patrick.net

SF ace says

As far as manufacturing, the US were selling 10M-11M vehicle during the recession in 2009, 2010 even with cash for clunkers, 2011 and 2012 are projected to be in the 14.5 and 16M respectively. That’s 25+% increase in units that spiils over to a very important manufacturing industry from steel fabricator, to component fabricator to assembly. growth rate is not surprising.
That is why Obama did the right thing in bailing out the auto industry.

god americans are stupid and lazy....!.......do a little research on dealer inventory. i am not going to train your ass by explaining why or how 'car sales' have increased. anyone that bases their financial decisions on headline news deserves to lose their ass. do some research and learn what the surveys and polls and reports that are trotted out by the gov or NAR mean and how they are calculated.....or dont and live in ignorant bliss....and wait for your place in the poor house.

John Bailo says

This Recovery is all about the basics:
Wages on the lowest end are rising

Manufacturing Growing

Jobs returning to the US
Labor shortages are just around the corner driving up the long beleaguered lower third….

name 50 items in your house that are made in america.......

dipsh*t - GM is pushing cars to the dealers that are sitting on them...they arent 'selling' anything.

like i said before....learn or fail. what i say isnt important...what you learn and act on is....dont do the research and lose your ass and live in a hole!

...go look up the manufacturer numbers...then look at inventories and then look at dealer sales...or dont!

709hannah says

dipsh*t - GM is pushing cars to the dealers that are sitting on them…they arent ’selling’ anything.
like i said before….learn or fail. what i say isnt important…what you learn and act on is….dont do the research and lose your ass and live in a hole!
…go look up the manufacturer numbers…then look at inventories and then look at dealer sales…or dont!

Hannah--

Some free advice for you. How about you actually post some data? Where did you do your research? Please post the dealer sales numbers. I'm curious too.

You said they were full of crap, though your graph clearly never goes over 20%. 20% full of shit is pretty good. Obama has never been lower than 65% on the FOS scale.
If you can proof "Full of Shit" on a scale, good enough to make an accurate chart.
Then it would make politics obsolete.

go to the GM website/investor and start digging thru all the releases......

http://www.gm.com/investors/sales-production/

( or download the pdf http://media.gm.com/content/dam/Media/gmcom/investor/2011/FebruarySales.pdf)

""Month-end dealer inventory in the United States stood at about 517,000 units, which is about 7,000 higher compared to January and about 101,000 higher than February 2010.""

so go thru all the past releases and look at the month-end inventory numbers:

517,000 feb11
510,000 jan11
511,000 dec10
536,000
515,000
478,000
452,000
.
.
.
.
385,000 dec09

...channel stuffing....obama pushing tax payer bailouts to GM and the unions.

now you do this research:

next question is.....how much of the actual real sales were to the government? i wouldnt consider my tax money buying cars for the gov a positive......?

next question is GM financing and rebates...how much does GM make on each car? are we giving away 'subprime' loans to sell cars just like we did in the housing bubble?

next do a little research on high frequency trading (HFT) and how taxpayer money is used to pump the GM ipo share price.......

next question is where do the dealers get the credit to 'buy' there inventory...?.....maybe the us taxpayer....?

last question....who is/will be buying almost the entire production run of the volt....?

we are not in an economic recovery. we are in a credit bubble powered by QE and the fed..................

marcus says

Let’s give the corporatocracy complete 100% control. ....
You say total outright fascism is the only answer,

I can't believe I'm defending duxbury, but you're presenting a false choice. Corporations and public employee unions can and do both have inappropriate influence that goes against the interests of the public at large.

Were do I start.... Stalin would smile at how america employs indoctrination to make socialists. You make him proud.
>>

If you want to blame US government housing policy for the housing bubble, you MUST explain how that also caused a bubble in commercial real estate, and a housing bubble in many other countries. All at exactly the same time.
>>>

The housing bubble is worse here other than countries like Ireland and the CRE bubble hasn't imploded consumers in the same way. Many other countries have similar braindead policies that encourage home ownership and thereby inflate housing prices.

Other idiot

I can’t believe I’m defending duxbury, but you’re presenting a false choice. Corporations and public employee unions can and do both have inappropriate influence that goes against the interests of the public at large.
>>>>

The reason we are a commerical republic, set forth by Ben Franklin, is that companies have competing interests. So safe to put power in the hands of individuals and private sector.

Putting power in the hands of gov't and extortionist unions just turns a commercial republic into a gangster state dominated by crony companies (GE, goldman), unions, trial lawyers.

"progressive" politics is just running interference to rationalize thugocracy. "liberal" politicians care amout millionaire gov't employees with absurd pensions and trial lawyers. The common citizen liberal is just what lenin called a "useful idiot"... supporting tyranny with his silly political fantasies about a benighted progressive elite.

I know how much you like your liberal fantasies... but kids really aren't in coal mines anymore. The issue isn't "kids in coal mines"... the issue is should teachers cost $100/hour and never be fired even if they sleep with students or should they be paid $25/hour.

Lots of states and countries don't have unions (japan and nazi germany). what both countries have in common is that their economic growth was so strong that they imploded (nazi's starting wwII because they rightfully viewed western powers as idiotic with crippled economies and japan had such growth it created a property bubble). So if we abolished unions we would have huge prosperity because a large criminal element in society would be eliminated.

Strong government intervention in corporate affairs combined with strong unions is what we had from 1946 until Reagan wrecked the country. It’s considered the golden age of American prestige and power.
>>>>

yea well half the world's industrial capacity was destroyed in WWII. Also, unions weren't strong enough to obliterate industries for fun as they do now. Factories shut down all over the place because unions will not budge on extortionist wages. GM lawnmowers were getting $70/hour. Unions hadn't yet destroyed the steel industries and the airlines. Janitors in NY get 100k+pension+ they can sleep and watch porn all day and will never get fired.

We just have differing views of thugocracy. You support a series of extortion rackets and schemes with a progressive veneer. I think it is bankrupting the country.

you sound like a victim of brainwashing. sorry.

Funny you mention Germany... go Angela!!! They are confronting thugocracy and multiculturalism... imagine that? They are cutting the budgets and not letting people pour into the country who hate it. What Bastards!! Don't they know the modern West is about sanctimonious suicidal behavior! How dare they care about being responsible. Thankfully people like you can encourage them into reckless and self-destructive behavior.

>>>
ssistance just to eat. A Nasdaq bubble made people rich then wiped out retirees. A housing bubble made people rich then wiped out retirees. Banks loaned money to people without jobs because the unregulated free market let Wall Street steal money.
>>>>

The repeated bubbles are caused by easy money policies by the Fed. The fed has been giving money away for 20 some odd years at reduced rates and it creates asset bubbles. Plus deficit spending. Thanks gov't.

Troy says

The internet is packed with them, you can hardly go anywhere anymore without them and their stupid arguments monopolizing the discussion.

Exhibit A:

Kanda Bongo Man says

Funny that Troy, from Bellingham WA, is such a devout Marxist.
You realize, Mr. Troy, that if you shared your Marxist fantasies with your neighbors in Bellingham, you’d end up with a shotgun sticking straight up your ass?
Better stick to Seattle if you want a place that’s safe for your anti-freedom views. If you’re feeling like you don’t have any room to share your Marxist bullshit online, that’s good. It’s about time something good began happening in the world, for a change.

Marxist, moi? Is this guy for real? Then again, the name might give away the game.

Part of the problem with trying to actually engage with internet glibertarians is that they just make no sense. Honest Abe and the rest, all just jingo-slinging morons with authoritarian streaks a mile wide.

They couch their "freedom" jive in economics terms, but with the wealth divide the way it is now, there'd be precious little freedom for anyone should libertopia start breaking out here.

http://sethf.com/essays/major/libstupid.php

Hannah-

Following your link, I find the following quotes:

"During the month, retail sales rose 70 percent – the highest year-over-year gain in the company’s history."

and

"...the company’s retail sales – those to individual consumers – have increased by 52 percent."

A rise in dealer inventory would be expected as sales increase. That's pretty normal.

As to profitability, GM had a net income of $4.7 billion for the calendar year. Seems like they are doing OK profit wise.

Fleet sales were up only 2%, so I wouldn't attribute their good year to the government buying.

Finally, who cares about the high frequency trading--if the company is profitable, the share price will take care of itself.

As to your last statement, we'll see, but I dont' see much evidence that you are correct.

Troy says

duxbury is just your typical maximal freedom glibertarian cheap-labor conservative.

Ray or Ray's clone.
duxbury001 says

I know how much you like your liberal fantasies… but kids really aren’t in coal mines anymore. The issue isn’t “kids in coal mines”… the issue is should teachers cost $100/hour and never be fired even if they sleep with students or should they be paid $25/hour.

duxbury001 says

Unions hadn’t yet destroyed the steel industries and the airlines. Janitors in NY get 100k+pension+ they can sleep and watch porn all day and will never get fired.

Hyperbolic trolling if I've ever heard it.

Sure unions go too far sometimes, and then the pendulum swings back. There are hardly any unions left now, and the big ones that are still there are nearly impotent. But criminal ? wtf is this loon talking about. Teachers sleeping with students gets them prison. But yes the rumor of it might be hard to get fired for. Then again it's nice to know that some seriously dysfunctional child can't get you fired just for an accusation. Hey, that protection is nice considering I might even have to fail some students.

If teachers make 100K/per hour it's pretty amazing that they haven't been able to fill all the teaching jobs, until recently.

You want teachers to be pad $25/hr. Okay, right. As it is, most quit before they get to 5 years, because they can't handle it, and they aren't doing well. I don't have to tell everyone that this troll has absolutely no idea what is involved in teaching.

duxbury001 says

The housing bubble is worse here other than countries like Ireland and the CRE bubble hasn’t imploded consumers in the same way. Many other countries have similar braindead policies that encourage home ownership and thereby inflate housing prices.

Other idiot

Did you even look at the chart? The bubbles happened at exactly the same time! And it's not even true that these other countries had policies promoting home ownership. You just made that up! Not surprising given all the other stuff you've simply made up.

MarkInSF says

countries had policies promoting home ownership

the bubble had nothing to do with "policies promoting home ownership" and everything to do with ideologues and industry insiders in government working to make the housing market "free" of government policing and enforcement and/or tightening up of regulations, 2002-2005:

"In the summer of 2003, leaders of the four federal agencies that oversee the banking industry gathered to highlight the Bush administration's commitment to reducing regulation."

http://dorkmonger.blogspot.com/2008/11/cutting-red-tape.html

In late 2009 California finally banned negative-amortization and loans with greater than 2% prepayment penalties, both of which were abused as "affordability" mechanisms that only served to temporarily increase a borrower's buying power, either with very low "pay option" or "teaser" rates that reset in 2 or 5 years.

The housing bubble utterly destroyed the myths that "free enterprise" when left to its own devices is anything but a vast collection of crimogenic forces.

Same shit happened with the S&L crisis, but we as a nation apparently have the memory of gnats.

MarkInSF says

I can’t believe I’m defending duxbury, but you’re presenting a false choice. Corporations and public employee unions can and do both have inappropriate influence that goes against the interests of the public at large.

You're right, it is a false choice, because at this point unions are so beaten down and powerless (and have been for decades), that they are no longer a check against corporate exploitation of workers.

I was being a little hyperbolic in making the point about corporate power, not that my teachers union affects corporations one way or the other the slightest. But you are wrong about unions working against the interests of the people.

marcus says

MarkInSF says

I can’t believe I’m defending duxbury, but you’re presenting a false choice. Corporations and public employee unions can and do both have inappropriate influence that goes against the interests of the public at large.

You’re right, it is a false choice, because at this point unions are so beaten down and powerless (and have been for decades), that they are no longer a check against corporate exploitation of workers.

I was being a little hyperbolic in making the point about corporate power, not that my teachers union affects corporations one way or the other the slightest. But you are wrong about unions working against the interests of the people.

Sorry, I was talking specifically about public employee unions. Those unions are still going strong, much stronger that 50 years ago, and they are hardly powerless.

MarkInSF says

orry, I was talking specifically about public employee unions. Those unions are still going strong, much stronger that 50 years ago, and they are hardly powerless.

I am in one of them, and you are wrong. They only have a small amount of power right now, and that is to negotiate exactly what the decreases in pay and or benefits will be. And for the most part, we are not talking from crazy high levels. Trust me, you have NO clue what you are talking about.

Yes, I guess you could say there is some power there. But it is a power that is so much in the interest of the public. You would not want providers of important services to be without such representation. It is very much related to quality. I am a very good Math teacher with a Masters degree in Math, but I am also a person with good "street" skills dealing with teens. Guess what, take away the union, and I am out of here, or off to a private school, but probably out of teaching.

You alerted me to some questions about California contributions to pensions, but I can tell you, that on the subject of the value of public unions, you have no idea how far your head is up your **s.

tatupu70 says

Hannah-
Following your link, I find the following quotes:
“During the month, retail sales rose 70 percent – the highest year-over-year gain in the company’s history.”
and
“…the company’s retail sales – those to individual consumers – have increased by 52 percent.”
A rise in dealer inventory would be expected as sales increase. That’s pretty normal.
As to profitability, GM had a net income of $4.7 billion for the calendar year. Seems like they are doing OK profit wise.
Fleet sales were up only 2%, so I wouldn’t attribute their good year to the government buying.
Finally, who cares about the high frequency trading–if the company is profitable, the share price will take care of itself.
As to your last statement, we’ll see, but I dont’ see much evidence that you are correct.

then go long GM stock ...what are you waiting for. while you are at it go long treasuries and aapl and nflx and throw in some california RE....good luck and remember...dont do the numbers just read the headlines....good luck...?!?!

John Bailo says

709hannah says

John Bailo says

This Recovery is all about the basics:
Wages on the lowest end are rising

Manufacturing Growing

Jobs returning to the US
Labor shortages are just around the corner driving up the long beleaguered lower third….

name 50 items in your house that are made in america…….

The top item is my brain. The principle source of income for many.

your brain will take you far...?!?! it is made in america .......god help us.

marcus says

MarkInSF says

orry, I was talking specifically about public employee unions. Those unions are still going strong, much stronger that 50 years ago, and they are hardly powerless.

I am in one of them, and you are wrong. They only have a small amount of power right now, and that is to negotiate exactly what the decreases in pay and or benefits will be. And for the most part, we are not talking from crazy high levels. Trust me, you have NO clue what you are talking about.

Cuts will mostly be by layoffs. Unions will not make large concessions on pay, retirement age, or benefits. You know that. They would rather do what "best for the kids" and let younger teachers go, no matter how stellar they are. It is extremely unlikely this seniority system will change, and all efforts to implement some kind of merit based system will likely successfully be resisted, and it's 100% because of the power of the teachers union.

I know I sound like I'm bashing teachers and I don't mean to. The are hardly where the most abuse of the system lies. In fact I'd argue the abuse elsewhere is keeping good teachers from getting what they deserve.

I am in one of them, and you are wrong. They only have a small amount of power right now, and that is to negotiate exactly what the decreases in pay and or benefits will be. And for the most part, we are not talking from crazy high levels. Trust me, you have NO clue what you are talking about.
>>>

the issue with thugocracy in 2010 vs. 1960 is that there are other countries. So the union extortion rackets, collusion with criminal democrat politicians for jobs rackets/kickback schemes is much more damaging.

The error of margin companies (and countries) have is very small vs. 1950 when half the world's factories were destroyed.

So the baby boomer delusion that we can't run out of money and the rich and corporate america can be milked ad infinitum doesn't work. So you may have to give up a bratty entitlement mentality and understand that we now live in a competitive global marketplace where $70/hour to work and lifetime benefits went out with the 60's. You actually have to carry your weight and can't reply on criminal extortion rackets.

duxbury001 says

Did you even look at the chart? The bubbles happened at exactly the same time! And it’s not even true that these other countries had policies promoting home ownership. You just made that up! Not surprising given all the other stuff you’ve simply made up. ?

>>
1) Jackass, ours is the worst drop of all.. suggesting idiotic government policy.

2) they all have idiotic policies to encourage home ownership

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/workingpapers/soci/w14/text2_en.htm
3) the US fed was giving away money for years.. encouraging bubbles everywhere.

4) Europeans are more prone to house price increases due to limited land and regulation… that’s why their prices go up (but don’t collapse as much as ours).
Pass the bong.

Ah, so you're sticking to your story: The bubbles in all these countries happened because of their respective housing policies. And it was just a coincidence that they all happened at the same time. Am I getting you right?

4) Europeans are more prone to house price increases due to limited land and regulation… that’s why their prices go up (but don’t collapse as much as ours).

You do know most of Europe barely has a positive birth rate right? And the regulations haven't changed much. And their property prices were not increasing much in the decades before that. So why the bubble that just happened to be when ours was, when they didn't have one before?

1) Jackass, ours is the worst drop of all.. suggesting idiotic government policy.

Well, no, that would be Ireland. Did you even read that piece on their housing policies that you posted a link to? Clearly not. Not a word on extending or backing credit to Irish home buyers. No the private banking sector did that entirely on their own. The government backing of the loans came after the fact when their economy imploded.

This is a lie that I’ve destroyed before, and as usual I can destroy it with a simple graph.

The small bump you see during World War II and then continuing to about 1950 is the FULL EXTENT OF UNITED STATES DOMINATION OF WORLD PRODUCTION.
>>>

A lie? based on balance of trade? they aren't related. Look at industrial output. US share of global industrial production skyrocketed and dominated the post war era. GM and Ford dominated auto production. By the 80's Japan and Germany had caught up. By the 70's we had lost the steel industry. 80's garment and auto.

The problems is that unions can't compromise. You don't walk up to Vinny and say "hey vinny, can we cut our wages 10% because we've got japanese companies undercutting us". Vinny replies "FU, shut down the factory and fire the workers, we ain't budging"

You say Vinny, but we can't fire 100,000 pittsburg steelworkers.. why can't we just change the rules to keep them or lower the wages.

Vinny says "FU"

This had happened to millions of workers over 50 years. That's why there are virtually no private sector union workers left. Why? Because if Vinny cut salaries then union headquarters would go nuts. The racket is pulled.. every factory will demand this "competitiveness" BS, and the union racket is shut down. So better off for the thugs to send them out of business. With unions issues like "product quality", competitiveness, innovation.. are all BS.. unions are about bribing politicians, destroying businesses, extorting, corruption... not flexibilty.

>>>
4) Europeans are more prone to house price increases due to limited land and regulation… that’s why their prices go up (but don’t collapse as much as ours).
Pass the bong.

Ah, so you’re sticking to your story: The bubbles in all these countries happened because of their respective housing policies. And it was just a coincidence that they all happened at the same time. Am I getting you right?
>>>

Loose monetary policies from 1990 to 2010.. greenspan era. Easy money, economic boom

>>
4) Europeans are more prone to house price increases due to limited land and regulation… that’s why their prices go up (but don’t collapse as much as ours).

You do know most of Europe barely has a positive birth rate right? And the regulations haven’t changed much. And their property prices were not increasing much in the decades before that. So why the bubble that just happened to be when ours was, when they didn’t have one before?
>>
Europe is tiny and a farming mecca.. they have little land, hence high prices. Go to japan and look at real estate prices. Fixed supply + increasing wealth + population = rising prices. Can you go back to high school again?

>>>
Well, no, that would be Ireland. Did you even read that piece on their housing policies that you posted a link to? Clearly not. Not a word on extending or backing credit to Irish home buyers.
>>>
ummmm... the irish banking industry imploded because of dumb mortgages and easy credit. They had a boom similar to Japan in the 80's where the economy grew too fast.

I feel like I am having an argument with this guy in a grass skirt on a south pacific island telling me the world is flat. Unions are criminal enterprises that compel grossly inflated wages. You can't live in a fantasy world where people get paid $70 an hour to mow lawns and teachers $100/hour while trying the sleep with the students. You can't force banks to give money to minorities who default at staggering rates and subsidize housing to an absurd degree, give away money at low rates (then jack it up suddenly) and then wonder where the default crisis came from.

marcus says

. Teachers
sleeping with students gets them prison. But yes the rumor of it might be hard to get fired for. Then again it’s nice to know that some s

this is where it gets kinda funny... you think a NYC teacher can get fired or thrown in prison? To union thugs, you are the sucker and the underclass. They can rape your daughter or do what they want and you don't stand a chance (so get used to it).

NYC has a "rubber room" where they put these teachers and they can't fire them or get rid of them... full of perverts and pedophiles. Far from going to jail... go fondle a girl and you get a full salary to do nothing.

It gets really funny with the rumor with the psycho in the Arizona shooting.. turns out mommy was a government employees (a milliondollar pension.. she's richer than you and your overlord). So her son the nut job got away with being a nut and nothing every happened bc mommy made the calls. So when they aren't raping your kid, bankrupting your state or killing you.. I guess unions are OK.

709hannah says

then go long GM stock …what are you waiting for. while you are at it go long treasuries and aapl and nflx and throw in some california RE

I'm more of an index guy.

709hannah says

….good luck and remember…dont do the numbers just read the headlines….good luck

No---headlines are often misleading. I'm assuming you are being sarcastic, and if so, it's one thing I'll agree with you on. Unfortunately, you appear to have your mind made up before you get to the numbers..

duxbury001 says

this is where it gets kinda funny… you think a NYC teacher can get fired or thrown in prison? To union thugs, you are the sucker and the underclass. They can rape your daughter or do what they want and you don’t stand a chance (so get used to it).

NYC has a “rubber room” where they put these teachers and they can’t fire them or get rid of them… full of perverts and pedophiles. Far from going to jail… go fondle a girl and you get a full salary to do nothing.

Ray, this is so exaggerated. You take a true union flaw, and blow it up to a level that is dishonest. How do you look yourself in the mirror, does honesty and integrity mean nothing to you ?

It's true that bad teachers have a bit too much protection, but there is a reason that evolved. It has to do with providing job security for someone who is willing to choose (and commit to) a teaching career which is a service to the community and which historically has been paid less than most other careers. You wouldn't want good teachers career to end because he looked at some crazy administrator the wrong way. (Yes, bad administrators occur every now and then).

If teachers were too easily fired, would they be committing those key decades developing their craft, only to be fired at 50 (for some made up reason) and replaced by a younger cheaper more obedient teacher.

About the rubber rooms. Yes, it is a long process firing a teacher (it takes too long), but fortunately teachers can be taken out of the classroom before that firing occurs. That is they are removed from the class before the process completes itself - and thus end up in one of those rooms.

I am for getting rid of bad teachers more easily. But I understand how and why the process is as it is in the largest districts and it has nothing to do with union thugs.

marcus says

unions are so beaten down and powerless (and have been for decades), that they are no longer a check against corporate exploitation of workers.

We need to have a Telethon to raise money for the poor, poor, downtrodden unions. I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

duxbury001 says

NYC has a “rubber room” where they put these teachers and they can’t fire them or get rid of them… full of perverts and pedophiles. Far from going to jail… go fondle a girl and you get a full salary to do nothing.

This is not an exageration, but a well-documented fact. All because of the power of the Teacher's Union in NYC.

RayAmerica says

This is not an exageration, but a well-documented fact. All because of the power of the Teacher’s Union in NYC.

Actually it's a lie.

"they can't fire them or get rid of them" is the part that is a lie. Most are in the process of being gotten rid of. Yes that due process is because of the union. And if you read my full comment, you would understand why that policy exists. What it comes down to is that the process for taking someone out of the classroom is far different than the process for firing them.

I wonder what percentage of New York teachers end up in that room. Maybe two or three teachers out of every 1000. Probably less.

The need to get rid of bad teachers goes far beyond the dramatic stories about that room, and I agree with it. But it is a tricky business for anyone that understands the profession.

marcus says

Actually it’s a lie.

Really? I saw a segment on this very subject on "60 Minutes" several years ago. Last I checked, and I might be wrong, but "60 Minutes" is owned and produced by one CBS. Not exactly what one might consider to be a member of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy."

RayAmerica says

Really? I saw a segment on this very subject on “60 Minutes” several years ago.

This is why I have you on ignore. You don't even read or attempt to comprehend my comments. I didn't deny that the rooms exist. The false part is: “they can’t fire them or get rid of them”

The truth is most teachers in these rooms are in a long process of being fired.

RayAmerica says

I saw a segment on this very subject on “60 Minutes” several years ago

When did 60 minutes become objective journalism? They originated the concept of write the conclusions you want for the story then come up with a story that supports it without letting any inconvenient facts interfere. Although they have been far surpassed, 60 minutes was at the beginning the most slanted, biased "news" program on the air. Many of their stories have been shown to be more entertainment than journalism.

bob2356 says

When did 60 minutes become objective journalism?

Exactly what I suspected; 60 Minutes is a part of the sneaky, diabolical "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy." Very clever of them to air on a liberal network. Well, you have to hand it to them. They have a lot of people fooled.

60 Minutes? Target market seems to be 80+. Perhaps age and advancing senility explain things.

duxbury001 says

ummmm… the irish banking industry imploded because of dumb mortgages and easy credit. They had a boom similar to Japan in the 80’s where the economy grew too fast.

Glad to see you backed off your absurd claim that government promotion of housing ownership caused the housing bubble in Ireland.

And the cause of the dumb mortgages and easy credit was.....?

RayAmerica says

bob2356 says

When did 60 minutes become objective journalism?

Exactly what I suspected; 60 Minutes is a part of the sneaky, diabolical “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.” Very clever of them to air on a liberal network. Well, you have to hand it to them. They have a lot of people fooled.

Where exactly in my comment did I mention left or right wing? You seem to see the entire world as a vast pool of extreme liberals attempting to overrun your tiny tin hat bunker world. Grow up.

I said 60 minutes is crappy journalism, if anyone would go so far as to call them journalism at all. Period. If you want to use 60 minutes as a cornerstone to your world view that's you problem. If I ever watched a 60 minutes piece (doubtful, washing the dog would be a much better use of my time) I would then go and check the actual facts, not rely on 60 minutes "news".

marcus says

It’s true that bad teachers have a bit too much protection, but there is a reason that evolved. It has to do with providing job security for someone who is willing to choose (and commit to) a teaching career which is a servic

You really have a poor understanding of thugocracy. The people serve the government and the government serves its unions. NYC can't fire teachers because it costs millions in litigation. So it is open season on your daughters in NYC schools.

Thugocracy means that the connected can kill the silly taxpayers at will (like Richard Daley's nephew who just got away with murder). In chicago the union electricians were charging conventions $1200 to plug in a computers. The convention business was imploding. Out of some miracle the state government actually stood up to thugocracy and allowed conventions to not use unions (producing 10's of millions in revenues.

To quote Al Shanker (NEA founder) "I'll start caring about students when they start paying dues". For teachers, thugocracy trumps students any day. Teachers have an adversarial relationship with students and taxpayers (suckers to exploit).

it gets funny when people think increasing education spending will boost educational quality. The problem is that teachers are part of a gangster racket. Paying gangsters hostage money just makes them more powerful and belligerent. So the more educational spending has gone up in 30 years, the more the quality has gone down.

duxbury001 says

in 1945 the US had no significant foreign industrial competition

So what you're saying is--I don't care about the facts, here's my story again.