I have no doubt that the initial set of numbers you posted are accurate. What I'm not at all sure about are the mathematics that follow those numbers, which strike me as quick and dirty computing, even ignoring the compounding issue that NK pointed out.<br><br><br>[color:red]&#63743;</font color=red> [color:orange]&#63743;</font color=orange> [color:yellow]&#63743;</font color=yellow> [color:green]&#63743;</font color=green> [color:blue]&#63743;</font color=blue> [color:purple]&#63743;</font color=purple>

I would completely agree that the stock market is not a good barometer for the health of the economy. Those stocks like to mirror profits of corporations. Corporations make money and show profits when they have their employees working full tilt, every excess is fired. Theses businesses do much better when the public has money to spend which is also a good indicator of economic health but they do not mirror each other.<br><br>Disconcerting news is numbers which show inflation with a stalled economy = stagflation. Inflation without raises. That really blows. There are lots of indicators pointing to stagflation. Where the combo of higher prices and less value for the dollar in your pocket combine. <br><br>Housing bubble continues to lose air: one in ten. 10% of people holding a mortgage have a mortgage larger than the current selling price of the house. That is 10% of the consumers out there totally bummed out. And the price of that house may continue to fall all the way through 2008. Foreclosures are at record setting numbers. The mantra of "flip that house" finds a lot of people living in a house they did not like and cannot afford. <br><br>These mortgages just took down the biggest brokerage house in the nation, Bear and Stearns. Our tax payer dollars propped it up (thus weakening the dollar in your pocket even more). Where do we draw the line. Lehman Brothers ? Do they get bailed? Gee, Bank of America got burned last year, why don't we send them a care package of 40 billion dollars too?<br><br>The Feds taught everyone a lesson: If you are going to take risks and screw up make sure you screw up big time. <br><br>And you noted the Iraq War. Yes, siphon three trillion real dollars out of the economy and set it on fire in the desert of Iraq and that can be a bit of a drag on the economy. Think if we had spent that three trillion on mass transit beginning with trains. Those workers who laid track would eat pizza in the United States. That pizza house would pay salaries to American workers. Those workers would drink beer next door in an American bar. That money would have churned three or four times before it all ended up in China after paying for flat screens.<br><br>Instead we sent it directly to China as it paid for all of our government toys we have burned in Iraq using debt covered by the Chinese. <br><br>None of these things bode well for our economy getting out of this stagflation anytime soon. We have to weaken the dollar to five cents so all that paper China has in Treasury notes becomes worthless. Then we can start again.<br><br><br><br><br>

Hey poly, I don't know if you watch the Lehrer News Hour, but I thought of you tonight when they had a piece on the Rev. Wright stuff. The three guests were an academic (natch), a bishop, and an ethicist whose perspective is rooted in Christian faith. The ethicist's major complaint? Wright believes in conspiracy theories. The irony was too good <br><br>[color:red]&#63743;</font color=red> [color:orange]&#63743;</font color=orange> [color:yellow]&#63743;</font color=yellow> [color:green]&#63743;</font color=green> [color:blue]&#63743;</font color=blue> [color:purple]&#63743;</font color=purple>

That Christian ethicist also has to look carefully at Reverend Wright's "conspiracy theories". An NPR talking head was interviewing Andrew Young (who I admire) and the talking head was poo pooing the conspiracy theories of Wright's. Young came back with, "you have to understand that Ronald Reagan's arms for hostages which were converted to drugs which were sold in American ghettos is not a theory but a fact. Given that it is unsurprising that a preacher like Wright would point this out." (I am paraphrasing from a week old memory.)<br><br>Virtually all conspiracy theories are just craziness. But some have an underlying truth which causes people to believe them. What they are doing to Reverend Wright is really a shame. He does good passing along the good preachings of Jesus Christ. He gives people hope. But he says things that if not taken in the context of a church in the south side of Chicago can be turned against him.<br><br>It's pretty disgraceful. And if I was a Christian I would call it unchristian.<br><br><br><br><br>

a 'cunsoomer' is a label given to people by a corporashun (usually mega)<br><br>now as for me and mine<br>we spend money many times a week in meetings<br>drink/eat/talk THINK.<br><br>http://www.browardatheists.com gotta put the 'www' cuz yahoo/apple servers are not jving?<br><br>http://youtube.com/watch?v=X-5xG8u7nQI<br><br>the "whatever" era, politi/big biz<br>screwed many a generation<br>now the second wave comes.<br><br>[color:green]Cleansed by the grassroots hardcore.</font color=green>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Corporations make money and show profits when they have their employees working full tilt, every excess is fired. <p><hr></blockquote><p>I would agree with you about the stock market not always mirroring the health of the economy, but I'll disagree with you on your statement I quoted.<br><br>The economy would be much better off with a thousand lean companies with 100 employees, than it would be with 100 fat companies with 1000 employees. The employees of the smaller company will enjoy more frequent and larger raises. The employees of the smaller company will probably be treated more like a human being, and less like an employee number. Those employees will probably be a lot happier, more productive, and collectively whip the ass of the company 10x it's size. All of that feeds back into the economy. The large bloated corporation meanwhile barely gives it's workers cost of living increases, and does zero for the economy other than what's good for itself. Which, in your quote is purging itself to where it should have been all along. <br><br>What we need is to get rid of these dumbasses out of business school who think to staff up when busy then lay off when slow. No, no, no!!! Don't staff up to begin with. You're not creating jobs, you're really just jeopardizing jobs that shouldn't be jeopardized when things slow down. So instead of excess being fired, that excess should never show up on payroll to begin with.<br><br>Learn how to be more productive, and everyone will benefit. But then can we really blame those dumbasses, when the business schools they went to are so damn archaic?<br><br>When I hear company X is laying off 10,000 workers, I think less of "Oh, how horrible for those 10,000 people", but more along the lines of "How the hell was the management of company X stupid enough to bloat itself to 10,000 wokers it likely didn't need to begin with". The good people at least will make out, and probably end up better off. <br><br>I work in a shaky industry. The large bloated conglomerate corporations are struggling. Good! The smaller, leaner corporations like I work for use that to our advantage. We grew (business, not staff) over double, sometimes triple what the industry average was the last 5 years. Yeah, last year was a struggle, and this year will be too. But we'll weather it much better.<br><br>And FWIW, our small department regularly goes head to head against the others who have 10x the staff we do. Yet working full tilt I've yet to work a weekend in probably 3 years, and my workload is 10x what it was when I first started. "Full tilt" as you put it does not have to mean being a slave to the company. Work smarter, not harder.<br><br><br>Hey I'm an F'n Jerk!®

Bill Maher last night:<br><br>Consumer Confidence is at it's worst in 16 years....<br><br>NO one is spending any $, they're afraid to !!<br><br>It's so bad that Gov Spitzer hasn't hired a hooker lately and has had to resort to having sex with his wife !! <br><br>David (OFI)

who lied<br>who paid<br>who's educated, which have been left homeless...<br><br>get a graph of gdee etc. and measure it up to the years a "republican" was president.<br><br>better yet<br>try americanhardcore the docudrama<br><br>dare I mention European intervention?<br><br>[color:green]Cleansed by the grassroots hardcore.</font color=green>