Is something not right?

Epic post!

Should be a sticky for Republicans Anonymous!!!


I didn't leave the GOP; the GOP, pushed off the cliff of absurdity by loud yet intellectually tepid populists (think Gingrich, Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter), left me!

 

Anyway you put it, I don’t see how job creation isn’t anything but a redistribution of money. That’s pretty much how everything is. If you want to make $1, you have to go make it from someone else. It’s a zero sum game. The goal needs to be using the market to narrow the rich/poor gap, not widen it.

 

Dude what’s your beef with the Post Office? You can send a letter anywhere in the country for 42 cents in 3-4 days. That beats the private market UPS and FedEx any day. Although they are usually better for large packages.

Something doesn’t need to be in the Constitution. Laws need to comply with the Constitution There is nowhere in the Consitution that prohibits Unions, so Congress establishing them is completely legal.

 

You’re stealing my idea. I was going to try to print up a bunch of t-shirts that said,

I didn’t leave the Republican party, the Republican party left me.

 

we just had lots of competition (retail), don't you think? All the offers, everything is on sale, anytime...that's a sign of competition. ...and how to win one? either to be the best or the cheapest...
many stores did the later...cheap labor(immigrants) + millions of cheap goods made in China: all that won’t create new jobs....it will only encourage more spending (look, it's on sale!)

If America didn't mind to make China mad, a temp. ban on Chinese goods would be one solution to create new jobs. Goods will be more expensive, we will simply have to get used to buy less. It would help US GDP too.

Anybody, even the immigrants were able to start a business here, anybody (until recently) got a loan without major problems....do you think something like this is possible in any other country in the world? hell no!

if they keep opening more stores, they won't make any profits = no more jobs! and they sure won't cut the prices either.
There is no need for 3 stores within a walking distance...I can't make up my mind which one to go to
that's not necessarily...there's only so much coffee you can drink...

 

Welcome to conservative statism. Republicans, like most right-wing parties, have a large chunk of people who believe in welfare and socialism for the military, big business, and finance. After all, that's who votes for them. So does small business, but small business can't afford lobbyists.

The government is 10% about national defence, 10% about law and order, and 80% about robbing Peter to pay Paul. Every so often the leaders change and it's Paul's turn to get robbed. Plus ca change.

 

Unfortunately I think this isn't something you can do with government policies. In America companies take on debt and dis-invest so they can pay high dividends (look at what all the banks were paying out through mid-late 2008), buy back stock, and give huge comp packages to the small circle of business elites who sit on each others' boards and take their turns in the executive chair. Everybody can get away with it because everybody else does it. Productivity increases are thereby channeled into a few hands.

It isn't clear how 'using the market' or government policy could change this situation; it's a more fundamental issue. In Western Europe productivity gains and income are much more evenly distributed. To some extent this is because of unions, laws, taxes and whatnot, but the policy differences aren't nearly as massive as we're often led to believe. Mostly it seems to be a cultural thing. Companies and boards just make the choice to pay employees more, give fat year end bonuses, and pay management and shareholders less than they do here. Here it seems like everyone's trying to make a quick buck and run: tech entrepreneurs just want to sell out to Google, private equity just wants to strip assets and take the cash, bankers and HF managers just want to ride the markets and skim OPM then bail when the economy turns, and so on.

It's also the reason why (up to last year at least) half the college grads in this country just wanted to major in finance or business, work for Goldman for ten years and retire at 35, rather than build new, original businesses, become an engineer or a researcher, things like that. 'Course coming from me, that's a bit of the pot calling the kettle black...

 

The other side of the story is never mentioned. If we didn’t have everything made so cheaply in other countries, that means there would be more higher paying jobs here. So yes everything would cost more, but people would have better paying jobs to pay for it. Plus it would improve efficiency because people will produce more when they get paid more. Also unemployment would be lower, which is good for every aspect of the economy.

Personally this holiday season I didn’t see that much on sale. I kept hearing about buy 1 get 2 free deals, but I never saw it. I don’t think spending is slowing quite as much as people think. People still have money, just fewer of them and not as much.

You have to be careful when you talk about bans on imports. Remember China is dependent on the US for so much of its economy, just like we are dependent on them for cheap goods and buying our debt. If we decided to limit that, they might decide to sell dollars, and that could really hurt us.

I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I heard China is a great place to start a business now. Dubai is booming. Anyways why is taking out a loan always assumed as the only way to start a business? Why can’t people save cash anymore to start endeavors? Well because the powers that be make is so difficult to. It’s so expensive to do everything nowadays, loans are the only way to achieve anything. They want to keep it that way.

America is losing its appeal. It’s turning into a place where the established focus on keeping it that way instead of keeping what they have through market forces.

Well obviously they wouldn’t have opened that many stores if they didn’t feel that they could make a profit. There is a gas station on every street corner. They must be making enough to justify so many locations.

 

Exactly. You’re right on. Dems redistribute to the poor. Repubs redistribute to the causes you mentioned. I’m not an economist, but I’d say corporate greed has done away with the legitimacy of supply side economics. Giving huge tax cuts to corporations and the rich and hoping it will “trickle down” is absurd. They will do what’s in their best interest. Look at the Bush tax cuts. They sure didn’t help the little guy much.

Remember, and correct me if I’m wrong, you can get asset rich while paying little taxes. If you give most of your net operating profit to the employees and expanding the business, you will pay little taxes. But during that time, you are building a larger asset and net worth base that you can capitilize on later.

 

Very interesting perspective. So you think that the market dynamics are the same in Europe? They are just less greedy there and try to look out for the common good? I guess I’d like to believe that, but wouldn’t that go against human nature? If we forced redistribution would that hinder productivity? Do you think a business model like you mentioned could garner traction in the US and take market share from those who don’t follow it?

Personally, I am having a hard time thinking of one white or black person I know that owns their own business. Nobody want to do anything anymore. Nobody wants to stick it to the man. They want to work for him! I just don’t get it. The corporations are really taking over. It’s very hard to keep going when all around you have no ambition. I am 24 and have had a couple of small businesses. They have all failed, but I’m going to keep trying. I thought of a website idea and am trying to work on that now. We’ll see.