The Common Sense Curmudgeon

2010-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Cut and paste the following address and read "Our moral code is out of date."Now, this is truly refreshing and, I suspect, highly controversial. While I respect people of faith, it is reason that has advanced civilization. HIGHLIGHTSYaron Brook, Onkar Ghate: Human progress has come as result of science, democracyThey say our view of morality hasn't been updated since the Bible and QuranWorld

2010-06-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

2010-06-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

2010-06-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

GGULF SPILL: Obama tries to quell rising public discontent with U.S. efforts Katie Howell, E&E reporter (Energy and Environment) President Obama vowed today that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill would be contained and attempted again to address concerns about the disaster as a new poll showed growing dissatisfaction over the federal response. "This will be contained," Obama said after meeting

2010-06-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

So, raise your hand if you believe in free markets, without government intervention! All those in favor say aye! Those opposed say nay! I am still with the ayes. The pain caused by, even a corrupt free market, while severe, is better than the false promise of a politically motivated government intervention. Too bad very few Americans have the stomach for a truly free market save for when

2010-05-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

There is nothing new under the sun. Like the “Gingrich Revolution” and the Contract with America, the Tea Party Revolution will end with few changes to our resilient system of government. I cast my vote for the founders, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin,Washington, Adams, etc., who, with miraculous vision, and an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of human nature, designed our Republic

2010-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Please find attached an interesting, reasonably well-documented study of the job creation impacts of the $787 billion stimulus package. While I still have longer term concerns about the aggregate personal and government debt, I did not believe the stimulus would work this well. Corporate profits have been surprisingly consistent and strong. While consumer spending is on the rise, it looks like it

Unemployment Numbers

2009-10-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Big Picture [thebigpicture@optonline.net] "The Unenemployment Dilemma"The underlying issue is similar to our last several recesssions (1991 & 2001), but much worse. The economy continues to be transformed by technology and new knowledge, rapidly erasing the staus quo through the capitalist process of "creative destruction" (Joseph Schumpeter). This is an intellectual machination and

Financial Bull Shit Keeps Flowing

2009-10-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

The bull shit keeps flowing like what we heard in the late 1990s and early 2000’s about Tech and, then again,--- 2002-2007--- about real estate. “You don’t understand the market,” was the mantra of all the incumbents, most of whom had “real world experience” (and an anti-intellectual bias), trumping microeconomic knowledge. Well, we know how that ended, don’t we!So, here is what I think about

The Hypocrisy of Big Catholicism

2009-10-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXtS2RMBukQThis is good for a laugh, particularly at the end when we discover that this anti-big government video is brought to us by the anti-big religion, heavily publicly subsidized, and tax benefitted, Catholic Church. Having observed instititutional and personal hyocrisy for most of my life this is just an important reminder that the more things change, the

Solving Health Care with a Personal Inventory

2009-08-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

How is it possible to control health care costs (which the majority of Americans say they want) when 78 m. Baby Boomers are going to retire between 2012 and 2030? (Under the current Medicare entitlement these 78m will get mostly free, single payer, government provided health care at a much higher cost than the minimal <3% of income they have paid over their working lives.)Or said more simply

2009-08-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Unlike many of the issues that our politicians take up, this issue is a sure thing and it's impacts can be ameliorated by their actions today. Not much chance of that happening when they are busy inventing and implementing new government programs that, based on historical evidence, probably will not work anyway.So, what do I recommend…same as I have for 20 years:1. Take the cap off social

2009-07-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

It was 4 years ago this month that the facts regarding housing started to make me worry about the looming mortgage market disaster and immenent house price decline following the great debt unraveling.. The Minneapolis Federal Reserve, the REALTOR Organization, and all the other “housing” experts said I was wrong. It is now almost 1 year since the financial meltdown that caused two administrations

CBO: Climate Change Consumer Cost Estimates: Just Wrong

2009-06-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

After all these years of carefully observing government data and its continuous revisions, now we are being told by the Congressional Budget Office that the Climate Change Legislation before Congress for a vote today, championed by Congressman Henry Waxman of California, will cost consumers pennies a day.Common sense says changing an economy from a carbon dependent economy to a "renewable energy"

Obama Is Pressed to Tax Health Benefits

2009-06-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061402769.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletterLet's analyze this. The goal is to cover those 40 million, approximately 16% of all Americans without health insurance and this proposal taxes the 84% of Americans who do have health insurance to raise the revenue to do it. Have we now surrendered our belief in

Edward Harrison: 2009 --A Great Depression Scenario?

2009-06-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Is 2009 Following a Great Depression Scenario? by: Edward Harrison June 15, 2009 http://seekingalpha.com/article/143204-is-2009-following-a-great-depression-scenario?source=emailWith more and more major economists predicting recovery sometime later this year, many have forgotten that downside risks remain. Berner, Roubini, Volcker, Krugman and Bernanke have all come out essentially saying they

US carbon market worth $60bn in first year: CBO

2009-06-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.pointcarbon.com/news/1.1134273According to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the Waxman-Markey Climate Change Legislation currently moving toward passage in the U.S. House would create a $60 billion dollar carbon market in the U.S. Sixty billion dollars chasing carbon dioxide reduction. It reminds me of the great housing finance ideas of the past 10 years that led to

New rules to restrain federal spending? What?

2009-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

Congress is sure to adopt this policy immediately (sarcasm added). Is President Obama beginning to manage politics by polling? A better solution would be the repeal of the Bush-Congress Prescription Drug boondoggle/entitlement for seniors. It was the largest expansion of entitlement spending since Medicare in 1965. Additionally, Congress could adopt a policy of no bailouts for private companies

Everything is Improving: Here are the Facts?

2009-06-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

Be careful out there was the fore-warning that the Sargeant gave to his police officers on the old cop show Hill Street Blues. It deserves our continued attention. The people who told us two years ago that we had no housing worries are now telling us the worst is over for the economy. They say the data are improving. Here are the most current facts arguing that the popular wisdom is still

A Substantive Site Worth Visiting

2009-06-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you interested in a great site on matters of substance:THE FREEDOM NETWORK AUDIO PORTAL - Free & Easy Access to worldwide Broadcasts on Economics, Social Security, Policy and Strategy:"Podcasts on Economics, Social Security, Strategy, Liberty & Public Policy"

My Son's Accomplishments are a good news for humanity...

2009-06-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

AJWS Names New VP for ProgramsMedia Contact: Joshua Berkman, Associate Director of Media and Marketing212.792.2893New York, NY; May 27, 2009—AJWS has named Aaron Dorfman its new Vice President for Programs.As AJWS's Director of Education since 2005, Dorfman has created and implemented educational programs and resources that encourage American Jews to think critically about and engage in the

Alarm Sounded On Social Security

2009-05-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

While our political and business genuises argue about how they will "fix" healthcare, providing "health insurance for all", we are once again reminded by today's Washington Post that our two largest entitlements are on the verge of bankruptcy. Isn't this a shock? How could it be? Isn't the 3% we pay to medicare and 15% we and/or our employer pay locked safely away in the federal vault?Is there

The Political Process Chews Up C&T

2009-05-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Major changes expected to House cap-and-trade billHouse lawmakers will meet Tuesday to debate major changes to the Waxman-Markey climate bill.The private meeting will be hosted in the afternoon by Congressman Henry Waxman, chair of the House energy committee, who is attempting to build support among members of his own party to pass his climate and energy bill, sources said Monday. Frank Maisano,

Economic Transformation and Happiness

2009-05-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

The attached link leads to an excellent, reasoned article on why the economy is not out of the woods yet. Having been on the early bear side of the down economy (2005), I am sincerely hopeful that I am wrong on the upside. Here is the rudimentary problem we face. Collectively, we have been living beyond our means for 30 years as individuals, and as a country, making a short, relatively painless

Do you think we will ever value knowledge over sports?

2009-04-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Reading the Star Tribune this morning, I was, once again, reminded of why we have the kind of society we deserve. Inside the northmetro section, front page, is a 12-14 line (depending upon what you count) story entitled 23 WIN NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS. Twelve spartan lines and not one name of a winner. We are sent to the startribune website for that. National Merit Scholarship winners receive

What the Trappist Monks have to Teach....

2009-04-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

The more I read, the more "must reads" there seem to be---articles and books that I find myself recommending to friends that both aid in understanding complex issues and are helpful in navigating the increasing complexities of living in these interesting times. Of course, most people throughout human history have thought they live in interesting times since we, collectively, have a limited

Tea Parties, Football Rallies and the same old crap...

2009-04-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be less curmudgeon-like, I want to know how many of the tea party people who are farmers are willing to give up their socialized farming subsidies, being paid to preserve private property as a public good? How many Wall Streeters and bankers will return their socialized TARP, or stop accepting socialized government insured accounts (now $250,000 up from 100,000 i n the last year)?

Everything is getting better...prices are dropping!

2009-04-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Consumer Price Drop---1st since 1955: No Surprise Herehttp://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USTRE53E36020090415Reuters reports shock at the first reduction in consumer prices since 1955 and I am shocked by their shock. Unless we no longer have faith in basic microeconomics or worse, do not understand how it works, there should be no surprise at the fact that since savings and debt

"Pro-American optimism" is not enough when confronted by knowledge

2009-04-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

While common sense rarley rules human behavior, despite delusionary claims to the contrary, no amount of "pro-American optimism," can stand up against the hard facts on the economy. Of course, there are many who do not care about facts or are incapable of synthesizing meaning from disparite sources. The facts about our economy are:1. Unemployment is still rising and house prices are still falling

Even on Matters of the Common Good, our Politicians Appear Impotent

2009-04-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/science-adviser-lists-goals-on-climate-energy/index.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=igIt is interesting to note that today's NYTIMES article addressing “geo-engineering” ---engineering solutions that might cool the planet, if other things fail----is viewed as “problematic in terms of both efficacy and side effects” but Revkin never associates this

2009-04-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

To hell with reality! I want to die in music, not in reason or in prose. People don't deserve the restraint we show by not going into delirium in front of them. To hell with them! -Louis-Ferdinand Celine (French writer and curmudgeon)

2009-04-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

How Future Consumer (Market)-Demanded New Housing Will Help Reduce GHG EmissionsAccording to the National Association of Home Builders Housing Facts, Figures and Trends, March 2006, the square fiootage of housing grew from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2350 square feet in 2004. When the lethargic housing recovery comes (lethargic because interest rates will be rising due to national debt crowding

Short-term, stupid people and catastrophic possiblilities

2009-04-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed the reaction of the stupid people to possible catastrophe. Y2k was stupid they say. Did they bother to understand that by having several years of warning, most older computers were replaced in time to prevent catastrophe.Why do people get flu shots? To prevent the flu or to lessen it's impact on one's health.Americans are collectively, like sheep, angry about CEO

2009-04-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is worth a few minutes of your time to watch.Robert Schiller on the Housing Crisis:http://agonist.org/tjfxh/20090220/robert_schiller_housing_crisis_and_the_economy

Politicians Continue to Demonstrate What Really Matters to Them--Keep their Jobs!

2009-04-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Senate Vote De-Fangs Cap and Trade Approach To Climate ChangeThe Senate has voted to impose a super-majority requirement on future passage of any bill – including carbon cap-and-trade legislation – that would increase the tax burden on the middle class or boost overall federal revenues, a move that will likely shape the upcoming climate change debate expected later this year. The provision,

2009-03-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

Self-sacrifice to reduce green house gases….No more economic ponzi schemes. We cannot afford more economic trickery so we must carefully consider and then reject any type of Cap and Trade program for reducing green house gases. They are complex, make assumptions that are untested in the real world of market economies, and will cost taxpayers billions if they do not work the way their advocates

No more bailouts: self-responsibility or bust!

2009-03-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Who is helping the unemployed, those who have lost half of their 401(k)/retirement accounts? I have said it before and I will say it again. Let 'em fail. Capitalism will clean its own house more efficiently than government ever could. Besides, if we bail them all out, including irresponsible homeowners, how will they learn not to be so irresponsible again?Check this chart out from CNN:http://

Market conservatives, Not

2009-03-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

I heard some moron comment today about the government forcing someone in private enterprise to step down ---Waggoner. First of all, when you take $30 billion in taxpayer bailout you are no longer a private enterprise…Again, they should all have been left to fail. Government should not help or assist any private enterprise, including housing and farmers at all, period. Let's have real capitalism,

I Promise to be controversial if you promise to be thoughtful

2009-03-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

My personal blog will address public policy issues, poetry, economics, and will rarely reflect popular opinion. I will try to back up what I say with facts and strongly held convictions with alacrity.