I read the Administration has a new Czar... an Asiatic carp czar. Maybe we are seeing a job creation initiative at work. I think we are now up to 33 or 34 czars.
I wonder if she/ he has ever met a payroll?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Unusually Uncertain/ Inherently Uncertain
These were the most recent summaries of the economic outlook released by the Fed ... not much to smile about but entirely understandable given current and recent economic performance. Our government has much to do with feeding the uncertainty.
People scurry to pay down debt and trim expenses, reducing demand for products and services. Businesses hoard cash rather than invest because of sluggish demand and uncertainty about tomorrow's business environment: what is the outlook for corporate taxes...after all we have the highest corporate tax rates in the OECD. Of the OECD countries only the US taxes on a worldwide basis.
How about the carbon tax or least a higher gasoline tax to make things more certain?
What is the health care bill going to cost medium and small businesses?
Will secret ballots no longer be required for union certification?
Why all the anti-business rhetoric, could it be populism?
Speaking of anti business talk, populism and taxes all at once, what about the move to further tax oil and gas firms in the name of deficit reduction ? Is there any more popular target? Wait a minute! what about the Chinese?
People scurry to pay down debt and trim expenses, reducing demand for products and services. Businesses hoard cash rather than invest because of sluggish demand and uncertainty about tomorrow's business environment: what is the outlook for corporate taxes...after all we have the highest corporate tax rates in the OECD. Of the OECD countries only the US taxes on a worldwide basis.
How about the carbon tax or least a higher gasoline tax to make things more certain?
What is the health care bill going to cost medium and small businesses?
Will secret ballots no longer be required for union certification?
Why all the anti-business rhetoric, could it be populism?
Speaking of anti business talk, populism and taxes all at once, what about the move to further tax oil and gas firms in the name of deficit reduction ? Is there any more popular target? Wait a minute! what about the Chinese?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Travelers
Sarkosy is on the move again. The French are to expel ~700 Roma from Romania and Bulgaria primarily.... this because they can expel people from these EU countries until 2013. The Hungarian, the Slovak gypsies are presumably free to stay.
The news [at least BBC] was interviewing a number of people who had no resemblance to Roma; they even indicated they were born in France and in some cases their parents were born in France. No doubt they are "travelers" complete with caravans, the modern day tinkers not to be confused ethnically with Roma, gypsies, tzigane. Lets hope the French do not tar everyone with the same brush.
There is a problem in the south of France with gypsies and yes many are from Romania. A typical scene in downtown Toulouse; e.g. the main park just out side of the tourist office would include a dozen or more gypsies lounging on the grass or bathing fully dressed in the fountains at lunch hour or the end of the day. They spent the day begging money or cigarettes on key street corners or perhaps even less savory endeavors. They beg in the park also and can be very persistent; I have seen them terrorize a young woman following her for some distance. The gendarmes seldom do anything; explaining themselves by saying its too much trouble to lock them up they would be back in a few hours unless they are wanted for something.
We saw two of them get into a fight in this park over money or drink, scuffle and knock down a old French lady who struck her head and was bleeding. The gypsies vanished literally in seconds when the gendarmes magically appeared and arrested the two who were fighting. The lady was taken to the hospital and presumably was OK. Next day the dynamic duo were back in the park.
Many of the gypsies one sees in western Europe are begging, or washing car windscreens at intersections. According to police in Italy, France etc. there is significant pick-pocketing, stealing or crimes against people [mugging] as well as prostitution. In Rome there have been a number of high profile attacks on people in recent years including homicides that have made gypsies essentially persona non grata. Most of these Roma are from eastern Europe and arrived in recent years. In contrast to this, there is e.g. a community in the south of France at Perpignan [close to the Spanish boarder] who have been there for over a hundred years and are "assimilated" [at least as much as they wish to be].
Interesting dilemma in trying to protect human rights... whose rights take preference?
The news [at least BBC] was interviewing a number of people who had no resemblance to Roma; they even indicated they were born in France and in some cases their parents were born in France. No doubt they are "travelers" complete with caravans, the modern day tinkers not to be confused ethnically with Roma, gypsies, tzigane. Lets hope the French do not tar everyone with the same brush.
There is a problem in the south of France with gypsies and yes many are from Romania. A typical scene in downtown Toulouse; e.g. the main park just out side of the tourist office would include a dozen or more gypsies lounging on the grass or bathing fully dressed in the fountains at lunch hour or the end of the day. They spent the day begging money or cigarettes on key street corners or perhaps even less savory endeavors. They beg in the park also and can be very persistent; I have seen them terrorize a young woman following her for some distance. The gendarmes seldom do anything; explaining themselves by saying its too much trouble to lock them up they would be back in a few hours unless they are wanted for something.
We saw two of them get into a fight in this park over money or drink, scuffle and knock down a old French lady who struck her head and was bleeding. The gypsies vanished literally in seconds when the gendarmes magically appeared and arrested the two who were fighting. The lady was taken to the hospital and presumably was OK. Next day the dynamic duo were back in the park.
Many of the gypsies one sees in western Europe are begging, or washing car windscreens at intersections. According to police in Italy, France etc. there is significant pick-pocketing, stealing or crimes against people [mugging] as well as prostitution. In Rome there have been a number of high profile attacks on people in recent years including homicides that have made gypsies essentially persona non grata. Most of these Roma are from eastern Europe and arrived in recent years. In contrast to this, there is e.g. a community in the south of France at Perpignan [close to the Spanish boarder] who have been there for over a hundred years and are "assimilated" [at least as much as they wish to be].
Interesting dilemma in trying to protect human rights... whose rights take preference?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Another Teachable Moment
Are I the only one who is is tired of hearing of screw-ups being described as teachable moments? The administration eventually accepts responsibility for being wrong but works hard to do everything but, and muddies the water with this preachy teachable moment nonsense. To wit Harvard's Prof Gates and the pronouncement that the Boston police were "acting stupidly" before the facts were known. And then we had the almost instant firing and subsequent apologies and job offers to a Mrs Sherrod.
If that weren't enough we now have the President in-artfully defending the right of Muslims to erect a mosque very close to ground zero. That was a proper idea and Obama's prerogative but then the next day he undoes any good he did when he walks it back by saying he was not commenting on the decision to build the mosque. If this were the Bush administration we would be hearing much about incompetence and little if anything about teaching moments. That works for me.
Perhaps in reality this is another example of the President's lack of true grit... or cajones as some of our less polite conservative pundits suggest. Now that Palin has picked up on cajones, I promise again to revert to true grit.
Despite having the right to build the mosque at this controversial site I believe building at that location would signal a remarkable insensitivity.
If that weren't enough we now have the President in-artfully defending the right of Muslims to erect a mosque very close to ground zero. That was a proper idea and Obama's prerogative but then the next day he undoes any good he did when he walks it back by saying he was not commenting on the decision to build the mosque. If this were the Bush administration we would be hearing much about incompetence and little if anything about teaching moments. That works for me.
Perhaps in reality this is another example of the President's lack of true grit... or cajones as some of our less polite conservative pundits suggest. Now that Palin has picked up on cajones, I promise again to revert to true grit.
Despite having the right to build the mosque at this controversial site I believe building at that location would signal a remarkable insensitivity.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Beautiful Game
You both know that my knowledge of soccer is limited to what I learned on the sidelines of your games years ago. Having said that, I must say Holland's tactics of aggressive [to put a nice face on it] play to physically intimidate the Spanish wasn't pretty, was dirty at times and certainly not very sporting. I guess if you can't intercept the pass you take out the passer ... any way you can.They deserved to lose on that alone.
After getting 9 yellows and one red, the Dutch then blamed their loss on the referees. Hypocrisy? Never my favorite people the Dutch. Of course the ref wasn't perfect; that would be impossible. For example he should have immediately ejected the karate kicker who kicked the Spanish mid fielder right in the chest.
Good world cup overall except for the vuvuzelas. Amazing noise, must have been dreadful up close.
After getting 9 yellows and one red, the Dutch then blamed their loss on the referees. Hypocrisy? Never my favorite people the Dutch. Of course the ref wasn't perfect; that would be impossible. For example he should have immediately ejected the karate kicker who kicked the Spanish mid fielder right in the chest.
Good world cup overall except for the vuvuzelas. Amazing noise, must have been dreadful up close.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Vuvuzela
I think vuvuzelas' take the prize as the most irritating innovation, think noise, of the current World Cup.
I suspect there will be a parallel in a Toronto suburb this weekend. The vuvuzela will be Obama's [no doubt erudite] plea for the G8 and G20 to continue stimulating their economies rather than concentrating on getting their fiscal houses in order.
I think this is a lost cause; Germany and the GB have their minds made up and will focus on cost reduction and in the main debt reduction; China, Canada, Brazil, India and Australia didn't suffer as others did and are unlikely to push stimulus programs. Some one, no doubt, will suggest that Europe sell Greece or has already been suggested Greece should sell some of it's islands to middle east oil billionaires.
China having emerged from the crisis in good shape and better spirits will be unlikely to cooperate on anything of real import ... after all they just volunteered to "free" the yuan exchange rate[at least at the 3rd decimal place] but not enough to please anyone other than themselves.
As with Germany, the other major economies of the EU will concentrate on the fiscal issues [or in the case of France give them lip service] so Obama will be singing solo. It's unclear whether additional stimuli makes sense vs the fiscal restraints that others are pursuing.
What is clear is that once again the West will look to the US to be the west's engine of growth despite the reality that we cannot afford it.
I suspect there will be a parallel in a Toronto suburb this weekend. The vuvuzela will be Obama's [no doubt erudite] plea for the G8 and G20 to continue stimulating their economies rather than concentrating on getting their fiscal houses in order.
I think this is a lost cause; Germany and the GB have their minds made up and will focus on cost reduction and in the main debt reduction; China, Canada, Brazil, India and Australia didn't suffer as others did and are unlikely to push stimulus programs. Some one, no doubt, will suggest that Europe sell Greece or has already been suggested Greece should sell some of it's islands to middle east oil billionaires.
China having emerged from the crisis in good shape and better spirits will be unlikely to cooperate on anything of real import ... after all they just volunteered to "free" the yuan exchange rate[at least at the 3rd decimal place] but not enough to please anyone other than themselves.
As with Germany, the other major economies of the EU will concentrate on the fiscal issues [or in the case of France give them lip service] so Obama will be singing solo. It's unclear whether additional stimuli makes sense vs the fiscal restraints that others are pursuing.
What is clear is that once again the West will look to the US to be the west's engine of growth despite the reality that we cannot afford it.
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