Time to face the truth - Page 2 - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

one-eyed-fatman · 01-02-2006, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewXD40fun

Damn you beat me to it.

BUT Ms. Holly Sklar is a pure liberal dedicated to the Liberal dream of giving people free money by taking it from people who work for a living.

Check out here writings.
http://www.zmag.org/bios/homepage.cfm?authorID=213

But that is her right of course, but she is wrong, IMHO. I just new OEFM was a closet liberal

Tom

I dedicate this thread to funnygun. Even a big fat blind rat can find cheese.

Eat it up dude.

Lumberjack98 · 01-02-2006, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumberjack98

I'm not really sure that any solutions were offered.

It's easy to bitch about problems. It's hard to get off your ass and do something about it.

Does either side offer solutions anymore?

Not ones that will work.

XD2005 · 01-02-2006, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

I heard we have borrowed money big time from China. Did I hear wrong?

Depends on what you mean by "Borrow." The US does not "actively" borrow from anyone in particular. By borrow in this situation, we are refering to US Treasuries (bonds paid by US, so essentially loans to the gov't). These Treasuries are traded on the open market. If China, Russia, or Timbuktu wanted to "Borrow" from the US, they could. But the US doesn't call up China and ask if they could borrow $4B until their next payday.

one-eyed-fatman · 01-02-2006, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by einheit 13

How dare you post that "liberal-leftist-extremist-facist-comministic-Bush hater" garbage on this forum, damn un-American unions .......... .....sorry, had to beat XDfunny and his minion to it......

einheit 13 I could tell funnygun the fairy tale about Jack and Jill and get the same response.

NewXD40fun · 01-02-2006, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

Let's resolve to lift up the faltering American Dream
American economy losing ground to foreign innovation

By HOLLY SKLAR

The hourly wages of average workers are 11 percent lower than they were back in 1973, adjusted for inflation, despite rising worker productivity. CEO pay, by contrast, has skyrocketed — up a median 30 percent in 2004 alone in the Corporate Library survey of 2,000 large companies.

Dems greedy CEOs deserved dem big raises for creating 4.5 million jobs since 2003. And the low 5.0% unemployment rate is bad news for the Democrats.

All this good economic news is bad news for the Democrats, the bad news party.

I think the liberal activist HOLLY SKLAR is just mad because she can't create jobs, just bad news.

Tom

one-eyed-fatman · 01-02-2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

All this good economic news is bad news for the Democrats, the bad news party

Any idea where I can read about some of this good news? I haven't heard or read any good news in quite some time.

mgeoffriau · 01-02-2006, 05:07 PM

The booming economy
What is it on?

Dec 8th 2005 | NEW YORK
From The Economist print edition

It just keeps on confounding the pessimists

ECONOMISTS have long warned that America's fast-growing economy has shaky underpinnings: the jobs market has lagged the recovery; America's current-account deficit has swollen to record levels; consumer spending is increasingly tied to prices in the frothy housing market (see article); oil prices are at their highest level in real terms since the early 1980s; and much, much more. But someone plainly forgot to tell the economy that it was supposed to be in trouble.

Figures released by the Department of Commerce on November 30th show that the American economy grew at an annualised rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, revised upward from a preliminary estimate of 3.8% issued in November. That is despite the ravages wrought by hurricanes in August and September, which not only destroyed a major port city but closed down a big chunk of the energy industry.

Better still, the following week, the Department of Labour reported that over the same period, productivity had grown by 4.7%. Meanwhile, payrolls, which barely grew at all in September and October, had finally posted a respectable 215,000 new jobs in November. Little surprise, then, that George Bush is once again talking up the economic data, and seeking to claim some of the credit for his policies, particularly tax cuts.

Sadly for Mr Bush, it appears someone also forgot to tell the voters that the economy is doing well. Polls show approval ratings for the economy on a par with the rest of his dismal numbers. Employment has generally lagged behind the economy. Payroll employment troughed in May 2003, 18 months after the recession ended. Since then, the economy has added 4.5m jobs, as Mr Bush pointed out this week—and unemployment currently hovers around 5%. But wage growth has been sluggish, implying a soft jobs market.

The economy is also posing some difficult questions for the Federal Reserve, whose monetary committee meets next week. It has steadily raised interest rates to fight off inflation (see chart). But where does it want to stop? The minutes of the November meeting suggested that the Fed might stop raising rates quite soon. The debt markets quickly decided that 4.5% might be a more likely final target for interest rates than previous estimates of 4.75-5%. Now the new numbers are making everybody reconsider that—especially as Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan's replacement, may be looking for an excuse to prove he is tough on inflation when he takes office in January.

Higher oil prices may not have translated into slower economic growth yet, but they are creating inflation. It ran well above 4% in September and October. On the other hand, core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, is still relatively modest. With gasoline dropping back to $2.15 a gallon from nearly $3 in September, this eases fears that high oil prices will feed through into the broader price index. And the stellar productivity figures increase the pace at which the economy can grow without causing inflation. So Mr Bernanke will not want to be too tough. For now the Fed, like the economy, defies easy prediction.

mgeoffriau · 01-02-2006, 05:08 PM

That took me all of two minutes to find. What have you been reading?

NewXD40fun · 01-02-2006, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

Quote:

All this good economic news is bad news for the Democrats, the bad news party

Any idea where I can read about some of this good news? I haven't heard or read any good news in quite some time.

Now that is an odd question.

Ms. SKLAR did not divulge the sources for her bad news. Was she just telling us more than what she knew?

Are you just telling us more than you know.....again?

Tom

mgeoffriau · 01-02-2006, 05:28 PM

2006 economy looks solid

Most forecasters see growth of at least 3 percent, which means more jobs and higher pay.

By Mark Trumbull | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

A fifth straight year of economic expansion in 2006 promises to mean new jobs, higher pay, and maybe even fatter investment portfolios for millions of Americans.

Despite a backdrop of challenges - notably signs of climate change in the nation's sizzling real estate market and investor jitters over bond rates - this forecast represents a strong consensus among economists.

There's no guarantee that the economy will actually match current expectations of 3.4 percent growth next year. But of more than 50 business economists surveyed by Blue Chip Economic Indicators, all but five see growth of 3 percent or higher. The lowest forecast is 2.6 percent. The upshot for those who work, shop, and invest would be a solid but not exciting environment.

"I think we'll see decent income growth and decent job growth," says Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "The average household will be better off, but moderately."

The consensus forecast calls for:

• Rising pay. Disposable incomes will rise by 3.2 percent, after inflation, more than double this year's gain.

• Costlier borrowing. Short-term interest rates (the three-month Treasury yield) will average 4.5 percent and longer-term rates (10-year Treasury) 4.9 percent, both small upticks from current levels.

• Moderate inflation. The consumer price index will rise 3.0 percent during 2006, down slightly from 2005.

• Healthy profits. Corporate earnings will grow 7.9 percent, but that's less than half the pace of 2005. That mixed picture, coupled with rising interest rates, has left Wall Street debating whether next year's stock market will head up or down.

• A strong job market. Unemployment to remain level at 5.0 percent. While job creation is not forecast in the Blue Chip survey, some experts call for job growth to reach 2 million for the year, higher than 2005 and much stronger than the early years of the current economic expansion.

"We're optimistic about the job picture for the next year," says John Challenger, who heads the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas in Chicago.

Of course, these numbers are merely forecasts. But Randell Moore, editor of the Blue Chip Economic Indicators, says that when averaged together, the resulting consensus has been much more reliable over the years than any individual prediction. For example: "2005 is going to be very close to what the consensus was back in January," he says, despite the unforeseen spike in energy prices and major hurricanes that battered the Gulf Coast economy.

"I think people are pretty confident that we will not see the initiation of a recession in the United States in 2006," Mr. Moore says. "The odds are higher in 2007 or 2008. Much will depend on inflation and, as a consequence, what the Fed does."

The Federal Reserve has been pursuing a policy of pushing up short-term interest rates, toward what many economists see as a neutral level where the economy can grow without fueling inflation.

Depending on where inflation heads, the Fed may be nearing the end of its monetary tightening. Already, short-term rates are about equal to the yield on long-term Treasury bonds. Any "inversion," with short-term rates exceeding long-term rates, could signal that the Fed has overdone its job of inflation-fighting. As a result, economic growth could slow below its potential. On Tuesday, a brief inversion triggered a plunge in the stock market.

Concern about the Fed will be amplified when Ben Bernanke replaces Alan Greenspan as chairman in February.

Inflation and interest rates are just one of several risks economists see in the coming year. Other potential hazards to economic growth could include another surge in oil prices, a housing market that falls rather than flattens, and the possibility of some financial fiasco such as a major corporate bankruptcy.

Mr. Behravesh says it would take several major shocks, not just one, to send the global economy into a recession. For his part, he sees a soft landing for the housing market, rather than a plunge in home prices.

Indeed, forecasters generally stress the resilience of the US economy. Productivity has continued to rise, exports are growing, and businesses are investing in new equipment. All this bodes well for continued growth.

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01-02-2006, 05:07 PM	#17
mgeoffriau XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Jackson, MS Posts: 962	The booming economy What is it on? Dec 8th 2005 \| NEW YORK From The Economist print edition It just keeps on confounding the pessimists ECONOMISTS have long warned that America's fast-growing economy has shaky underpinnings: the jobs market has lagged the recovery; America's current-account deficit has swollen to record levels; consumer spending is increasingly tied to prices in the frothy housing market (see article); oil prices are at their highest level in real terms since the early 1980s; and much, much more. But someone plainly forgot to tell the economy that it was supposed to be in trouble. Figures released by the Department of Commerce on November 30th show that the American economy grew at an annualised rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, revised upward from a preliminary estimate of 3.8% issued in November. That is despite the ravages wrought by hurricanes in August and September, which not only destroyed a major port city but closed down a big chunk of the energy industry. Better still, the following week, the Department of Labour reported that over the same period, productivity had grown by 4.7%. Meanwhile, payrolls, which barely grew at all in September and October, had finally posted a respectable 215,000 new jobs in November. Little surprise, then, that George Bush is once again talking up the economic data, and seeking to claim some of the credit for his policies, particularly tax cuts. Sadly for Mr Bush, it appears someone also forgot to tell the voters that the economy is doing well. Polls show approval ratings for the economy on a par with the rest of his dismal numbers. Employment has generally lagged behind the economy. Payroll employment troughed in May 2003, 18 months after the recession ended. Since then, the economy has added 4.5m jobs, as Mr Bush pointed out this week—and unemployment currently hovers around 5%. But wage growth has been sluggish, implying a soft jobs market. The economy is also posing some difficult questions for the Federal Reserve, whose monetary committee meets next week. It has steadily raised interest rates to fight off inflation (see chart). But where does it want to stop? The minutes of the November meeting suggested that the Fed might stop raising rates quite soon. The debt markets quickly decided that 4.5% might be a more likely final target for interest rates than previous estimates of 4.75-5%. Now the new numbers are making everybody reconsider that—especially as Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan's replacement, may be looking for an excuse to prove he is tough on inflation when he takes office in January. Higher oil prices may not have translated into slower economic growth yet, but they are creating inflation. It ran well above 4% in September and October. On the other hand, core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, is still relatively modest. With gasoline dropping back to $2.15 a gallon from nearly $3 in September, this eases fears that high oil prices will feed through into the broader price index. And the stellar productivity figures increase the pace at which the economy can grow without causing inflation. So Mr Bernanke will not want to be too tough. For now the Fed, like the economy, defies easy prediction.

01-02-2006, 05:08 PM	#18
mgeoffriau XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Jackson, MS Posts: 962	That took me all of two minutes to find. What have you been reading?

01-02-2006, 05:28 PM	#20
mgeoffriau XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Jackson, MS Posts: 962	2006 economy looks solid Most forecasters see growth of at least 3 percent, which means more jobs and higher pay. By Mark Trumbull \| Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor A fifth straight year of economic expansion in 2006 promises to mean new jobs, higher pay, and maybe even fatter investment portfolios for millions of Americans. Despite a backdrop of challenges - notably signs of climate change in the nation's sizzling real estate market and investor jitters over bond rates - this forecast represents a strong consensus among economists. There's no guarantee that the economy will actually match current expectations of 3.4 percent growth next year. But of more than 50 business economists surveyed by Blue Chip Economic Indicators, all but five see growth of 3 percent or higher. The lowest forecast is 2.6 percent. The upshot for those who work, shop, and invest would be a solid but not exciting environment. "I think we'll see decent income growth and decent job growth," says Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "The average household will be better off, but moderately." The consensus forecast calls for: • Rising pay. Disposable incomes will rise by 3.2 percent, after inflation, more than double this year's gain. • Costlier borrowing. Short-term interest rates (the three-month Treasury yield) will average 4.5 percent and longer-term rates (10-year Treasury) 4.9 percent, both small upticks from current levels. • Moderate inflation. The consumer price index will rise 3.0 percent during 2006, down slightly from 2005. • Healthy profits. Corporate earnings will grow 7.9 percent, but that's less than half the pace of 2005. That mixed picture, coupled with rising interest rates, has left Wall Street debating whether next year's stock market will head up or down. • A strong job market. Unemployment to remain level at 5.0 percent. While job creation is not forecast in the Blue Chip survey, some experts call for job growth to reach 2 million for the year, higher than 2005 and much stronger than the early years of the current economic expansion. "We're optimistic about the job picture for the next year," says John Challenger, who heads the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas in Chicago. Of course, these numbers are merely forecasts. But Randell Moore, editor of the Blue Chip Economic Indicators, says that when averaged together, the resulting consensus has been much more reliable over the years than any individual prediction. For example: "2005 is going to be very close to what the consensus was back in January," he says, despite the unforeseen spike in energy prices and major hurricanes that battered the Gulf Coast economy. "I think people are pretty confident that we will not see the initiation of a recession in the United States in 2006," Mr. Moore says. "The odds are higher in 2007 or 2008. Much will depend on inflation and, as a consequence, what the Fed does." The Federal Reserve has been pursuing a policy of pushing up short-term interest rates, toward what many economists see as a neutral level where the economy can grow without fueling inflation. Depending on where inflation heads, the Fed may be nearing the end of its monetary tightening. Already, short-term rates are about equal to the yield on long-term Treasury bonds. Any "inversion," with short-term rates exceeding long-term rates, could signal that the Fed has overdone its job of inflation-fighting. As a result, economic growth could slow below its potential. On Tuesday, a brief inversion triggered a plunge in the stock market. Concern about the Fed will be amplified when Ben Bernanke replaces Alan Greenspan as chairman in February. Inflation and interest rates are just one of several risks economists see in the coming year. Other potential hazards to economic growth could include another surge in oil prices, a housing market that falls rather than flattens, and the possibility of some financial fiasco such as a major corporate bankruptcy. Mr. Behravesh says it would take several major shocks, not just one, to send the global economy into a recession. For his part, he sees a soft landing for the housing market, rather than a plunge in home prices. Indeed, forecasters generally stress the resilience of the US economy. Productivity has continued to rise, exports are growing, and businesses are investing in new equipment. All this bodes well for continued growth.