Tag Archives: economy

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy America! East Idaho elderly threaten politicians if their earned Social Security benefits are cut

“Seniors aren’t just numbers.  They’re not line items in a budget, and they’re certainly not pushovers.  Idaho seniors are watching Congress today, and so are 50 million other Americans.  We’ve got news for them: They will hold them accountable on election day for their actions.”– David Irwin, Idaho AARP

“Healthcare costs keep soaring, right along with everything else.  I pay my Medicare premiums like everybody else.  Without this coverage I’d be deeply in debt.” Also, “So Crapo and Simpson have my message and received it today.  There will be a lot more messages like mine in the future, and I hope they pay attention.”-Gene Wiggers, east Idaho AARP volunteer

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? East Idaho home sales suck, so sellers are turning vacant homes into temp rentals, boom for Home Tenders

“People don’t build a 5,000 square foot home to turn it into a rental, but we have a number of those in the community right now.”-Clint Collins, Idaho Falls Rentals

The home sales market is so bad in eastern Idaho that many sellers are turning to temporarily renting out their vacant houses.  To give you an idea of how bad; in October, 2010, Idaho Falls Rentals took on four houses for rent.  Then in July, 2011, eighteen homes, then in August another seventeen.  That’s just one east Idaho property management company!

The plus side for “Home Tender” renters is that they can get a big home for less than the usual rent, but the down side is they have to move out as soon as it sells.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Occupy America! Police begin shutting down protests, arrests across the U.S.

“…handful of gigantic banks that have simply hijacked the economy and the populations of the world for their own interest.”-F. William Engdahl, economic researcher

Police in New York City have been busy arresting protestors today, the day before major international protests are to take place.  OWS personnel are planning a major march on Times Square.

Also, police in Denver, Colorado, have been dispersing protestors, who were camped out in front of the state’s capitol building.  In San Diego, California, police are busy arresting protestors there, as well as police arresting protestors in Austin, Texas.

October 13, police in Washington DC arrested at least six protesters, some of them elderly.  Many of the protestors in the country’s capitol are disgruntled elderly people, not just disgruntled youth.  According to the local NBC TV station, they were “…arrested for unlawful conduct – demonstrating.”

Economic analyst F. William Engdahl, says one answer is to nationalize the too big to fail banks: “…nationalize major banks and draw a fence around the problematic institutions until they can be sorted out.”

Engdahl says nationalization is not socialism, it is a way of admitting that a capitalist system has failed, and needs to be fixed!

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Occupy the World! Italian Protestors attack Goldman Sachs office, international protests to hit Idaho

Italian students stormed the central Milan office of one of the world’s leading investment banks, Goldman Sachs.  Police chased them off.

Protesters also threw eggs at the headquarters of UniCredit, Italy’s biggest bank.

The attack on the Goldman Sachs office comes a day before planned international protests.  October 15 will see coordinated international demonstrations against the finance industry.

People living in eastern Idaho get ready to take part: Occupy Idaho Falls and Pocatello (as well as smaller communities) are planning to take part.

Watch Occupy Pocatello’s march, from Wednesday October 13.

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, Technology, U.S.

United Police States of America: Idaho Republicans give away contract to Private Prison Tech company, who then double bills Idaho taxpayers

According to Idaho media reports, the executive director for the Idaho Republican Party, Jonathan Parker, is accused of helping AnalyzeSoft (a tech company that makes tracking devices for prisoners) get a big contract from Idaho Governor Butch Otter.

AnalyzeSoft is now barred from doing business with Idaho for at least one year, after it was discovered that they double billed for their services.  Idaho taxpayers were charged $2 million for an incomplete prisoner tracking system!

On top of that, five of AnalyzeSoft’s employees are barred from doing any work for the state, ever!

Under Idaho rules, contractors must bid for contracts with the state.  Not only did they double bill taxpayers, but apparently AnalyzeSoft was handed the contract without bidding.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? The truth is that Europe, not the U.S., is China’s biggest trading partner

As a matter of incompetence, or conspiracy, when the list of China’s top trading partners is presented, it shows the United States as the top dog.  But that’s misleading, because the European Union, as a whole, is not counted.

Instead, EU members are broken up into the individual member states.  If you look at the European Union as one trading unit, which it should be, then it’s Europe that is China’s number one trading partner.

Not only that, but the percent of trade between Europe and China has been going up.  This is more proof that China does not need the United States to be economically viable.

However, recently the Chinese General Administration of Customs announced a second straight month of decline in their trade surplus.  Lu Peijun, vice minister of the General Administration of Customs, said China’s trade conditions are deteriorating due to worldwide falls in demand, and rising domestic costs.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: More radiation in Yokohama, this time school lunches!

Shiitake mushrooms used in school lunches have tested positive for 350 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium.  That’s below the government limit of 500 becquerels, but Yokohama school officials are getting rid of them anyway.

Yokohama is about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

At a Ibaraki Prefecture mushroom farm, 830 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium were found on the mushrooms there.  The farm is about 170 km (106 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Earlier in the week mushrooms in Chiba Prefecture were found to be contaminated with cesium, higher then the government safe limits.  Clearly, after almost seven months, radiation is still spreading from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Occupy America! Wall Street protestors refuse to leave Zuccotti Park, clean park themselves

“Seems likely that this is their attempt to shut down OWS for good. We know where the real dirt is: on Wall Street … We won’t allow Bloomberg and the NYPD to foreclose our occupation. This is an occupation, not a permitted picnic…”-OWS statement

“The cleanup is a pretext to remove us from the camp. And we can return only if we abide by the rules of Brookfield Properties.”-Justin Wedes, protestor

As a challenge to Mayor Bloomberg’s threat to use police to clear the protestors, ostensibly to clean the park, the OWS participants have begun cleaning up the park themselves.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Economists say U.S. income to stagnate for at least 10 more years, young generations to struggle more than their parents

“People know that there is no real out. The children of the current adults are looking and realizing they are not likely to have as good a life as their parents. And their parents are distressed because they realize it’s true!”-Jeff Gates, former counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance

In an interview with Iranian media, former adviser to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Jeff Gates, said there is no short term hope for the U.S. economy.  Gates joins a growing number of experts who’re doubting that any recovery will happen soon.  They’re also justifying the anger of the Occupy protests spreading across the United States.

Gates says the Occupy Wall Street movement is justified because as much as two thirds of the money being made in the U.S. is by Wall Street (stock markets, finance markets), not by main street!

Also, in a Wall Street Journal survey of 50 economists, the majority say not only have most incomes dropped after 2000, but they will not go back up to pre-2000 levels for at least ten more years!

“Standards of living in the U.S. will continue to decline as we de-leverage and emerging markets take over as the growth engine of the global economy.”-Julia Coronado, BNP Paribas.

What Julia Coronado is saying is that the United States is no longer the world economic leader, not even a driving force. This is more proof that China does not need the U.S. for it’s economic growth.

Economists say the average U.S. income fell 7% after 2000, but will grow by only 5% by 2021.  The Wall Street Journal article also warns college graduates, and current college students: The only way you might make more money is to get at least a Masters degree, and work all the time (no free/family time)!  With the cost of college, it’s just another reason why college ain’t worth it anymore.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Canada being urged to arrest George Bush Jr

“Canada is required by its international obligations to arrest and prosecute former president Bush given his responsibility for crimes under international law including torture.  As the U.S. authorities have, so far, failed to bring former president Bush to justice, the international community must step in.  A failure by Canada to take action during his visit would violate the UN Convention against Torture and demonstrate contempt for fundamental human rights.”-Amnesty International

Bush Jr is expected to attend an economic summit in Surrey, Canada, on October 20.