My Comments: To me, it’s both pathetic and amusing to hear political candidates rail against the idea of ‘socialism’ and declare it’s mankind’s greatest threat. Like so many of the ‘…isms” applied to economic models of all stripes, socialism is no more a threat to the health and welfare of any society than is capitalism …
Tag: economics
Higher Tariffs Won’t Work Now Because They Never Did
My Comments: At the national level, if we want more money to spend, both on ourselves as citizens and at the Federal level on things that require money to finance, please tell me why this administration insists on doing things that will result in less money. Yes, I know, the old and wealthy white cadre …
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This Data Visualization Shows What’s Really Responsible For Our Current Bull Market
My Comments: Apart from my concern that many of us will wake up one day soon and discover much of our money has disappeared, it is helpful to understand where all the gains have come from since the last significant crash in 2008. By Nicolas Rapp and Clifton Leaf September 25, 2018 Who's responsible for …
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We’re underestimating China’s economic power. Here’s why
My Comments: By first choosing to opt out of participating in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and then inviting a trade war with China, the US has effectively ceded global economic supremacy to China. The expressed logic behind these moves was in the guise of ‘Make America Great Again”. Hah! In turn, China is attempting …
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Money Confession: I have $30,000 sitting in my checking account, but I’m too scared to touch it
Tony’s Friday Blog = Random Thoughts: This advice from Kaitlin Menza applies not only to millenials but to baby boomers and earlier (of which I am one). But especially to those of you with many years to live. Inertia is an insidious problem for many of us. We have money in a ‘safe’ place and …
In Defense Of Playing Defense (Part 3)
My Comments: On Wednesday I usually talk about Globla Economics. Today, however, I’m less concerned about emerging markets than I am the evolution of ideas that influence what is happening on Wall Street. Yes, it’s influenced by the hiccups we see in emerging markets globally but the political and economic forces at work in this …
Check your math, central banker says: less immigration equals less growth
My Comments: I have an interest in the immigration debate. I’m an immigrant, granted US citizenship on May 1, 1959. As I read horror stories about parents and others being deported, it has crossed my mind that I’m at risk. Probably not, but with ICE nosing about, who knows? It’s not just the New York …
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Why the American Middle Class Is Disappearing (and What It Will Mean for the Economy)
My Comments: Today is Wednesday and my topic is, as usual, ‘global economics’. The decline of the middle class has not happened overnight. It brings to mind the phrase ‘watching grass grow’ or ‘watching a car turn to rust’. You know it happens, but from day to day, you never notice any change. And what’s …
Ten years after Lehman Brothers, spotting the next crisis
My Comments: Known as the Great Recession, to distinguish it from the Great Depression, the financial crisis that ended in the first week of March in 2009 was a multi-generational event. The chances of us having another one before I die in a few years is slim to none. But that does not mean no …
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Is Capitalism Killing America?
My Comments: In the minds of many, capitalism is the antithesis of communism. And they are essentially right. In the minds of many, communism and socialism and fascism are one and the same. And they are essentially wrong. Communism is an economic model where the state owns everything involved in providing goods and services to …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 