12/31/2009 -  TM, Chester, NJ writes ...
Freddie, Fannie Revelations No Laughing Matter       Post to Main Thread   Reply to TM

Nice.

I thought that the Obama administration was "capping" executive pay plans at $500,000 for "companies" that get government aid.

I guess the blob of Fannie and Freddy are not considered "companies".

Once again, the rules for the general public do not apply to appointed politicians.

It is time for all of them to go!


7/30/2010 -  Phil Goldstein, Pleasantville, NY writes ...
Wickard v. Filburn       Post to Main Thread   Reply to Phil Goldstein

One of the worst decisions ever!

11/6/2011 -  TM, Chester, NJ writes ...
The Stupidity of "Buy American"       Post to Main Thread   Reply to TM

Tell this to the thousands of Americans out of work because companies are continuing to move their manufacturing overseas or across the border.

The pharmaceuticals love to charge Americans premiums for drugs but then outsource manufacturing, clinical trials, IT development, legal, help desk and CAD to overseas locations - taking thousands of American jobs with them.

Just try to find a real American made car, lawn mower or snow blower. Yes, there are a couple left. But we have lost most of our strength in manufacturing to Mexico and Canada.

Look at the new bay bridge between San Francisco and Oakland - the steel AND the work is from China, because we just do not have the ability to manufacture it anymore. We would never be able to respond to national emergencies like we did during the World Wars - redirecting manufacturing facilities to address emergency needs.

How many new graduates are not able to find jobs now? It is not just the bad economy, but that a lot of those entry level jobs are now in India. Legal aids, CAD draftsman, marketing - most have been shipped out.

My beef is with folks like Hilda Solis, Obama's labor secretary, who crow about buying American when in fact the GM car she brags about buying is made in Canada with parts made in Canada. No American jobs there. And this is a company that taxpayers bailed out and lost billions on. My beef is with folks like Nancy Pelosi that would rather see companies like Boeing close plants in the US than see those companies run non-union shops, which just inflate the cost of products.

We need to bring back the core ability to be self sustaining. We are a consumer society that makes very little of what we consume. That is not a formula for sustainability or success and puts all of America in a position of weakness and subservience to other countries such as China, who is getting rich on our buying and owns most of our debt (although they are smartly bailing on that too).

I went to buy a new snow blower this year. I liked Toro, but found out they closed their American plants and moved all production to Mexico. Now Mr Stossel, how exactly would buying a Toro help America? Their price is not any less than an Ariens or Snapper, which are still made in America (although Briggs and Stratton, the new Snapper owner has moved some engine manufacturing to China). I would not save any money and thus would not have extra to spend. But if I did, what product could I buy that would put money back into America?

Want to put money back into America? Stop taxing the heck out of American companies and close the corporate loopholes so that companies cannot escape the taxes they really do owe. People laughed at Sarah Palin when she supported a consumer tax. It is actually a great idea. Why? Because corporations do not pay tax. Corporate fees and taxes are simply expenses that are accounted for in the price of a product. When we tax local companies, we are simply raising the cost of the products they sell which makes them more expensive to buy. By moving to a consumer tax, we can reduce the taxes on local companies which would reduce the cost of their products. More importantly, it would shift the tax cost equally to all products, both domestic and foreign. This would be a bold step in leveling the playing field and make it more attractive for American companies to hire local people.

Buying American is not a "dumb idea". What is dumb is shedding our ability to make what we consume.



9/3/2012 -  ASF, Philadelphia, PA writes ...
Munn v. Illinois       Post to Main Thread   Reply to ASF

The dissenting justices had it right:

...if Justice Waite's opinion represented good law, then "all business and all property in the state are held at the mercy of the legislature."

Once again we see a wrong-headed, subjective and convoluted decision by the Supremos.

11/18/2014 -  E.F, fairview park, OH writes ...
Munn v. Illinois       Post to Main Thread   Reply to E.F

I think their final ruling was the right thing to do