Posts tagged US
Posts tagged US
The U.S. adopted a true gold standard in 1879, and it lasted until 1914 as well, when it too fell victim to the cataclysm in Europe. Prices during that 25-year period were the most stable of any sustained period in U.S. history and the U.S. prospered. Far from being a restriction on real economic growth, the gold standard was a boon. Confidence in the future value of money spurs long-term investment.
Companies once felt an obligation to support American workers, even when it wasn’t the best financial choice,” said Betsey Stevenson, the chief economist at the Labor Department until last September. “That’s disappeared. Profits and efficiency have trumped generosity.
Apple, America and a Squeezed Middle Class - NYTimes.com
Well, at that time, there was no globalization, and the companies did not have to get along with extreme cheap labour abroad, extra charges for environment protection and hordes of marxists in the Labour Dept.
“The Obama administration on Monday imposed sanctions on Tehran’s third largest bank, making it harder for Iran to access the world’s financial system and fund its nuclear activities. Iran’s Bank Tejarat, and an affiliate Belarus-based Trade Capital Bank, were blacklisted for providing financial services to other entities already sanctioned for their involvement with the country’s nuclear weapons program, the US said.”
The jump is due to a number of factors, including American productivity growth (which has outpaced Europe as a whole), compressed wages, and higher energy costs (which make it more costly to ship products back from locations with cheaper labor, like Asia). As the FT recently reported, from 2002-10, U.S. manufacturing unit labor costs in dollar terms fell 11 percent, compared with rises of 3 percent rise in Japan and 41 percent in Germany. Companies that are now bringing jobs back home include some of America’s largest blue chip multinationals, like Ford, GE, and United Technologies.
Does this mean the end of the shrinking middle? After all, decently paid manufacturing positions were the core of the middle income jobs bracket since the 1950s; the hollowing out of the manufacturing sector is a key reason that workers in rich countries haven’t gotten a real raise since the 1970s. Democrats would like us to think so. With jobs and the economy still the major campaign issue, the Obama administration has been making hay with the numbers in various speeches and press releases. The rhetoric will likely increase if Mitt Romney gets the Republican nomination, and Obama tries to position himself as the defender of the 99% in comparison to the former Bain “quarter billionaire.”
New Numbers Show an Increase in Manufacturing Jobs in the U.S. | Business | TIME.com
Well, it seems, there is no free lunch. Probably bit less protection from work would help both employers and employees to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, such a thing does not serve the interests of the political left and the Unions.
The question is: can a new alliance between employer and employee be made - without letting anybody else to interfere?
“In late May, Republicans and GOP leaners who agree with the Tea Party movement overwhelmingly sympathized more with Israel than the Palestinians. Fully 79% sympathized more with Israel, compared with 54% of non-Tea Party Republicans and 41% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. The differences were even starker in views of Obama’s handling of this issue: 68% of Tea Party Republicans said Obama favors the Palestinians too much, compared with just 23% of non-Tea Party Republicans and 8% of Democrats.”
U.S.: Senate Passes Currency Bill
October 11, 2011
The U.S. Senate approved the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011, designed to press China to allow its yuan currency to rise in value, Reuters reported Oct. 11. The bill allows the U.S. government to impose duties on products from countries that subsidize exports by undervaluing currencies. The bill was sent to the U.S. House of Representatives.
And the war has begun…
But: on one hand, this means, the cheap stuff stops coming from China, which is a significant risk to the chinese economy. It is already in a not-so-goog condition, falling exports can make it real sick.
This, adding up to the current Euro crisis can (will) launch a real economic avalanche.
(Source: forzionssake)
(Source: forzionssake)
Palestinian government officials are angry that their pay has changed from the Israeli shekel to Jordanian dinars and US dollars, claiming that they are being robbed.
They should probably go to al-Beeb to claim, they want their money in a currency of a country that does not exist, but is their enemy.
By the way, if there is a so-called Palestininan government, with ministers and administrations, there should exist a Palestinina money, as well, shouldn’t it?
A sign to consider…
(Source: forzionssake, via eretzyisrael)
Actually, there is a lot that a creative Administration could do.
Shrink or end U.S. dependency on Pakistan as a supply line. Use our Central Asian allies to move more cargo by air and develop a supply line through India. Yes, the land route through India would be far longer and, on the Afghan side at least, roads and bridges would have to be improved. But we did the Berlin Airlift, we can do this. This would cost Pakistan in port fees, customs and prestige. And the symbol of using its enemy, India, would be deeply felt. It would be best to develop the India route in secret and announce its opening at a time of our choosing. It would be costly and prone to sabotage—but so is our current way of moving supplies. And so was the Berlin Airlift.
Direct the Voice of America to focus on corruption in Pakistan. Hard news reporting of payoffs to politicians and generals in Islamabad would electrify the opposition in Pakistan. America’s government-funded news service could also interview responsible opposition leaders, who would call for an end to military rule and the return of civil rights for women and minorities. This means working with Pakistan’s secular Left and its reformist lawyers. Again, the Obama Administration should feel at home championing the same message as the president outlined in his famous Cairo speech.
Stop selling military gear to Pakistan that it doesn’t need to fight terrorists. Why sell anti-submarine technology or anti-aircraft equipment or advanced avionics for jet fighters to Pakistan, when no terrorist outfit was a navy or an air force? Of course, this weaponry is designed to counter India, the world’s largest democracy and a friend to the United States. And much of this technology, like the wreck of the SEAL helicopter that crashed at bin Laden’s compound, is ultimately shared with China, which is not an American ally.
Call AT&T. Every month, the phone giant pays the government of Pakistan millions of dollars. Here’s how it works. Pakistan has to pay for access to AT&T’s satellites and undersea cables and AT&T pays for access to Pakistan’s phone network. Since roughly three times as many calls originate in America than they do in Pakistan, virtually every month AT&T owes Pakistan more than Pakistan owes AT&T. By executive order or congressional action, AT&T could be required to pay those funds into an escrow account in New York instead. The money would only be released on a monthly basis as Pakistan turns over named terrorists for trials in the United States or a place it designates. This amounts to bribing Pakistan with its own money, but it would work—especially if done in secret.
Something similar could be done with foreign aid as well as payments from Visa and Mastercard.
Inside the foreign policy bureaucracy, the complaint has long been that the relationship with Pakistan is “transactional, not strategic.” Attempts to transform the relationship have always failed—and no one tried harder than Admiral Mullen. Why not make it explicitly transactional and get value for our billions?
I strongly favour 100% control of the border, and i strongly favour English as the official language of government
[…]
Israel scored a diplomatic victory on Friday after a group of Arab nations withdrew a resolution they had considered submitted at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) aimed at condemning Israel’s nuclear activities.
Israel and the United States had spent the past few months working behind the scenes to torpedo the submission of the resolution called “Israel’s nuclear capabilities”. Last year, it was brought to a vote and lost, possibly one of the reasons why the Arab nations ultimately decided not to raise the resolution this year.
[…]
“Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East and the implementation of the NPT in the Middle East has proven to be irrelevant by countries like Libya, Iraq, Syria and Iran,” the IAEC said. “Israel will continue to maintain its sovereign right to decide which international treaties it will sign on to.”
[…]
Source
The Obama administration has turned down a Turkish request for drones or for the deployment of US Predators at Turkish bases until Ankara stops threatening Israel with armed attack, debkafile’s military and Washington sources report. Turkey’s lack of functioning drones has crippled its military campaign waged against the Kurdish PKK rebels in conjunction with the US and Iran at a critical juncture. Since expelling the Israeli technicians, Ankara has been unable to operate 10 Israeli-made Heron drones.
