Steve's barking at too few goods

 Every school boy from my generation knows that inflation is caused by too much money chasing too few goods. This is an equation, for those who are too lazy to look at the whole equation it means that there is a lack of goods for the amount of money in circulation.
I understand that for some out there this is a hard equation to follow. I'm going to make it even harder for you to follow. If for instants a farmer can't make money from selling his produce, he will plant less by buying less seed or even perhaps he would go out of business altogether. Now my way of thinking, this will cause inflation in the price of food. This can happen in other markets as well.
Lets take my home town NYC. Now lets assume there is a high paying job explosion. People who aren't from New York will come and be willing to pay higher prices for apartments, forcing those who can't afford those rents to go to less desirable places and this go on forcing those displaced to look for less desirable places. Now not everyone will agree with me but until new housing stock is built you have rent inflation. Now rent inflation might not be such a bad idea because more housing stock could very easily be build. There is no unfortunate problem with this scenario, because of the rent inflation, those who need the new rentals probably can't afford them, it might even cause the builders to go into bankruptcy.
Now lets go to the first part of the equation, too much money. Can there ever be too much money? There are things you can do with the excess money, such as invest it or even save it. There is nothing you can do if there are too few goods or services.

Now to get around to my way of thinking if money is printed when goods and services are plentiful,don't mean a thing ( like if you don't have that swing). But if goods and services are few you might have too print the money just to keep up with inflation.           

Steve's barking at theater cheating

The holiday movie receipts are in. Less money was made this year then last year.
Holy mother of the mole. What's wrong? The audience doesn't want to pay those high prices? 
Maybe movies should be less and paying for three d glasses, what's that all about? Maybe movies should be a dollar less and the money would be made up by larger crowds.

Then of cause there maybe there's a little cheating going on. Maybe the cineplex let audience go from one film to another without stopping them. But that was going on since the invention of the cineplex.
Maybe it's the price is too damn high.( kind of like the rent).Try something different lower the price and make it up with a larger audience.

Steve's barking at self hating government workers

I remember as it was yesterday the first time I was siting at my desk and I heard one of my co-workers complain how much taxes he was paying and that most of you government don't do anything.
Now as I tend to recall this guy was the standard barer for what was wrong with the agency that I worked at. Never on time, always leaving early, never doing what he was suppose to do.Isn't that always the case, those who complain the most are the worst offenders. I even heard from some fellow who lived in upstate Hudson Valley Complaining about the prisons and how they should be in the city.
Listen to the city pols and that what they had wanted, but of course prisons create jobs and, jobs create more jobs and the upstate pols liked that.
Now I've seen in the newspaper some professor complain about the taxes he was paying and of cause the government pension. Now for any state college professor to complain about workers in city government means that he's complaining about himself (Of cause these not to bright people don't understand that ). Now if someone complains about what they were getting in the way of pensions they don't have to except it.
Now several state workers that I had met along the way would joke that government worker were middle class welfare recipients. Well maybe they were speaking for themselves?
Now any college worker complains about government, is really complaining about themselves, because all colleges are subsidized by the government. Even the the rich schools are subsidized by the government by having students receiving financial aid.
 

Steve's barking at wise man foolish man

The wise man knows how to listen, the foolish man doesn't know when to be quite.
The foolish man may for all practical purposes may not be stupid, and the wise man may not know it all, but he knows that he doesn't know it all.

The former speaker of the house I'm told is a PhD grad from Tulane University. How?
After hearing him I wounder if he would answer correctly the history question on who's smarter then a fifth grader.

I don't think that us college students of the late 6os early 70s who took an economic course were brainwashed by Samuelson.

Steve's barking at wrong for right

What happens when you do the wrong thing for the right reason?
That what the President of the United States proposed and the senate concurred.
It's right to want to put more money into workers hands during a employment recession.
It's wrong (dead wrong) to take money away from Social Security by reducing the tax that workers pay into the fund, especially when the disability part of the fund may be running out of money with in the next couple of years.( they will probably borrow from the the retirement part of the fund).
Does not paying the full amount that should be tax and is not hurt the trust fund?
You betcha.
Now on the opposite part of the coin the house of representatives voted against extending the tax break because it wasn't for a year. right thing wrong reason.

* Through out our history we have done the right thing for the wrong reason and wrong things for the right reason.
** My understanding is that the Social Security trust fund have bonds that will pay it till the 2030's.
What not stated is where the money is to come from to pay for the bonds.
Will it come from defense? Will it come from medicaid, food stamps, from the local senior citizen center or  kindergarten? Maybe a special tax to pay off all our debts?
*** We should be making all workers pay the same percentage with no limit, helping pay off future debt until money is needed to pay for social security. Would that hurt the economy? Possible but it's not any worse then any other plan to reduce the dept.

Steve's barking at addiction

Unfortunately for me I have an addiction personality.
I sit down at the kitchen  table and for no other reason then there's food around I will eat even though I may not be hungry. I pay my bills in the kitchen. I watch the Jets and the Giants in the kitchen. I read in the kitchen. I even run to the kitchen when when I'm frustrated with the news and the talk shows on television. So that may be why I'm not at a good weight.
I'm addicted to watching men and women doing things with and to each other on the Internet. I don't know why but I am.
I listen to the news or watch it on the telly even the business news constantly, though it barley changes hourly.
I even smoked on a whim, and it took me forever to kick that addiction.
I've got a new addiction with two blogs, Naked Capitalism and Paul Krugman's blog.Why I'm so hooked on these blogs, I know not why, but I am.

Steve's barking at Monday Morning Quarterbacking

President Obama should have gotten tough with the Republican Party on day one.
The US government shouldn't have forced Freddy and Fanny to lend unworthy borrowers for home loans.
The government shouldn't have bailed out the banks.
The Republican Party should have begged Donald Trump to run for president and have all the other candidates just abandon the race.
We should ignore the constitution when it gets in the way of our beliefs and strictly enforce it when it doesn't.
We should have listen to business leaders more then our political leaders.
We should be able to have a no confidence vote in the presidency kind of like the European parliaments.

Monday morning quarterbacking is taken from the time when professional football (American) was only on Sunday.
The Quarterback called most of the play, and they didn't so much come in from the sideline.
On Monday morning when the game was discussed criticism of the play calling was known as Monday morning quarterbacking. We generally had no idea what we were talking about.

Steve's barking at entitlements

Entitlements every body talks about them but no one improves them.
What was that sentence about?
Well let me try to explain in the simplest way I can.
Medicare and Social Security are paid for by direct taxes.
Keep it simple again it is the only tax we workers pay that we are suppose to know what it's for.
That's right we pay FICA and we are suppose to be believe that it pays for Social Security and Medicare not for the army, not to build roads or even pay for Medicaid or unemployment insurance.
Now I can understand lending this money out to help pay for these necessities and to make interest from lending the excess money out.
Unfortunately our politicians (left, right and in between), commentators and too many people who call themselves economist believe that this money is just like any other tax. As I've stated before we have an idiot** problem in this country.
As an ex-auditor I know that commingling of money is a no-no.

Those of us who want to keep Medicare and Social Security solvent, understand that you can't pay for other services including debt service by raiding trust funds.
(1) When you lessen the payout for Medicare and or Social Security to help with the over all budget your raiding the trust fund, that was payed by a direct payroll tax.
The wise man understands that to keep Social Security solvent way into the future, we will have to extend the Social Security payroll tax to cover all pay with no cut off.
(2) Currently we have 106,00 dollar cut off. Now if this isn't a tax injustice I don't know what is.
Maybe, just maybe we should raise the part of the FICA tax that pays for medicare by 1/2 percent.
Instead of cutting the money for things we pay for Medicare maybe we'll be able to have more hospitals, doctors may be able to pay for more staff. Maybe as strange as it may seem we may have more people working by raising taxes.

* I don't know how social security and government health care is payed for in other counties, but my gut feeling is that it's not payed for by direct tax. Maybe the politicians and other buffoons would be a little less likely to go after it.

** It seems that idiots in the United States are proliferating like bunnies.

Steve's barkin at test scores NYC children

Here we go again.
New York City children test scores on math and reading are in the 24% range and every bodies got their nickers up in the air.
This is great news if you like to play the blame game.
The way I see it,the educators in NYC got short changed because they didn't know how to cheat on this test.
I'm actually not very upset by the children can't read, most of the adults I see on the boob tube,be it political or just some talking head commentator have a problem with reading comprehension. For that mater it's the same with newspaper opinion writers.
If one listens to the majority of politician and talking heads and opinion writers you can even say the same thing about math (math including logic).
To summarize my thinking, we should make sure the adults can read and understand math before we criticize that Johnny can't read or do math in the fourth grade.

*I don't know how many people who are out of work are poled by the dept of labor but if he same amount of people are asked if they are still looking for work is the same as 4 years ago or even 6 months ago the statistics are very shaky to say the least.
** So many of us quote the constition but it doesn't say way we want it to say.

Steve's barking at what if

What if the United States had behaved like Europe is be having now after World War II.
Would there be no Marshall Plan?
Would Europe turn into a third world continent? 
What would have happened if the United States banks didn't  lend money to Germany in the twenties?
Would there have been a never ending inflation?
Would there have been wholesale death?
Would World War II stared earlier?
If there was no Marshall Plan would the United States have gone into a great recession?
What if the United States demand it's money that it lent in World War I soon after the war?
Would Europe have collapsed?
What if the rating agencies had down graded German bonds when East and West combined?
Would Germany still be this strong economic power?

Is Northern Europe cutting off it's nose despite it's face by demanding austerity in Southern Europe and Ireland?

Steve's Barking at Newt erd again

Oh no Mr Gringrich you didn't.
Food stamps are being used to finance trips to Hawaii?
You know this because?
The EBT cards can be used as  a credit card?
Do you know what an EBT card is?
I can see it now, Fly the friendly sky of jet Hawaii using you food stamps so we can feed the rest of the passengers.

steve's barking at lets do the wrong thing

Lets do the wrong thing for the banking system and have the banks borrow at 2% at the discount window.
That would seem like the wrong thing when we need liquidity in the a down turn in the economy,but were not lending what should be lent out anyway, maybe this would force the banks to do what they are in business to do.

Steve's barking at pensions again

Pensions are ruining the world. That's the general rule that's going around.
Look at England, Look at the States. Hell look at all of Europe, lets get the pensioners. It doesn't matter if it's private pensions or government pensions, it's all the same. Nobody says anything about how in the United States companies systematically took money out the pension systems if they were companies that took over other companies to help pay for their take over. I wounder what those take over companies are going to do to help pay for their takeovers. Charge the workers for the air they breath in the companies shop. Then we have the companies that don't put into pensions because it would be more costly and their profits wouldn't be as great, reducing the stock price (maybe).
Now we come to government pensions in the United States that have been paying out pensions for ever. Never until recently have there been any doubt that they would be payed.
The excuse now is people lie longer. True but if a person is only living on the interest not the principle what different does it make how long a person lives, the only problem with that hypothesis is inflation.That would hurt turning a moderately poor person to a really poor person. Or if the pensioner had a nice pension into a lousy pension.
Now I'm not the brightest guy in the world but it would seem to me that when you put a side a percentage for a worker salary then the same percentage should be set aside for the pension.

* It appears to me that pension reform that good government groups  want to use for other purposes should be put into the pension funds.
I guess they feel if good enough for the private sector it's good enough for the public sector.
Maybe if you look at those good government groups their really bad government groups.
I don't have the knowledge of European pensions but it seems to me that when you are promised something when you start work, it's the obligation come hell or high water to keep your word. 

Steve's barking at the paradox

The citizens of the United States want democracy around the word. Yet if a dually elected government is not what we want we have in the past overthrown them.
Most of my fellow citizens want to end poverty in the word, but when jobs are given to people in other parts of the world raising their standard of living, we are the first to scream unfair.
Those who clammier for freedom of speech for themselves are generally the first try to stomp it out for others. I see (conservative) commentators complain that their tax dollars are paying for things like cable and expensive phones for the poor, not realizing if it wasn't for the government handouts to some of the poor and others over extending themselves they would be poor themselves.
We complain about tax inequities as long as it's not us.
We clammier for a democratic form of government were all can be head.Yet we demand that our president cures all our ills as if he was an extreme ruler.
We complain about consummerism that if we didn't have many of us would have no work. If we had no work we would have no money. If we had no money we couldn't eat. ( We might even need the bling).

Just think if we didn't have a commercialized Christmas a third of our economy would come to halt.
* I'm probably on the low end of that. The real low end.
               
     

Steve's barkink at the US doesn't have a deficit promblem

The United States doesn't have a deficit problem it has a moron problem.
The United States isn't hi taxed country.
The United States has land with mineral on it which it can auction off.
The United States has it own printing press.
The United States owes much of its dept to it's own treasury.
The United States currency isn't tied to gold.
The United States has probably more college educated who are clueless as to what makes the economy run then any place on earth.
We have more economist who claim that government doesn't create jobs then anyplace on earth, despite the tons of evidence to the contrary.
We have more people then anyplace on earth that claim that taxes are a job killer while the truth is that as long as a good profit is to be made then jobs will be created.
Maybe I'm on the moron part of the equation, I used to believe that if you were a liberal or left wing you had a step up on the truth of how the 21st economy works. ( My moronic idea was that you were either right or wrong and if you were a right wing economist you were wrong). What I didn't realize that you could be a so called left winger and still be a moron such as the president's economic advisers.    

Steve's barking at Tomato

Question of the day is the American tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
Or as the great Reagan used to say lets call catchup a vegetable. Or was that his speech writers such as Peggy Noonan?
Anyway is tomato source really a vegetable and therefore eating pizza eating a veggie as the Republicans are claiming?.
I hope so , I love pizza and hate to eat greens, therefore if I eat pizza every day  I'm getting my daily desired veggies servings.

Steve's barking with out me

I live in an area that a good guesstimate is at least 60% present and retired government workers are living here.
If it wasn't for us government workers the local tire shop shop wouldn't exist,
There wouldn't be a need for three supermarkets.The local chain and and privately owned restaurants wouldn't do enough business. The big department stores in my area,  not needed. The local cable company would not do enough business to be worth while. The local hardware store,not needed.
So lets do away with government workers and end there pensions so that the private sector can take a real dive.
It's a Wonderful Life.

Steve's barking at 9 out of 10 0ccupy Wall Street

Why do those talking on the boob tube about Occupy Wall Street tell all those who will listen that they should get a job. When the news people who interview those who are in the crowd at Occupy Wall Street 9 at of 10 claim that they have a job or are going to school.
When those very same people talk about how dirty the Occupy Wall Streeters are 9 of 10 men seemed to be clean shaven and 9 of 10 seemed to be well dressed.
I hear from these heathens on the air way how they want to take down the government, yet 9 out of ten that are given a voice don't say anything except how unfair that 99% pay a greater percent of their income then the 1%. The other complaint is how come those who caused the economic collapse get bailed out those who need the help get coal in their stockings.

Steve's barking at frack me

I've been hearing about this procedure called fracking for getting natural gas out of rock using benzine and other bad stuff it it gets into the water supply. You know it's going to get in to water supply.
So why don't the fracking companies just buy a laser from Buck Rodgers and the 21st century company breaking up the gassy rock with out leaving a nasty after effect.
Of cause this country can us methane that doesn't need no fracking at all.

I heard a nasty rumor that several fracking company executives were being charged with murder for death that occurred because of contaminated water, of cause it was just my imagination. 


* There is no company named Buck Rodgers and the 21st century.
** As far as I know there are no exectives being put on trial for poisoning the water upply due to fracking.
*** there is no word called fracking in my websters.

Steve's barking at obstructionist

I keeping hearing in my head about how when the president had a large majority in congress he didn't do anything to help the labor market.
The first thing I should do is check into a psychiatric hospital.
Now let's assume that I'm not crazy, it's easier to be an obstructionist then it is to be a doer. While the president of the United States can put forth new programs and new ideas, it's my understanding that it only takes a one third minority to kill it. If that being the case it's a wonder the president got anything done. 

Steve's barking at occupy congress

I was reading letters to the editor in a major newspaper the other day and several of the writers suggested that the problem with this country is the government down in Washington.  They suggested that those who are occupying Wall Street should go down to the nations capitol.
 I couldn't agree more, they should go into the office of those obstructionist congress people and occupy their offices. They are one of the major reason's that we have a troubled economy.

Too bad the majority of congress can't be impeached, because the majority in congress are not helping the Post Office stay in business as the constitution clearly states (article 1 section 8 paragraph 7 To establish post offices and post roads). In the not so distant past the United States government actually subsidized the post office not the other way around. Huh? I do believe that the Newt Gingrich congress is making the post office prepay it's health insurance for the future along with prepaying for federal pension.
Do you think that's an imprison-able offence?  Maybe the former speaker of the house should be sent to prison for not doing his constitutional duties.  

Steve's barking at who is a capitalist?

Who is the capitalist?
Is it the owner of the local McDonalds?
Is it he owner of the fruit cart down the street?
Is it the guy who has his 401K in his company stock?
Is it the person who has his IRA in a mutual fund?
Is it the investor who believes that he can run the company better then it's president?
Am I a capitalist by the fact that my pension fund is invested in  stocks?
Are we all capitalist or just some of us?
Beats me.

* capitalist ** A person who has capital especially invested in business (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

Steve's barking at keystone

I'm getting red in the face about Keystone.
NO.. NO... NO... not about the beer commercials though they're pretty obnoxious.
I'm pissed off about Keystone The magical pipeline that would take oil from Canadian shale and send it down to our refineries down South. I do believe in the private sector but when it some how decides to put a pipeline over a the drinking water of Nebraska one has to wonder.
We desperately need this pipeline, but putting it over the life saving water of one whole state, come on.

Canada threatens to sell it's oil to Asia if we don't OK the pipeline soon. This would put them in direct competition with oil from Alaska. Will there be a price war?

What happened to American shale? Shouldn't their be a pipe line from Colorado or is that North Dakota?   

Steve's barking at the eye of the Newt

Surfing the boob tube yesterday and I heard something that if it's true is truly amazing.
Newt Gingrich stated the other day having government give direct loans to students is a form of socialism. Well if memories serves me correctly when I got out of high school in the early sixties the government was the place one went for student loans. If it's a form of socialism now then it must have been a form of socialism then. Now if memory serves me correct  the sixties was the zenith of American economic power. So carrying that a bit further a little socialism is good for the country.

I'm still trying to figure out why the government should subsidize banks with loan guarantees, and not subsidies students. It's a no loss situation for the banks, and a loser for the government.
Don't know much about history, why did the government stop giving out loans to students and started subsidising bank loans.

Newt, has a PhD in history, and even was asst professor teaching. He has written several books with an historical theme, but every times he open his mouth it seems that the historical truth comes up short.

Steve's barking at magazine subscriptions

I just let  the  one magazine that subscribe to laps.
When I first subscribed to this magazine two months later they sent me a renewal notice, and like a bad consumer I renewed. Two months after that they sent me another renewal notice and again like a bad consumer I renewed again. This seemed funny to me so I promised myself that I would not renew again. Sure enough two months later they sent me another renewal notice. This time I just ignored it.
Two months later they sent me renewal notice telling me what a great pity it would be if my subscription was to laps. They kept sending me this same notice every two weeks for a year even offering me a better deal with each and every notice. Now I don't know how long my original subscription and renewal should have lasted, I only know that I don't get consumer reports any more, and I probably never will. 

Steve's barking at the Glass, Segal act

I just don't get it why are so many economist talking about the Glass, Segal act?
Oh it's not the Glass Segal act, it's called the glass steagal act.
You mean to tell me it a congressional act that  regulated the banking industry until it was watered down  (some say eliminated) in 1999.
Oh, I though it was an improve act by George Segal and Ron Glass. Opps.
.

Steve's barking at abo

The president has one major problem in his run for re-election that nothing he can do will help him with these people. These are the anybody but Obama group. Their the one's who bought guns as soon as he won the election in 2008. They are the ones who are positive that the president's a communist, no mater what he does. Unfortunately the way I see more and more people are going over to their ranks, no matter what the evidence shows.
 Another albatross around the president's is minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Now I don't really follow what congress woman Pelosi says but she was on the Daily Show the other night and was asked how can a three page memo (the Volcker Rule) turn into 300 page law? Doesn't that suggest lobbyist had a hand in writing the law?
Ans: No We have to legislative language.
It's so insider.
Me: We have to have legislative language? So insider?
 OK why doesn't congress just write a bill saying we will revert back to the same laws regarding banking as in 1939.
 Congressperson  Pelosi just doesn't get it, If the affordable care act was only 300 pages not 5000 pages it would be excepted by a large majority of the citizens.
 We the people have no problem with the constitution, but we have problem with simple bills that are hundreds or even thousands of pages long.
I guess that congress doesn't believe in KISS ( no not the rock group).

The United States banking system thrived with strong regulations, much stronger then what is proposed by anybody today. We did away with those regulations and then had to bale out the banks. Hmm.

Steve's barking at what is main stream media

When ever I happen to channel surf to this channel that calls itself Fox news I hear the hear the complaint about the main stream media. I have no idea what the crying is about. Fox News is about as main stream as you can get.How can they complain about the main steam media when Fox News is the rate ting leader of all cable news networks. Not just the rate ting leader but I do believe that it gets more viewers then all the other cable news channels  combined.
Again I can't understand what the right wing of this country is complaining about when it complains about the main stream media, after all the most popular talk radio is right wing radio.
I guess these escapes from Ringling Brothers like to think of themselves as underdogs. I guess it make better a program if your going against the man and you can't get a break.          

Steve's barking at who should the veterans trust, ows or the Tea Party?

I was surfing again on my television trying hard to find something interesting to watch, when I happen to see and hear some one on steroids Fox business ask some one who should those in the military trust, The Occupy Wall street crowd or the Tea Party?
The answer is easy Occupy Wall Street. No one in the Occupy Wall Street movement wants to make cuts in military pensions. No one in the Occupy Wall Street movement wants to health benefits to veterans. Most of the politicians who claim to have Tea Party support want to do just that.

Steve's barking at special electric cars

I just don't get it. Why are we investing in plug in cars when we can just as easily put money into electrical cars that can be charged by photosynthesis. You just put these solar panels on the roof of the car which charges up the batter, letting the car drive at  night with out . Now if it's cloudy all day the owner of the car can put the car in the garage turning on the lights to charge the battery. Now this would work like the panels that run  a solar power calculator only charging the battery instead of running the calculator. The owner would then save money on not buying gas or for that matter paying the electric company.  

steve's barking at bad wall street is badder?

The present Wall Street is badder then the Wall Street of 1900?
What the heck does that mean?
In the 1900's the banks didn't need no stinkin regulations after all they regulated themselves.
They did away with bucket shops, while the present day Wall Street complains that the government wants to regulate buck shops. Those are the places that sell naked derivatives, what ever the hel* those things are. They understood that risk and sometimes corruption that goes with it bad for business. The present day Wall Street-er seem to like to shrug their shoulders and like Alfred E Newman say what me worry.
The most famous of the Wall Street evil men JP as in Morgan wrote a check to save the banking system after the collapse I believe in the panic of '98 or was it '93, anyway can you see that happening in the Wall Street of today?  ( It may be the reason JP died died with millions only in double figures).
Now the Federal Reserve was started so that one person or even several individuals wouldn't have the burden nor the power to fix and or regulate the banking industry.   


* It was the panic of "07 were JP interceded with the help of the federal treasury.
It is believed that JP supported the deal to have the federal Reserve.
It was reported that old JP had a net worth of 65 Million. I've also read that it was 80 million.
Rockefeller's comment on the time of his death was and to think he wasn't even a rich man
Was JP a nice guy?, Probably not. Evil? possibly. Worse then what we have today? I don't think so.

The reason I was writing this particular blog was to show that the present day bankers can't compare to the 1900's. That the leadership was more responsible, unfortunately I didn't really prove my case. 

Steve's barking at class warfare in the US

I see in the papers that their are a number republicans who are claiming that the president is starting class warfare. These are the same people who are anti -union and don't belivein paying hard working people a living wage.
These the same people who complain about pension for the public sector are too high but if they are elected to public office there is no way they would give up or reduce theirs.
Getting back to class warfare, when some one wants to do away with collective bargaining they are taking away the right of free speech for a group of working individuals. Is the United States becoming a country that only the rich or the dumb can be heard.
The Occupy Wall Street crowd hasn't stated obvious false hoods as the so called Tea Party has.
Nobody that I know or have read about  wants to redistribute the wealth, they just what a fairer tax system.
They want those who control the money to open the club to more people. 
They don't want to hear a law and order mayor who hired one of the biggest crooks in the United States as his police commisoner to state that the president is opening up class warfare. He wouldn't know about class warfare if it bit him on his ass. 

Steve's barking at me being a 1 percent-er

I'm a 1 percent-er. No I don't make 1 million dollars a year. The fact of the matter I make $41,000 a year pension. Now it's true that more then 1% of the United States gets a pension, it just feels like it.  I'm also among another dieing bred, a retired government worker. Not being retired from being a government worker because there are plenty of us, but being a government worker is a dieing bred.
The fact of the matter government workers are on the endanger species list.

Steve's barking at Mad magazine and the republican party

The Republican party changes social security for the worse and blames the Obama administration for it.
The Republican party calls President Obama a socialist.
Were did  the Republican party get it's ideas from? Why mad magazine of cause.
I remember the cartoons but in a slightly different way.
The first cartoon was a group of Russians changing the star on a US missile to the Russian hammer and sickle.
The second was a cartoon a mother ask her son why he didn't make friends with a certain boy, Oh he's gay the boy said. But he's so bright the mother said. The she asked why he didn't make friends with this other boy. The son replied that he was gay. But he's the captain of the football team the mother replied. She then asked about another boy, and why he didn't make friends with that boy. He's gay the boy replied. How is that possible, he has so many girl friends. Why do you call him gay? The boy replied any body I'm not friends with is gay. I decide who is gay.

I know, I know that the last joke is pollitically incorrect, I believe these cartoon was in the sixties.
The jokes might be slightly different, after all my memories is not what it used to be.      

steve's barking at what I didn't know about Fanny and Freddy

I Didn't Know that Freddy Mac was really Countrywide.
I didn't know that that Citi  and Wells Fargo Banks were really Fanny Mae.
I didn't know that the ease of getting a mortgage didn't help the economy with employment.
I didn't know that half those pontificating on the boob tube about what caused the collapse of the economy have the economic IQ of a toad.

Steve's barking the free market finaly got it right

Bank of America dropped the idea of charging $5 a month for the right to use their debit card.
Citi and JP Morgan Chase decided not to charge $3 a month for the use of it's debit card.
There are enough banks that were going to charge those extra fees that those humongous banks whould not be as humongouse if they decided to keep their fees. 

Streve's barking at banking

I recently heard on the telly that banks have an exorbitant amount of money and there not lending it out.
I also heard on that very same devise that it was hard for bussines to borrow money from those same banks, because government rules make it hard to justify lending money out unless you are the most credit worthy borrower.( I guess that why Donald Trump keeps getting loans).
Now a  birdie told me (I cant recall weather the bird was an Eagle or a Sparrow) that it didn't matter what your credit worthiness's is, you would be able to borrow money from the bank if you had a relationship with it. The relationship being you played golf with an executive, or went to the same school, or even hooked the executive up with your drug dealer.
Now the people on that same contraption tell their viewers that these bank are not making money the old fashion way by lending it out to the masses but are are borrowing from the government at 0% and lending it back to the government at a greater then 0%.
What I can't figure out about  is what the bank I loan money too in the form of a checking account and savings account, does with that money if it's not lending the money it's borrowing from me. Now I know the bank is making money, because I saw the president of the bank on the Telly and he said so.


I remember the old expression if you build a better mouse trap the world will beat a path to your door. I just can't help think at the end of the day it's still a mouse trap.
I can't help but think about that as I keep hearing laurels that Steve Jobs has been getting.

Steve's barking at the galloping ghost

What ever happened to the galloping ghost?
Red Grange better Known as the galloping ghost from the the University of Illinois took a pay cut when he went from college football to the pros (as the legend would have us believe).
The old story used to be told that colleges would hire miners to play for them on saturday and they would go back to their real jobs on Monday. Were was the NCAA?
Did these things really happen?
Is the NCAA turning into big brother?
Is the NCAA good for college sports?


* Today I heard that the NCAA will allow student athletes to have a $2000 a year stipend.
   They will also allow schools to continue scholarships  to go into 5 and 6 years.
   These are steps that should have been taken years ago. Finally scholarship athletes are getting something for their services to the schoolsthey represent on the playing fields.

Steve's barking let's reduce unemployment by firing people

Now it doesn't take a genius to figure out that if you fire(lay off) people, the unemployment rate goes up, so why is the government threatening to lay off 160,000 postal workers, when it's the constitutional duty to have a post office, and if what the postal union is saying that the post office has to prepay well in the excess of what is needed for health benefits and retirement the deficit for the Post Office can easily be fixed.

Steve's barking at two sides of the inflation coin

What ever happened to the old belief that inflation is too much money chasing to few goods.
Now if logic serves me right if there is too few goods prices will go up. So if there are droughts and floods and through in competition from other countries there should be food inflation. Monetary policy would have nothing to do with it.
This is true with any commodity, if there is inability to produce to the demand then the price will go up. Ya Think. Even If the commodity is a manufactured good. Ya Know. (Manufactured commodity, what the?)
Any how getting on with what I'm trying to express in this blog, why does some many people who should know better forget that there are two parts to the inflation equation? Are they two lazy to actually think?
Any how why are we so worried about the deficit when we can always print some more money?
If you believe that printing money is inflationary, you don't don't know d*** about inflation.


*I understand that this particular blog maybe very confusing to a lot of readers.
Think this way if we don't spend money on infrastructure and stop subsidizing our farmers you will see wheelbarrow inflation that will be impossible to get out of.
** You'll need a wheelbarrow or it's electronic equivalent to buy a loaf of bread.
*** If you think that stagflation in the past was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.
**** 50% unemployment anyone?

Steve's barking at imagine there was no American government investment

Imagine there was no government investment in NASA. Imagine no cell phones
Imagine there was no government investment in upgrading television.Imagine no HD TV.
Imagine no government investment in military airplanes. Imagine no jet planes.
Imagine no government need for computers. Imagine no personal computers, Micro Soft, Google or Face book.
Imagine no government investment on roads. Imagine cleaner air.

Steves barking at how did they get their degree

I was watching the boob tube the other day and I discover why I call television the boob tube, it's because there are so many boobs who take up time and space on the channels. You didn't think I was writing about a females anatomy were you. I'm writing about the buffoons who think they know why the economy tanked and blame it on Freddy Mac and Franny Mae. This in the face of reality. I didn't realize how much power they had over investment banks. I didn't realize they controlled Country Wide. I guess Citi and all those other big banks played follow the leader of Fanny and Freddy.
Now we come to the clowns I see on the Telly who claim that stimulus never work. I guess they never heard of Eisenhower creating the national highway system. I guess they didn't believe that president Reagan didn't up the defense budget while lowering some of people's taxes.
I still wonder wasn't a simple course in logic required for graduation from their schools. If it was, how did these fools ever graduate?

Steve's barking at help wanted in America

The United States has over 9% unemployment.
I past by my local Dunkin Donut yesterday and in the window they had a help wanted sign.
My daughter tells me that she has a hard time find people to willing to work retail because of the crazy hours.
Belmont race tracks claims that they need foreign workers because they can't find Americans to do the dirty jobs.
Skilled manufacturing jobs are not being filled.
Are these jobs not being filled because of unemployment insurance?
Are these jobs not being filled due to bad recruiting?
Or is it something else that I can't fathom?

Steve's barking at who is the dumbest Governor in the United States

Who is the dumbest governor in the United States?
My Nomination is Andrew Cuomo from what used to be the great State Of New York.
Andrew Is nominated because of the statement he made about how taxes are driving people from New York. He then proceeded to name the counties of Westchester and Nassau as the highest taxed counties in The United States. These are the very same counties that according to the 2010 census gained the most in population in New York.
This is the governor who says that he's going to reduce the budget by cracking in down on medicaid, then proceeds to layoff the most experienced staff in medicaid fraud.
He claims that he will save the state money by layoff laying staff of which some of them are 100% federally funded.
He claims that the state has to create jobs, and gives private enterprise 400 million dollars to create 2,500. this is the same amount of money he says he needs from labor concessions, so he's laying off close to 4,000 public employees for a negative job growth of 1500 because they didn't vote for the concessions he wanted.
The only people dumber then him in New York are the people who think he's doing a good job.

As of 10/16
A new vote will be taken on the take it or leave contract as of 10/16/11.
There's a good chance it will be turned down. If the governor gets his way he will still have a negative stimulus.
Who's more anti union Andrew or Scott?

Steve's barking at the last Keynesian Presidents

I gather that conservatives believe that Keynesian economics are those administration that used deficit spending to stimulate the economy.
That definition being true the last three presidents that used deficit spending are President Reagan. He cut taxes at the same time stimulated the economy by increasing the defense budget.
President Bush the second cut taxes at the same time encouraged the construction industry with cheap money for housing. ( I know that it's popular to blame the banks if your a liberal and Fanny and Freddy if your a conservative but I'll go with my gut) He also brought about a hole new agency Home Land Security with their hiring and buy equipment.
Now we come to President Obama, the first half of his administration was he was a Keynesian,the second part of his administration he's economic conservative ( any stimulus has to be paid for by cuts in other places).
To sum up that great modern conservative Ron Reagan was a Keynesian, so was President Bush the second were Keynesian. President Obama is only a lukewarm Keynesian.

Steve's barking don't go long on News Corp

News Corp is in trouble
.No I'm not writing about the hacking scandal.
News Corp is in trouble because of new technology. The new technology is known as computers.
It's not that News Corp does not understand that computer technology is the wave of the future, it's just that for some reason their attempt at using it is falling flat.
While Fox News maybe the the most watched cable news network it doesn't score very well on in the Internet.
Does anybody know the name of the online paper that News Corp launched not to long ago?
Can any one find the APS for Fox television?

Steve'sbarking at the murder of Anwar-al-Awlawki

Hm did I say murder, bad choice of a word.Killing might be a better term.
Now the question is was it justifiable homicide?
Well I keep hearing because he was an American citizen it was an illegal act, it says so in the constitution.
To see if this was true, I took out my handy dandy pocket version of the constitution.
Now it's true the fifth amendment does a ford the right of trial to an accused person.
Now how does this jive with with article 1, section 9 paragraph 2 of the constitution which deals with habeas corpus and the suspension there of .
Anwar al-Awlawki admitted on video that he was with a group who was at war with the United States.
The safety of American citizens was in doubt because of him.

Steve's barking at ows

I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on in the financial districts all over this great country, for I don't believe I know anybody who is in the group.
Well, I can guess just like every other idiot.
The throngs of people are frustrated just like every other person in this country. They want the bankers to be accountable. They perceived those who caused the mess in the economy being helped by the government. Why aren't they being helped? As of this moment I don't really see any demands (like in Egypt, that demanded Mubarak step down).
Why are they in the Wall Street Area?   My guess is that it feels good (like me writing this blog).
A group of people commiserating with other people who feel frustrated and disenfranchised. I'll also guess that every person who is down there has a slightly different perspective on the solutions to the economic problems of this nation.
They'll be their as long as they can get they can take their frustrations out by talking and walking and even occupying and this feels good.

Steve's barking at the American Fall

What's the American Fall?
It's Occupy Wall Street. The prediction of Mayor Bloomberg , when it happened seemed bewildered by it.(My prediction was first of a Occupy Wall Street movement).
I don't understand my own reaction which is a big yawn.
Maybe my problem is I keep hearing on the boob tube that Occupy Wall is the lefts version of the Tea Party movement.
The only similarities I can see there both angry, and some of their members dress up like it's Halloween.
One the Occupy Wall Street is based on the reality that things are tough out there, the other is based on the myth that the president is a communist, fascist, take what  we got kind of guy.
One has no solution their just pissed off that banks got a bail out and the average person got zilch.
The other is pissed because they believe that if you do nothing good things will happen. They also believe that what ever the President did is evil so lets reverse it.
One has no solution the other has a solution which is commit Harri Carri.

I'm going to make a prediction that I wouldn't have made last week, but there is a better then 35% chance of a civil war in this country after the next election, no matter who wins.
I just feel the anger.

Steve's barking at those who make the money create the jobs

Ho Hum another myth to tell my grandchildren. Why put an added burden on those who make the most money, after all they create the jobs? You really shouldn't make them pay more taxes, it will discourage them from creating jobs.
We definitely live in a fantasy world when so many people believe that poppy cock.
I'm trying to figure out how many jobs a hedge fund manager actually creates.
Companies pay their CEOs to bring in larger and larger profits, don't they?
Isn't it more profitable to produce manufacturing goods over seas?
So how is shipping jobs over seas creating jobs for this county? 
Jobs, Gates, and other founders of companies for this computer information age didn't start off as millionaire or did they?
High taxes would have discouraged them?
I remember being taught in my economics class about the law of diminishing returns. We aren't close when it comes to taxing the wealthier individuals in society. 
Ho Hum.

Steve's barking at the integrated US economy

Guess what, were a mixed economy nation.
Government spending,  private enterprise, and agriculture.
What would happen if one side was to reduce its output. (Government has an output)?
It would hurt the out put of the other the other two parts of the economy.
We would have an output deflation.
While this may have bring on monetary deflation, there is a good chance that this would bring on price inflation. 

Huh what was that paragraph all about?
The United States is heavy on government spending, if it is reduced by cutting workers, or cutting money to the private sector my logical way of thinking is that the private sector is in serious trouble.
The same is true if the private sector stops hiring and stars firing, the public sector is in serious trouble.
If we don't help farms out, with subsidies my way of thinking is in the short run the price of agricultural goods might go down, but in the long run a majority of farms would go out of business and will start having to compete with other countries for there agricultural products.

If a company can't make a profit it will produce less, while other companies that at one time were producing the same product will be out of business, there by forcing the price of those manufacturing goods to go up. (Price inflation).

OK
Still nonsensical?
What else can I say?



             

steve's barking at do we need the stock market

Do we need the stock market?
Do we need stocks?
We use stock to raise money for companies with IPO.
Companies raise money by issuing new stock.
These are positive things.
What companies don't need are those so called investor activist.
Why? A company needs to plan for several years, activist tend to make demands for now.

Now the way I see it most of the stock owned is secondary, meaning most stock don't do anything to help the company. (Huh) The company already has the money it needed from initial and issuing new stock.

Grafts have been made on how the stock market continues to rise dramatically over a period of  time.
I don't know. I kind of figure that it happens over stagnated period of time. (huh again)

Maybe it's just that I would have picked stocks that have tanked. Pan Am, Bethlehem Steel, Wang,IT&T(?). I guess I'm no Warren Buffet.

What ever happen to buying stock that the assets are worth more the shares of the stock?
When did the PE ratio become the value of the stock?
I'm so confused.

In conclusion we need a stockmarket. ( I didn't prove it one way or the other, so what).

Steve's Barking at government borrowing takes away from the private sector

Oh I was doing my usual yesterday surfing the boob tube.
I heard another person from the peanut gallery stating that government spending hurts private business because the money that the government borrows drives up the cost of borrowing for the private sector.
That may have been true decades ago but in this present day with interest rates at it lowest one would love to have private sector as looking to borrow money at a low that government borrowed not to long ago.
Lets me try to set something straight, you don't have to be very bright in economics to understand that what was true decades ago isn't necessarily true today.
One of the problems that is happening now is the private sector isn't borrowing.
Let's make an assumption if the government started building roads and schools ect. the private sector will have to borrow money to build these projects.
Business will make money, along with the lenders. You think.

 

Steve's barking at what's wrong with google

I like to put my thoughts down in this blog, why is Google making it it so difficult for me to get on my own blog?
Why is it difficult for some one to find my blog on Google?  Why is Worcestershire barking dog kennels ahead of Steve's Barking when some one is looking for Steve's Barking?
Do I like the new look at Google? The answer is no. 90% at what Google has to offer is not my cup of tea and it makes things more difficult at what I want to do.

Steve's barking at government running amuck at Gibson

I've read recently that federal agents raided (?) Gibson Guitar.
What were they looking for?
According to  the story they looked for proof that Indian wood was being finished at the Gibson factory not in India.
We have an agreement with India that we can import their wood we can't finish?
We're trying to create jobs in the US aren't we? Finishing Indian wood seems like a good place to start.
Now I understand that the owner of Gibson is a critic the present of administration and even gives money to the clown movement, but to pick on a company for finishing wood from India is one of the dumbest thing we could do right now or any time.
Do we have a huge positive trade balance with India and we've become afraid of a trade war?
Maybe we have to finish any wood we export? 
Leave Gibson alone.
It's an American Icon.
Shout it from the roof tops, leave Gibson alone.

Steve's barking at the myth of the myth of the great depression

The myth of the myth of the great depression. Now that doesn't sound right. (Double negative maybe)
Getting on with the story, I was  looking at a video on the Huffington post the other day when I saw an overlay of a you tube video by Historian Stephen Davies. Me having a cat like nature decided to open this video. Now Mr Davis or is he called Doctor Davis laid out what he called the three myths of the great depression. The first one stated that President Hoover was not a Laissez fairer president. Now this is true,but he wasn't very aggressive with government intervention, my take was he only advanced spending on projects that were all ready in the pipeline . Yes it is true that he borrowed, what isn't true is that his borrowing made the depression worse. The same is true for Roosevelt.
The second myth that Mr Davies states that President Roosevelt new deal policies didn't save capitalism.
Now one can look at this statement and on the surface it would appear to be true. That's not taking into account that we were on the verge of revolution. We had demigods to the left of us. We had demigods to the right.
The third myth mentioned on this video was that world war two ended the depression The argument is that war by definition destroys capitol. ( I'm not quite sure that's true, especially when there wasn't any fighting in the United States.) The claim being that the depression really ended in 47,48.
What isn't mentioned in those years there wasn't any scarcity of money and or a pent up demand for consumer goods due to the war.

The jest of the video was that if the government leaves the economy alone things will straighten out by themselves.
Unfortunately what was was mentioned on the video was England which had raised taxes and devalued its currency by getting off the gold standard. He northern part of England had stayed depressed.
Other countries that came out of the depression before the god old US of A went on a war footing before us.

The question is can a country come out of a recession without government intervention?
Does government intervention hurt or help getting out of a depression?
The answers are obviouse to me.

Steve's barking at the forgotten mid east country in the summer of change

The summer of change in the middle east.
There is a forgotten country that is having major protests, what country is it?
Israel. That right Israel.
I read in the paper that 800,000 people marched to protest the cost of housing. In the article they also mentioned that newly graduates from college couldn't find jobs.
Maybe this is the start of the decade of change and nobody knows it yet.

Steve's barking Me vs the Tea party

Several weeks ago I wrote a letter to the local paper who had placed an opinion piece by the Tea Party.
Normally I wouldn't have cared what is written in the paper for I like to believe that I believe in free speech. In this particular case I questioned why the paper had put this opinion piece in the paper.
The reason I did this was to get confrontational with the Tea Party. Why would I want to get confrontational with any group especially when I believe that everyone is entitled to an opinion?
The answer is simple they are destroying the fabric of my country. I want to give the children and the grandchildren who come after me a fighting chance to make something of themselves.
I was hoping that someone more eloquent and smarter then myself would confront the tea party,  but so far I don't see anyone who's not preaching to the choir.


This is the first and I hope only time that I write something that'I have done and not just commentary

Steve's barking at we don't need no stinken protectionism

We don't need no stinkin protectionism.
We can start an industry and make it flourish even though other counties are making the product extremely cheap and make it work. ( Think China and solar panels). If you believe this I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.
Some counties are upset that if new stimulus is passed their will be a provision that says buy American.
(Think steel and Canada). Don't we have trade agreements?

Now there's a belief  that protectionism protectionism made the great depression worse.
No sensible logic has been stated as to why it made worse. I guess that dumping of excess manufactured goods on a unsuspecting country which can't sell it's own excess manufactured goods some how creates jobs in all the depressed counties. Sounds right to me.

Steve's barking at negative job creating

Negative job creating, can't be. Most people never heard of it.
That's because I just made it up like a lot economic terms on my blog.
Negative job creating is trying to create job in a hostile liquid environmental(huh)?
I'll try to make matters simple, the congress of the United States refuses to help create jobs because of fiscal resistance. (Still don't understand it)?
OK, The president's not going to get is job bill passed by congress.
The country is going to lose 20,000 from Bank of America.
The country is in all probability going to lose 160,000 postal jobs.
No new shovel ready jobs despite the president going from county to county.
No ones trying to save the jobs that are being lost by those two major employers, hence the therm negative job creating.

Steve's barking at what Mr. Bill said

Oops there goes another country ca-plop.
Oh no Mr. Bill, you don't mean that the United States is in trouble.
Mr Bill says that the world  history ha always had supper country that after a cycle of time is pushed aside by their own greed and narrow mindedness.
Mr. Bill is wrong isn't he?

The United States is losing on manufacturing goods.
Who's fault is that some one asked?
It is my fault I replied, I wanted the best price for my buck, and what's wrong with that.
We are paying our factory workers less for the same job, $14 an hour for new hires in GM as compared to $24 for older workers. Lets reduce benefits for all.
We don't want to pay our government workers a livable wage, and again reduce benefits.
We then try to entice the worker with expensive cell phones, computers, and other unimaginable things  that were not even conceivable 25 years ago except in science fiction.
Broadcast networks having cable companies pay exorbitant prices for program that should be free.
In fact they are free over the air.
Mr Bill is saying that the motto of the business of the United States lets destroy hurt our customer base.
We even have people complaining about the pension that our arm forces are getting.
I guess that means we want a bunch of old f$$$s as soldiers , sailors and marines, (lets not forget the air force). Either that or serve one term and out. (That would do well for having an experienced  arm forces).

Our we doomed to the to dog country for only 66 years?
And who is Mr. Bill anyway?

Steve's barking at Tinkerball economics

Let it be known, I have not come to praise president Obama nor to bury him.
I just believe that his job creating bill is just another form of wishful thinking at best and a future job killer at it's worse.
Lets get real, a company isn't going to hire some one  just because of tax breaks during  a down turn in the economy unless that employer believes that he can make money off the employee or at least keep the firm from losing money.
The need for new infrastructure is right on, but the amount of money that the president  is talking about  like throwing sand into the ocean to keep it at bay. Another unfortunate thing is to get those projects up and running will take over a year with political wrangling to get started building bridges and roads.

Now let me write about the job killer in the presentation.
Taking money away from medicare and medicaid takes money away from workers known as doctors.
They will have a harder time to hire and keep people in their offices.
Taking money away from the sick in the form of higher co-pay and and or forcing them to pay more for medicare part "B" .
Not collecting full social security tax weakens it,hurting future recipients.

The few dollars that the tax relief in the payroll tax is will not help create jobs because it more then made up for discretion increase in bank, cable and phone fees increases among others.


* If we are looking to the future of job creating manufacturing jobs in new green technology we will have to hold our noses and have a form of protectionism for if we don't we're doomed. Doomed I tell you doomed.

Damn those run on sentences.
 




  

Steve's barking at the us becoming a banana republic

Last night I saw a debate by some people who what to be president of these here United States.
Now it appears to me that most of these guys and gal want business to run this here country.
Now judging from history when the economy is bad the boss in the White house is replaced when his time is up at the end of his first term.
Now if that holds true and one of them their fellows who be live that business knows best a guess you can call the US a banana republic as history shows us.
Now let me state that a banana republic in my terms is a country that lets it's businesses run wild, creating a small group of rich people,  slightly more medium income people and whole lot of poor suckers.  

Steve's barking at manufacturing jobs going unfulfilled

I done heard it the other day from a manufacturer on the telly that he couldn't find skilled laborers for his factory that manufactures (I believe) truck parts.
Now this isn't the only fellow that I heard this from (actually I read this)a fellow that a manufactures medical instruments in Buffalo had the same complaint.
I imagine that there are lots of jobs that are going unfulfilled because they need skilled (in their field) workers. I was thinking that it may be a good idea that the government help those businesses that need highly skilled workers with an apprenticeship programs at their job sites.
 My imagination was shattered by the male host suggesting that community colleges teach these skills.
 Then it was really crushed by the female host, suggesting that these jobs were being unfilled because unemployment insurance was to long.
    

Steve' barking at flat earth economics

I guess who ever reads this never heard the expression of flat earth economics.
I remember learning about Micro and Macro economics, I even took courses in them.
I just learned about an academic expressions call fresh water and salt water economics. Now I think I understand what they are, but I like to think in in the terms of logic. It can be called logic economics vs flat earth economics.
Lets try an example of flat earth economics. Inflation in the Weimar Republic was caused by the printing of money.
An example of logic economics is inflation in the Weimar Republic was caused by the Allies cutting off resources and demanding reparations from a people that had nothing to give there by forcing the excess printing of money.
Who are flat earth economist? Economist who can't see above the horizon.

* We seem to forget the old saying. What is a recession? When your neighbor is out of work and can't find a job. What is a depression? When you are out of work and can't find a job.

Economist tend to say that 3 quarters of negative growth is a recesion. And positive growth show that your out of a recesion.
Logic say that if negative growth is x and the positive growth  y is not equal to or greater then x your still in a recesion. 

Steve barking at going into the health industry

I keep hearing that there will be hundreds of thousands of job in the health field.
Of cause there will, the populations getting older, and we all know that we old geezers need more health care then those of the population that's younger. (we'll need practical nurses, geriatric doctors, Rn's, medical billers, the list goes on and on. 
Yes we will need more personnel in the health field then ever before.
We may need more, but I'd advise one and all not to go into this field, some body forgot to tell those who state that we need all these positions that there is no money to pay for them. The strange fact of the mater is we will not be able to pay for what we have now.Huh you may ask, how is that?
Let's see, they're reducing payment to medicare. The insurance companies are going to try to pay less to the medical profession while charging more to those  insured ( we wouldn't want to lower the profits of insurance companies do we).
I guess the old saying will have to suffice, the medical profession will have to do more with less.
No new jobs in the future of the medical profession. We can't afford it.



    

Steve's barking truth at fox?

Libya is free.
Egypt is free.
Tunisia is free.
Well at least they over threw their leaders ( I think).
 I saw it Fox News , so I'm not sure it's true.

 I saw the dude they call the judge on youtube taken from a program called freedom watch from what I believe was from Fox's sister station Fox business. Any how this person claimed that prior to Teddy Roosevelt was the golden age in American economics. That this was when most Americans became middle class. Before the progressives came into power.
Now I don't know what books this judge read or were he got his information, but just because you aren't farming anymore doesn't make you middle class. I also recall this was one of the most violent time in labor history.
Any one who don't like the progressive movement, please don't use our national parks, we can use the extra space, they become too crowded. If enough of you who believe like the judge that the progressive movement is bad, please don't take social security and medicare so that they can remain solvent.
Those of you who believe there are too much government regulation you can eat out of the garbage, think of all the money you can save.  
   

Steve's barking at check this box

Every so often I like to give unsolicited advice to presidents and other politicians.
Recently I've given my unsolicited advice to the president (twice) and the vice president (once).
Now on their web pages they claim that some of the best ideas come from the general public, they also have a place that says check this box if you want any feedback. Of cause I want feed back I'm a grown man, I can take it if some one doesn't like what I to write, so I checked that box.
Now it would seem that the only feed back I ever got was solicitation from the DMC and from the reelection committee to elect the president. I guess their idea of feed back is give me some money.        

Why is it every time I see that Josh Brolin lookalike I want to regress to when I was five years old and had my Hopalong Cassidy outfit including six shooter and holster?   

What's with my blog? It doesn't have any videos, or even pictures for that matter.
No one knows what blogs I read and I don't have any links.
There's no writing about what did last night and I don't mention cute kids or animals, though some will say that they're one and the same.

Why do I like the naked capitalism blog?
Why do I think Dr. Krugman knows of what he writes, after all he's an economist?

Why don't I feel like editing this blog?
Cause I'm lazy.

Steve's barking at the Chinese puzzle

As i get older I keep getting more forgetful each day.
I kind of remember about 6 months ago the Chinese government had 800million dollars worth of US debt. Then about it was reduced to 600million, or at least I thought it was. Then I heard a comment from a Chinese official that we should stop taking on more debt, and it seemed to be 800million again.
I just recently heard on the radio that the Chinese government complained that we must stop borrowing. At the same time the amount of debt the United States owe the Chinese is over 1.2 trillion dollars.
My ears must definitely me hearing wrong.
Aren't the Chinese buying more European debt now that Europe seems top to be in worse shape then the U.S.?

If the Chinese currency is valued upward, what other product then what is already sold to the Chinese that have made in America stamped on them would the Chinese buy? None?
What product would Americans buy that they don't already buy with a made in America label if the Chinese currency was to be valued upward? None?
           

Steve's barking at bussines not hiring

I've heard it again last night, the reason businesses aren't hiring is because they are bewildered as to what regulations the government is going to impose.
I guess that MacDonald's didn't get the message in April when it hired 50000 people.
I understand that Macy's did some hiring, they didn't get the message either.
For retail or eateries this may not be a bad time to start out. Leases should be very cheap for what should be long term.
I would think that a bussines wouldn't hire new employess because they don' t expect new bussines.
What do I know compared to CEO making excusses for not hiring new employees.

Hint don't buy stock in companies that are making money by firing workers (world wide).

   
  

Steve's barking Does the United States want a dictator?

Does the United States want a dictator?
Ya would think so, judging from those who claim that President Obama should have some how miraculously created jobs (not in the public sector mind you but in the private sector).
Now just how can one elected official do this. ( Yes I know there are some out there who clam by doing nothing jobs would miraculously appear. (Those who believe that also believe in the Easter Bunny)).
What is the president to do? Can he force business to start hiring? I don't think so, unless he was a despot. That must be what those who say that not enough jobs are being created on the president's watch.  I have a strange feeling in my bones that those who are screaming that there haven't been enough jobs created would be the first to scream dictatorship if the president really did something to create jobs.

 The only way that a president can create jobs is to force congress to create law that force the private sector to hire workers or get taxed on excess profits.
Hire more federal workers paying them by money with money the president forced the Fed to print.

*I know Ya should have been you. It's a terrible sentence anyway.
Do I think my dictator solution would work? No
Do I think that we want  a dictator in America? I say no, but I'm not sure.  
Maybe we need Merlin the magician.

My writings getting worse day by day.

Steve's barking at America's insanity

America's is going from a sane country to an insane country?
Those who call for a balance budget amendment scream the loudest that you can't raise taxes. Now I don't claim to know what's in the mind of the people but I'm pretty sure they would rather pay for ongoing services then to pay for past services. One of the the best ways to do that is to raise taxes.
Maybe I'm just a foolish tax and spend liberal, but that was what I was hoping for with my tax dollars not paying for past services.
I've often wounder what the last administration called it self, borrow and steal conservatives.
The people who run the country now, the Tea Party congress and the what ever White House are revolutionaries they are not progressives, liberals or conservatives. They are (how should I put it) obstructionist (those Tea Party people who took over congress) and the what ever people who took over the White House. This is the first time in over one hundred years (possibly in the history of this country) that we don't have liberal, progressives or conservatives running the country.
Maybe because I don't understand them that I think this county is going insane. Maybe I'm the one who is going insane.


* Maybe America credit rating should go down.
 
  

Steve's barking at a flat tax

If were going to have tax reform, why not have a flat tax. I'm not in favor of this form of taxation, but what the hell, If were going to get goofy and change the system getting rid of tax breaks you and change tax brackets you might as well get rid of them all. Now I understand that not every one understands what I mean by tax break, I guess I can use the expression tax loop holes(that makes it seem more sinister). 
For those who say that this is totally unfair to tax the poor the same as the rich, we already have a flat tax, that taxes the working poor more then the working rich it's called FICA, who us working stiffs know very well.
Now a flat tax would lets say 12.4% plus on all income. Let me repeat that, a flat tax would have to be on all income. We would continue to charge the worker FICA tax on all working stiffs, only this would not stop for the wealthiest workers, they would still have to pay their 7.6% not like the current cut off of $106,000 were they now stop paying 6.2% of their wages and pay only 1.4% toward FICA.
There will be no exceptions to a flat tax. No more capital gains tax because that's income. Their will be no deduction for losses, for houses (who cares if this would hurt the economy and that their will probably be more foreclosures) for money distributed for inheritance (No income is exempt). The taxation would start at the first dollar that is made as FICA is done now.
In this flat tax world businesses would be taxed at 20% just as if they a person just as the supreme court ruled in that famous free speech judgement. 7.6% out of the 20% would go to social security and medicare.
Now this may seem draconian and that the poor, home owners, and investors might be hurt. You have to draw the line some were, and once you start making exceptions, the whole concept of a truly flat tax is thrown out the window.
The flat tax may hurt the economy and limit what the government can do to help certain industries, and individuals, but it's fair and would help with the deficit reduction.   


     

Steve's Barking at the raising of the debt ceiling.

Ah the debt ceiling has been raised , one doesn't know if the doomsday scenario would have happened.
What's the worst that would have happened? There would have been a revolution?  People wouldn't have been paid, such as me and the army? I don't have a clue what would have happened. What I do know is that this country debt will be harder to pay. I'm going to make a statement that will seem very oxymoron, the more you cut from the budget the harder it is to pay it off. One may ask how F*** is that possible?
Let me try to answer that with a little logic, the more money taken out of the system the less money people have to buy things and pay their bills, thus creating a contracting economy. The economy gets smaller, less taxes, the more you have to cut eventually we have no economy at all (not really).
Now lets exam if you tax the rich more, wouldn't that have the same effect of reducing the economy by taking money out of the economy. Let me put it this way, how much steak can one eat.     

Steve's barking at the three political parties in the United States

There are three major political parties in the United States.
Unfortunately most people in this country don't realize it.
The three parties are in order of importance are Democrats, Whine and Cry (Tea Party) and the Republicans.
The Whine and Criers are a political party that is hiding out in the Republican Party (like a tape worm in a human). They believed that there was no difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party (just like Ralph Nader, and um some times me). The reason they attached themselves to the Republican Party is money and organization.
How do I know,I met some at my American Legion post and they said so.
As much as I think their ideas on taxes and the way the US government is run to be treacherous I found them to be sincere. They mean what they and say what they mean.
I can't say the same with Democrats  and Republicans.
The Democrats had better take them seriously and learn how to deal with them.
The Republican Party as we know it has a more serious problem. They may become irrelevant.

Steve's barking at why budget negotiation now?

As of July 27Th the Year if our lord 2011  a yes or no vote hasn't been done.
OK why there are negotiations going on as if those circus performers (known as federal elected official)
acting as they were doing a budget deal. The fact of the mater its a simple yes or no vote. If the congress doesn't want to borrow money so be it. The president can't do much about it. It say so in the constitution.
The country elected the anarchist, now were going to find out who is right.
Check back on August 6Th.

Steve's barking at 3 stocks to short

I may be too late, but if I played the stock market I would short Intel, 3M, and Wynn resorts.
Why, there scapegoating the president.
Rule of thumb, if a company scapegoats someone or something you know they have a problem.
Intel, 3M and Wynn aren't the only ones scapegoating the president, but they're the only ones I remember.

Steve's barking at the preposed destroy America constitional Amendment

The Whine and Cry party in the form of Republicans in the house are demanding a balance budget amendment to our constitition.
If we had an amendment like that we wouldn't have been able to have fought in World War two.
We wouldn't be able to help victums of national disasters if these disasters happen after all the money that was budgeted is gone.
It appears to me with such an amendment the United States wouldn't be able to borrow to pay our bills in the case of a shortfall in revenue the budget wouldn't be balanced.

The United States has tried (though some would say not very successful)   since the later part of the 20Th century lived up one of the reasons for the constitution as stated in the preamble, provide for the general welfare.
Those who want a balanced budget amendment do not believe in providing for the general welfare.
Those who want a  balance budget  amendment don't want to raise taxes, when the debate that our fore fathers had was how to raise revenue to pay for our revolutionary war debt as we could borrow again.
The debate was if we needed a strong centralized government to pay the debt or to continue to have lose confederation  of states that unfortunately wasn't help pay the debt.
Oh by the way the strong centralized federalist won the day.
It was decided that local governments knew the ability of the citizens to pay their taxes. (Those who could afford more would pay more?)
Of cause things got muddled from day one but that's a different blog.

Getting back to the original premise, a constitutional balance budget amendment should be called lets destroy America as we know amendment.
To those congressmen who want a balance budget amendment, damn you fifth columnist.  

Steve's barking at food and farms

The world is going hungry.
I know I'm part of the obese generation, so how can I state that the world is going hungry?
Lets assume that the United States is the bread basket of the world.
Any how we meaning the United States is in all probability will eliminate farm subsidies.
That doesn't seem like a bad idea, after all I keep reading about the great American debt.
The big question is will eliminating farm subsidies eliminate farms in this country, therefore making Argentina the bread basket of the world? When you have fewer lands being grained farmed and a growing world population logic says less grains in the world to eat more hunger.

In America we are eliminating farms that grew our fruits and vegetables because the land is more valuable then the produce.

The world is also running out of usable water(of cause you can never know this if you go to Las Vegas ).
Science is going to have to find more ways to recycle the waste water. Cheaper way to desalt salt water.
Science is going to have find a way to transport water cheaply from places that have water to places that have none cheaply.
As for the farms that have disappeared in this country we're going to have to go to vertical farming.
The main problem I see with this scenario is that the capitalist in this country would put the kibosh on adding food to this country and very possibly the world.

#Another muddy blog.

steve's barking at health care in the US

The health care in the United States stink. Let me repeat myself the health care in the United States stinks. I'm not arguing who's got the best health care system, I'm just looking at the health care system in my country.
We really don't have enough doctors.
The insurance companies set the rates.  One company can give a doctor let say $10,000 for a heart operation, an other company gives the same doctor let say $7,000 for the same procedure, which the doctor grudgingly excepts, he'll charge both insurance companies $15,000 which some one with out insurance will have to pay but the insurance companies pay only what rates that they set. 
Every year it seems that the insurance raise their rates two or three times the inflation rate. They give the justification that doctor and hospital rates are going up yet our government wants to cut payments to doctors and  hospitals that they pay through medicare and medicaid.
Who's making out well by the U.S. health care system?
The patient? I don't think so.
The doctors and the hospitals? Some but not all.
The health care insurance holders? No way, it's pay up or die.
The insurance company? Oh yea.

Pity us poor Americans, we like to bitch and moan, but change things for the better,never.


 
  

Steve's barking at Education cheating

Cheating on standardized reading test in Atlanta.
Cheating on standardized test in Chicago.
What have these two city school system have in common?
The incentives to do well on standardized tests.
Is there a good chance that NYC teachers cheating charter schools and in public schools?
Yes?
Is there a quality control to catch cheating on the standardize test?
I doubt it.
Can we tell if our children are learning?
Only when the take the SATs or ACT and how well they do in life after high school.
I can only shrug my shoulders when I hear those arguments of how well were doing school our children in New York City schools.

*Read Freakonomics or maybe it was SuperFreakonomics about Chicago Schools.





 

Steve's barking at taking the social security money and run.

I hear almost every day. I even hear from the social security administration.
Try to put off as long as possible taking social security. After all you will get 25% more in your social security check if you wait till your 66 and not take it at 62 when you legal can start to collect. The feeling goes that if you can afford to hold off getting your social security you will make more money, after all 25% more in your social security check is nothing to sneeze at.  I will agree if your working that's a good idea, but if your not you would be foolish even if you don't need Social Security.
Lets make believe that you would make $20,000 per year in social security if you collect at full retirement age at 66 and a minus of 25% from your check is $15,000.
The real truth is you make $15,000 a year in Social Security times the 4 years equal $60,000 dollars.
If all things stay the same (which we know isn't true but these numbers are probably still pretty close) a person will  make $5,000 more a year, now if my math is correct it would take 12 years to break even.
Again if my math is correct 66 plus 12 equals 78 years old before they would break even.
Life expectancy in the United State is a little over 78 years.
Is it a good idea to Wait for your Social Security?
If you don't need the money why not invest the extra $5,000 dollars a year?
If you are advised by your financial advisor hold off collecting Social Security, run don't walk away from that person.

* I used 20,000 for that was an easy number to use.
* Taxes weren't taken into account but it really shouldn't change the idea of taking Social Security as soon as you can.

Steve's barking at economic terrorist

I bet most people don't know that there are economic terrorist in the United States.
These terrorist are called congressmen, or the more political correct term congressperson.
In other counties these terrorist hide out in a place called parliament.
On the the major international setting they hide out in the IMF and I believe they call themselves bankers.

These terrorist want to to away with subsidies such as farm, rail, and social services.
If I had my way, everyone would get drunk and puke on each other.

  

Steve's barking at no Basketball or Football this fall

Oh crisp, what am I going to do this fall. The NFL has locked out their product, I mean players.
They want a new collective bargaining agreement. They want to give the players a lesser percentage then they are giving them now, I really don't know what the percentage is 60/ 40 or something like that. Maybe they want it 40/60 split. The only thing I'm sure of is that I don't believe there will be football this year. I just feel it in my gut.
The owners in smaller markets want more money from those in larger richer markets, but that hasn't been stated.
Most money is from national television revenue, which is split evenly among all teams, even those teams that no one wants to watch. There are certain teams that can charge more for fannies in the stadium then other teams can. They also get money souvenirs and team logos ect. Now (and again I maybe wrong) it seems to me those that aren't making that kind of money are just plain jealous and for they want that kind of money.  The only way they can get that extra money is by holding up the players and demanding that the players take less. They want to take money from a group that when they leave the job over 50% are broke. Of cause none of the owners are going broke, just some make more money then others. In economic terms I guess that those have nots want a bigger return for there money.
I hope I'm wrong after all look at all that revenue that will be lost (never mind the jobs will not be done)from vender's, hotels, and major manufactures like Nike that will be lost and never be made up, if there is no football played in the National Football this year.
Now let me write about an international game, basketball.
Do I believe there will be a strike (lock out) in the NBA that will last forever? Perhaps.
The league says that only 4 teams made money. I see no reason not to believe league.
Teams don't get that much money from there national TV contracts, so big market teams definitely do have an advantage, especially at making money. In that case, I kind of side with the owners who if they had any brains would split money with visiting teams from the gate. ( a socialist idea I know).
There has been talk of a hard cap, what happens if there are several injuries, those team play short handed.
Anyway this will cause the same economic problem that the NFL lock out will cause this country.
OH I forgot to mention beer consummation will go down and bars will lose patrons.
Oh I imagine marriage counselling will boom, along with hospital emergency rooms.
So much for foolish economic consequences what about my mental health?
It'll go down the tubes. I may even have to talk to the wife on days that I just like to hide out.
So guys, I'm begging you to end the lock outs, find common ground for new collective bargaining agreements. Do this for your country and that special countryman, me.

Oh well there's always college, please end the lock outs please. It's the patriotic duty for the clubs to play ball. 

There will be football this year, marriage councilling will suffer till next year.
Thank you guys.

                                                                                                                      

Steve's barking at freedom of speech in the US

We have freedom of speech in the United States, the constitution guarantees it.
Of cause the second president of the United States suspended that part of the constitution.
Of cause if your a corporation you have more freedom of speech then the average Joe and why not, they have more money then most of us poor slobs and after all were a classless society.

Unfortunately freedom of speech can only be guaranteed only so far by government. A comedian who offends a certain part of society may find it hard to find work. Same is true for television and radio personalities. What I'm trying to proclaim is that society sets it own rules and despite what the constitution states, freedom of speech in the United States maybe broad but it isn't absolute.
 The other fact, the constitution doesn't guarantee an audience as I know so well.

And so I've written an other boring, self serving piece of dreck. (garbage)

Steve's barking at I've got mine, too bad about you

I don't hear one Tea Party congress persons asking to end free health care for congress.
I don't hear from one Congressional Tea Party member giving up part of their pensions as a cost cutting measure.
I haven't heard from one congress person saying that members of congress should pay full price for their food in their cafeteria and their gym, while asking for cuts in food stamps.

And now lets get to that welfare queen Michele Bachmann.
She wants to end federal subsidies to tittle IVE represents which she was one.
What is that you might ask?
That's the federal subsidies given to foster care parents.
She had 23 foster care children and according to a conservative blog I happen to run across she received money from the State of Minnesota. What the blog didn't say the state got that money from the Federal Government part of Tittle IVE
Tittle IVE was part of the ADC program, in other words Michell  Bachmann got welfare money.
Anyway she part of the crew that demands cuts, deplores welfare.
In other word she got hers by being a good women by taking in foster children and help defray the cost, but in today's world those women shouldn't get federal money to help defer cost of caring for foster care children. 

The reason I'm picking on Ms Bachmann is she represents the hypocrisy of the new Republican Party.
Aid to dependent children was and possibly still is the largest part of what we call welfare.

One thing about the new Republican Party they don't believe in leading by example.

* I've did some research and found that congressperson do not get free health care.Cheep but not free

Steve's barking at stimulus packages that aren't talked about.

I just happened to catch Steve Forbes the other day on what is loosely called a business channel.
(I'm personally trying to figure out if he's a self made idiot or was he just plain born stupid).
He made a comment that  government stimulus packages never work ( private enterprise is what gets us out of down turns in the economy).
He sited the New Deal, then stated that World War II got us out of the depression.
World War II just so happened to be a government stimulus package, even thought we don't like to treat it as such.
President Eisenhower spent money to build highways for defense, This was a stimulus package that no one states.
Even the sainted Ronald Reagan  increased defense spending and reduced taxes to the rich, another stimulus package?
What are these facts telling me? You have to be war like to really stimulate the economy.
Not putting enough money into the stimulus is like having a botched abortion.