hedgefundguy's comments
Advertisement
Most commented
- Charlemagne: No time for doubters
- China's pre-emptive crackdown: The people doth not protest
- Banyan: Taiwan's commonsense consensus
- Turkey and Europe: Mr Erdoğan goes to Germany
- China's foreign policy: Setting sail for Libya
- Language and opinion: Framing climate change
- Precautions in Xinjiang: Catching a whiff of jasmine in Kashgar
- Qaddafi and his ilk: Blood and oil
- Turkey's election: A Muslim democracy in action
- French politics: The first European casualty of the Arab uprisings
Over the past five days
Most recommended
- Qaddafi and his ilk: Blood and oil
- China's pre-emptive crackdown: The people doth not protest
- KAL's cartoon
- Banyan: Taiwan's commonsense consensus
- A special report on feeding the world: The 9 billion-people question
- The Arab uprisings: Endgame in Tripoli
- China's foreign policy: Setting sail for Libya
- Energy prices: Tax away vulnerability
- Venezuela's economy: Oil leak
- Labour law in America: Showdown in Madison
Over the past seven days
Advertisement
The Economist on social networks
Keep up-to-date and interact with fellow readers via your preferred social network:
Twitter
Follow us @theeconomist for article updates, events and offers. For more detailed subject channels search for ‘The Economist’
Facebook
Join over half a million other fans and share your comments
Tumblr
Visit for popular charts, cartoons and videos as well as some of the best quotes from the newspaper and blogs
Linkedin
Become a member to connect with fellow Economist readers, view job postings and receive article updates
The Economist. On your iPhone and iPad
You can read and listen to The Economist on your iPhone & iPad. The apps are free to download and subscribers receive full access
The Economist Listen has just launched
You now have access to a free, on-the-go playlist of audio content for your mobile device – bookmark www.economist.com/listen
Advertisement
Only the state legislatures would dangle cash - via subsidies - to attract crack addicts.
Makes me wonder if there are more addicts in Hollywood or the state legislatures.
Regards
Well...
They did repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
"Not that there's anything wrong with that" - Seinfeld
Regards
rewt,
I responded to horn's use of a loaded phrase.
He just wants to compare wages.
Not the benefits, nor the taxes paid.
Anybody could specify 1 area to go pro/con.
My original post was a wide-ranging look at Wally vs. local.
People have been brainwashed that Wally has low prices.
On some items, sure. Not on groceries, at least in my area.
My local appliance store gave me a better price on a TV than BustBuy.
The people I talked to knew what they were selling and knew more about the industry and its future than the BustBuy people.
I guess that happens when a business hires full-time employees.
Regards
Hmmm. Maybe we need to introduce baseball and baseball cards to the Chinese.
I did not realize that fine wine and old stamps are consumer goods.
I learn something new everyday here.
Regards
All of these protests in different countries show what the people are against, but we don't know what the individual groups are for.
Kinda reminds me of the cartoon where the guy in the convertible looks back at the chasing dog who finally has a hold of his rear bumper and asks,
"So, now what are you going to do with it?"
Regards
It would be better to move more people to the growth than growth than growth to the people.
Is this why Europe attracts so many illegal immigrants, that the growth in the EU is much higher than African or Middle East countries?
In the US:
People have to sell thier underwater homes, pack up and move (an expense), purchase/rent a new place (hoping the new house doesn't lose value, or the landlord isn't in arrears; the new area isn't crime-ridden), then find a job.
Don't forget about turning on utilities costs and 1 month's rent plus 1 month for deposit.
Hopefully to a job that is full-time, and will last a few years.
Maybe the gov'ts will give tax cuts to those who do so, otherwise wages in the growth area will rise. Is that such a bad thing?
As for the movie industry, it's just Game Theory the states are playing. Does the 1st mover win?
Regards
Come to my medicine show, moving and tax cuts will cure all that ails you.
Mr horn,
You want small businesses to pay wages that are 40%-80% higher that Walmart? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Sorry, I forgot that upper management needs those extra dollars.
Regards
LexHumana:
Attacking the writer and stereotyping?
I could call you a "business socialist" a "business welfare supporter", but I won't.
Do you have any facts, or just blather?
Don't economists and politician tout small businesses as "jobs creators"?
Regards
Just testing.
I'm being restricted by a "spam filter".
Regards
If Washington's poor are able to obtain needed household goods at lower prices, they'll have more money left over to buy other products. Those products could include a coffee at Mr Shallal's business, or healthier food, or a training course that will enable them to find a better job.
Do you really believe that?
Poor folks get welfare cards for food.
Poor folks get grants for college, they just have to make time
and effort to get the degree.
I try to hit the local hardware store and other local establishments.
They don't ask for tax abatements and then tout "Everyday low wages."
I see where Home Depot is letting go managers and will hire more part-time employees.
Call me old fashioned, but part of shopping is interacting with someone who is knowledgeable about what you are need, or will suggest an alternative route to fixing a problem or another merchant who may be able to better serve you.
Some of these businesses are family businesses. They may make a few cents more on an item, but at least they will pay taxes, are part of the community, and will not pull up stakes and leave once the tax abatement ends.
On Bill Moyer's PBS program, a reporter told how Wal-Mart employees have to take advantage of every government or other social help program to survive. They do not independently make enough money at Wal-Mart. A former Wal-Mart manager who was with Wal-Mart for 17 years showed a long file he kept of all the social service programs for his employees. He also said that the turn over rate hindered many employees from ever enjoying any company benefits. No one thinks about adding all the extra costs at the end of the bill when they shop at Wal-Mart.
Also...
A Mayor of a Southern California town told how his town gave Wal-Mart $1.2 million dollars to build their store in his town. The town never recouped the money and now Wal-Mart is closing down the store and moving to greener pastures after putting out many local businesses.
Source: http://tapsearch.com/tapartnews/id25.html
(I saw both shows on PBS)
AND.... Because R.A. loves Texas...
Texas gave abatements over $33 million to Walmart, taxes the local guy has to pay.
http://info.tpj.org/watchyourassets/walmart/
Remember when kids played baseball?
Those city league teams were sponsored by local merchants.
Regards
Of course, the rise in urban areas could be due to the rise in children born out of wedlock. Suburban "single mothers" need to live somewhere.
And don't forget about the homeless. They are more likely to congregate in areas that offer services - mainly the city, not the 'burbs.
Regards
Remeber, exercise doesn't count shovelling snow nor pushing a snowblower.
Regards
Nobody lost Egypt! Egypt just ousted its dictator in a non-violent popular revolution! It's going to have democratic elections in six months! In what perverse universe does this count as a defeat for American foreign policy, for the West, for enlightenment civilisation, for lovers of human rights?
Neither you nor I are on the ground in Cairo.
Perhaps you might want to watch the Frontline program that was filmed on the ground in Cairo.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/revolution-in-cairo
Regards
It has also created friction between China and America’s outgoing ambassador, Jon Huntsman, who was seen on February 20th near a McDonald’s outlet in Wangfujing, in downtown Beijing, where messages circulated on the internet had called on people to congregrate. (Mr Huntsman said it was a coincidence.)
Maybe the people went to McDonald's to get data to help "Newsbook".
http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/02/burgernomics
"A poor excuse is better than none."
Regards
I don't know if any of you or our blogger has read the Trustee Report.
Anyway, it seems coincidental that our blogger brings up Social Security on the same day the media reports Bernie Madoff says the US Gov't is a ponzi scheme.
Assuming the Social Security models work, and the data they guess at comes in on target here are the choices.
Do nothing: Social Security will still pay out 75% of one's benefits after 2036.
Let Congress mess with it: Gamble that they won't cut your benefits more than 25%. (That includes raising the retirement age.)
The choice is yours.
Regards
American politics increasingly resembles a kind of total war in which each party mobilizes every conceivable asset at its disposal against the other. Most governors were once conscientious objectors in that struggle. No more."
What?! Where do people dream up this stuff?
I didn't this behavior when the governor of Montana (D) and Indiana (R) were on PBS Newshour.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june11/governors_02-25.html
---
I guess the more idiotic the writer, the more attention paid.
No wonder our country is going down the tubes.
Regards
Good thing the media changed the subject from TBTF banks to unions.
(We call it Plato's Cave.)
A new and improved sideshow is appearing.
I see that 3M CEO George Buckley blasted Obama in the FT, using the term "Robin Hood-esque".
Checking the 2010-03-24 DEF14 SEC filing for 3M....
The Corporate Library www.thecorporatelibrary.com, an independent investment research firm, rated our company "High Concern" in Executive Pay. Our CEO George Buckley received $7.3 million in stock options and performance shares. This raised concerns over the link between executive pay and company performance since small increases in the company's share price can result in large financial awards. There could be payments of $28 million regarding Mr. Buckley upon his death, $21 million upon his disability and $30 million upon his resignation.
That's on top of his salary.
Maybe the shareholders need a Robin Hood?
Regards
Note (Sarcasm mode: ON)
It's a good thing the people don't protest.
I demand cheap iPods, iPads, iPhones, computers, clothing, etc.
If they stray from thier jobs to protest, that means less output which could lead to higher prices due to shortages.
(Sarcasm mode: OFF)
Regards
Us folks in the Great Lake states will gladly sell the
dry states water at $5/gallon.
I see Personal Income came out today.
71% of the growth of personal income - 94.9 Billion of 133.2 - was due to the reduction of the Social Security taxes.
I hope everyone saved that money - savings rose by only 56.2 Billion - so I don't have to hear the whiners in the future.
Remember, when that cut expires, it's a tax hike.
Gotta love that ACT/SAT score ranking of Texas.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/02/unions
I guess everything is bigger and stupider in Texas.
Regards
In one respect, such accidents are not uncommon.
Free markets. I suppose the only answer is regulation and inspections by gov't regulators/inspectors.
That would get the "free marketers" and the people calling for less regulation riled up.
According to Greenspan and other free-marketers:
The passengers should be smart enough to sniff out the bad junks and chose to ride on the good ones.
Just wondering, will the operators say to the gov't:
"Don't touch my junk!"
Regards