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How low interest rates from the banks created 2009 financial crisis were squeezing Americans and most of all seniors
06/05/2024
In 2010 Charles Schwab pointed out that low interest rates were squeezing Americans, most of all seniors on fixed incomes and pensions. In 2024 first quarter the higher interest rates in one quarter alone created an additional $770 billion in interest and dividends for Americans, many of them seniors, according to US Federal Reserve. This is the damage done by the recklessness of the banks and financial sector and seniors have paid heavily for this and for the wars in the Middle East which reduced the growth potential of the US economy that were embraced by Reagan and Bush, Trump and Obama. The war money was not used to build new infrastructure to replace the old as it should have been leading to China having new infrastructure and America's being aging and worn out.
Linked Articles
Low Interest Rates Are Squeezing Seniors
Wall Street Journal 03/30/2010
Americans Have More Investment Income Than Ever BeforeWSJ 06/05/2024
A parting of ways with Mr. Trump- Mr. Trump's Attorney General Barr followed by VP Mike Pence and now Joint Chief chairman Gen. Milley
09/30/2023
All three of the senior most members of Trump's administration make a parting of ways with Mr. Trump when it comes to the Constitution of the United States of America, free and fair elections, the separation of powers between Congress the Executive branch and the Judiciary, and the smooth transfer of power every four years to a newly elected government, with all 435 members of Congress elected every 2 years, checks and balances put in place by the framers of the US Constitution including Jefferson and Madison to protect Democratic form of government enshrined in the words "We the People.."
Linked Articles
Gen. Mark Milley Warns of Fealty to Dictators, in Exit Speech Aimed at Trump
WSJ 09/29/2023
Opinion | General Milley and the ‘Wannabe Dictator’WSJ 09/29/2023
Severe floods in Germany 2021 Italy 2023 and effects of climate change in Europe
05/21/2023
The floods in Germany and Europe, the severe drought in parts of Spain and Italy are seen as signs climate change is here. At one southernmost point in Sicily the temperature recently reached about 49 degrees centigrade the highest ever in Europe.
Linked Articles
Italy’s disasters suggest the climate crisis is at the gates of Europe
The Guardian 05/18/2023
Scores dead, hundreds missing after massive floods in Germany, BelgiumFrance 24 07/16/2021
How the Russian invasion of a neighboring country has not worked in line with European history
04/07/2023
Scholz of Germany says Putin started this war for absurd reasons. NATO he says was never a threat to Russia. Russia invaded a neighboring country with the idea of conquering it. Scholz says Putin was taking a felt tip pen across the European landscape and drawing this is yours, this mine. And he says Germany would never accept that. Brendan Simms in his History of Europe- The struggle for Supremacy 1452 to the Present, is on German chancellor Scholz's reading list since 2021. It shows that for 500 years no dominant European power was able to do act with impunity without the rest of Europe joining together to prevent it. This war is not an exception. The European Union countries stuck together to make it possible for Ukraine to carry on even with generators to keep the lights on and supermarket shelves well stocked. In this sense the outcome of this war is already known. It has followed what Brendan Simms has pointed out already.
Linked Articles
Germany's Scholz says Putin started war for 'completely absurd' reasons | DW | 21.08.2022
DW.COM 08/23/2022
Thwarting Vladimir Putin: The Ukrainian Economy Just Keeps On Going - DER SPIEGELSPIEGEL ONLINE 04/07/2023
How the transition from the Soviet Union in 1985-1989 was mismanaged by Gorbachev leading to a 40% drop in GDP, 2000% inflation, drop in life expectancy , worse than the US Great Depression in the 1930's
09/03/2022
It is not commonly known in the US how bad the collapse was in Russia after 1989. An understanding of this in the US and Europe not just of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and its effect on Eastern Europe and West Germany, is needed to get a complete understanding of what happened and the events leading up to the war in Ukraine and threats to US and the EU. It also helps in framing solutions for the future that include lessons learned.
Linked Articles
Mikhail Gorbachev, Germany's most beloved Russian, has died | DW | 31.08.2022
DW.COM 08/31/2022
Opinion | Wonking Out: The Nightmare After GorbachevNYTimes.com 09/03/2022
Common sense and wisdom for passage to India Pakistan trade after the floods in 2022 with one third of Pakistan under water
08/30/2022
In 2012 Michael Boskin, who helped George W. Bush, with the NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement, wrote this article in the WSJ about the normal trade using trade models that take into account the advantage of cross border trade and size of economies would be 20 times the $2.7 billion in trade between India and Pakistan in 2012. This would be $50 billion. This would have increased to $100 billion by 2020 under normal trade. Instead in the year of the 2022 floods when Pakistan is one third under water, and cross border trade never made more sense, the OEC data show trade at less than $300 million or one three hundredth portion of what trade could be if normalized.
Linked Articles
Pakistan: Food prices soar amid floods | DW | 30.08.2022
DW.COM 08/30/2022
Michael Boskin: A Passage to India-Pakistan PeaceWSJ 04/15/2012
US 100 day review of strategic vulnerabilities in 2021
03/10/2021
Linked Articles
China’s Rise Drives a U.S. Experiment in Industrial Policy
WSJ 03/10/2021
America’s Battery-Powered Car Hopes Ride on Lithium. One Producer Paves the Way.WSJ 03/09/2021
A new dawn for American manufacturing
12/15/2020
After three decades of decline American manufacturing reached a low point in 2020. Yet negative trends of low capital investment, lack of supply chain onshore, lack of investment in new technologies, are now being reversed. The warnings of the Trump administration are having an effect. There is now hope for a bright future with new investment and new technologies to regain U.S. leadership in manufacturing that it held for most of the twentieth century.
Linked Articles
U.S. Manufacturing: Why 2020 Was the Bottom of a Long Decline
WSJ 12/15/2020
The Covid Crisis Taught David Farr the Power and Limits of LeadershipWSJ 12/04/2020
Trump, Microsoft and the ban on TikTok
08/04/2020
Microsoft would have to make a large outlay for TikTok with uncertain prospects as TikTok is losing money. The closer it gets to the U.S. ban date of September 15 the steeper the drop in value of TikTok.
Linked Articles
Trump Says U.S. Should Get Slice of TikTok Sale Price
WSJ 08/03/2020
Microsoft May Test the Faith With TikTokWSJ 08/03/2020
Ashwini Bhide and the Mumbai Metro- getting infrastructure done in India on time
10/05/2019
The desperate need for good infrastructure and millions of people in Mumbai who have put up for too long with creaky infrastructure. The Mumbai Metro led by Ashwini Bhide is a path breaking effort to speed things up, as the WSJ points out. As before petitions and other methods are used to stall projects. This time the courts not only dismissed the petition about cutting trees in Aarey Colony, north Mumbai, but also fined the petitioners Rs 50,000 for filing a frivolous petition. Trees are important, as few trees as possible are being cut for the new Metro, and new trees are being planted to replace them.
Linked Articles
WSJ 05/08/2023
‘Activists should accept defeat honourably’: Mumbai Metro MD on Aarey rowHindustan Times 10/05/2019
The moderating influence of business executives Gary Cohn, Wilbur Ross and Muilenburg on president Trump- change in policy on NAFTA, Mexico, China and Export Import Bank
04/14/2017
Business executives help moderate the campaign positions taken by Donald Trump during the first 100 days of his presidency, putting him closer to the traditional view on China, Mexico, NATO and Russia.
Linked Articles
Donald Trump’s Recent Policy Reversals Reflect Business Influence
WSJ 04/14/2017
Within Trump’s inner circle, a moderate voice captures the president’s earWashington Post 04/14/2017
Speaker Paul Ryan's House seat in Janesville, Wisconsin- improving economy in a U.S. midwestern factory town and the debate on trade, help for working class families
08/10/2016
The unemployment rate in Janesville, Wisconsin drops to 4.4% in May 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was over 9% following the closing of the GM plant and the recession from the 2008 financial crisis. A working class town Janesville was hit hard by the closing of the GM plant in 2008. Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post describes the impact of losing about 5000 jobs at the GM plant, and the problems typical of most manufacturing dependent towns. Throughout the period since being first elected to Congress in 1998 Ryan has continued to be able to get elected on the basis of faith, family and public service, even though some of his policies may not have helped the poor and elderly or laid off workers. Ryan voted for rescuing the auto industry and worked hard to keep the GM plant, and listens to his constituents, and as the economy recovered by 2016 won easily in this old industrial midwestern town. His influence in national politics gives Janesville an opportunity to be heard, as it tackles problems common to many midwestern towns in the U.S.
Linked Articles
Could Paul Ryan’s ideas help his struggling home town? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/19/2012
Paul Ryan beats outsider 'mini-Donald Trump' challenger in Wisconsin primaryThe Guardian 08/10/2016
The dangers in the Trump position of high tariffs for the U.S. and global economy- instead of higher growth consensus of estimates point to U.S. and global recession and layoffs
03/25/2016
Linked Articles
Five myths about trade - The Washington Post
Washington Post 04/10/2016
How Trump’s Hard Line on Trade Could BackfireWall Street Journal 03/25/2016
"Pay their fair share of taxes" Biden asks of corporations showing 2017 predecessor tax cuts did not increase investment and added $100 billion yearly to the US Deficit
03/08/2024
By paying their fair share of taxes Biden says in State of Union speech to US Congress 2024 one can increase investment in education, affordable childcare and better living for seniors in their homes, and still cut the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars. What is fair share? Certainly not zero percent that 55 of the largest corporations paid on $40 billion in profits in 2020, and corporate minimum tax was introduced at levels of 15% for which most ordinary Americans are not eligible for. And certainly not 8.2% that Biden said was being paid by 1000 billionaires in the US. Not a single penny more is being asked of hard working Americans earning less than $400,000 a year. Biden said he wanted to see the corporate minimum tax at 21% not 15%, and the top corporate tax rate set at 28% not the 21% that it was reduced to in 2017 from 35%. In short his predecessor turned to help companies and billionaires profit from the popular distress of the shipping of jobs overseas and the 2009 financial crisis caused by Bank executives without investing the nation's capital resources in manufacturing at home in scale to match and exceed China's. And at the same time neglecting to do anything about the concerns of the people for ease of living- affordable access to childcare, preschool education, education, health care to match Europe/China/India in quality and cost, and aging transportation infrastructure of airports, subways, roads and bridges. The savings when this is done properly go to cut the deficit by over 4 trillion dollars and keep America as the leader of all G-20 economies.
Linked Articles
Biden Draws Sharp Contrast With Trump in State of the Union
WSJ 03/07/2024
Biden Pushes More Corporate-Tax Hikes to Draw Contrast With TrumpWSJ 03/07/2024
How deceitful and self serving use of immigration in the UK led to making a good economy worse, and with strict immigration policy in Greece made a bad economic situation better
05/22/2023
How a strict migration policy in Greece leads to a 90% drop in migration and brings Greece in line with the rest of the European Union including Italy and Germany on migrant policy. Merkel simply and clearly made a serious error in letting in migrants through Hungary and Austria because it led to anti migration sentiment throughout the EU, to Brexit, to the sidelining of parties that worked in the interests of workers and families throughout Europe for a decade in which distorted economic policy lost public support till the pandemic made things even worse.
Linked Articles
Has Brexit left Britain in a better state?
The Times 05/21/2023
With His Party Ahead in Elections, Greek Leader Claims ‘Political Earthquake’NYTimes.com 05/22/2023
The collapse of American education and the slowest growth in America's history 2000-2020 as Biden tries to reverse this in 2024
05/19/2023
Krugman looks at the extraordinary effort put in by Robert Gordon of Northwestern University to look at the growth of America since 1850 over periods 1850-1870, 1870-1910, 1910-1950, 1950-2000 and 2000-2020 showing that the last 20 years have the lowest growth in American history. Gordon looks at the near collapse of American education, scores on NAEP of two thirds of 8th graders failing reading comprehension reflect this sad state of affairs that president Biden is trying to reverse in 2024. Other research shows a drop in potential GDP of 2 percentage points when education is failing as it has been for 2 decades. Other researchers have shown what is openly evident today that technology such as social media do more harm, that other internet use technology has not done much for education only established monopolies as with Google and Apple.
Linked Articles
Paul Krugman Reviews ‘The Rise and Fall of American Growth’ by Robert J. Gordon
New York Times 01/25/2016
'Secular Stagnation' May Be for RealWall Street Journal 08/27/2014
Friendshoring- US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Jake Sullivan NSA Advisor's call to invest in India
03/07/2023
American leaders president Biden, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan call for friendshoring- to invest in Indian manufacturing. This will reduce concentration of manufacturing in one country and create abetter more resilient supply chain. The pandemic and supply chain problems that added to inflation showed the extraordinary risks of the existing supply chain. As pointed out by FInance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in an interview at Raisina Dialogue India is creating the right conditions to attract foreign investors in Indian maufacturing for advanced technologies.
Linked Articles
U.S. Pursues India as a Supply-Chain Alternative to China
WSJ 03/06/2023
Raisina Dialogue 2023: In conversation with Finance Minister Nirmala SitharamanThe Economic Times 03/06/2023
Biden at Independence Hall Philadelphia in 2022 and Lincoln in 1861 on the way to the White House at the start of the Civil War- "Battle for the Soul of the Nation"
09/03/2022
At key points in the life of these United States of America- Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, TR and FDR, and now Biden, speak at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on the idea, that principle, in the Declaration for which they are willing to give their lives to defend. For the people of the world, the people of India, the rest of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia this has brought new meaning and hope since these words were written- "We believe that all men are created equal and they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." "It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight should be lifted from the shoulders of men, and they would all have an equal chance." (Lincoln)
Linked Articles
Biden delivers speech on "battle for the soul of the nation" in Philadelphia | full speech
YouTube 09/02/2022
Remarks by President Biden on the Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation | The White HouseThe White House 12/24/2022
The origins of the coronavirus and the 2018 NIH lifting of a US ban on virus research that increases transmissibility
06/04/2021
Dr. Fauci, NIH, HHS, lifted the ban on research and manipulation of virus in lab settings in 2018 The role played by the Cambridge Group of scientists who opposed lifting the ban on gain of function research for surveillance purposes. The US public and the public in the world in India, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America unaware of what was going on. The devastating effects of the coronavirus in 202 and 2021 and the lack of a vaccine in 2020, lack of a vaccine in sufficient quantities in 2021. The paltry benefits of surveillance compared to the great risks of something going wrong, as pointed out by the Cambridge Group. Why was it ignored in 2018. Who makes decisions for public health in the world. Can the US make decisions for India, the people in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Does even the US public know about it, much less the public in the world at large. What power is given by the US Constitution to US government agencies on matters of public health. How are a few individuals at HHS and NIH accountable to the public in the US and the world at large.
Linked Articles
Opinion | Anthony Fauci and the Wuhan Lab
WSJ 06/03/2021
Ban on gain-of-function studies endsThe Lancet Infectious Diseases 06/04/2021
The rendezvous of Jupiter and Saturn in 2020, the last in 1623, and the 200 billion stars in The Milky Way
12/22/2020
Linked Articles
The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn | DW | 21.12.2020
DW.COM 12/21/2020
What 21 stars tell us about the Universe | DW | 22.12.2020DW.COM 12/22/2020
What does a 79 year old Professor of Public Policy at Harvard mean by "The Upswing" ?
12/05/2020
Linked Articles
In 'The Upswing,' History Holds The Keys To Moving Away From Today's Tumultuous Age
NPR.org 12/05/2020
Opinion | Why Did Racial Progress Stall in America?NYTimes.com 12/05/2020
Broken promises to Ireland- Boris Johnson's version of Brexit
10/05/2019
Even dire hard loyalists in Northern Ireland are now shifting their position to favor a united Ireland, says a report in The Times. Polls now show a majority in Ireland may now be in favor of a reunited Ireland for the first time in history. The Unionist DUP party may no longer reflect the views of the people of Ireland. The Guardian points out that Boris Johnson's version of Brexit means broken promises to Ireland made by Britain. People in Ireland are beginning to realize that they may be better off in a united Ireland than in the Britain visualized by Boris Johnson which puts Ireland's interests last.
Linked Articles
How Brexit is pushing even loyalists towards a united Ireland
The Times 10/05/2019
The Guardian view on the backstop proposals: Britain’s broken promise | EditorialThe Guardian 10/03/2019
Emmanuel Macron and the challenge of reviving France's economy
05/08/2017
France's central bank chief Noyer points out that once the public sector crosses the line of 55% of the economy France loses ground. Jobs created are from an earlier period, and fewer new technology jobs of the future are created. The challenge for Macron is to rein in the public sector and revive French industry so new jobs are created for young people.
Linked Articles
Macron's presidency: It's the economy, stupid! | Business | DW.COM | 08.05.2017
DW.COM 05/08/2017
The Emperor Creates No JobsWall Street Journal 05/29/2013
Why initiating Brexit by invoking the Lisbon Treaty's Article 50 could go into 2017, or even past 2020 into new general elections- (2) the British economy and the Bank of England's stimulus effort to avoid a recession
08/16/2016
The stimulus action of the Bank of England in August 2016 was designed to avert a recession in Britain. The Bank of England estimates that even with the stimulus the Brexit move will lead to a 1% drop in economic growth every year for 3 years as compared to staying in the European Union. The British public is weary of the austerity programs for 7 years under finance minister Osborne. if higher growth under Brexit turns out to be an illusion as the Bank of England forecasts show, there would be reason for much reflection on the meaning of the vote- seeing it as a rejection of the Cameron-Osborne government in favor of a government more in tune with the interests of working class people under Theresa May.
Linked Articles
Wait and see: Theresa May is in no hurry on Brexit | Europe | DW.COM | 15.08.2016
DW.COM 08/15/2016
Bank of England unveils four-pronged stimulus package in bid to avoid Brexit recessionThe Telegraph 08/04/2016
"Deaths of Despair", the causes and effects in a larger context, and the drop in America's ranking in the Social Progress Index to 19th in 2016
07/01/2016
How the middle aged white Americans 45-54 are faring in the current environment with fewer opportunities and greater vulnerabilities in health, education incomes, savings, quality of life, mortality, upward mobility, for this group. Tragically this means their children and the next generation is also affected in the way fewer opportunities are available in the future. The situation is unique to America with weaker social protection than Europe, and to Britain because of years of austerity. There are no quick fixes with easy slogans, and requires first a national awareness, national consensus, and may require the better part of a generation to solve and restore the hope and promise of Jefferson in making the "inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" available to all.
Linked Articles
Rising Death Rates for Middle-Aged White Americans Are Forcing a Policy Rethink
WSJ 06/30/2016
The U.S. Now Ranks 19th in ‘Social Progress,’ With Finland and Canada Topping the ListWSJ 06/30/2016
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