economy
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.
Posted in current events | economy | personal change jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on June 13, 2008 - 7:21am.
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?
Posted in culture | economy | public law jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on March 11, 2008 - 9:33am.
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.
Posted in economy jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on February 8, 2008 - 1:16pm.
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.
Posted in economy jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on January 2, 2008 - 11:49am.
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.
Posted in business | economy | media | tech jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on May 16, 2007 - 3:27pm.
A letter from Senators Rockefeller and Snowe warn Exxon Mobile that they should get on board with the universal doctrine of global warming.
Posted in culture | economy | public law jasonn's blog
Submitted by jasonn on December 4, 2006 - 1:59pm.
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.
Posted in business | economy jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on July 31, 2006 - 9:01am.
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).
Posted in business | economy | tech jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on July 12, 2006 - 12:51pm.
A Popular Mechanics article has a great chart (PDF see below) comparing alternative fuel costs.
Posted in current events | economy jasonn's blog | 1 attachment
Submitted by jasonn on April 26, 2006 - 10:43am.
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.
Posted in current events | economy | media jasonn's blog
Submitted by jasonn on April 9, 2006 - 5:52pm.
