Category: My Rantings

G7 – 1 = G6

Our “brilliant” president has come up with a new way to resolve the trade deficit dilemma. We all would love to have balanced trade with every partner from every corner of the world. That would be great! But Mr. Trump has a better idea.

STOP TRADING!

This way we would have balanced trade. Nothing in and nothing out. Of course our economy would nosedive into a recession unlike anything we have ever seen before. It would be the GREATEST recession of all time. YOU’LL LOVE IT, IT WILL WORK OUT GREAT, TRUST ME. Think about it. No more worrying about going to work, how to pay the bills, feed ourselves or our children. We wouldn’t have to worry about pets either (think that one over). Yep, this will make American great again. A great wasteland of human possibilities.

I Have A Dream

I have a dream. The famous words recited by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. are ringing in my ears. Because today I have a dream. I can’t be as eloquent and I can’t empower thousands, nay millions as Rev. King could do. But hear my dream because we may be seeing a turning point in America. Several years ago we watched the Arab Spring rise up and change the lives and mindset of millions. We may be seeing the start of the American Youth Spring (not quite as catchy, but you never know).

As the fallout from the Parkland High School shooting continues we are witnessing an influx of non-voting age activists dominating the headlines. Children, that’s right, children are having to grow up too fast and change the world in ways adults have not been able (or willing) to do!

“My main concerns are funerals, gun control and whether or not I’m going to be shot wherever I go,” Tarr said. “My innocence ― our innocence ― has been taken from us. I’m 17, but in a matter of days have aged decades.”

Delaney Tarr and Emma Gonzales among others are becoming the voice of this movement. They are taking on the NRA and the politicians that take money from them. One student asked Marco Rubio if he would commit to refusing contributions from the NRA. He stumbled through an answer that we can only take as a refusal to commit.

With rallying cries of “WE CALL BS” and “WE ARE KIDS” the students are turning a nation towards a discussion it has never been willing to have…gun control laws that need to be changed. By organizing rallies and protests, walkouts and sit downs, our nation is now listening. The politicians know these KIDS will be voting soon and many in this year’s elections. Could this be the time?

We are hearing about national corporations distancing themselves from the NRA. MetLife, Hertz, United, Delta, Symantec, First Bank of Omaha and others have severed ties (or will not be renewing contracts). But the NRA is fighting back releasing a statement that condemns the corporations for their actions as:

“an effort to punish our members who are doctors, farmers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, nurses, shop owners and school teachers that live in every American community,”

Our president has stated that teachers should be trained and armed so this doesn’t happen again. Once again showing he has no idea what comes out of his mouth. Samuel L. Jackson responded by tweeting:

“Can someone that’s been in a Gunfight tell that Muthafukka that’s Never been in a Gunfight, the flaws of his Arm The Teachers plan??!!”

Educators, parents and students have lashed out at the president for this idea. There has been some turnaround in the GOP. Rick Scott, Governor of Florida, has proposed raising the age of gun purchasing to 21 (from 18). Al Hoffman, Jr. announced he will not donate to candidates that don’t support banning of AR15s. These are two hard-line Republicans and it is a start.

And now we have the March For Our Lives on March 24th. Student activists have planned this march and demonstration to happen across the country. The right wing has denounced this as a ploy by the left wing and the entertainment industry, saying they are kidnapping the student’s emotions for their own agenda. The students/activists are not so easily swayed. They have their agenda and there doesn’t seem to be any stopping them now!

So yes, I have a dream. A dream that this is the beginning, a turning point when democracy rears it’s head and storms back into American society. That is all that we can ask for. We may not like the outcomes and we may disagree with the results, but if it is a democratic, true democratic process then our country will be “great again”. Let’s all have a dream. A dream that our country will be the one the world respects. And a country we can respect!

Note: My apologies to the family of Rev. King for bastardizing his famous words. I use them with great admiration and respect.

The Best Explanation of Why The New Tax Bill Doesn’t Create Jobs

I found this article at Forbes.com by John T. Harvey that really puts things in perspective. Click HERE for the link or keep reading below. Very simple stated, you can see why jobs will not be created by the new tax bill.

The Simple Illogic Of The Tax Bill

John T. Harvey , CONTRIBUTOR –  I want to explain how things work, not what you should believe. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 20: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) pauses as Vice President Mike Pence (2nd L), Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) (5th L) and other Republican members of the House and Senate look on during an event to celebrate Congress passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at the South Lawn of the White House December 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. The tax bill is the first major legislative victory for the GOP-controlled Congress and Trump since he took office almost one year ago. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Part of me kept thinking that it wouldn’t really happen, but I guess it did. So now what? I suppose it’s time to assess the impact.

I’ve received numerous requests to break down the tax bill in terms of the exact impact on each affected group, but I don’t see the point. The problem isn’t in the details, it’s in the lack of economic logic governing its overall structure. Precisely where the holes were in the Titanic wasn’t nearly as significant as the fact that they were there at all.

Proponents are claiming that the jump in profits for corporations will lead them to hire more workers. While it is quite reasonable to expect profits to be correlated with employment, the reason is that they have a mutual cause, not because the former leads to the latter. That mutual cause, as shown below, is increasing demand or sales.

Author created.

Explaining the correlation between profits and employment.

At this time of year it should be especially easy to see. Why do the stores at the mall hire extra workers every November and December–because profits always rise in October? Of course not, it’s because they know sales will rise in the holiday shopping season. It’s those sales that lead to the increase in employment AND profits. If we cut firms’ taxes without them having any expectation of a rise in their customer business, it simply raises their profits and the sequence of events ends right there.

Want to raise profits and employment? Create a tax plan that increases middle and lower class incomes so they can go to the store and buy stuff. Want to only raise profits? Do what just happened in Washington.