Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[froot loops]

Unfortunately, Detroit is a shithouse. Columbus is not.

Yeah I guess, Gilbert and company has done some good work, but a lot more to go.

[iam416]

If you are arguing that one shouldn't be happy about the growth in the economy because there will be an inevitable ebb, then I really don't know what to say. There will always be highs and lows, ebbs and flows, ups and downs. It is a cycle.

Correct.

And really, the US is the still the platinum standard economy. Good times.

[iam416]

Yeah I guess, Gilbert and company has done some good work, but a lot more to go.

Well, to be fair, Newark made the list and god knows that is the pinnacle of shithouses. And, hell, Zuckerburg even gave millions to their fucked up schools and quickly realized that you can't just throw money at that shithouse.

So, yeah. I'm sure Amazon already knows which 2 or 3 make most financial sense and then they'll see what is the best deal.

[Wild Hoss]

KC didn't make the cut either...I'm sure the Earning Tax played a little bit of a role there, as did the decision to locate the airport halfway to St Joseph and a lack of downtown living space. But so long as we can hang onto the ancient and near-worthless warehouse district which occupies primo real estate west of downtown along the river, we're good to go. Gotta put those haunted houses somewhere!

[Jeff Buchanan]

If you are arguing that one shouldn't be happy about the growth in the economy because there will be an inevitable ebb, then I really don't know what to say. There will always be highs and lows, ebbs and flows, ups and downs. It is a cycle.

Fair point ..... there is good economic policy and there is bad economic policy. The jury is still out on Trump's economic reforms. I believe the case is fairly strong that the upside we're seeing today is going to be costly in the out-years.

The primary reason for this is that national debt - predicted to be staggeringly high after all is said and done. I don't think I need to explain to you how federal debt effects the economy except to mention that China is more than happy to continue to buy US Treasuries to pay to keep the US Government operating. At some point, however, the risk that the Chinese won't get paid back, let alone that they will "own" the US outright, will reduce purchase of US Treasuries, put downward pressure on the Dollar, drive interest rates up beyond those of the Treasuries being bought and, well, recession usually follows.

I'm fine with the tax cuts and regulatory reform but there has to be a concurrent reduction in government spending to off-set reduced revenues and that's not going to happen. Moreover, the US is already in a tenuous position regarding entitlements and I don't see the Trump administration even touching this one - and, I'll agree that's been a problem for both Democratic and Republican administrations. The tax cuts greatly exacerbate that problem.

So, yeah, you might not know what to say to me regarding my long-term view about the implications of Trump's economic approach but you should be concerned and whether or not you say anything to me is probably immaterial.

[hack]

Correct.

And really, the US is the still the platinum standard economy. Good times.

Depends on how that's defined. Certainly it doesn't provide the highest per-capita income, the longest life expectancy, the largest trade surplus, a sufficient volume of quality manufacturing jobs, or the most stability.

Some but not all of that is unfair. Qatar is basically a family reunion atop a mountain of moneybags. Not reasonable to compare. But even in an OECD context, still.

IMO it's clear that the US is the best place to be for a commercial entity. If you're a person, there are other economies that give you a higher standard.

[iam416]

There are certainly small and/or insular largely homogeneous countries that do ok. Until they do not. Until they are no longer sufficiently homogeneous to sustain growth-sacrificing policies. In any event, they aren't particularly comparable to the US either. The US remains the platinum standard and the driver of the world economy. Things in the types of countries DJT admires may not be so peachy if the brilliance of the US economy went away.

[hack]

Correct.

And really, the US is the still the platinum standard economy. Good times.

Fair point ..... there is good economic policy and there is bad economic policy. The jury is still out on Trump's economic reforms. I believe the case is fairly strong that the upside we're seeing today is going to be costly in the out-years.

The primary reason for this is that national debt - predicted to be staggeringly high after all is said and done. I don't think I need to explain to you how federal debt effects the economy except to mention that China is more than happy to continue to buy US Treasuries to pay to keep the US Government operating. At some point, however, the risk that the Chinese won't get paid back, let alone that they will "own" the US outright, will reduce purchase of US Treasuries, put downward pressure on the Dollar, drive interest rates up beyond those of the Treasuries being bought and, well, recession usually follows.

I'm fine with the tax cuts and regulatory reform but there has to be a concurrent reduction in government spending to off-set reduced revenues and that's not going to happen. Moreover, the US is already in a tenuous position regarding entitlements and I don't see the Trump administration even touching this one - and, I'll agree that's been a problem for both Democratic and Republican administrations. The tax cuts greatly exacerbate that problem.

So, yeah, you might not know what to say to me regarding my long-term view about the implications of Trump's economic approach but you should be concerned and whether or not you say anything to me is probably immaterial.

I think the cuts in government spending will happen. They are they costs in the tax-debate cost-benefit analysis that did not happen.

What's alarming is if the corporate giveaway DOESN'T juice growth. We know it will accrue to only some and not all, but after all this if the GDP trendline remains the same as under Obama that would be quite the policy failure. Strong chance of that, really. Whether spent efficiently or not, the government spends in the real economy. The new owners of some of this money will end up idling a decent chunk of it in tax havens, pursue financial engineering, or do other things that don't involve the real economy.

[iam416]

In today's little bit of staggering dishonesty, there is this exchange:

David French wrote this piece on surviving a nuclear attack -- very barebones: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...nt-prepare-die

It takes 3 minutes to read.

MSNBC's Joy Reid said this about the article:

And the magazine in question is the once-august National Review. We have truly entered the age of insanity when the conservative argument in favor of risking nuclear war is, “don’t worry, it will only kill Democrats and minorities.” Shame on you, @DavidAFrench https://t.co/YARwfhRNRE

Holy hell.

[hack]

There are certainly small and/or insular largely homogeneous countries that do ok. Until they do not. Until they are no longer sufficiently homogeneous to sustain growth-sacrificing policies. In any event, they aren't particularly comparable to the US either. The US remains the platinum standard and the driver of the world economy. Things in the types of countries DJT admires may not be so peachy if the brilliance of the US economy went away.

No question about it. It helps many others that the US economy exists and that Americans are willing to put up with it. But the question isn't pro growth or anti. It's a matter of who benefits.

[iam416]

Americans are willing to put up with being preposterously well off. Quite the price to pay.

[Kapture1]

In today's little bit of staggering dishonesty, there is this exchange:

David French wrote this piece on surviving a nuclear attack -- very barebones: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...nt-prepare-die

It takes 3 minutes to read.

MSNBC's Joy Reid said this about the article:



Holy hell.

wow. I wonder how enjoyable life really is when it's entirety is filtered through the lens of skin color. I can't imagine she is a very happy individual.

[froot loops]

I must say as the titular head of the progressive faction I am embarrassed or proud to say I really only know of Joy Reid by her bad tweets. Not really interested in what she has to say but I know the cons really like to hate watch her.

[iam416]

Ms. Reid has her own weekend show on MSNBC! And she's amongst the top 5 or so most tweeted journalists, though she's behind luminaries such as Sean Hannity and Jack Tapper.

She ain't no lightweight, Froot!

(she most likely didn't read the article; instead she probably read some preposterously awful prog take on the article, assumed it to be true and tweeted away -- I assume she'll actually retract or even apologize)

However, given your fondness for David French, I'm not sure you can reign as King of the Progs.

[froot loops]

I'll gladly abdicate, I don't want to stir trouble and get doxxed by some of the hard core conservatives in here.