Chile Forum

JHyre wrote:Hey john, here's one for you:

George Soros in an interview with Der Spiegel:

Soros: Obama embraced the ideas of John Maynard Keynes. Basically, the analysis of Keynes is still very relevant -- with one big difference between now and the 1930s. In the 1930s, governments had practically no debt and could therefore run deficits. Nowadays, all governments are heavily indebted, and that is a big change.

SPIEGEL: If Keynes were still alive, would he adjust his theory?

Soros: Definitely. He would say governments can still benefit from running fiscal deficits, but the new debt has to be invested in a way that will pay for itself. So the money spent would have to increase productivity.

SPIEGEL: The $800 billion stimulus program launched by Obama did not live up to that?

Soros: Obama's stimulus program was not big enough and it was not directed at improving infrastructure nor human capital. So it was not productive enough.

Unsurprisingly, I disagree with almost anything Soros has to say in re politics. But part of Soros' last comment was accurate - Obama's "investments" were nothing of the sort. Of course in my view, that is unsurprising, as it is the nature of government, and especially of leftish governments, to spend based on politics and hare-brained theories, and not based on anything so mundane as "return on investment". Even if people such as Obama et al meant to truly "invest", they'd fail, as they have no experience whatsoever at....anything, much less wealth & job creation. You probably think that experts & advisors can fix that problem, I think it is baked into the cake of human nature, especially if the humans in question are not Germans.

You'd probably enjoy the article (and most German taxpayers probably would not):

http://www.spiegel.de/international/eur ... 89,00.html (English version)

John Hyre

Hi John,

Not surprisingly, I agree with most of what Soros had to say in the Der Spiegel interview. I especially agree with his proposal for the issuance of "euro bonds" to stabilize the euro zone. Alas, it may indeed require that Greece (possibly, even Portugal) bow out of the eurozone for this to work though.
BTW, I agree with you (and Soros) that Obama's stimulus investments were mis-directed --- it seems he was really a Republican in disguise afterall.

Gack! We agree on something? And with Soros too? Embarassing all around.

I am generally not fond of taxing one group to fund the misdeeds of another. But here, I'll make an exception: Go ahead and tax the Germans (but not me!) to cover the rest of Europe's out of control spending. From a personal-ish standpoint, it means that American banks with huge exposure from having insured German loans to Greece et al are unlikely to take a hit and come crying to US government & taxpayers for more lucre, not to mention possibly avoiding a crisis that would make the subprime panic look like a picnic. I'm sure the German bankers will agree, though your average Heinz on the street may not be quite so enthusiastic. Let's see if Kriegeschuldgefuehlen still run deep enough for Germans to blindly pay yet more on behalf of Europe....and also on behalf of cynical Americans in places like Columbus, Ohio.

Perhaps if we put the word "Sozial" in front of "steuern", it will work....that word seems to do the trick with Germans in other contexts. Then again, they may be tired of following the rules, being financially "vernuenftig" (essentially "prudent", a very German characteristic with money) and getting shellacked anyway.

Interesting times we live in.

John Hyre

JHyre wrote:Gack! We agree on something? And with Soros too? Embarassing all around.

I am generally not fond of taxing one group to fund the misdeeds of another. But here, I'll make an exception: Go ahead and tax the Germans (but not me!) to cover the rest of Europe's out of control spending. From a personal-ish standpoint, it means that American banks with huge exposure from having insured German loans to Greece et al are unlikely to take a hit and come crying to US government & taxpayers for more lucre, not to mention possibly avoiding a crisis that would make the subprime panic look like a picnic. I'm sure the German bankers will agree, though your average Heinz on the street may not be quite so enthusiastic. Let's see if Kriegeschuldgefuehlen still run deep enough for Germans to blindly pay yet more on behalf of Europe....and also on behalf of cynical Americans in places like Columbus, Ohio.

Perhaps if we put the word "Sozial" in front of "steuern", it will work....that word seems to do the trick with Germans in other contexts. Then again, they may be tired of following the rules, being financially "vernuenftig" (essentially "prudent", a very German characteristic with money) and getting shellacked anyway.

Interesting times we live in.

John Hyre

Indeed, embarrassing all around! Are you losing your edge?

I think it's time for the big kid on the block (Germany) to take the financial hit in order to stabilize the euro zone situation --- even if that results in bale-outs for the big American banks (as distasteful as that thought is to me). Germany's economic growth has now come to a standstill and I don't think they have any choice but to stoke the furnace ... particularly since they are (and will continue to be) the main beneficiary of euro zone trade. Yes, strange bedfellows sometimes.

g~j couldn't resist sharing this one...
but when we stop chuckling over the ludicrous~farce it presents...
we may just want to gag!

Can TSA change make Obama a shoe-in?

With unemployment high, consumer confidence battered and the general outlook as grim as a Cormac McCarthy novel, Barack Obama may have virtually no chance of victory in 2012.
Or so I thought until his Homeland Security chief, Janet Napolitano, offered a glimpse of his re-election strategy:

Letting us keep our shoes on when we go through airport security.

Is there any change in our ordinary lives since 9/11 that has seemed more ridiculous, annoying and unnecessary? Putting our bags on conveyor belts and submitting to body-imaging scanners manned by TSA agents are a tolerable hassle compared to this one. A nation that can invent the iPhone ought to be able to find a better way of preventing planes from being blown up.

And apparently the administration has.
I can see Obama making his pitch at the Democratic convention:

"The Republican way of fighting terrorism was making you take off your shoes at the airport and stand around in your socks.

My way? Killing Osama bin Laden -- and letting you keep your shoes on!"
(Followed by a thunderous, 15-minute standing ovation.)

It may seem like a small gift. But that's more than we get from a lot of politicians.

ABC News:

Napolitano said that eventually travelers will be able to keep their shoes on as screening methods improve.
“We are moving towards an intelligence and risk-based approach to how we screen,” she said. “I think one of the first things you will see over time is the ability to keep your shoes on. One of the last things is the reduction or limitation on liquids.”

pssst... lots more where those came from

Obama and the Art of the Cave-in - by Ralph Nader

http://www.readersupportednews.org/opin ... he-cave-in

Why I'm Suing Barack Obama - Chris Hedges

http://readersupportednews.org/off-site ... rack-obama

There must be a cocktail that's made with the tears liberals shed because Obama is not leftist enough for them (an amazing feat in itself). Let's call it the Barry Sour. The picture looked real good on the menu (nice red tinge with a slice of lime on the edge of the glass) but alas it comes with a strong bitter aftertaste of unemployment and shattered promises.


Barry sour - looks better than it tastes.

otravers wrote:There must be a cocktail that's made with the tears liberals shed because Obama is not leftist enough for them (an amazing feat in itself). Let's call it the Barry Sour. The picture looked real good on the menu (nice red tinge with a slice of lime on the edge of the glass) but alas it comes with a strong bitter aftertaste of unemployment and shattered promises.

Barry-sour.jpg

Barry sour - looks better than it tastes.

Too true! We progressives have shed a lot of tears lamenting the fact that Obama is a closet Republican. As to the Barry Sour, it looks like a sissy drink to me. High unemployment and shattered promises are the purview of those on the dark side of the political perspective.