IMHO People in America drive too much. If we took military spending and put it into fixing public transit in every major city a) It would create jobs that are by nature resistant to outsourcing b) decrease our reliance on oil. The tough part is shifting people's opinion of public transit.
What is "too much"? The geography of the U.S. makes mass public transit extremely difficult. If things get bad enough, we will adjust other ways--mass telecommuting for example.
Me, I find it amusing to find all the speculator hating going on here in ET. Whatever it is that you're trading (stocks, bonds, futures, options, currency, baseball cards, or whatever) you are speculating. Look in the mirror.
I'm not a one-liner guy, boss. I think you might have me confused with someone else. I keep it civilized and to the point, with only the occasional one-liner. Also, I don't sit on Elite Trader all day looking to respond in every debate/discussion. Also, I don't 'believe everything' from anybody. I'm a skeptic, and I'm logical. I'm also flexible enough to change my mind on something. I don't attach pride and self-esteem into being 'right' like so many other ET clowns. You have failed to change my mind on this issue in the slightest. Also, my perception is the the mainstream media echoes your position, not mine.
Who is what? I admit I don't know the answer to that riddle. There is a correlation, yes. For the umpteenth time I don't deny there is a correlation. But just as you or I can go online and be bombarded by idiots pointing the finger at the Fed for all inflation, obviously there are a lot of people who believe that. It's the power of perception. People believe it, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. ...until the bottom falls out.
so you cannot answer the fact that the falling dollar is almost exactly correlated to the rising price in oil (and gold, etc) but you refuse to take my answer for it that the Fed's printing of money causes weakening the dollar causes inflation hedging, and therefore the Fed is responsible for driving up prices. you're essentially saying i'm wrong but you don't know what is right - so long as it is not me. did i get that right?
who is blaming speculators here? the only blame i see being assessed is on the federal reserve and banana ben. you cannot blame speculators for taking a hedge position against inflation the federal reserve is creating.