Category Archives: Business

Jobs, jobs, jobs

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"Abortion is not Healthcare"

“Abortion is not Healthcare” (Photo credit: brunosan)

Jobs, jobs, jobs is the GOP mantra, at least in the House of Representatives. Yet if that is the case, why does the GOP spend so much time on abortion restrictions? Because they know that abortion restrictions please their base. They also know that the election in November will hinge in large part on the direction of the economy. Therefore, we can look for no actions on their part to stimulate job growth before November. A booming economy will help Barack‘s re-election, while continuing stagnation or slow growth will help Mitt Romney.

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Break, broke, broken

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English: Fareed Zakaria, American journalist a...

English: Fareed Zakaria, American journalist and author (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When things wear out or break, good maintenance practice is to fix or replace them. When an individual or nation is short of cash or credit (broke), then maintenance is deferred. The US is in that position now. Devoting too much of our resources to defense and a sizable portion of the rest to social programs, we are cash-strapped to invest in education, research and infrastructure that will grow our economy in the future.

We defeated the USSR in the Cold War, because we increased our defense spending to the point that they could not compete. Their economy cracked under the strain. We are headed in the same direction with China, but now we are the ones whose economy is showing the strains. If our economy grows at 2-3% per year and the Chinese economy grows at 9-10% per year, the simple laws of interest compounding ensure that they will have the capacity to grow all their expenditures, civilian and defense, at a faster rate than we can.

It is my belief that we must grow our economy faster if we wish to remain a superpower. We will never grow our economy as fast as China does, but according to Fareed Zakaria, China is about to experience slower growth, around 6%, due to the sheer size of their economy. Therefore, the parties in Washington must stop their bickering and put our economy on a sustainable path to recovery. We have a more educated work force than the Chinese do. We should encourage everyone’s participation in the economy to reap maximum benefits for them and for the US.

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Golden Gate Bridge

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English: Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco ...

English: Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco at sunset (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California opened 75 years ago today. Construction began in the final months of the Hoover administration and the bridge was completed in record time, 4 years and 4 months later. Imagine the GOP supporting the construction of a project of similar magnitude today. No, I can’t imagine it either. We can’t afford it or government should not compete with private business or put ferries out of business.

What we can look out for is an effort by government, any government, to sell or lease an entity like the Golden Gate to private enterprise, which in turn would levy high tolls for the public use of what we bought and paid for years ago. Beware of creeping privatization in your locality like the parking meters in Los Angeles and Chicago.

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Impact statements

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English: La Jolla Photo: G Larson Category:Ima...

English: La Jolla Photo: G Larson Category:Images of San Diego (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We now have environmental impact statements that are required in some states, like California, that add to the cost of business and add a delay in starting new construction. I am sure that Mitt can talk at length about how hard it was to gain approval from the California Coastal commission to rebuild his La Jolla mansion. He can certainly afford the cost, but the delay probably was an irritant. As a former California resident, I can assure you that protection of the coastline from a 800 mile long wall of mansions was what the people wanted.

In addition to an environmental impact statement, I favor an economic impact statement for any layoffs or plant closings above a certain level. A company has a responsibility to the people it employs and to the society in which it lives. Without a healthy economic environment, no company can thrive. An employer needs a functioning infrastructure, educated employees and a safe and healthful working environment. Without these benefits normally provided by government from tax revenues, many companies will move to locations that do provide those benefits. Every American is entitled to those benefits. Companies that force states to compete for plant sites by offering concessions should be ostracized.

P. S. With further thought, I think that the best way to force companies to be more socially and economically responsible would be to amend their corporate charters. Now, earning a profit is their sole goal; earning a profit and caring for their human resources should be twin goals in the future.

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The elephant and the blind men

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Elephant Self-Portrait

Elephant Self-Portrait (Photo credit: Cybjorg)

There is widely known parable about how an elephant might be perceived by several blind men who had never seen or heard of an elephant. One man feeling the trunk thought the elephant was like a snake. Another feeling the tail described a rope. Another man feeling a leg thought that the elephant resembled a tree. And so on.

Thus it is when different people describe their thoughts about the market for gasoline and other petroleum products. Each of us sees a complicated subject with differing perspectives. Here are some of the relevant factors. OPEC acting to limit supplies and maximize profits from a finite supply. Big Oil attempting to maximize profits while discouraging competition from green energy.  Global supply and demand. War and the threat of war. Disasters man-made and not. Taxation.

Oil pricing is a complicated subject that lends itself to supporting the argument of one’s choice. Much like statistics that can be manipulated to prove most any point. And then if you mix oil and statistics. What a potent brew for misinformation.

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