What to do with a sluggish economy.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
But the medical field is a leach on everyone not affiliated to it.


I'm sure a few medical folks would disagree with this incredibly uninformed comment...


I would agree. The medical insurance however is unreasonable as an industry, profits are sky high at the expense of the consumer and businews paid premiums.

Great medical care, yes. Huge profits in the insurance sector, no.
 
Our unemployment rate is so low, we can't find anyone to work. Our 4 county area is looking into relocating coal-mining families from W. Virginia so we can re-populate the work pool.

As a result, we just upped our salaries all across the board 15%, and new hires start out at almost 20% higher than they did last year. We're trying to steal workers from other facilities.

I think that's good for the economy.
 
Don't ask on this forum.....none of these dolts know what they are talking about. We are almost $21T in debt....the economy has never been worse.
 
Pretty simple really...turn our country from the most difficult, regulated and taxed economy in the world to one of the least. Provide a tax holiday for American companies to repatriate overseas funds IF it is invested in plants and workers here.

What most people (and governments) fail to understand is the dramatic effect demographics is having on our economy that is 70% personal consumption. Baby Boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day. Think about that...going from paying huge tax bills to putting their hands out (I know, I am one). BB spending is reducing greatly as we attempt to budget for retirement. The consumption economy won't recover for a decade, if ever. Instead of downsizing to the new reality, our government is attempting to keep the economy propped up at its former heights. That's a bubble and its unsustainable.
 
Originally Posted By: CharlesE
I don't know why big banks aren't allowed to fail, while small businesses are.

Bailouts aren't done out of kindness.

If a small business fails, a small business fails.

If a huge bank fails, many small businesses fail, and people lose their homes, and people's retirement portfolios tank, and other big banks might fail, which might blow up even more small businesses/mortgages/retirements, etc.

Sad -- outrageous, even -- but true.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
.... You can't buy a freezer that wasn't made in Mexico, for example.


Until two or three years ago, many, perhaps most, were made just right across town.

I must be a complete dolt. I simply can't understand how moving those jobs to Mexico and importing illegal Mexican lawn crews improved the economy one jot.
 
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
.... You can't buy a freezer that wasn't made in Mexico, for example.


Until two or three years ago, many, perhaps most, were made just right across town.

I must be a complete dolt. I simply can't understand how moving those jobs to Mexico and importing illegal Mexican lawn crews improved the economy one jot.


Short term, it allowed people to spend less on those items, and more on other items. Long term might be a different story.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
.... You can't buy a freezer that wasn't made in Mexico, for example.


Until two or three years ago, many, perhaps most, were made just right across town.

I must be a complete dolt. I simply can't understand how moving those jobs to Mexico and importing illegal Mexican lawn crews improved the economy one jot.


Short term, it allowed people to spend less on those items, and more on other items. Long term might be a different story.


Did Whirlpool lower the prices? I mssed that.
 
Originally Posted By: Doog
Don't ask on this forum.....none of these dolts know what they are talking about. We are almost $21T in debt....the economy has never been worse.


Agreed. Most are clueless and think things are great. We've got massive unreported unemployment...just massive. Annual "growth" is extremely sluggish. Having some of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world as well as tremendously burdensome regulations on all businesses, doesn't help. Throw in uninspired, poor leadership...that pounds into peoples heads that government is the answer...and you can see why the economy is on a precipice.
 
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
.... You can't buy a freezer that wasn't made in Mexico, for example.


Until two or three years ago, many, perhaps most, were made just right across town.

I must be a complete dolt. I simply can't understand how moving those jobs to Mexico and importing illegal Mexican lawn crews improved the economy one jot.


Short term, it allowed people to spend less on those items, and more on other items. Long term might be a different story.


Did Whirlpool lower the prices? I mssed that.


Did they raise prices? they might have had to, had they stayed local.
 
The economy is rotten in the majority of my state, West Virginia & even more so in the southern half of the state. Low demand & Obama administration EPA over-regulation has killed the coal industry. There's practically zero jobs here except for minimum wage [censored]. A good paying career is rare in this area. We have suffered tremendously during the Obama years & I don't think either of the presidential choices will help anything either.

Things aren't quite as bad in my area. We had the Marcellus shale natural gas boom for a few years & the economy was good but oil prices crashed & there's little to nothing of that industry left. Fortunately I have been able to continue to make a good living here being an entrepreneur, but so many are struggling & the sluggishness of the economy here is obvious.

WV's economy has stood on natural resources & tourism. The natural resources industry is almost gone & tourism isn't enough. More so, our Democratic leadership has driven us into debt & it all collapsed this year. WV finally woke up & elected some conservatives in 2014 mid-terms but now the state budget finally entirely collapsed & our citizens blame it on the Republicans who have only had control for barely a year.

Our outlook is dim, but tell me how wonderful the economy is everywhere else....
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Win
Johnny2Bad said:
.... You can't buy a freezer that wasn't made in Mexico, for example.


Until two or three years ago, many, perhaps most, were made just right across town.

I must be a complete dolt. I simply can't understand how moving those jobs to Mexico and importing illegal Mexican lawn crews improved the economy one jot.


Short term, it allowed people to spend less on those items, and more on other items. Long term might be a different story.


Did Whirlpool lower the prices? I mssed that.


Quote:
Did they raise prices? they might have had to, had they stayed local.


I don't know if they raised them. With no or negative inflation locally, I don't think they were under pressure to hold pricing. Transport would be cheaper from here.

Maybe mexican truck drivers haul the stuff now - more jobs kaput.

Still some HVAC made locally. But it will go soon.
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: CharlesE
I don't know why big banks aren't allowed to fail, while small businesses are.

Bailouts aren't done out of kindness.

If a small business fails, a small business fails.

If a huge bank fails, many small businesses fail, and people lose their homes, and people's retirement portfolios tank, and other big banks might fail, which might blow up even more small businesses/mortgages/retirements, etc.

Sad -- outrageous, even -- but true.


Doesn't have to be that way. You can protect the depositors and allow the bank to fail. I think that's the mistake made during the past crisis. Bankers (or anyone really) who doesn't lose their shirt by making bad choices doesn't learn how to avoid the same mistakes.
 
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: Doog
Don't ask on this forum.....none of these dolts know what they are talking about. We are almost $21T in debt....the economy has never been worse.


Agreed. Most are clueless and think things are great. We've got massive unreported unemployment...just massive. Annual "growth" is extremely sluggish. Having some of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world as well as tremendously burdensome regulations on all businesses, doesn't help. Throw in uninspired, poor leadership...that pounds into peoples heads that government is the answer...and you can see why the economy is on a precipice.


Yeah, the economy has never been worse.
The stock markets near all time highs are just an illusion. So are the low unemployment numbers.

And Obama isn't really our president, right?

What reality are you two living in?
 
Originally Posted By: SkyActivG
I'd like to know what some of you think about the ailing economy; sure it's gotten somewhat better, but people are very frugal now. I'm not sure what would happen if the market crashed again, because we have exhausted everything in our arsenal to slow/stop a downturn. Should the economy collapse, what would happen. Should the economy be left to collapse. It doesn't respond to stimuli.


Economy booming in central Florida, people spending left and right.

Theme Parks are packed, hours to get on ride and to get table at restaurants.
 
Originally Posted By: surfstar
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: Doog
Don't ask on this forum.....none of these dolts know what they are talking about. We are almost $21T in debt....the economy has never been worse.


Agreed. Most are clueless and think things are great. We've got massive unreported unemployment...just massive. Annual "growth" is extremely sluggish. Having some of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world as well as tremendously burdensome regulations on all businesses, doesn't help. Throw in uninspired, poor leadership...that pounds into peoples heads that government is the answer...and you can see why the economy is on a precipice.


Yeah, the economy has never been worse.
The stock markets near all time highs are just an illusion. So are the low unemployment numbers.

And Obama isn't really our president, right?

What reality are you two living in?


The reality is it's probably not as good as team Blue would have you believe. Low unemployment because of job seekers leaving the market and underemployment not really measured in the figures chosen for publication.

Nor is it as bad as team Red would have you believe. Lower worker participation rates are a combination of factors. Workers giving up and baby boomer retiring.

I admit, I've done well in the market. But wages for the average worker have not gone up yet. It's going to be hard for either team to totally sell their side of the story. The coal miner who can't find work isn't going to take much solace in the assurances from any administration that the economy is getting better.

I find it troubling that labor participation is lower. Programs such as Social Security are largely paid by payroll taxes taken from current workers. If we have fewer workers, Congress will be tempted to look for more taxes or start taking from those who planned and saved all their lives.

How many years did the ACA collect taxes and fees before it ever started offering subsidies to people to buy plans? Are they spending the money faster than it came in, meaning it will run out of money just like almost every other program did, needing higher taxes?

Remember, I think we paid 1% payroll taxes into Social Security when it first started. Now we pay 6% give or take and employers match that 6%. I believe the other 1.65% of payroll taxes you pay goes into medicare and medicaid, again matched by your employer's contribution.

How long until we need another tax increase because the ACA is out of funds?

I don't believe either team Red or team Blue at this point.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MolaKule
  • Locked
Business/Economy
Replies
2
Views
805
pitzel
mrsilv04
  • Locked
Realtor's commission...?
2 3 4
Replies
67
Views
23K
mrsilv04
M
  • Locked
144,000 New Jobs For August
2
Replies
34
Views
8K
motorguy222
T
  • Locked
Why the US can't just start making everything here
2 3
Replies
42
Views
11K
Vizzy
G
What happens if government can't stop a crash of the stock market?
2 3 4
Replies
69
Views
2K
PandaBear
Back
Top Bottom