing. We have all known those people who proclaim loudly their great love for God while living lives that are not at all in his professed image. These people should be called out loud and often.....and more so by the people that do practice the faith than those who don't.
October 11, 2009 at 6:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
That does not however mean to imply that non-believers get a pass on hypocrisy. They should be held just as accountable to their expressed ideals as anybody....and many of them (of course not all) do make a sincere and honest effort to be true to their morality.
In that regard...one group that is most likely to give non-believers a backdoor pass are the very believers that then resent the idea that maybe they do have that pass. They often do this by making the erroneous assumption that all non-believers have made that choice because they do not want to be encumbered by some moral code....that they want to be free to cheat, steal, lie, rape and murder. Nothing of course could be further from the truth. Most non-believers made that choice for nothing any more sinister than the inability to accept the theology and the dogma.....in a word....they just could not believe. Exceptions of course can be found....but they can also be found among the ranks of those claiming to be Christian.....Adolph Hitler as an example.
Now...how many post will it take before someone jumps us for straying off topic?....:-)
October 11, 2009 at 7:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
"those that make a public statement professing their righteousness....(proclaiming their Christianity)"
I honestly don't mean to pick on you or your statement biscuitboy but I would like to clarify that most(well some) Christians don't believe they are righteous. We believe we are sinners dead in our transgressions against God and it is Christ who is the only righteous one. Our unrighteousness was imputed to Him on the cross so that by faith His righteousness would be imputed to us by grace through faith. This leaves no room for boasting except, as the apostle Paul said, in Christ and Him crucified. There are a lot of folks who don't understand this and they think that somehow their works of "righteousness" are helping Jesus to save them but a little Bible study would clarify this for them and their self righteousness would turn to humility and greater love for Christ and all that He accomplished on the cross. When I realize that I am can really not look down on anyone, although I still do. That is my hypocrisy and the battle that wages in my members. I'm glad that that battle is there though because if it wasn't I wouldn't be a hypocrite I would just look down on everyone I see as below me. It is a struggle to be good because although we have been imputed with Christ's righteousness we are still in the same flesh that did all that "stuff" before. Now it's a battle between the two.
Sorry for getting so "word"y.
Have a great day!
R.
October 11, 2009 at 8:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
You do both have a point - anyone that CLAIMS to be righteous - yes, then they should be held to that standard.
Problem is, as seriously correctly states, that is not what Christianity is about, nor is it correct to have that attitude. Quite the opposite.
October 11, 2009 at 9:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
seriouslyfolks.......That was a beautifully put statement of your believe......probably as good as I've ever heard....and I respect it. I realized when I wrote it that professing their righteousness was not the best way to say what I was trying to say...I just couldn't come up with anything better. Perhaps you just did by proclaiming the standard you hold yourself to
October 11, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
First, I would like to know where and when this so called " economic recovery " started and how this so called " economic recovery " is judged, is it judged by how well the wealthy are doing or is it judged by how well the poor, and middle class are doing ? If it is judged by how well the wealthy are doing, then it is a bogus " economic recovery " , because the slide into the current " recession/depression ", didn' t and hasn' t affected the supremely wealthy anyway ! Yes some of these mega billionaires and trillionaires lost a few billion dollars, but they had mega billions to lose in the first place and some didn' t lose anything and some are still getting bazillions, ( with help of the already cash strapped poor and middle class taxpayers, thru tarps, bailouts and grants), even during the current economic crisis ! And there is still an economic crisis !
So exactly what is the current " economic recovery " based on?
I also believe that with the current rate hikes in the water and trash rates and the coming hike in City and County tax mil levys the unbridled and unnecessary spending by the BOE, City and County, I believe Emporia and the County are heading for an economic disaster of their own making !
October 11, 2009 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
The term, " Righteous" or " Righteousness", these two words means so many different things to so many and is basically open to interpretation by so many !
However I believe that only God can truely and correctly judge, what or who is " Righteous" and who has lived their lives with " Righteousness " !
October 11, 2009 at 9:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Well I'm certainly not wallowing in economic relief over here in my little corner of the world either.....and I wonder when, or if, I ever will be. But then I have to ask myself what I am expecting this recovery to look like when it finally does arrive. If I expect it to look just like those grand old days of yesteryear when we were the only real resource rich industrial power in a world that was still being developed....I'm going to be sorely disappointed.
We are not the only player on the block any more and it is imperative that we begin trying to find just what our place is in this new world order that is already here.....I am far from convinced that President Obama has all the answers...time will tell. But I am convinced that our well-being lies in finding where we fit in the future...not just trying to reinvent the past. Those days are gone forever as are the old ideas that may...or may not....have worked so well even back then. JMO
October 11, 2009 at 9:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Tell you what, guys, if you can find a few minutes this morning, watch this video. I saw it late last night on PBS which had me up at 3 a.m. but I'm glad to have caught it. If you prefer to read, the transcript is available on the website too.
The Congresswoman from Ohio has called this economic recovery a "financial coup d'etat." And I can see her point. Wall Street shapes what Washington views as important and all of us little people are paying the bills, even those of us living in small towns like ours whose bankers are not responsible for all the fraud that was going on.
You need to see this:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/100...
October 11, 2009 at 9:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
BTW, I do hope you find the time to watch this. I'm anxious to hear your responses.
October 11, 2009 at 10:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
create....Thanks a lot my friend....you have just scared me to death. So don't look forward to the recovery because it will only portend the next collapse....and another gouging by the only people that count at all in this country....big capitol.
Of course sustaining growth was mentioned a number of times during the piece and the whole concept of all the creative mortgages that brought on the housing collapse were intended to sustain growth in the housing market. Capitalism requires continued growth to survive and yet we are rapidly moving towards a no-growth...or a very limited growth...global economy. I have little faith that the powers that be in this country will ever be able to face that change. As a result...they may destroy us all trying to fight it....JMO
October 11, 2009 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Sorry biscuit, I sure didn't mean to ruin your Sunday. :)
But we need to be vigilant, right? So many average Joe's don't really understand money issues very well. How easy it was for those creative mortgage folks to just say, "Here, just sign on the dotted line." My gosh, people were losing their homes left and right. Something had to be done to curb the lending craze. It scares me to know that the housing industry is opening up again big time. It's like no one learned anything from all this. What about the employment picture?
My friend lives in Las Vegas and tells me that homes up and down her block have been foreclosed, and those still going are advertising rooms to rent. Just a bedroom, nothing else, for $500 a month!!! If you're lucky, you can find a bedroom with an attached bath. If not, you gotta share.
That's nuts!
My own rather modest portfolio shows some recent earnings, but even that is scary albeit good to see. I want to take it out and put it safely away in a CD or something. At least I know it will be there down the road. A bird in the hand, you know?
I hope others got to see the Bill Moyers video too.
October 11, 2009 at 11:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
methusla...the BIll Moyers clip of which create speaks I believe answers your question pertaining to whose well-being this economic recovery is being judged by. It's being judged by the only well-being that is ever considered in this country.....the well being of the top one percent. I especially loved its discussion on the nature of the real socialism at present and who was benefiting from it. Very interesting.. It appears that our normal "economic experts" on these boards have become uncharacteristically silent.
Just heard rumors of two more pending closings here in town....hopefully they were just that....rumors....so I won't give any names. But another group that has grown silent of late is all those people that were so sure Emporia would do just fine after the Tyson slaughter side closing...and the loss of all those little brown skinned workers.
October 11, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
biscuitboy,
The Bill Moyers clip only confirms what I have been saying for decades ! That being, the rich and wealthy are the ones running this country and the President, Congressmen and Congresswomen are only pawns or puppets of the rich and wealthy and do only what the rich and wealthy want or tell them to do !
The U.S. is not, nor has been a Democracy or Democratic Republic for quite some time now ! The U.S. has been a " WEALTHOCRACY " for some time and the rich and wealthy are the ones who dictate any and all government policy !
State and local government is exactly the same way and has been for some time !
If anyone thinks the rich and wealthy are not running things in this country, State and locally they are either blind or do not have the capacity to see or think clearly !
Just look at what the BOE, City Commission and County Commission have done recently ! Asked for help from the citizens to help with their proposed budgets, etc. and what good did input from the average poor, working slob do ! No good what so ever ! The result was a proposed 1.6 million dollar astroturf practice flield, compliments of the BOE, a 19% water rate increase and a 16% trash rate increase, a 1.3 or 1.6 mil levy increase in taxes, compliments of the City Commission and a 6 or 8 mil levy increase in taxes, compliments of the County Commission, all of whom listen to their influencial, powerful, and wealthy friends and not to the majority of the people who pay the majority of the taxes, etc.!
October 11, 2009 at 7:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
methusla,
Did you come up with the term "wealthocracy"? That is very good and very true.
R.
"The seas overtaken with fire, men giving into their own desires.
The world wrapped up in itself, not even noticing truly what is wealth."
October 11, 2009 at 8:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Exactly! Good post, methusla.
I'm glad you were able to see that Moyers clip. It's one of the most important interviews I've seen in a long time. I wish there were more of her in Congress.
And it's good to hear you link it to local tax and utility increases and the Board of Education's outdoor carpet too.
October 11, 2009 at 8:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
seriouslyfolks ;
Yes, I thought of the term " wealthocracy " while I was writing my previous post !
create ;
I agree that there should be more people in congress with attitudes and way of thinking as the honorable congresswoman Kaptur ! Perhaps if there were, the country would not be in the mess it is currently in !
October 11, 2009 at 9:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
I am probably not making any friends on the BOE, City and County Commissions, but real and true friends do not try and pick my pocket or pocket book at every turn and opportunity and real and true friends will truely care about my well being or how, what they decide to do, may cause me untold hardship, instead of caring only about those that may have wealth, power and influence !
October 11, 2009 at 9:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
2.3 Trillion dollars for the top 1% of American companies won't cause a recovery. Look at the facts. According to the U.S. Cenus Bureau 90% of all companies nationwide have 20 employees or less and those firms hire 40% of all new jobs. 70% of our economy is small business. 560,000 small businesses closed in 2007. Let us not forget that small business is the heart and soul of America. Government is the art of making the possible impossible. The Hartford Cafe is up for sale.
October 11, 2009 at 10:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
I am sorry, I made a mistake. Small business accounts for 97% of all new jobs and 40% of all new High Teck jobs.
October 11, 2009 at 11:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The City Commission is allowing 2 Million dollars to manage the utility funds. As a direct result most landlords are raising rents 30 to 50 dollars per month. Every time the city raises these rates, this adds up to less discretionary money in the local economy. This is what happens when you put a bunch of high rollers on the commission.
October 11, 2009 at 11:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I talked to my brother this weekend who still lives in Ypsilanti, Mi., a suburb of Detroit, about an article I had read recently. That article said that Detroit, Mi......a city of at one time two million people......could easily become the first major American city to cease to exist.
I asked him if that could possibly be true....and he said it was very possibly true. With now less than one million residents....deeply in debt......mile after mile of closed and abandoned businesses and housing......and few real options....some of the few viable areas left in the city are beginning to look at other suburbs they might be able to attach themselves to.....or at least succeed from the city and become their own community. Ann Arbor....once a sleepy college town not much bigger than Lawrence....stands to become the new Metropolitan area in Michigan.
Things are bad folks.....and we don't need more of the same old crap that got us here......we need to look to the future not the past same ole same ole.
October 12, 2009 at 3:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I really don't mean to imply that all of the past was bad.......Our growth oriented economic system served us well as conditions were at that time...but that time has passed.
In these days of dynamic change in energy cost and availability.....sharply decreasing access to raw resources.....increasing population.....and environmental concerns......is it feasible or even wise to continue to push an economic system that requires us to buy a new car every three years and a new home every ten or so years just to keep the growth wheel greased? Is it even possible to sustain such a system indefinitely?
Of course to move away from this system would require some fundamental changes in American thinking and business practices.....as well as some transfer of wealth...(and there is a phrase certain to raise some hackles). Because of this I fear we will remain unwilling to change....and because of that we will just keep beating the same dead horse until we get left in the dust. JMO.
October 12, 2009 at 6:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
A simple redefinition of "wealth" would suffice.
R.
October 12, 2009 at 7:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Great poem find, YY. Very modern with it's language like "party down" and "studded nose." I admit, the term "studded nose" stopped me for a moment before I realized its reference is very modern indeed. Thanks. Would you say there is no room for trust in the modern world?
biscuit, I saw news video of the streets of Detroit not long ago and it was so sad to see mile after mile of empty buildings, some of which have already begun to deteriorate and be targeted by vandals. However, one small area of the city had begun to be reclaimed with loft apartments and office space being built in empty buildings. Still, what do these people do for work? They can't be ordinary work-a-day Joes. The masses still must be employed somewhere.
reddogg, okay, let's say somebody buys the Hartford Cafe. Who will go there to eat? Many Hartford residents are out of work. Will people drive there to eat? Will the new owner of the Hartford Cafe have to come up with a signature dish that will attract diners, something that isn't just fry cook stuff? Will their breakfast consist of real biscuits and not just frozen stuff that tastes like cardboard? Will there be real jam on the tables, not stuff in tiny plastic peel back thingies? What about the equipment? Isn't it pretty old by now? Can that place pass a health department inspection? What is the difference between the Olpe Chicken House and the Hartford Cafe? Why will people drive to Olpe to eat but not Hartford? Fried chicken alone? Really? Business has been off for a long time. Utilities are so high.
For that place to make it, huge changes will have to be made. It might be worth a try for someone with bright enough ideas and not just slap-it-together-or-drop-it-in-the-fryer methods. I would go there for a really, really, really, good hamburger and terrific fries that can't be found anywhere else.
After all, look what Amanda did with her little place and sandwiches. What a niche.
October 12, 2009 at 8:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
create.......yes....my brother mentioned a couple of enclaves that were holding things together and even moving ahead.....but without the services of the city to rely on they also are the ones that are looking for a place to go. He also mentioned beautiful homes that could be bought for five thousand dollars......but surrounded by a virtual war zone there were no buyers.
An aside for the sake of accuracy.......Ypsi is not a real suburb of Detroit. It is its own city that is a satellite community of the larger Detroit.
October 12, 2009 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Since it is comming upon Halloween, would you like to take a look at something that will absolutely scare the hair off of your head or turn you white haired instantly ? If so, then go to the City of Emporias website, http://emporia.ws/ and take a look at the THIRD DRAFT OF 2010 GENERAL FUND BUDGET, which has budget proposals and take a look at the budget proposals for 2010 thru 2016 !
You will see that in 2010 the Citys total projected receipts will be $3,918,577.99 and the Citys projected expenditures will be $4,325,056.00, which means the City in its infinate wisdom will spend more money than it receives , thus the need for a 1.376 mil levy increase and an increase in water and trash rates ! And according to the Third Budget Draft, this trend of spend more than you recieve, will continue and actually increase in every year, starting in 2010 thru 2016, as will increases in tax mil levys and most likely utility rate increases and possibly other increases as well !
Having people run this City that don' t care about the little guy who lives in Emporia and is barely surviving now, scares the hell out of me and has for a number of years .
When the peoples candy bowls, pockets, pocket books, bank accounts, etc. are finally empty and the people, who are left in Emporia, can no longer afford to pay what the City and County Commissioners demand, there will be no more treats for the City or County, only tricks, which the City and County Commission and Commissioners are very good at , ( tricks that is ) . " This is methusla, have a good day ! "
October 12, 2009 at 8:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
biscuitboy ;
The sad thing about all this is, the City and County Commissioners don' t seem to realize that their ridiculous policy of tax and spend or spend more than they have or receive is going to shove Emporia over the edge of the Chasim to " Oblivion and Ruin " !
October 12, 2009 at 8:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
YY4U :
That poem was very good ? And fits our situation here in Euphoria very well indeed !
October 12, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/...
October 12, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
seriouslyfolks;
I am all for the bill # 1207 !
October 12, 2009 at 10:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Yes, count me in too. I notice that our Reps Moran and Jenkins are on board too. Will share this link with others. Thanks, seriously. I hope this passes and that the independent auditors are truly that.
See open_eyes, you keep pinning me to the Democrats, but I'm more independent than you realize.
October 12, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I would like a little more information about the specifics of the bill before jumping totally on board....but it certainly has my interest and qualified support.
October 12, 2009 at 12:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
YY, That poem is certainly an answer to your poem about the pretty city that lies.
October 12, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
"The one that you cannot have faith in is the one who cannot be your mate"
I really like that line. How true.
R.
October 12, 2009 at 2:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Concerning HR1207-The Federal Reserve Transparency Act, we have 297 House cosponsers. According to Mark Anderson the Fed may out fox Americans and accept it's own retirement or a diminished role with the demise of the American dollar, and usher in a new system using something like Special Drawing Rights from the International Monetary Fund. When the income tax was started in 1913, the same year the Fed was born, many people supported the tax because they were told that it would "soak the rich." The "politics of envy" worked very well for the rich, many of whom quietly supported the income tax that the common man wrongly assumed the rich would oppose. Thus, the elite tricked the people into voting for a tax that would eventually soak the middle class, while the super rich created "non-profit" foundations in which they could stash their money tax-free and build huge war chests for taking over education, medicine, media etc. William Allen White was a charter member of the Rockefeller Foundation and now you know the rest of the story.
October 12, 2009 at 2:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I like your idea of placing poems on rocks. Very beautiful, very zen. I have only one stone with writing on it in my garden. It says Basil. I had it done in Marian by a stone cutter.
So, are your poems painted on? I'm curious.
October 12, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
...In the meantime, in between time, ain't we got fun.
I think I'll go play "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" on the piano now. It's that time of day when the shadows grow long. Maybe some good olive oil and garlic and basil and dipping bread...a little zinfandel.
(Oh please don't anybody bring up SHS with my choice of songs). The title suggests YY's pretty city poem that she found. Have we allowed smoke to get in our eyes?
October 12, 2009 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I'm beginning to see YY4U more and more as a Renaissance man......and that I admire.
October 12, 2009 at 5:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The money masters video is a must see for all freedom loving Americans. Let me know what you think.
October 12, 2009 at 8:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
YY, Thank you for telling me about how you do the poems. I'm impressed with you. And a special thanks for that wonderful number by the Platters that took me back to my first school dance.
Neat!
October 12, 2009 at 8:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
glarson (anonymous) says...
Moved to a forum:
http://www.emporiagazette.com/forums/...
October 13, 2009 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )