We have read about the unemployment rate being high. Really anything around six percent is pretty good and it is less than that now according to the statistics, but some politicians say it is terrible and others say it is reasonable. It depends upon which side of the isle you sit.
Our Washington geniuses claim they are working on finding more employment. We have lost 2.7 million jobs over the last 3 years. That doesn't matter if you are NOT one of them. Finger pointing by everyone in our capitol blames "the other guy", but especially China and India. The total of jobs going overseas is only 300,000 out of the 2.7 million. Where did the other 2.4 million jobs go?
As the economy slowed down in 2000 due to the increasing interest rates companies had to do something to keep profits. The work week could be shortened if you did not have a production line, but that doesn't work for service businesses. All unnecessary workers were laid off. As business contracted machines became idle and more people were chopped. But that was not enough. More production efficiencies were put in place so that fewer workers would be able to turn out the same amount of goods.
Production dropped from the 92% to about 75% of capacity today. When a company has 100 machines and only 75 of them are producing there is no incentive for management to buy more machines.
Sir Alan can try to stimulate further by lowering rates even more, but how much below 1% can you go? He could buy long-term bonds to further reduce rates to continue to stimulate the housing market, but financial stimulus does not create wealth. The banks borrow from the Fed at 1% to buy long-term government bonds that yield 4.2%. If I were a banker and could lock in 3.2% with no risk why should I make loans to businesses? And beside that I can fire all my loan officers to save more money.
But we need more employment. How? The Federal government is hiring more people every day. These are new jobs, BUT they do not contribute to the overall economy. In fact every new government worker is another tax. In a factory a worker turns out products that adds to what is called Gross Domestic Product. A government worker turns out nothing and adds zero to the GDP and even has to give back part of his salary in taxes. The IRS takes in the money, gives it to Congress who creates burocracies that hire people to recirculate the cash. Every government worker is a tax.
This makes the employment numbers look good, but adds nothing to our economic production. It is a way to keep money flowing. It puts money in peoples' pockets that keeps us marching in place. Until real productive job are created by business we are just fooling ourselves.
Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.
1-888-345-7870; http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
Those who are above the law or act as such... Read More
One way to increase evaporation in the ocean might be... Read More
Much of our personal and cultural perspective on the world... Read More
IntroductionThe way one lyrist has written, "Hum logo ko samajh... Read More
This is the fourth and final article in a series... Read More
Using Harmonic Beams to Pre-Detonate Shoulder Launched Surface to Air... Read More
US Steel prices have cost franchisees in my company and... Read More
Prosecutors with political ambitions are known to modify the truth... Read More
An irresponsible Chinese General made a very telling comment recently.... Read More
All UAVs Need a Self Destruct BLOS DeviceWhat do you... Read More
Let's make one thing clear: This Dan Nelson Automotive fiasco... Read More
Tax Evasion has been used to criminalize many, Nixon did... Read More
As a result of the conflict analysis exercise and a... Read More
"Rugged individualism" is actually a euphemism for Thomas Hobbes' baseless... Read More
Aspartame activists are constantly being attacked because all data are... Read More
Iran has threatened to raise America's fuel prices again. They... Read More
I am not an African-American. Don't call me an African... Read More
Capitalism as the social structure was founded in order to... Read More
The globalist's are the new breed, the new generation if... Read More
The civil war in Iraq seems to be much more... Read More
The US-backed Road Map peace plan had no real chance... Read More
There is no doubt in hindsight that Sarbanes Oxley was... Read More
I, too, am saddened by the disaster in New Orleans... Read More
A governing.com report blast one of the major grassroots initiatives... Read More
City Governments is their quest for; "quality of life" often... Read More
home cleaning services Mundelein ..Political strategists, branding gurus and image consultants could learn a... Read More
There is a connection between economic growth and unemployment. There... Read More
All government regulators or diplomat who are in high risk... Read More
The 'Land of the Free' is teaming with individual rights... Read More
In these times when states are suffering extreme downward pressure... Read More
There is something egregiously wrong about a government that will... Read More
I am personally calling for a total disbanding of the... Read More
Many of those who wish to fight for our country... Read More
When Boris Yeltsin spoke about an experiment that 'they' wrought... Read More
One third of all fertilized eggs spontaneously abort and are... Read More
UNAUTHORIZED HACKINGThe term "computer hacking" traditionally describes the penetration into... Read More
You are not going to believe what is going on... Read More
It is amazing how the Federal Trade Commission has destroyed... Read More
With pain rocking through my whole body today, I cast... Read More
Britain has a proud tradition of valiant armed forces and... Read More
Using Harmonic Beams to Pre-Detonate Shoulder Launched Surface to Air... Read More
How many legs does a dog have if you call... Read More
As we increase our populations every new soul will require... Read More
A quick look back at NAFTA; how did we do?Stabilizing... Read More
"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when... Read More
There is no doubt in hindsight that Sarbanes Oxley was... Read More
I, too, am saddened by the disaster in New Orleans... Read More
How can any human being today, anywhere in this world,... Read More
For years I have been amazed as I've listened to... Read More
"Fahrenheit 9/11" auteur Michael Moore recently fueled the epidemic of... Read More
Political |