Jenifa_:

^what a fool

Awon to n do e ni fool. Na your Nigerian BF and former Latvian BF you dey talk to.

Jenifa_:

^what a fool

Hey Jenifa,

What are you doing on Saturday? Wanna come to the lower East side and hang out with me and my skilled immigrant friends? We will make it worth your time.

We are  getting so throwed  on Saturday, we ain't went this hard since we graduated Pre-K

I apologize if I say anything I didn’t mean

Like "what's up with your stupidd posts?

We could all have some fun, believe me

Are you daaan Jen?

ekt_bear:

Regarding corporate greed, that is just the culture of the world. Well, at least America, let me put it that way.

If you don't try to make as much money as possible, your stock will be punished, investors will be unhappy, people will write mean things about you

I don't know if you noticed how Apple didn't make the analyst's earnings prediction on Tuesday (but increased their profit by like 50%+), and their stock got pounded (lost about 5% of its value.)

This is a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world. Only the strong survive

I am for corporations trying to increase profit through innovations and improved efficiency but I will not sign up for complete capitalism. The people through its government must provide regulation for the common good of society. If every man acts in his best, then society is doomed. The US is not the only country with stock market. Why is it that there is less volatility in the stock markets of the Scandinavian countries, Australia, and Canada? It is because those countries try to find a good balance. Why should a corporation move operations abroad, fire workers and then expect to import those goods and services back into the US for unemployed workers to buy? Apart from an obvious economic issue here, there is a moral and social one as well. Governments should introduce high tariffs and taxes for corporations who do that to discourage that practice.

You have to realise that extreme capitalism will not only bring about economic problems like that experienced during the great depression and currently in the US and Europe but it also brings social problems. With all of the wealth in the US, why does it have more economic related crime than China and India combined? The constant need for growth is what causes problems in the US. The US, France, and UK all, individually, have more billionaires and Fortune 500 companies than Germany but which country has the lowest poverty, crime, etc? Germany of course. Because the German Mittlestand model promotes empowerment of many rather than a few as practised in the UK, US, and France.

Don't get me wrong, I am not for taxing the rich heavily to distribute to lazy people in the form of welfare but I am for an enabling environment. Barriers to entry is very high in most industries in the US. The IT industry is about the only industry with a lower barrier to entry but even that is creeping up gradually. Most new software companies now require heavy investment from VCs who always demand equity.

How can Americans have a tax system that ensures Buffett pays lower tax than his secretary? Billionaires in the US get away with paying little or no tax; that's not possible in Northern Europe.

It is only a cut-throat world in the US; I suggest you visit the Scandinavian countries and observe how people strike a good balance (work/life; capitalism/socialism). Those living in the US are always stressed, don't relax, work too many hours and then get given 10 - 15 days holiday in a year. That is a joke

ekt_bear

One for the deadbeat southern [/b]Europeans and another for the fiscally [b]prudent northern Europeans.

^^ Northern tribes vs Southern tribes . Please read the Euro/debt debates/opinions of the northern tribes, It's hilarious and almost shocking making NL tribalists sound very civilised indeed . Sincerely, the antics of the southern tribes are shocking and does not merit any sympathy let alone assistance given that they do not inherently believe in paying tax etc. Ireland is in a better position to survive/ help herself with support. They like her fellow northerners are relatively prudent and pay their tax.

Katsumoto:

I am for corporations trying to increase profit through innovations and improved efficiency but I will not sign up for complete capitalism. The people through its government must provide regulation for the common good of society. If every man acts in his best, then society is doomed. The US is not the only country with stock market. Why is it that there is less volatility in the stock markets of the Scandinavian countries, Australia, and Canada? It is because those countries try to find a good balance. Why should a corporation move operations abroad, fire workers and then expect to import those goods and services back into the US for unemployed workers to buy? Apart from an obvious economic issue here, there is a moral and social one as well. Governments should introduce high tariffs and taxes for corporations who do that to discourage that practice.

You have to realise that extreme capitalism will not only bring about economic problems like that experienced during the great depression and currently in the US and Europe but it also brings social problems. With all of the wealth in the US, why does it have more economic related crime than China and India combined? The constant need for growth is what causes problems in the US. The US, France, and UK all, individually, have more billionaires and Fortune 500 companies than Germany but which country has the lowest poverty, crime, etc? Germany of course. Because the German Mittlestand model promotes empowerment of many rather than a few as practised in the UK, US, and France.

Don't get me wrong, I am not for taxing the rich heavily to distribute to lazy people in the form of welfare but I am for an enabling environment. Barriers to entry is very high in most industries in the US. The IT industry is about the only industry with a lower barrier to entry but even that is creeping up gradually. Most new software companies now require heavy investment from VCs who always demand equity.

How can Americans have a tax system that ensures Buffett pays lower tax than his secretary? Billionaires in the US get away with paying little or no tax; that's not possible in Northern Europe.

It is only a cut-throat world in the US; I suggest you visit the Scandinavian countries and observe how people strike a good balance (work/life; capitalism/socialism). Those living in the US are always stressed, don't relax, work too many hours and then get given 10 - 15 days holiday in a year. That is a joke

i just learned something new today. thanks for the info.

Katsumoto

The US, France, and UK all, individually, have more billionaires and Fortune 500 companies than Germany but which country has the lowest poverty, crime, etc? Germany of course. Because the German Mittlestand model promotes empowerment of many rather than a few as practised in the UK, US, and France.

^^ Very on Point. Germany and Belgium besides China are the most successful exporters ever. Belgium is still functioning well despite very long periods of no government at all because of "tribal" war. Thank you for your insight.

Kats, I'll probably address your post more thoroughly this weekend.

But in a nutshell, the US has different obligations globally than a country like Germany.

Obviously if we could shift over the military spending burden from the US to Europe, it would make the US quite a bit stronger economically.

So I'm not sure it is fair to compare a country that has zero international obligations, and in fact has the US to protect it (Germany) to one that has many obligations.

Anyway, more later.

cheikh:

ekt_bear

^^  Northern tribes vs Southern tribes . Please read the Euro/debt debates/opinions of the northern tribes, It's hilarious and almost shocking making NL tribalists sound very civilised indeed . Sincerely, the antics of the southern tribes are shocking and does not merit any sympathy let alone assistance given that they do not inherently believe in paying tax etc. Ireland is in a better position to survive/ help herself with support. They like her fellow northerners are relatively prudent and pay their tax.

Haha yeah. Europeans are pretty tribalist, lol. The way the northern europeans talk crap about southerners is hilarious to me.

Greece, Italy and co are the Hausa-Fulani of Europe

Some products like that with the same function will sell the same price.
I've never thought to look at where items like toothbrushes were made.
And why would I spend more on toothbrush just because it came from China? They perform the same function.

However, products like Laptops comes in varieties, reasonable varieties. Unlike, how many brushes one toothbrush has compared to another.

This shows that some products are still profitable with Made in USA sticker, but some companies still choose to do otherwise. If made in USA products and Made in China are priced the same, could it be possible that the same production lines that churn out $3 toothpastes be used in making $3 toothbrushes/

America has gotta to go the way of Germany- heavy manufacturing. The need real for MITs and CALTECs of US to produce real inventive and manufacturing savvy individuals must surpass the need for Harvard and Co to churn out more synthetic and derivative traders. It's like US is producing more money managers than money makers.

ekt_bear:

Kats, I'll probably address your post more thoroughly this weekend.

But in a nutshell, the US has different obligations globally than a country like Germany.

Obviously if we could shift over the military spending burden from the US to Europe, it would make the US quite a bit stronger economically.

So I'm not sure it is fair to compare a country that has zero international obligations, and in fact has the US to protect it (Germany) to one that has many obligations.

Anyway, more later.

That argument will not hold for several reasons
1. The bulk of US Defence spending goes into the pockets of American companies such as Lockheed Martin, Haliburton, Alliant, etc Defence spending has a positive Keynesian multiplier effect on the US economy
2. The US sells arms to a number of the country it protects such Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, South Korea, etc
3. No one forced the US to be the world's policeman
4. The US uses its position of strength to gain economically; this is obvious to anyone older than 14
5. By GDP, the following countries spend more than the US: Iraq, Oman, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc. Most of these countries buy from the US
6. American products are copied too easily in Asia, no one has successfully copied German products and that is why the Asians still buy all their products from Germany. I am sure that Germany will not have any difficulty building its own military arsenal if it wanted to and it were allowed to.

I will include US defence spending in the capitalism model because I believe it contributes to US GDP, if it were otherwise, there would be no defence contractors in the US.