What happened to all the chatter about the "weak US economy"? Last weeek, I got attacked when I suggested that stock market performance reflected the state of the economy. Now, all I see are headlines like "retail sales surge in April", "productivity and personal income higher than expected", and, of course, "Dow hits six-year high".
Posted by Stats at May 5, 2006 04:05 AMBush is using the massive debt to prime the economy. Our kids will pay the price.
Posted by Cookie Monster at May 5, 2006 05:16 AMFatalities as a result of the 9/11 attacks - 2985
Coalition dead to date in Bush's Wars - 2988
Posted by snark at May 5, 2006 05:51 AMCould the DOW be driven by massive oil company profits?
Posted by Zappatero at May 5, 2006 05:59 AMstats try getting your head out of your ass and taking a look at reality..the chimp and his economy suck asshole...
Posted by headxray at May 5, 2006 06:21 AMRemember last August's Brokeback moment in Crawford between Lance Armstrong and George Bush? As they biked about in summer splendor?
Well, in the latest Sports Illustrated (I read it for the MLB coverage), Lance was asked about that day and said he asked Bush for a $1 billion dollar committment for cancer research.
Armstrong tells of Karl Rove saying "we want to work with you, but there's no committment for the money."
Huh? Nearly $300 billion for Bush's Iraq war, but not a lousy billion to fight the 2nd biggest killer of Americans?
I guess you can file this under: Compassionate Conservatism.
Posted by Christopher at May 5, 2006 06:52 AMTake into account the devaluation of the US dollar in the last 5 years, and the artificial stimulus of a federal government that prints money like water, and remove the obscene gas prices, and war profiteering "defense contractors" (where do you think $300 billion has gone?) and there goes all your supposed 'prosperity'. Stats lie. Something about lies, damn lies, and statistics
Posted by Oaklander at May 5, 2006 06:55 AMI think the DOW can be manipulated by the uber-wealthy, just like the propaganda in MSM.
Posted by bbtb at May 5, 2006 06:56 AMAnyone notice how the military and the media were playing up the Zarqawi gun blooper video revealing his incompetency? Gee, if that's the case, then what does that say about the abilities and intelligence of the US military and Bushco leaders who have failed to capture said incompetent Zarqawi?
Posted by emal at May 5, 2006 07:01 AMInteresting how the US military has decided to get into the "Funniest Home Videos" business. Wonder why they haven't tried to dig up some video of all the American and Coalitian "bloopers" to give the American public a chuckle? Ya know. Like the tank commander who got shot dead accidentally while directing his tank to back up. The unmanned turret machine gun struck a tree branch causing it to fire. The rounds struck the unsuspecting soldier in the chest killing him instantly. I guess the DoD views some of the "goof ups" in our life and death struggle against the extreemists more light heartedly than others.
But I guess the press pool got a good chuckle.
Ha ha.
Posted by snark at May 5, 2006 07:15 AMSo if the economy is so great then why is payroll growth so poor? Perhaps the need to pocket more money than hire people is what is driving this economy. Oh yes, the bottom line, always the bottom line!
Posted by bbtb at May 5, 2006 07:24 AMk, f rcll t ws Chrchll wh pplrzd th cmmn syng t th trn f th 20th cntry whn h sd, whl n ffc, tht thr r thr typs f ls, ‘ls, dmn ls, nd sttstcs.’ Y s, s chrt, ll gnrtns prr t th 60’s grw mr ntllgnt s w g bck n tm, (jst th ppst f wht r md fd ‘cmmn sns’ tlls s). Chrch ndrstd tht sttstcs nly tll th rdr wht th sttstcn wnts t wrt; sm s ny thr wrttn mtrl. n ffct, stts, r mthmtcs, lgtmt whtvr scl plcs tht r th crp gl.
Ths y wll fnd, wth vry sngl scl plcy f rrr, stts spprtng th fls trth f tht rrr. Ths lttl nws nggt s tb t crp md, fr r rhd lwst cmmn dnmntr (yh, mth, cn b sd crrctly, smtms) WRSHP sttstcs nd whtvr ls th crp wsh thm t lrn. dbt tht cn g nywhr n mddl clss cltr wtht rnnng nt sm grl rhd lgtmt hr rrr wth th wrd ‘stdy.’ nd h wld nt hv cl bt hw th strcs f stdy-ls ws cncctd. Bt, h, thy d ndd fl vry mprtnt nd ‘scntfc’ rnd ths tht ppr mk.
D y knw why cntry ppl f 150 yrs g nly bght tml n blk? Thy ddn’t trst nyn, spclly mn wrng mnky sts, (bsnssmn). Crry ths ln f rsnng ll th wy t th prsnt nd y’ll s hw r crp bys hv cltvtd s nt bnch f trstng gts, th mst gllbl hrd f gts n th hstry f mnknd. Ys, th Trth s mst pssmstc nd dstrbng.
It's astounding to me how the "business elite" can be such fatuous cheerleaders for what is occurring with the American economy.
We are recklessly spending the government into a position where it will have so much debt it can never use substantial fiscal policy again, we'll have essentially borrowed all we can borrow. That'll work great in the coming downturn. And personal debt is at inconceivable levels. Finally, current corporate profits are largely driven by government defense spending at record levels, duh.
The overwhelming majority of jobs being created by our economy are high education service sector jobs, requiring a college degree or more. That's about 20% of the workforce. Good luck to the uneducated rest, or those who maybe don't have the talent or inclination for the studying required---guess we just write them off, no future for them, they didn't execise personal responsiblity properly (or they just couldn't afford the degree--but that's their fault as well, right, stats?)
Finally, one would think business types would be a tad concerned about the fact that the principal enabler of their entire system of production, cheap oil, is on the way out. We will soon have a weakened dollar having to purchase an absolutely essential input that is rising in absolute value. This will cause stagflation, just as occurred in the 70s. But things are GREAT!!
The elections of 2008 and 2012 will not be about tax policy (LOL), but about economic survival. Like the fabled Spanish Empire, we are destroying our once strong economy through absurd, wasteful military overreach that is accomplishing nothing but burdening us with overwhelming debt.
Our currency is declining in value at a time when we need to attract something like 75% of the world's capital each day to finance Nero's military insanity. That means interest rates have to begin rising, which always is just great for business and economic expansion.
Either these business people learned nothing at college, or their whole body of knowledge is flawed. What is it?
Posted by euzoius at May 5, 2006 07:55 AMml, dd nt th crp md pmpng Zrqw’s bhvr. sspct th mltry nw hv Z ndr srvllnc bth wthn nd wtht hs grp. Th crp bys lt th mltry scrw-p whn thy sht-p Sddm’s kds, thn pblshd th phts. ls, th mltry ws blmd fr th WH trtr plcs; nd, w hd r bys bggng p th hds f vrs sn’s f shml. Frm ths blndrs, th crp bttn pshrs rlzd tht th slmc chldrn stll hd sm fght.
Bfr Zrqw s sht-p r rrstd, th mltry hs bn drctd t bgn chrctr ssssntn bfr th fct. Thy knw Z s hmn, thy’ll try t pblsh vry mstk h mks f nly t rdc th stff f scl lgnd nd mrtyrdm.
Rmmbr, t’s nt wht th crp’s mn whn thy cmmnct, t’s ll thr hstrcl bggg tht gvs mnng.
Either these business people learned nothing at college, or their whole body of knowledge is flawed. What is it?
The body of knowledge is flawed. In college, I briefly considered going into an MBA program. I was able to read just enough of the texts that I would be using and I got to talk to just enough people in that program to see that everything, and I mean everything is centered around quarterly statements.
Thought not stated as such the guidepost is, if it can't be manipulated into a quarterly bonus, don't waste your time on it. I graduated from college in 1983 and have seen this groupthink take over corporate America. And now under little Bush the tumor has become a malignant cancer. The piper isn't playing anymore, he's demanding his pay.
Hrbl, n f my yngr sstrs rcvd n ndrgrd dgr n bsnss. Ths hd svrl pprtnts t qckly rn thrgh hr txts. Srsly, ‘bsnss’ hs smply hs nthng t d wth ny frm f knwldg. vry txt, xcpt mthmtcs, ws dmbd dwn pndrngs frm sft scnc.
Whn w nt wht r ncstrs f 400 yrs g stdd, nd trc th hstry f dctn t th prsnt, w nc gn nt th dwnwrd sprl f dctn. Fr PhD, bt 400 yrs g, bsds ndrstndng vrythng bt nythng, thy lrnd svrl lnggs, vn th dd Ltn. Thy md th vry ct f pnmnshp frm f rt.
Yr pnt bt ‘grpthnk’ s drct rslt f dltd thnkng, nd nt jst f s-clld ‘bsnss’ dgrs, thr. ssntlly, mdrn dgr prgrms rchstrt lrnng s fndmntl frm f rgnzd cmmn sns, tslf drct rslt f cltrl prr cndtnng. Ths, ch gnrtn gts frthr frm th trth, nd psychlgclly mbrld/ntngld wthn vrs lyrs f th scl cnstrctn f cnfsn. Hwvr, n tr rwlln styl, th dmbr ch gnrtn bcms, th mr thy blv tht thy r mr ntllgnt nd ‘prgrssv’ thn thr fthrs. Nw, ths s th src f bth scl nd ndvdl psychss/scpthy. Ths s sly ntd whn r sck mdrns vw Gd-frng prr gnrtns s ‘dstrbng,’ ‘dngrtn f wmn,’ ‘vlnt,’ tc. vn whl w kll frgnrs n scl nprllld nd glrfy scl dprvts sch s xplttn f wmn n th wrk plc, hmsxlty, nbrn nfntcd, tc.
Fnlly, hstrclly spkng, pls nt hw cltr xpss t’s dltry f ‘prgrss:’ dth. nd nt jst ny dth, bt dth f dlzd ppl. S, tk smkng, s scl cnstrctn f dprvty. r crp bys wr frcd t chngd ths prvrtd pst tm bcs th wrng ppl wr dyng!
Ths, sy, fr xmpl, tht th wrld wd dth rt fr bys spks: nbrn nfntcd wld cs bcs scl prcptn wld b frcd t cncld tht nbrn mls wr ppl t, nd, by ssctn, thr sstrs.
More longing for the "good old days" eh?
Posted by snark at May 5, 2006 10:25 AMscout for someone who is so fond of pronouncing things as "orwellian" you seem particularly adept at doublespeak yourself..you make sense only to yourself asswipe...
Posted by headxray at May 5, 2006 10:43 AMsnrk, y lrdy knw tht mnknd nvr hd gldn g. Cld t b pssbl tht yr cncrt thght prdgm s qstnng lng chrshd cnclsns?
nt n th bv tht y qckly grsp mltry cntrdctns vn s thy try t lgtmt mprl dth by mkng th crp md cnnctns. Yt, y stll strggl gnst th crp mnd-st f prr cndtnngs s thgh t wr rlty. Fr sm, th strggl t ndrstnd scl dprvty s crp tl f scl cntrl s nvr ctlzd; r, f ndrstndng rrvs, nly ftr dcds. Th prblm tdy s tht tm s f th ssnc. Thr s smply vry lttl tm t cm t ndrstndng. Crsly, w r sng mtng f tw rlts: r psd rlty tht cnstntly dpcts r tm s mprtnt; nd Jhvh's rlty s bt t mk t's xstnc knwn. Wh d y spps s gng t vrcm th thr? Dn't nswr tht qstn ntl y vrcm yr dfnsv ngr. hp tht smdy wll b bl t shr dt tht y wll wnt t hr.
[Editor: ignore=off]hdx, hv nt rnd vn smll mnt f thnkng rspct? m nt mrly thnkng bt scl prblms, nd nt rlly prchng th gspl? Hv sd n thng bt th cnsqncs f fghtng gnst th nvtbl?
m dsgstd wth th WH psd ‘Chrstns’ nd thr mprl plcs f l hgmny nd trtr dlztn jst s hp yrslf.
m drwng cnclsns, stndng nxt t my hrs, nt n th hgh hrs.
Curiously, we are seeing a meeting of two realities: our pseudo reality that constantly depicts our time as important; and Jehovah's reality is about to make it's existence known.
How is it that you do not see the first in your insistance that the latter is at hand?
I hope that someday I will be able to share data that you will want to hear.
No no! By all means, continue with what you want to hear.
Posted by snark at May 5, 2006 10:58 AMsnrk, y'v nc gn sly hndld my cmmnt. B dvsd tht thr s dstnctn btwn sprr ntllgnc nd ndrstndng. Hstry s rplt wth vry ntllgnt schlrs, pltcns, nd mltry ldrs, ll wth vry lttl ndrstndng f th tr ntr f rlty.
Ths, whl y my qckly rcln n yr sprr ntllct, y mst dmt tht y my b dd wrng.
Gt t g; 'll chck th thrd ltr.
[Editor: ignore=off]scout, just more doubleplusgood newspeak all the time for you jackass...
Posted by headxray at May 5, 2006 11:17 AM...dead wrong.
Interesting the myriad tools available to those seeking social control.
Posted by snark at May 5, 2006 01:12 PMsnrk, vry lw, lt’s tk crmnl lw, s tstmny f r nnt dprvty. f n n mrdrd, w wldn't vn hv wrd fr ‘mrdr,’ mch lss lw gnst njstfbl kllng.
Ths, n n wy r nthr, vry lw, whthr crmnl, prcdrl, stttry, cvl, bsnss, tc., s tstmny f mn's prvrsnss.
Gvn mn’s nnt dprvty, ys, vry sclgcl nswr fr bhvrl gdnc wll ncld sm frm f scl cntrl stndrd. ntl w hv prfct mnknd, w wll hv scl xpcttns f sm bhvr.
Coalition dead to date in Bush's Wars - 2988
Don't forget: If an soldier injured in Iraq is airlifted and dies, that soldier's death is not counted as a death in Iraq if it occurs outside of the airspace of Iraq. Neat, huh? You didn't die in Iraq if you died outside of Iraq. It's like going to Harvard and never attending a class. You can still be president.
"productivity and personal income higher than expected"
Productivity up? People working longer hours for less pay.
For every dollar of middle class economic gain, the wealthy gain $18,600.00 (in the 80's it was $1.00 to $186.00). With hedonic regression I can make you seem very well off indeed, regardless of what is in your pocket.
Posted by phidipides at May 5, 2006 03:11 PMPatrick Kennedy...drug addict?
Where is the Lefty indignation that was so on display regarding Rush?
Where is the Reactionary indifference that was so on display regarding Rush?
Posted by euzoius at May 6, 2006 07:23 AMBagley - Kennedy never went on the air the day after Jerry Garcia died and told millions of people that he was a burned out druggie who basically deserved to die. Whereas your hypocritical, over-stuffed bag of flatulence and smoldering monkey dung did. I dont care about Rush taking 2,000 pills except that I wish he had taken them all at one time.
Posted by jondee at May 6, 2006 09:36 PMThe indignation wasnt about the drugs, it was about what a hypocrite he is. Apparently you didnt get that. You really are an effing moron arnt you? No wonder you like Rush. He counts on people like you.
Posted by jondee at May 6, 2006 09:40 PM