The Next US President

[Atilla]

Do you guys think repatriation of the billions of dollars held by US comps will take place?

If so how, under what terms. Will their tax liabilities be written off under provision they adhere to the request within a time window?

If not, what is likely to be the consequences?

Some say DOW can surpass 30000 if so?

Who will benefit and who will lose?



:whistling

 

[Pat494]

This is hardly an American phenomenon alone. Europe, as well as England, is finally beginning to understand that "Austerity" is nothing more than a smokescreen for protecting the rich, and the promises made by leaders are little more than another form of Three Card Monte.

The politicians keep trotting out the togetherness propaganda and then give themselves pay rises, cut benefits, raise the retirement age etc.
How can they sell the togetherness line while benefiting the rich.
A big step towards togetherness and happy families would be to have an equal pension. Pensioners would be able to turn on their heating in winter etc.

 

[dbphoenix]

The politicians keep trotting out the togetherness propaganda and then give themselves pay rises, cut benefits, raise the retirement age etc.
How can they sell the togetherness line while benefiting the rich.

A variant of The Hand Is Quicker Than The Eye, i.e., the mouth is quicker than the brain. Most people are followers. They want easy answers, particularly if those answers don't require any effort or inconvenience on their part. Add gullibility to the mix and you provide an ideal environment for demagoguery.

 

[Pat494]

There are so many points similar to the end of the Roman Empire and the fall of the USA.
1. Wealth gets ever smaller as the demands for more spending ever rising just to stay on top.
2.The Romans had to employ more troops to maintain order. The barbarians at the edge got ever stronger and more menacing.
3. When Rome fell at last many local inhabitants welcomed the change.
4. The rich in power had no idea what the general feeling was as they built more palaces and didn't care about the poor.
5. The Mayan Empire fell through over population, lack of resources and starvation. Sound familiar ?
6. Poor leadership putting easy money of burning fossil fuels before stopping climate change.

 

[dbphoenix]

It has been suggested, and for the most part I believe it, that during the period from the end of WWII to the mid-60s, the US found itself in a bubble. We didn't recognize it as such at the time, but it's easy to see in retrospect. The war was over, GIs were buying homes and going to or returning to college through the VA and/or the GI Bill, we were able to convert from a wartime economy to a peace economy quickly whereas Europe would be digging itself out of the rubble and struggling with rationing for years. Wages were high, jobs were plentiful, demand soared, and, not inconsequentially, women and minorities knew their place. In other words, the environment to which Trump supporters seek to return and which is and has been promised to them by conservatives for decades is irretrievable. Those jobs will never return, at least in any recognizable form. And wages will never be that high again, at least for manufacturing jobs. The factories? They may be induced to return, but not without substantial cuts, benefits, subsidies, all of which will go to the officers; the rank-and-file will see none of it.

Every empire that existed before WWI-II no longer exists: the Turks, the Austrians, the Germans, the English, the French, the Belgians, the Soviets and so on and so on. The US empire was for the most part an empire of ideas, chiefly the "undeniable" virtues of capitalism and democracy. We rarely actually invaded anybody, but we were in pretty much everybody's business. But the fact that so few of these nascent democracies ever amounted to anything didn't stop us from continuing to insinuate ourselves into every nook and cranny (Iran is only one example). All of that is coming apart, and has been coming apart for several decades. The oligarchs don't particularly care. Regardless of what the politicians do, the oligarchs have had a global view for at least a century. And they will continue to operate globally regardless. What Congress does or doesn't do is of no concern. Which is why I made the Three Card Monte analogy earlier.

So what now? It's anybody's guess. But there's no going back to how things used to be. There's no do-over. And little will change as long as we keep fighting the wrong people.

 

[Pat494]

So what now? It's anybody's guess. But there's no going back to how things used to be. There's no do-over. And little will change as long as we keep fighting the wrong people.

Interesting points db...........but just who are the right people to fight. It seems to me the extreme muslim groups now have to be fought unless you surrender. They will accept nothing less than your deaths. Much like the Roman Empire. They are always out there knocking on the door. Many are of one's own making. There is little choice imho. A weakened Rome fell attacking Persia ( Iran ).

 

[dbphoenix]

Interesting points db...........but just who are the right people to fight. It seems to me the extreme muslim groups now have to be fought unless you surrender. They will accept nothing less than your deaths. Much like the Roman Empire. They are always out there knocking on the door. Many are of one's own making. There is little choice imho. A weakened Rome fell attacking Persia ( Iran ).

The oligarchs and plutocrats. The leaders of extreme Muslim groups are just as oligarchic and plutocratic as any comparable Westerner. Just imagine Dick Cheney in Muslim garb.

Jihadists aren't doing this out of religious purity; they're doing it for the money. And of course power.

As for Rome, remember that it took centuries for Rome to "fall".

 

[Signalcalc]

I was of the understanding that the Roman Empire fell because of military and political invasion mostly by the Gauls leading lots of immigrants ( immigrants into the Roman Empire), the last Roman emperor was overthrown by outsiders!

ISIS is a modern form of this and you can see some parallels with mass migration into the European superstate. Except nowadays there are external superstates to Europe that could call the shots.

 

[dbphoenix]

I was of the understanding that the Roman Empire fell because of military and political invasion mostly by the Gauls leading lots of immigrants ( immigrants into the Roman Empire), the last Roman emperor was overthrown by outsiders!

ISIS is a modern form of this and you can see some parallels with mass migration into the European superstate. Except nowadays there are external superstates to Europe that could call the shots.

Depends on what you mean by "fell". The rot began at the imperial level and continued for generations. The invasions were merely the tipping point.

 

[TexasRangersFan]

Depends on what you mean by "fell". The rot began at the imperial level and continued for generations. The invasions were merely the tipping point.

I just saw this and remembered this thread.......

Blog/Corruption
Posted Jan 3, 2017 by Martin Armstrong


COMMENT: Hi Martin – Police in Australia hit a new low last week charging people with DUI while floating on pool toys in Sydney Harbour claiming they are a “vessels”. Really appreciate all the work you do and you’ve got a big following down under!

Keep it up Ben. Youtube title is: Australian Police Charge DUI On Pool Toys
REPLY: The police are no longer here to protect society. They are here to extract as much money from us at gun point. This is precisely how Rome fell. Once there was not enough money to pay pensions, the army began sacking their own cities to get paid.

Police are hitting new lows on a global basis.
I was just given a parking ticket for not being directly within the white lines on Christmas Day on private property in from of Starbucks and the cop gave two other cars parking tickets while we were waiting inside in line. Of course it is illegal. But you then have to hire a lawyer, go to court, take off a day, wait for hours, to stand up and say he had no jurisdiction to write parking tickets on private property. So what happens? You pay the fine.

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/...iven-dui-tickets-when-on-a-raft-in-australia/



This guy is a wealth of knowledge.


https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/blog/

 

[Pat494]

There is a lot of criticism of the police.
They are much too trigger happy. Probably watched too many Westerns.

 

[dbphoenix]

Trading Trump

You may be astonished to learn that Donald Trump is once again Wrong About A Thing. This morning, he angrily tweeted about Chevy building its compact Cruze model in Mexico, and threatened to slap a big ol’ tariff on the cars when they’re imported into the USA. . .

Yeah, shame on you, General Motors, taking jerbs away from American workers like that! Oh, is there more? There is? Turns out, according to a General Motors statement, approximately 98 percent of Chevy Cruzes are already built right here in U.S. . .

GM told CNBC that its American sales of the Cruze were about 190,000 in 2016; of those, about 4,500 were the Mexican-built hatchback. And wouldn’t you know it, immediately after Trump’s Tweet this morning, GM shares dropped briefly in pre-market trading, but recovered after the stock market opened.

--Doktor Zoom

 

[counter_violent]

Trading Trump

You may be astonished to learn that Donald Trump is once again Wrong About A Thing. This morning, he angrily tweeted about Chevy building its compact Cruze model in Mexico, and threatened to slap a big ol’ tariff on the cars when they’re imported into the USA. . .

Yeah, shame on you, General Motors, taking jerbs away from American workers like that! Oh, is there more? There is? Turns out, according to a General Motors statement, approximately 98 percent of Chevy Cruzes are already built right here in U.S. . .

GM told CNBC that its American sales of the Cruze were about 190,000 in 2016; of those, about 4,500 were the Mexican-built hatchback. And wouldn’t you know it, immediately after Trump’s Tweet this morning, GM shares dropped briefly in pre-market trading, but recovered after the stock market opened.

--Doktor Zoom

Just read this, it's on the beeb, so may be taken with a pinch of salt.

On the surface it looks as though 700 new jobs will be created with increased investment and numerous others safeguarded.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38497898

 

[dbphoenix]

As always, there's more to it. The "new jobs" will depend on tax breaks and other concessions, just like the Carrier deal, none of which will benefit workers. And nothing's been said about what these jobs will pay. Ford has said however that it will be making a heavy investment in automation (the "increased investment"), which will make many of these jobs obsolete.

There will always be manufacturing of some sort, but the heyday of manufacturing is as much a part of the past as coal. This is not, however, what workers want to hear.

 

[hhiusa]

As always, there's more to it. The "new jobs" will depend on tax breaks and other concessions, just like the Carrier deal, none of which will benefit workers. And nothing's been said about what these jobs will pay. Ford has said however that it will be making a heavy investment in automation (the "increased investment"), which will make many of these jobs obsolete.

There will always be manufacturing of some sort, but the heyday of manufacturing is as much a part of the past as coal. This is not, however, what workers want to hear.

Oh, excuse me. I forgot that you had a crystal ball.

 

[TexasRangersFan]

As always, there's more to it. The "new jobs" will depend on tax breaks and other concessions, just like the Carrier deal, none of which will benefit workers. And nothing's been said about what these jobs will pay. Ford has said however that it will be making a heavy investment in automation (the "increased investment"), which will make many of these jobs obsolete.

There will always be manufacturing of some sort, but the heyday of manufacturing is as much a part of the past as coal. This is not, however, what workers want to hear.

Automation will replace traditional jobs just like you suggested.

That is going to happen around the world, not jut the U.S. But, I would rather have 100 men working a new job that previously required 1000, than losing all 1000 jobs to another country. Otherwise, the workers in the foreign country will employ 100 men with the same new technology working for 1/4 the wages and 1/10 of the industrial regulations.

And generally speaking, products made from automation are better than the ones made by human hands.

I would rather have those jobs in the U.S. than Mexico, China or Vietnam.

And yes, it will benefit the workers if they get to keep their jobs.

 

[dbphoenix]

Not if they can't make a living wage and have no benefits. If "jobs" are all that matters, unemployment is low and continues to fall. But "unemployment" is just as squishy as "jobs".

 

[TexasRangersFan]

Not if they can't make a living wage and have no benefits. If "jobs" are all that matters, unemployment is low and continues to fall. But "unemployment" is just as squishy as "jobs".

Well, if they have a job and there is a risk of the job going to Mexico or China it's better to have any job than no job.

Granted, jobs with benefits and stability are the best ones to have, but even a bad job is better than no job at all. A job in Mexico is not going to do anyone any good in Michigan.

BTW, I don't have too much confidence in the employment numbers. Obama has fudged the results for many years and I don't consider them reliable. Especially when it magically dropped .5% in one month about 18 months ago.


The keep moving the goal line and changing the standards that are used to measure the index. And none of them measure the 40MN or so that are underemployed or have stopped looking for a job.

So is the inflation index, but that's another story.

 

[dbphoenix]

The jobs the base are expecting, however, are not the jobs they're going to get. They've been played; they just haven't figured it out yet.

 

[Pat494]

I thoroughly agree with Trump that jobs should be saved at home. Our stupid leaders over the years have let them go. In the City there reside the financial hyenas that have asset stripped our best companies and made millions selling them abroad. A recent case in point is Arm Holdings which was a world leader in chip technology. I guess it has been flogged off by now.
Why the politicians won't stop it I don't know, Perhaps in the murky world of politics there are valuable kick-backs etc.
Another area that needs urgent reform is the Patents office. Any competitor can peruse the secrets there and copy. The patents office should be there and only accessed if there is a legal case or with the patent owner's permission. A left over from the 19th century.