Edited to add: Here's a link.
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/art...9196354008.html
Full Version: Economy Grows 5.7%, 4-Q, 2009
Hey, something must be going right! I wonder where coverage of this story was in the Fox News line-up...guessed they missed this story since it had something positive to say. Sorry guys, no link, but the AP story, which was in my paper dated 1/30/10, states the 5.7% annul growth rate in the fourth quarter was the fastest pace since 2003, marking two straight (not my word! LOL) quarters of growth, after four quaters of decline. The article goes on to state the growth exceeded expectations, mainly because business spending on equipment and software jumped much more than forecast. (end of article) Hmmm, if business is investing, and buying things, like equipment and software, it appears as though those stimulus dollars really did work! Take that, Rush. Now, hopefully, that uptick will trickle down to Main St. and get things going. Hopefully, this will result in new jobs. It is nice to see good news about the economy for a change. Yup, that is change I can believe in.
Edited to add: Here's a link.
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/art...9196354008.html
Edited to add: Here's a link.
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/art...9196354008.html
We still devalue manufacturing of anything in this country. It generally tends to pay less in both salary and benefits. Marketing is more lucrative than actually making something to market.
It is fine to promote education. But if young people are sent the message that working with your hands is not rewarding or desirable that trend will continue.
Health care and required retirement benefits for those who perform menial manufacturing or service jobs would go a long way toward restoring dignity to those positions.
The political climate for achieving that has been poisoned and so we will likely continue a false economic recovery based on borrowing from overseas and manufacturing money.
Our financial services industry is in severe need of reform. But it is now clear that this will only happen after political reform. Without both we are entering a very dangerous situation as a society.
Industries that do not directly produce or transport actual goods - those such as finance, insurance and even entertainment - must be regulated in such a way as to contribute to the more rewarding functioning of those that do. This can only happen through a system of taxation that transfers wealth from those non-manufacturing sectors to the manufacturing sectors. Other nations have found ways to do this. So must we.
It is fine to promote education. But if young people are sent the message that working with your hands is not rewarding or desirable that trend will continue.
Health care and required retirement benefits for those who perform menial manufacturing or service jobs would go a long way toward restoring dignity to those positions.
The political climate for achieving that has been poisoned and so we will likely continue a false economic recovery based on borrowing from overseas and manufacturing money.
Our financial services industry is in severe need of reform. But it is now clear that this will only happen after political reform. Without both we are entering a very dangerous situation as a society.
Industries that do not directly produce or transport actual goods - those such as finance, insurance and even entertainment - must be regulated in such a way as to contribute to the more rewarding functioning of those that do. This can only happen through a system of taxation that transfers wealth from those non-manufacturing sectors to the manufacturing sectors. Other nations have found ways to do this. So must we.
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