tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post902929334458591550..comments2024-03-28T00:18:25.641-07:00Comments on Calafia Beach Pundit: Disturbing parallels between the U.S. and ArgentinaScott Grannishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-64340787902267478832010-04-28T07:47:56.774-07:002010-04-28T07:47:56.774-07:00Public,
I am not well versed in agricultural subs...Public,<br /><br />I am not well versed in agricultural subsidisies, but I would line up with you in their elimination. I also agree with the notion that business will automatically try to consolidate itself away from competition and towards monopoly. The nature of business is to maximize profits and one way to do that is to minimize competition. But I can buy food at many places, as I can buyBobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18190525712352815677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-8077281709790753602010-04-27T21:39:54.786-07:002010-04-27T21:39:54.786-07:00Doug: I think the Wall Street guys were looking fo...Doug: I think the Wall Street guys were looking for a quid pro quo with their donations. Goldman Sachs has always been the most liberal of the Wall Street firms, by the way. But I believe that Obama is very anti-business and anti-Wall St. He is a populist who will throw anyone under the bus if it serves his purpose. <br /><br />In any event, I think this whole thing about Goldman Sachs is much Scott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-60670773473149844872010-04-27T04:11:11.403-07:002010-04-27T04:11:11.403-07:00Scott, I am puzzled about consistent references to...Scott, I am puzzled about consistent references to Obama's "Obama's contempt for Wall Street and Big Business" Goldman Sachs was Obama's largest Corporate contributor, and Wall Street was very generous generally to him. From my point of view it seems like these people, lauded by people frequenting this blog, and who are after all, investors knew what they were doing. They Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17167327283573273716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-33448436472082230482010-04-26T17:52:42.036-07:002010-04-26T17:52:42.036-07:00Public,
OK I get your point. I think we have some...Public,<br /><br />OK I get your point. I think we have some common ground here. <br /><br />Bigger IS not always better. But SOMETIMES it CAN be. That was the essence of my Wal Mart example. Clearly you don't agree. That's perfectly fine. But we can't go back to the 1950s when everything looked like Cobble Hill in Brooklyn. These giants are with us and folks are just going to have toJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-12441152112320053942010-04-26T08:29:43.600-07:002010-04-26T08:29:43.600-07:00Bob,
Do you know why your avocados cost .65 to $1...Bob,<br /><br />Do you know why your avocados cost .65 to $1 year round? This is the debate we are having which you clearly missed. <br /><br />You should do a little research and find out how much of our food chain is subsidized by the government. You might be so elated about the cheap produce your taxes are funding. <br /><br />Although maybe you would rather have the government dictate your Public Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017383928897945054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-11639271380566082592010-04-25T22:52:23.479-07:002010-04-25T22:52:23.479-07:00Scott,
The following link is to an excellent Powe...Scott,<br /><br />The following link is to an excellent Power Point presentation regarding the Parallels between the U.S. and Argentina's collapse.<br /><br /><br />http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/soundmanjay-344588-dont-cry-america-obamacare-socialism-argentina-ppspap-business-finance-ppt-powerpoint/CDLIChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01216074401236580903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-13075122018685263522010-04-24T17:43:12.401-07:002010-04-24T17:43:12.401-07:00Bob,
Thank you for your input. Sometimes I think ...Bob,<br /><br />Thank you for your input. Sometimes I think I am alone with my discussion partner here except for Scott (who I am sure reads every post) and maybe Benj. <br /><br />Public,<br /><br />Sir, I also believe you are a good guy and I hope our differences have not soured our willingness to respect each other's point of view. I have a diverse family whose beliefs span an equally Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-68902018592120478012010-04-24T07:40:50.055-07:002010-04-24T07:40:50.055-07:00Nice exchange Public and John.
Scorecard: John4...Nice exchange Public and John.<br /><br />Scorecard: John4, Public 0<br /><br />I am an amatuer cook, a hobbyist at best but I enjoy it. Locally I shop at Winn Dixie, Publix, and WalMart for grocery items. By far the most diversity( they have a great Mexican and Asian section) and best prices come from Walmart, especially their produce section. I don't know where else I can get Hass Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18190525712352815677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-8642689555029560712010-04-23T13:52:46.631-07:002010-04-23T13:52:46.631-07:00Walmart, Costco, Target, they are all the same. Th...Walmart, Costco, Target, they are all the same. Throw-in Ikea too. Walmart just happens to be the bottom of the barrel on many levels.<br /><br />Sadly the days of local artisans almost vanished but you can see them resurfacing in communities around the country. People are beginning to demand higher quality, better prepared, and more locally sourced products from people they know and trust. <br /Public Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017383928897945054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-14009737207824681762010-04-23T12:25:03.548-07:002010-04-23T12:25:03.548-07:00Public,
I am all for people connecting and caring...Public,<br /><br />I am all for people connecting and caring for one another. But my cousins shopping at Wal Mart are not the cause of the problems you see and want to correct (which is fine-everyone should be civic minded and involved in how they wish the country to evolve). We do however live in a competitive economy. There is no escaping that. You don't like it because it creates things Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-21371526633403310832010-04-23T11:58:31.388-07:002010-04-23T11:58:31.388-07:00John,
Banks:
The small banks are now insolvent be...John,<br /><br />Banks:<br />The small banks are now insolvent because they leaped into CRE. Why? They couldn't compete with Citi, WaMu, or BofA on standard banking services. Our lust for economies of scale are one ingredient in the disaster pie. <br /><br />I think we both agree bank regulation is necessary and in-progress. However, allowing any company (or group of a few companies), to Public Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017383928897945054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-43131186654177304772010-04-23T11:01:07.038-07:002010-04-23T11:01:07.038-07:00Public,
First the banks. I agree with your conten...Public,<br /><br />First the banks. I agree with your contention that large banks that are mismanaged and become a danger to the economy therby need to be regulated so the risk is reduced to the point it no longer is a problem. I don't like it any more than you. I think it is being addressed. But there is plenty of competition in the banking industry. I stand by my previous post on that. <br Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-43503414664054995172010-04-23T09:00:58.558-07:002010-04-23T09:00:58.558-07:00John,
I appreciate the thoughtful response. Obvio...John,<br /><br />I appreciate the thoughtful response. Obviously I do not agree but I still appreciate your insight.<br /><br />Couple things to note. Despite local banks competing, they will never reach the size + concentration to cripple the American economy. See the 2008 insolvency crisis. It was not a credit crunch as some seem to believe. <br /><br />If the banking system required a massive Public Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017383928897945054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-23734135670662943752010-04-22T15:34:53.731-07:002010-04-22T15:34:53.731-07:00Public,
I can understand your anti big corporate ...Public,<br /><br />I can understand your anti big corporate feelings. I realize I'm not going to change your mind with this and that's OK. But sometimes big CAN be better for the most people. For instance, Wal Mart's size drives such incredible economies of scale that prices are just ridiculous on a lot of items. They are brutal to compete against, but that's free enterprise. I Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-88013647108854209952010-04-22T12:52:20.837-07:002010-04-22T12:52:20.837-07:00How much we want to continue subsidizing corporate...How much we want to continue subsidizing corporate centralization of the American economy is worth discussing. <br /><br />We should not be slaves to a system controlled by 5 corporations in banking, 5 in food production, 3 in car production, and so on.<br /><br />It's actually as un-American as Big.Gov. There is a tremendous fight going on exactly because both the private and public sectors Public Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017383928897945054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-13462529328439262212010-04-22T11:04:35.612-07:002010-04-22T11:04:35.612-07:00"Think Ron Paul."
Presumably, you mean ..."Think Ron Paul."<br /><br />Presumably, you mean Ron Paul running as an independent. In other words, throw your vote away and effectively help re-elect Obama.<br /><br />Brilliant.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06843411100678811292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-27076749229308180672010-04-22T10:42:19.854-07:002010-04-22T10:42:19.854-07:00The pension system within the military is the reli...The pension system within the military is the relic, not the military itself. Given that there is always need for efficiencies, it is still and always will be incumbent upon the LEADER of the free world to maintain a military strong enough to defer any possible attempt to change that balance of power. <br /><br />Ron Paul libertarians do not understand what leadership means. It does not mean Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18190525712352815677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-23422624947931067512010-04-22T10:28:10.621-07:002010-04-22T10:28:10.621-07:00Forget the Republican Party, or the Dem. Party (al...Forget the Republican Party, or the Dem. Party (although I was impressed when Clinton proposed and got surplus budgets from an R-Party Congress). <br /><br />Think Ron Paul. <br /><br />As to Alaska, those military bases are antiques. Cold War relics. Now we must maintain a military designed to fight the Soviet Union--the SU with 2 million men in uniform, thousands of tanks, blue water navy, airBenjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-35082219319234216172010-04-22T09:41:50.669-07:002010-04-22T09:41:50.669-07:00We are facing something like $76 trillion in unfun...We are facing something like $76 trillion in unfunded liabilities, not counting the Obamacare disaster. We may not end up like Argentina, but it won't be because Obamanomics pulled us out of the hole. Something like Paul Ryan's Roadmap, or Chris Christie's slash-and-burn method, is needed.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06843411100678811292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-50066754917718906672010-04-22T09:18:07.135-07:002010-04-22T09:18:07.135-07:00Public: I'm not arguing that we are going to e...Public: I'm not arguing that we are going to end up like Argentina, nor do I believe it. But we are doing an increasing number of the bad and stupid things that Argentina has done, no question. How much further down that road we go is the question, and it is worth asking.Scott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-15891162720556038422010-04-22T09:12:26.847-07:002010-04-22T09:12:26.847-07:00Obama's contempt for Wall Street and Big Busin...Obama's contempt for Wall Street and Big Business come straight out of the Peronists' playbook. It is a real shame that we have to endure this.Scott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-49466554111272037582010-04-22T08:44:17.255-07:002010-04-22T08:44:17.255-07:00Does anyone in this country really believe we are ...Does anyone in this country really believe we are headed to an Argentinian ending or is this tea party propaganda surfacing?Public Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017383928897945054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-44312003700643659702010-04-22T07:09:02.255-07:002010-04-22T07:09:02.255-07:00As some of you know I try to avoid political discu...As some of you know I try to avoid political discussions but I read something this morning many of you may find of interest. <br /><br />Bespoke Investment Group mentioned yesterday that according to Intrade(I believe a provider of futures data)the republicans have a 50.1% probability of retaking the House of Representatives VS 45% for the Democrats. <br /><br />I realize it is still a long way Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-30943058930934709082010-04-22T06:51:57.874-07:002010-04-22T06:51:57.874-07:00Lauren LaCapra has a very good piece on the Presid...Lauren LaCapra has a very good piece on the President on Wall Street and financial regultion at thestreet.com. <br /><br />For those of you following the financial sector I recommend it as a pretty good read. I also think it is roughly relevant to this topic.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652253509768573561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-18859256914771319812010-04-22T06:31:58.060-07:002010-04-22T06:31:58.060-07:00"Personal attacks are fine, but how about som..."Personal attacks are fine, but how about some real solutions?"<br /><br />Not every post criticizing Obama requires you to re-write the same "Red State Socialist" non-sequitur. <br /><br />"I suggest rough parity--every state get back form the feds roughly what they send. This would also balance the budget, btw. Have you a better solution?"<br /><br />Well we had a Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06843411100678811292noreply@blogger.com