It should be noted that I in no way shape or form support our current president, never have, never will.
His dis-regard for the truth (how there were NO WMD's as claimed and when that reason was shown to be false how Iraq has become the war on terror, even though there was NO links to Al Queda until AFTER we invaded---saddest part? No one questions this, it is now accepted as fact...see G. Orwell "1984" on how to re-write history) and personal liberties (wire-tapping civilians, etc--let's see how easy it is to get back those freedoms we gave up without knowing they were taken--see Homeland Security, etc) and his cowboy mentality make me ill. Oh how sweet it is, we're gonna maybe get up to $1800 in June to help the economy...let me tell you how far that goes now a days...Anyway I digress...
What got me focused was hearing more clearly the talk of a recession, especially in light of recent incidents.
I used to work really closely with VP's and Presidents in Marketing in the Fast Food industry. I began hearing the talk early regarding food prices, not just ours (cost going up), but also the food that feeds our food (namely corn). You see, the new "advancement" in bio-fuels--corn based gas has made it more lucrative to use the crop for that endeavour, thereby raising it's price as "food" for our food. (Don't even get me started on corn though, check out Michael Pollan's "Omnivoures Dilema" to see what the real cost of this crop is for all of us). Anyway, higher food prices abound and less money to spend on it is going hand in hand...long story short, good folks at very high levels (and on down as it surely will) are now out of work...and my eyes are opened a little bit more (not even as wide as they should be to be considered responsible).
Not being too economically "smart" I did a quick look-up on recession, here's the short version from Forbes:
A significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting longer than a few months. It is visible in industrial production, employment, real income and wholesale-retail trade. The technical indicator of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth as measured by a country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Recession is a normal (albeit unpleasant) part of the business cycle. A recession generally lasts from six to 18 months.
Interest rates usually fall in recessionary times to stimulate the economy by offering cheap rates at which to borrow money.
Where am I going with this? Mostly rant, but also that it is a great time for everyone, myself included, to get involved with politics and what is really going on. No one contender stands out as "the answer"—as a a matter of fact, with the mess Ol' Dubbya has gotten us into (I pray he doesn't get his last wish to invade Iran)—I wouldn't want to be the next 2 presidents—but it's a good time to really look at what you are voting for and why... and it shouldn't be based on a tax refund check.
Recession is a normal (albeit unpleasant) part of the business cycle. A recession generally lasts from six to 18 months.
Interest rates usually fall in recessionary times to stimulate the economy by offering cheap rates at which to borrow money.
Where am I going with this? Mostly rant, but also that it is a great time for everyone, myself included, to get involved with politics and what is really going on. No one contender stands out as "the answer"—as a a matter of fact, with the mess Ol' Dubbya has gotten us into (I pray he doesn't get his last wish to invade Iran)—I wouldn't want to be the next 2 presidents—but it's a good time to really look at what you are voting for and why... and it shouldn't be based on a tax refund check.
2 comments:
If anyone would like to see further proof of the worldwide skyrocketing prices of corn and wheat and its effects on poorer cultures:
Haitians resort to eating dirt
Go Ken! You know I'm a conservative and the party I have supported in the past had their shot to govern in a conservative way, and they didn't. Instead they spent a lot of money and grew the government, and went to war for the wrong reason. Not what I voted for! I don't believe in big government and that's where we are heading no matter who we vote for. I'm also afraid we are heading towards a one party government.
The Democrats get control of congress and nothing has been done. Their approval rating is lower then the Presidents. What’s that say? Our government officials on both sides are really sucking. That’s one reason why I’m now an independent. No one can count on my vote. They have to earn it.
The price of corn is something I have been talking about since they started pushing the Flex fuel. Did it know it would take a farm the size of Texas to make a difference with our dependency on foreign oil? Good idea to starve everyone so we can drive our cars.
Everyone is so against fossil fuels and foreign oil, but no one wants to admit it’s going to take time to develop the technology and economic structure to get alternative fuel, and operating systems on line in the US without a lot of people losing their jobs. There needs to be a real plan and not just the bashing mentality a lot of people and our government seam to have. Anyone can point out problems but real involved people can make suggestion or have answers to the problems. Our political system has neither of these abilities. If the government keeps interfering with the market it’s going to take us even that much longer to make any ground.
I look forward to your involvement Ken and reading how you feel about political issues and policies. You always do your homework and research.
Go Ken! You know I'm a conservative and the party I have supported in the past had their shot to govern in a conservative way, and they didn't. Instead they spent a lot of money and grew the government, and went to war for the wrong reason. Not what I voted for! I don't believe in big government and that's where we are heading no matter who we vote for. I'm also afraid we are heading towards a one party government.
The Democrats get control of congress and nothing has been done. Their approval rating is lower then the Presidents. What’s that say? Our government officials on both sides are really sucking. That’s one reason why I’m now an independent. No one can count on my vote. They have to earn it.
The price of corn is something I have been talking about since they started pushing the Flex fuel. Did it know it would take a farm the size of Texas to make a difference with our dependency on foreign oil? Good idea to starve everyone so we can drive our cars.
Everyone is so against fossil fuels and foreign oil, but no one wants to admit it’s going to take time to develop the technology and economic structure to get alternative fuel, and operating systems on line in the US without a lot of people losing their jobs. There needs to be a real plan and not just the bashing mentality a lot of people and our government seam to have. Anyone can point out problems but real involved people can make suggestion or have answers to the problems. Our political system has neither of these abilities. If the government keeps interfering with the market it’s going to take us even that much longer to make any ground.
I look forward to your involvement Ken and reading how you feel about political issues and policies. You always do your homework and research.
What’s your view on socialize health care?
Post a Comment