Posted in Economy on Jun 6th, 2010
I work at a small business that sells over the Internet. The operation of the business is pretty simple. We get an order over the Internet, one of our employees picks the items on the order, another employee packs the items, and finally another employee labels the package and loads it onto the truck. Like [...]
Posted in Economy on May 11th, 2010
I guess the European Union politicians did not learn anything from the political ramifications of TARP in the United States. First there was TARP. Then there was the Stimulus package. Then there was high unemployment and a stagnant economy. Once you start down the bailout path there are few options available. One option is always [...]
I find the Goldman Sachs/SEC affair to be an intriguing affair. In a very public display the SEC alleges Goldman Sachs of fraud. Here are some of the more interesting facts I have collected so far: Although the information released by the SEC is impressive the SEC opts for a civil fraud case. Despite lots [...]
Posted in Economy, Healthcare on Mar 28th, 2010
Back in 2000 when I moved from Texas to Ohio I was given the opportunity to buy health insurance at what I thought was an exorbitant price of $350 per month. I declined. On Friday I commented on a post that about the insurance mandate that the insurance mandate is very expensive option for me for what I consider to be a hospital billing problem. Today I calculated about how much I saved by not having health insurance or having a low cost high deductable plan. Just for the health insurance premiums alone I would have spent $52,970. I used this slide from the Kaiser Family Foundation and its 131% increase to estimate my health insurance premium increases. This looks like a pretty conservative number since it assumes I can get a comparable policy today for $457 per month. From Quicken I can say that my medical and dental costs over this time period was about $37,900. Based on my ten year experience you can save a lot of money by being a savvy health care buyer.
Posted in Economy, Healthcare on Mar 22nd, 2010
Despite the drama about the health care debate the country continues down its path to austerity. The only way we can get off the path is if the economy shows a robust, vigorous recovery of permanent employment and consumer spending. The states, counties, and cities desperately need more tax revenue. It is not surprising that [...]
Posted in Economy on Mar 21st, 2010
In the old days the Federal Reserve could hint at lower interest rates and the stock market and economy would take off. Eventually inflation would rear its ugly head and the Federal Reserve would be forced to raise the interest rates to rein in inflation fears. That was the old days. In this economy the [...]
Posted in Economy, Technology, renewable-energy on Mar 12th, 2010
Talk about unintended consequences! According to The Hill, wind executives are engaging in a lobbying-flurry on Capitol Hill this week, going after the “Buy American” agenda that Senator Chuck Schumer is pushing with regard to renewable power projects funded with stimulus grants. Schumer has become somewhat agitated to learn that most (79%) of the [...]
This week I found interesting relationships between seemingly unrelated events. As Senator Bunning tried to make his case that now is the time to start cleaning up the debt crisis, he was pilloried by Republicans, Democrats, and the press for being heartless to the unemployed. It was during these discussions I came to the conclusion [...]
Up until Senator Bunning’s actions our legislators seemed to be acting more like the parents of an addicted child. Parents initially hope they can buy their way out of their child’s problem. Eventually they realize the compassionate solution is tough love. I suspect that Senator Bunning’s actions reflect this thinking and that there is probably [...]
Posted in Economy, Housing Issues on Feb 25th, 2010
To the average person the mounting debt being accumulated by the Federal Government is a clear and present danger. According to nationwide polls this is the second most important issue confronting voters. One of the biggest spending areas that appears out of control is the subsidies for the mortgage market. At present most of these [...]
On this day, the Virginia Tech community reflects on the vibrant lives of the 32 students and faculty who were tragically taken from us a year ago. Through light, art, and music we pay tribute to each and every person we lost. We gather to honor our friends, colleagues, and family members. We will never forget.