“The Left Edge of the Possible?”: “Actually Beyond Right and Left”

Respectable Mr. Robert Kuttner depicts the current national situation pretty well. As he points out in his blog, “The Left Edge of the Possible” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/the-left-edge-of-the-poss_b_828907.html), the real serious national political/economic issues are economic recovery and the budget, the health system, the banking/housing mess, American economic competitiveness in the world, rising gas price and global climate change.

Current national and global economic situation seems to become increasingly beyond the capacity of left and right of US politics. In other words, the right and left of US politics are increasingly limiting their abilityto smaller issues while being oblivious to eminent, bigger issues.  For example, Wisconsin Governor Walker’s attempt to rip of public workers’ right to organize that caused the consequent labor movement against it seems to be a complete sidetrack from what need to be done for the sake of solving current national issues of recession and joblessness, making things worse. Like there are not enough problems now.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Llord anoints Kking;”rainforest waterfalls”.

Return of Ferocious Obama?: Yes, Vegivour, Omnivour doesn’t work.

Yesterday, President Obama proposed new measures to boost economic and job growth that have become sluggish recently: (a) expansion and permanent extension of research and development tax credits; (b) allow businesses to write off 100 percent of their investments in equipment and plants through 2011; (c) $50 billion investment into highway, rail, airport infrastructure projects.

The initial demand/push for bipartisanship and compromises by both public and the administration, in varying ways, to get work done ended up politically backfiring, punishing him. President’s recent moves are positive ones that send signals that he is seriously changing his courses in this aspect. Regardless of what critics say about President’s recent actions or the limited timing of these new measures to pass Congress, President should keep trying to change public opinion on him whatever it takes. It’s the only option for now. Nobody knows the outcome for sure, in short-term or long-term.

I believe, no matter whether it passes Congress in time or not, President Obama’s refusal to extend Bush-tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while maintaining tax cuts for middle-class should work at least to break previous public image on him as being too soft on Wall-Street and wealthiest, putting him closer to Middle-Class.

It sounds too obvious to write, even. Isn’t this lion handsome?

Opportunity for American Manufacturing, Jobs: The Case of Luxury Goods – Export?

In the beginning of Obama Administration, there had been voices that the US is in need of comprehensive analyses of US industrial competitiveness, strategic identification / development of industrial portfolio of which industries are viable, competitive, sustainable, or have growth potentials. At that time, there had also been some notion that “New Deal” style economic stimulus will not be viable, that “New Deal” failed as the New Deal construction boom of infrastructure for a few years (1933- 1937) went into another deep recession……

US market has been considered saturated as too many foreign and domestic competitors fight in a aging market while US producers have been defunctional in adapting to consumer demand but mainly surviving by manipulating US policies. Despite that, many giant US firms without competitiveness have still fallen, including labor intensive industries and auto industry.

However, despite worldwide recession, reportedly worldwide-widening income gap between rich and poor means means that there are sizable, lucrative foreign markets for US manufacturing of luxury goods, especially in countries like Brazil, Argentina, Korea, Asian tigers, India, China where riches are competing with those in this country. Rich people’s consumption are recession-resistant, meaning they will buy whatever they like, no matter it is recession or not. Do you remember the old news of some Koreans smuggling Viagra into Korea and got the whole country mad about those reckless, non-patriotic rich sons of etc. who care for those while the whole country suffers from financial madness?  On the other hand, US has unbeatable competitiveness in luxury goods that has cajoled the luxury lifestyles of American mass modern dynasties of rich and famous entrepreneurs, hollywood, basketball stars, etc. US entrepreneurs can strive to export these luxury goods to leisurely classes of foreign countries, such as bollywood (or dollywood? what was that) stars of India or you name them; foreign consumers can not buy American luxuries because they are not available either because of their governments’ import restriction or Americans don’t exports them.

Dealing with Current Fiscal and Economic Troubles

Regarding Robert Kuttner‘s “Fiscal Folly”, April 4, 2010.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/fiscal-folly_b_524760.html

My comment: Regarding the current fiscal and economic troubles that this country is facing, it is more productive to get into an action to correct them, instead of keeping contemplating on the past that cannot be undone.

Mr. Kuttner pointed out the focal point here: “we will have a national debt problem if we don’t get a return to high growth soon. But the more immediate problem is restoration of prosperity–and in the near term that will require more public outlay, not less. Once a real recovery is on track, we need to increase progressive taxation, both to moderate deficits and to pay for sustained public spending on things the economy and society need, such as 21st century infrastructure, a green economy, good jobs, as well as a national health and pension system.”

If we are sick patients with tight money problems, the wise strategy to recover from this sickness, get medical treatment first. Even by borrowing money and incurring more medical costs. And then when we get healthy, try best to earn more money to pay off medical bills. Not to spend money, to save money, being continuously sick seems to be a lose-lose strategy.”

“Will China’s Revaluation of Currency Boost US Manufacturing and Jobs?”

“Oh, Dr. Reich !,

(regarding the impact of China’s revaluation of currency) So, is China revaluing it’s currency? Will it help US economic situation or hurt it at this point? Usually increasing the value of originally undervalued Chinese currency and making it more expensive should make China’s exports to US more expensive, decrease US imports from China, decrease US export prices to China, and increase US exports to China, right? So, will the revaluation of Chinese currency help both US export and import situation with China and, therefore, US manufacturing and “JOOOOOOB” situation? (since school, figuring out this kind of stuff is getting somewhat confusing…) I heard that even during this serious recession and (near) bankruptcies of US auto makers, still US cars have been hot items in Chinese market and “Very Profitable”!”, very exciting !

Dr. Robert Reich’s blog, “What’s Ahead for the Economy and Politics in 2010”, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/whats-ahead-for-the-econo_b_411640.html

Current Recession: Isn’t It Rather the Problem of Malfunctioning Public than Incompetent Leader(s)?

A commentator,  jeanrenoire, made a comment of this country’s problems in response to Dr. Robert Reich’s blog, “What’s Ahead for the Economy and Politics in 2010” at Huffington Post.  Although the language is too rough for my ears, his/her comment contains  some truth regarding the core problems of this society, which have driven this country into wrong, self-destructive direction and led to current recession and historical unemployment. The comment is as below:

“No, the real “irony” is that the American masses are so stupid that the Republicans can get away with their economics for the rich, as they have ever since Reagan seduced the dumb mob of workers into believing that it was “morning in America” for them, when it was only “morning” for the fat cats he fronted for. Now, with Fox, Rush, and Palin fronting for these same fat cats with 24/7 spin-control, the stupid white American mob is more hypnotized and dumber than ever. The dolts have neither an attention span, a memory, or the rational capacity to do anything other than be dittoheads. Hence they can hardly wait to vote the Republicans into power, to reward them for the glorious eight years under Bush, in which the economy was bubbling, New Orleans was obliterated, and we wasted thousands of the mob’s kids’ lives in Iraq, along with a couple of trillion dollars of debt any of their kids who survived will be paying for for the rest of their lives. We spent MUCH more on nothing in Iraq than Obama’s stimulus plan and all his other efforts (wildly successful, by the way) to keep us out of an economic abyss of unique proportions, all caused by Bushonomics and benign neglect of Wall St. and everything else on earth, including the rebuilding Taliban and Al Qaeda, “left behind” in Afghanistan/Pakistan. White lower-class, uneducated voters are America’s tragedy. They’ve voted for disaster, and they’ve gotten it.”

There’s little hope for “CHANGE” without clearly communicating and educating the facts of current economic /social problems with the mass public, especially those who live in isolated regions, such as farming, mountain, or remote areas where people less or seldom communicate with neighbors, receive less internet service, less TV channels and less current information, and more cling to old ideas and believes. Changes come faster, more easily in urban areas, cities because people keep talking, communicating with each other and information/news travel fast among people. Sure, there must have been some misjudgments and mistakes on the administration’s part in dealing with the details of reform efforts. But, when the bulk of public (and politicians) don’t understand facts well, are thinking wrongly, block every reform efforts, and claim it’s all the reformer(s) falts, does it make sense?”

Without solving these communication/education problems with the mass public, there would be few real solutions to dig this country out of current chronic structural diseases.

Dr. Robert Reich’s blog, “What’s Ahead for the Economy and Politics in 2010”, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/whats-ahead-for-the-econo_b_411640.html