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Jobless Decade May Loom
Commented Dec 27, 2009 at 17:00:23 in Business
“TWC is a fantastic book.”
StJames replied on Dec 27, 2009 at 17:29:49
“So is What's the Matter with Kansas. Nice to meet another book reader!”
Jobless Decade May Loom
Commented Dec 27, 2009 at 16:48:10 in Business
“I have a serious question, and if anyone can direct me to an answer, I'd appreciate it.
Why is no one discussing the longer-term, welfare state repercussions of the joblessness crisis, even as articles like this strive to "normalize" it and prepare us for its advent? Looking at it in a very straightforward way, it seems to me we are either going to have to drastically expand our entitlements programs or face a decade where a substantial minority are exposed to the kind of poverty that we're not even used to here in the good old US of A. And what about the social collapse and/or transformation that will come alongside it?”
Why is no one discussing the longer-term, welfare state repercussions of the joblessness crisis, even as articles like this strive to "normalize" it and prepare us for its advent? Looking at it in a very straightforward way, it seems to me we are either going to have to drastically expand our entitlements programs or face a decade where a substantial minority are exposed to the kind of poverty that we're not even used to here in the good old US of A. And what about the social collapse and/or transformation that will come alongside it?”
loki replied on Dec 28, 2009 at 01:28:52
“I think denial, is the easiest way to ward of depression. So no one wants to talk about what is going on and what is going to happen , to avoid unhappy thoughts. Its much easier to pretend everything is fine. Just like our politicians do! See how happy and well off they are!!”
StJames replied on Dec 27, 2009 at 17:20:17
“No one will discuss it because they don't want a revolution. It's that simple really. The entitlements programs will expand until they collapse under their own weight. We already have more debt than we should and the revenue base is shrinking not expanding. States will be defaulting on their debt unless the federal government bails them out and double digit inflation will mean that only the wealthiest can afford to purchase anything.
If you google wealth and income distributions you will see that it is more than a "substantial minority" who will be taking it on the chin over the next several years. The top 10% of the population controls 70.9% of the wealth in this country. The bottom 60% controls 11.34% with the bottom 40% having just 0.02% at their disposal.
We are well on our way to being Mexico and like Mexico crime will run rampant as more and more desperate people turn to it in order to live.
We continue to delude ourselves that it can't happen here....bu
If you google wealth and income distributions you will see that it is more than a "substantial minority" who will be taking it on the chin over the next several years. The top 10% of the population controls 70.9% of the wealth in this country. The bottom 60% controls 11.34% with the bottom 40% having just 0.02% at their disposal.
We are well on our way to being Mexico and like Mexico crime will run rampant as more and more desperate people turn to it in order to live.
We continue to delude ourselves that it can't happen here....bu
Afghan Army's Hashish-Smoking Troops (VIDEO)
Commented Dec 22, 2009 at 21:40:03 in World
“Disturbingly, I totally get what you mean.”
Why Progressives Might Want To Kill The Health Care Bill
Commented Dec 16, 2009 at 18:05:44 in Media
“I literally did it yesterday. Told them that our agendas, clearly, no longer match.”
Why Progressives Might Want To Kill The Health Care Bill
Commented Dec 16, 2009 at 17:56:09 in Media
“Excellent article and summary. Thanks.”
Gibbs Lashes Back At Dean, Suggests He's Irrational
Commented Dec 16, 2009 at 16:00:14 in Politics
“Sorry, I meant "reviving"”
Gibbs Lashes Back At Dean, Suggests He's Irrational
Commented Dec 16, 2009 at 15:58:12 in Politics
“So now the Obama administration is revising the "Dean is irrational" meme? How completely classless.”
xlntcat replied on Dec 16, 2009 at 16:09:48
“Read the article, not just the misleading title. A reporter ask if Dean was irrational and Gibbs he couldn't state what his motives were. Does Dean, at times, speak rashly? Yes, he does. Failure to control his emotional responses have cost him dearly in the past. If the public would refuse to respond to unethical reporting, they media might gain a little class.”
BOSNIAGATE replied on Dec 16, 2009 at 16:00:46
“its almost as if we didnt even have an election and no change of the guard”
Imago replied on Dec 16, 2009 at 16:00:34
“No, HP is reviving it.”
berensma replied on Dec 16, 2009 at 16:00:14
“Sorry, I meant "reviving"”
No Easy Jumpstart To Get Small Business Hiring Again
Commented Dec 03, 2009 at 12:46:25 in Business
“Not necessarily true. I run a small business and so does my husband. Without going into too much detail, I provide very specialized writing services and he is an emergent technology consultant. Recently, we have both seen some good fortune as clients have approached us to handle jobs that they would have previously turned to high-overhead companies for. I realize that there are always winners and losers, but small, specialty shops such as ours are finding a way to claw through.”
Gibbs: Obama 'Delivered The Orders' On Afghanistan
Commented Nov 30, 2009 at 13:07:42 in Politics
“The deterioration of empire.”
Obama West Point Speech On Afghanistan: Full Details
Commented Nov 28, 2009 at 17:40:13 in Politics
“Except, and this is a big "except," we have been more or less unable so far to secure any oil through force. What on earth makes anyone think we can this time? Even if you're a complete pragmatist on this, it's a huge gamble, with ridiculous odds.”
Dubai's Request For Debt 'Standstill' Shakes World Markets
Commented Nov 27, 2009 at 23:42:40 in Business
“So, just curious, who are the investors in this place? The rich? Or were our pension funds somehow wrapped up here, too? (Nothing would surprise me at this point.)”
MissVirginiaVoter replied on Nov 27, 2009 at 23:49:53
“Wall Street has their grubby hands into all that crap”
austin4 replied on Nov 27, 2009 at 23:45:13
“Most of the Banks, on Wall street.”
Eliot Spitzer: Obama Economic Policies Ineffective, A Continuation Of Bush (WATCH)
Commented Nov 21, 2009 at 16:04:45 in Business
“Umm...yes. He's done it before, and he's done it well.”
Geithner Asked To Resign; 'Mr. Secretary, The Public Has Lost All Confidence In Your Ability To Do Your Job' (VIDEO)
Commented Nov 21, 2009 at 15:48:04 in Business
“Whether President Obama wants to hear it or not (and he clearly does not), his best bet for any sort of bipartisanship will come through true economic overhaul, which will include tanking his team.”
Ben Nelson To Vote Yes Saturday: Two Dems Remain Uncommitted
Commented Nov 21, 2009 at 15:21:18 in Politics
“It was on the news yesterday that a condition of his vote was that the anti-trust proceedings against the insurance industry would be removed from the existing senate bill. If this is true, why is it not covered (or debunked) in this article. Seems like pretty incomplete reporting to me of a VERY IMPORTANT amendment to the bill.”
Stocks Down As October Closes With Worries
Commented Oct 31, 2009 at 15:49:00 in Business
“So....corr
Schumer: Public Option Near Votes Needed To Pass
Commented Oct 25, 2009 at 17:21:21 in Politics
“I can't agree with you. An opt-in is acceptable because it would at least give state leadership a run for their money if the people really wanted access. But a trigger is just a smokescreen. Further, the bill(s) are loaded with huge flaws that have not even begun to be addressed.
It is not good enough to just pass *something,* calling itself reform, when that could make our burden heavier, or build a whole new bubble for the insurance industry.”
It is not good enough to just pass *something,* calling itself reform, when that could make our burden heavier, or build a whole new bubble for the insurance industry.”
Schumer: Public Option Near Votes Needed To Pass
Commented Oct 25, 2009 at 17:18:25 in Politics
“It is such a weird and scary day when we are counting on Chuck Schumer to deliver us the good news.”
Snowe Voting Yes On Senate Finance Health Care Reform Bill
Commented Oct 13, 2009 at 13:23:49 in Politics
“Go, Ms. Snowe!”
Alex Lange Denied Health Care Coverage: "Your Baby Is Too Fat"
Commented Oct 12, 2009 at 12:48:55 in Business
“Blitz them with calls!
Grand Junction - Corporate Headquarters
2775 Crossroads Boulevard
PO Box 10600
Grand Junction, CO 81502-5600
970-244-7760
800-843-0719
Fax: 970-244-7880”
Grand Junction - Corporate Headquarters
2775 Crossroads Boulevard
PO Box 10600
Grand Junction, CO 81502-5600
970-244-7760
800-843-0719
Fax: 970-244-7880”
cavegal replied on Oct 12, 2009 at 12:51:46
“What is the name of the company. I for one will be calling. If enough people call we can crash their switchboard and it will cost them money to have a tech come out to fix it.”
Dean: If I Were A Senator I'd Vote For Opt-Out Public Option
Commented Oct 09, 2009 at 01:50:31 in Politics
“Why? Because it will make the Southerners very angry and they will vote people in who will make sure that they do get the public option ASAP.
For all of their complaining about, Southern conservatives are as or more happy with social security and Medicare than the rest of us. They will come around, in a serious way, after watching what everyone else gets, assuming the public option works.”
For all of their complaining about, Southern conservatives are as or more happy with social security and Medicare than the rest of us. They will come around, in a serious way, after watching what everyone else gets, assuming the public option works.”
Woopie replied on Oct 09, 2009 at 01:58:53
“You do not live here, you do not understand the mind set, They will not throw the bumbs out. Drive through west TX some time. They don't have health care period. No doctors, no hospitals, no money, no transportation, no work. Why would a doctor even set up shop there?]
These people have lived like this for ever. They do not know what it is that they are missing, they don't have cable, they don't have TV, the internet, there are milions of them across the SW. You have to deliver the goods to them otr they will never understand.
Get your head out of your rear end and wake up.”
These people have lived like this for ever. They do not know what it is that they are missing, they don't have cable, they don't have TV, the internet, there are milions of them across the SW. You have to deliver the goods to them otr they will never understand.
Get your head out of your rear end and wake up.”
Small Businesses That Are Cheap To Start
Commented Oct 03, 2009 at 14:14:46 in Business
“I've been running a home-based business for years, and only see more and more people doing it these days (whether out of desire or necessity). Deducting these things is an absolute right if they are truly being used for the said purpose -- it means you can't use your extra bedroom for your child, for example. Keep your taxes in order, keep your receipts, track your expenses and you wind up fine! The most important thing to know if you start a small biz is that your effective tax rate will be higher because you will owe much more on social security and medicare payments (known as FICA).”
wagadog replied on Oct 04, 2009 at 12:22:11
“Yes, these deductions are an absolute right, AND you will be punished with an audit for exercising that right. Therefore, your advice is quite sound: keep your books in impeccable order, or work for someone else.
Yes, you will "wind up fine!" after you pay a tax lawyer to fight the IRS off even when your books are in order. Just figure that expense in. The one in five chance that an owner operator is audited translates to an audit once every five years. Count on it.
Even if you "run a successful home business", your chances of being audited are far higher than, say, an employee of a major corporation in upper management who cooks the books for a living and drives the business into the ground -- and is rewarded for his efforts with a bailout...
The extreme unfairness of it is the problem: it serves to destroy one of the main engines of a recovering economy, the small business, in favor of maintaining the profits of a large corporation. It also maintains the large corporations' grip on the labor market.
Case in point: If I can't buy a cake at the local bakery because they've been audited out of existence (even after doing everything right), I'll have to pick one up at Wal-Mart.”
Yes, you will "wind up fine!" after you pay a tax lawyer to fight the IRS off even when your books are in order. Just figure that expense in. The one in five chance that an owner operator is audited translates to an audit once every five years. Count on it.
Even if you "run a successful home business", your chances of being audited are far higher than, say, an employee of a major corporation in upper management who cooks the books for a living and drives the business into the ground -- and is rewarded for his efforts with a bailout...
The extreme unfairness of it is the problem: it serves to destroy one of the main engines of a recovering economy, the small business, in favor of maintaining the profits of a large corporation. It also maintains the large corporations' grip on the labor market.
Case in point: If I can't buy a cake at the local bakery because they've been audited out of existence (even after doing everything right), I'll have to pick one up at Wal-Mart.”
Kate Beckinsale's Steamy Esquire Sexiest Woman Alive Video
Commented Oct 02, 2009 at 16:13:38 in Entertainment
“Boy, she looks uncomfortable. And what's with those bruised ankles?”
ImissBush replied on Oct 04, 2009 at 18:30:58
“she has ankles?”
Krugman: The Complacency Setting In Over The State Of Economy Is "Foolish And Dangerous"
Commented Oct 02, 2009 at 13:53:14 in Business
“And with the way the U.S. bond market is going, this may be our last chance to effect a stimulus. The cash is going, too, folks.”
Unemployment: Obama Confronts "Permanent Destruction" Of Thousands Of Jobs
Commented Sep 28, 2009 at 13:04:45 in Business
“Even as a social science, economics lacks the required rigor.”
Conservatives Turn Their Sights On Health Care Reform's Most Obvious Provision
Commented Sep 22, 2009 at 19:20:07 in Politics
“Well, actually, I do not have a problem with this, per se, and am glad to hear the issue raised again. The Republicans may have actually hit on one this time that will hit a larger swath of people's nerves. I don't agree at all that having to buy health insurance is a matter of personal liberty, but rather one of avoiding complete corporate slavery. This issue was key in my preferring BO over HRC in the original campaign, as I do not believe that the Massachusetts mandate experiment has worked....”
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