Trickle-down economics

Trickle-down economics

This theory has been disproved many times in our history, yet the dingbats are still in love with it.  It has never worked, but they still keep preaching this as the ultimate solution to all our economic problems.

Here is a hypothetical example:  You own a small factory manufacturing gizmos.  Currently your capacity is 1,000 gizmos each year.  Each gizmo retails for $1,000, and you realize 30% net profit.  So far you have been able to sell your entire production each year, but the past few years have been tight.  The number of middle class workers who can buy gizmos is shrinking.

You currently employ 20 workers. At times you have considered expanding your production which would enable you to hire a few more, but the market just is not there.  This would require some investment on your part, and entail a risk that you might not be able to sell more gizmos.

The government is constantly talking about how we need to create more jobs, but you just can't see any economic advantage associated with the risk of expansion. But then the government says that in order to encourage job creation, we're going to give you a big tax break.

So you and your accountant look at the numbers. Yes, you could invest in expansion, take the risk, hire a few more workers, and maybe, perhaps show an increase in revenue.  OR, you can do nothing, enjoy the increase in net revenue resulting from the tax break, make up excuses why you can't create more jobs, and investigate moving your entire operation to China.

So, more money to the top does not necessarily mean any will trickle down to the workers.  What it usually means is that the rich get richer.

Immigration

The more I read and listen, the more I am convinced the dingbats are totally insane.  Current events prove the point.

Last week, they wanted to impeach President Obama for "misuse of executive powers" because he made some things happen that the dingbat controlled Congress would not do.  Now they want him to use those same executive powers to do something about the immigration crisis, because they don't want to pass some legislation that might hurt them in an election. Wish they would make up their minds, assuming such is possible.

They all seem to conveniently  forget that much of this "crisis" stems from legislation passed in 2008, and signed into law by then-President Bush.

Fracking

I vowed that I would not write anything more about the totally stupid actions by the dingbats in the NC Congress.  I have problems controlling the anger I feel every time these idiots again display their total ignorance about history, reality and concern for the common folk.

However, they have now pushed through, without debate, new legislation designed to expedite "fracking " for natural gas hopefully located in Harnett, Lee and Chatham counties.

They totally ignore the physical evidence coming from other sites where "fracking" is practiced.
That would be bad enough, but there is one other even greater problem.

The oil and gas corporations who are so insistent that they be allowed to immediately harvest this hoped-for bonanza have failed to answer the one most critical question concerning this operation.

Let's assume they are able to recover natural gas from the shale formations. The question then is:

 What are they going to do with the gas? 

Where is the nearest pipeline terminal?  How do they propose to get the gas from the well head to that terminal? Do they propose a monstrous fleet of tanker trucks roaring up and down the winding, narrow back roads?  Maybe they will propose to build a pipeline extension into the area.  How long will that take?  What do they plan during the interim?

I think it is wonderful that some people will make good money from drilling leases.  But, what about the rest of us?  How much do we have to suffer?

As usual, the dingbats are totally concentrating on big business, and to hell with the people!

State of the Union

President Obama will give a State of the Union address tomorrow, Tuesday, night. I will not watch his address.
 
All day tomorrow the media "experts" will tell me what they think he is going to say.

Then, on Wednesday, these so-called "experts" will tell me what he said.

With such coverage, why should I listen?

Voter ID

The NC Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, has created yet another totally unnecessary problem.  This time it's voter ID.

The new law, which is scheduled to go into effect beginning in 2016, will require all potential voters to present an acceptable photo ID.  Therein lies the problem.  The new law requires that photo ID must contain the "Full" name, and it must match the name on the voter registration books.

What is the "Full" name?  Normally we would define this as first name, middle name and last name. But, what about a married woman? What is her "Full" name?

Here is a hypothetical situation.  Mary Ann Jones registers to vote as soon as she is eligible.  Then she marries Joe Smith.  Now what is her "Full" name?  Is it Mary Ann Smith or Mary Jones Smith. More important, in order to vote she must present a photo ID, such as a driver's license.  What name is on the photo ID? She registered to vote as Mary Ann Jones.  When she renewed her driver's license after she married, she changed the name to Mary Ann Smith.  It no longer matches the registration books, so, by the law, she is not eligible to vote.   Does she know this?

Even more fun would occur if she decided to hyphenate her name, and become Mary Ann Jones-Smith.  If she changes her photo ID  then the names will not match.

My wife and I discovered this problem, when she realized the name on her military ID card was different from that on her driver's license and what was on the registration books.  To be sure, she had to change the name on the registration book to match her ID.  But, how many other people will think to do this?

The voter ID act is supposedly to eliminate voter fraud which is minuscule in NC. So, the legislature has concocted a stupid solution to a problem that really doesn't exist.  But, that's our legislature!