JasonN.com - economy

Gas prices, and what you can do about it

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:21:15 -0500

I don't commute, I quit traveling as much, and I drive as if gasoline were dear and limited (like it is).

Don't do as the Europeans and protest without real action. Will angry screams and threats make one more drop of oil come from the ground? Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and the other oil countries can't hear your cries for the clamoring of buyers after their product. You could weaken the US companies by increasing their tax. You could nationalize the European companies. But, you'll do nothing but limit the built-in efficiencies of business seeking profit. They are delivering the oil as close to the price you're governments can squeeze out of them. Protests accomplish nothing but create hysteria, and there's nothing good that comes of that.

Soak the Rich

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:33:39 -0500

Historically, federal taxes have averaged about 18.5 percent of the gross domestic product.

That percentage sank to 16.3 percent of the G.D.P. in 2004, largely because of Mr. Bush’s tax cuts, but it edged up to 18.8 percent last year as a result of booming corporate profits and investment income.
- NY Times

That means the rich paid more tax and nobody raised taxes. Is that possible?

Responsible Taxpayers May Pay Debts With Tax Rebates

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:16:08 -0600

More than one-half (54 percent) of individuals working full-time or who are self-employed would use a tax rebate to pay down debt, while 29 percent would save it and 17 percent would spend it.
- WebCPA

The perceived problem seems to be that people are developing a conservative attitude toward their money lately and there is a legitimate fear that people will take their rebate checks Congress gave them to pay off debts and put money in the bank. Surely they must realize that big retailers like Wal-mart and Costco were depending on those rebates going to wasteful spending habits. Apparently, many taxpayers are opting out of the ponzi scheme and using the money to pay down debt.

EconTalk, a great podcast

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:49:33 -0600

EconTalk

I enjoyed the podcast "Duggan on Strategic Intuition" from EconTalk by Russ Roberts. Just search in your iTunes store for EconTalk. This is a great conversation about creativity (which is a neat departure from the usual discussion on economics which can feel rather dry to most readers. My only complaint about these guys is that they take way too long to say what they mean, which I believe is due to their university driven lifestyles. But, it's always a good podcast.

Corkd and TV.WineLibrary.com, 3rd Wave of Internet Profit

Wed, 16 May 2007 16:27:48 -0500

People who know me have heard my commentary on the first internet market wave (of which I was a part), the second wave (which is happening right now), and the third market wave which is the profit wave. Dotcom businesses were launched in the 90s to gain users, and the valuation was based on the innate value of users and not revenues. This is why so many internet businesses were valued well in the stock market and failed to generate real profits.

Thou Shalt Not Deny Global Warming, So Sayeth the Senators!

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:59:52 -0600

A letter from Senators Rockefeller and Snowe warn Exxon Mobile that they should get on board with the universal doctrine of global warming.

It's Russia, But Moscow is Expensive

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:01:26 -0500

As companies continue to seek out trained, cheap labor, the eastern Europeans offer such an enticing supply that many western European companies have already opened operations in countries like Ukraine. Moscow is not, however, a cheap eastern European city.

Outsource Boom is Over!

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:51:25 -0500

Digg links to an eWeek article that reports the outsourcing boom is over, according to a study. "A study," doesn't account for the leveling of the economic conditions in these countries, and the reality that a lot of their workforce is being acquired by local companies building retail products for the global economy. The "outsourcing" is about as over as the internet (see similar comments at the bursting of the tech bubble).

Alternative Fuel Comparison

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:43:22 -0500

A Popular Mechanics article has a great chart (PDF see below) comparing alternative fuel costs.

Tired of Being Told What to Do

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 18:52:55 -0500

I like the idea of iTunes, that I can buy whatever I want and just get it. Today I had to "allow" my computer to use my iTunes account in order to access a song I purchase. It told me I had enabled 3 of 5 computers that would be allowed to access my music. My music? Obviously not! Apparently two of the times I installed iTunes on one of my computers counts as two of my allowed accesses. I just paid for this music, and I have to use a limited number of PC installations to access it? That's highly annoying. I could have paid them, downloaded the song, and then been refused access to it if the software determined that I'd already used my iTunes account too many times.

Outsourcing Everything

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 02:35:28 -0600

An interesting podcast about BPO (Business Process Outsource) talks about this new and burgeoning market.

You Can't Trust Pensions

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 14:30:49 -0600

Bush is right: people should be able to trust their employers to fund their promised retirement. But, you can't! You can't trust any company to give you what they promised, because as soon as they start having problems they'll dip into those cash reserves. Companies seldom look at employee retirement accounts as employee money. And, it's not technically stealing to drain those funds to handle cash crunches. In many bankruptcy cases the employees get paid after other creditors. If you want to have a retirement, fund and control it yourself.

Gasifier Turning Waste to Power

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 07:13:14 -0600

Like a chapter from a hippie novel, the gasifier was created by indigenous New Zealander Simon Romana. It was partially funded by natives in Canada and found its way to Washington DC.

Pune’s Kimaya restaurant is using leftovers for fuel, methane farming is something the Bush administration encourages India to pursue, and though it is not yet independently commercially viable biodiesel and flexible fuel vehicles are legitimate contenders for cleaner and more consistent oil alternatives. In Alabama, E85 powers the Hoover city fleet. The question is not a matter of whether we'll switch to an alternative fuel source, but more a question of whether or not we'll find one as financially viable as oil, while we avoid making large segments of our planet unfriendly to human life.

Libertarian Nightmare WTO and Farming

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 10:55:44 -0500

The outstretched hands of the WTO wish to touch everything you consume. As meetings progress, developed countries seem intent on regulating global markets. It's not all bad. Part of the negotiations have to do with quality of life and civil liberties for citizenry, environmental safety nets, and even occasional fair competition clauses. However, the mere existence of a world economic governance is enough to make any free marketeer queasy.

Yahoo Steps Into Podcasts

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 23:03:14 -0500

Big media's nightmare: entertainment on demand freely available for the masses, and completely unregulated. It's the podcast, and it's rampant. Though the podcast hasn't taken over audio talk entertainment, it's definitely made an impact on the way people consume entertainment. Thanks to digital video recorders like TIVO, download services like iTunes - the concept more than the actual product offering - and a myriad of new consumer-focused services that look to be more obsequious to the user instead of manipulative, people are slowing realizing they can schedule and consume media more to their schedule and liking.