[FireJack]

[vision-master]

How to Fix Social Security - raise the FICA tax ceiling for wages up to $150,000 a year. Done.

You rich guy's can make other investments - no crying here. Please!

What's wrong with this picture?

[53convert]

Heres a novel approuch.
Stop useing the social security funds for programs not intended originally.
Stop giving social security benefits to those who have never paid into the system.
Stop useing the social security fund to pay for Border security guards.
DOnt give SS to illegal immigrants.
Medicare benefits only to those who have paid into social security or into medicare through payroll deduction.
I know, not main stream liberal take care of the poor and the hungry and the lazy so lauch away

[MrBill]

I just don't understand you Euric? The biggest producers and exporters are in no particular order

The United States
Germany
Japan
China

And they are all large importers of commodities and energy from the four corners of the world.

Yes, Germany is a large exporter and the main contributor to the European economy and the EU budget, but they also run a budget deficit. The rest of old Europe is a mess to be honest.

Yes, Japan is a larger exporter and runs a current acount surplus, but in the end they also sell a large part of the manufacturing surplus to the USA and would be poorer without that component to their growth which is shaky enough as it is. And they have a rapidly aging population.

Yes, China it seems can make anything cheaper, but they do so using foreign capital and technology. Their external foreign reserves of $800 billion would be almost wiped out just to cover non-performing loans to state firms and Chinese companies that have benefited from $60 billion a year in FDI have never had to pay market rates for that capital. They are a collection of loss making industries designed to generate employment, which is ultimately dependent on countries like the USA importing from them.

Could there be more inter-Asian trade? Certainly, but where is it today? But even with Japan and China's foreign exchange reserves they are a drop in the bucket compared to the some $17.7 trillion that money managers control. Private money flows exceed central bank reserves by +600%. Those wealth managers will decide who lives, thrives or dies on the vine, not some politburo hacks.

So despite problems in America and their large external deficits, I just do not see how you can predict their ultimate demise and then at the sametime make the assumption that everyone else BUT America will be just fine after a short period of adjustment?

Someone from America must of kicked you when you were a puppy and now you're hostile to anything Made in the USA?

[pb_2_au]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', 'I') bought a lawnmower at a garage sale today. It was a good deal, but not a whole lot cheaper than a brand new Chinese made one.

[SoothSayer]

The biggest producers and exporters are in no particular order

The United States
Germany
Japan
China

Hmmm - the US is the only one with a negative balance of payments.

The others actually make things people want.

The US makes banknotes.

[Kez]

"Is America going broke?"

Yes, but just like the individual mentality of most Americans, who will not suffer, or sacrifice, or cut-back on their lifestyles, America will just push the debt farther into the future and keep things rolling. When it crashes, who knows what will happen, but it won't be pretty.

[CARVER]

Over the years lots of smart people left countries all over the world for the US, because of the opportunities in the US. These people could leave the US if other countries would provide better conditions/opportunities. Doesn't really matter where they live, I don't think you want to exclude those people. I don't think exclusion of people is a solution.

I don't want to see their economy fall, or see them suffer in a war. I hope we will see them change their behavior, mainly their foreign policy and their consumption. They may consume a lot, that however doesn't mean they don't produce very useful stuff.

[Kingcoal]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SoothSayer', '[')b]The biggest producers and exporters are in no particular order

The United States
Germany
Japan
China

Hmmm - the US is the only one with a negative balance of payments.

The others actually make things people want.

The US makes banknotes.

[Kingcoal]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SoothSayer', '[')b]The biggest producers and exporters are in no particular order

The United States
Germany
Japan
China

Hmmm - the US is the only one with a negative balance of payments.

The others actually make things people want.

The US makes banknotes.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SoothSayer', '[')b]The biggest producers and exporters are in no particular order

The United States
Germany
Japan
China

Hmmm - the US is the only one with a negative balance of payments.

The others actually make things people want.

The US makes banknotes.

[Scactha]

Tables just show that the EU´s GDP consist alot of exports. Are we to assume it´s automatically to the US? Last I heard Sweden did export more to Chindia than the US.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Scactha', 'T')ables just show that the EU´s GDP consist alot of exports. Are we to assume it´s automatically to the US? Last I heard Sweden did export more to Chindia than the US.

[Euric]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SoothSayer', '[')b]The biggest producers and exporters are in no particular order

The United States
Germany
Japan
China

Hmmm - the US is the only one with a negative balance of payments.

The others actually make things people want.

The US makes banknotes.

[Euric]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('CARVER', 'O')ver the years lots of smart people left countries all over the world for the US, because of the opportunities in the US. These people could leave the US if other countries would provide better conditions/opportunities. Doesn't really matter where they live, I don't think you want to exclude those people. I don't think exclusion of people is a solution.

I don't want to see their economy fall, or see them suffer in a war. I hope we will see them change their behavior, mainly their foreign policy and their consumption. They may consume a lot, that however doesn't mean they don't produce very useful stuff.

[Euric]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', '
')The US does make things... for other Americans. The US is loaded with low volume, high price, specialty manufacturers, I've worked with many. These manufacturers don't generally sell outside the country because there either isn't enough of a market to make it worth it, or there are markets, but they are protected with trade barriers. Face it, outside the US, the entire world wants to export a lot and import very little. The US is where the markets are at, why bother going through the trouble of trying to sell something to other countries when you've got the biggest markets at home. Do you think China would bother selling to the outside world if they had good markets in their own country? US manufacturers are structured the way they are because that is the what makes the best business sense, not because they are hiding under the covers or something.

[Elan_Rasa]

The fact that the US is broke (according to Empire of Debt) or is going broke is not surprising to me. What was surprising was that the St Louis Federal Reserve would be making this announcement in a public forum and clearly stated that the current administration intentionally hid our financial problems. A long read but eye-opening nevertheless.

Here is the link

http://research.stlouisfed.org/publicat ... likoff.pdf

[KhanCEO]

1.Empire of Debt has tons of information about our country's debt. I suggest everyone read that book.
2.I hate how the people that are causing this problem are offering a "solution" to the problem they created. The Federal Reserve System is a private bank that prints money or creates numbers out of thin air then loans it to the government with interest which is then paid for by the people of the U.S. through income tax. What a scam and the nerve of these people to offer a fix; I hope who ever wrote this trash gets hit by a bus. THESE PEOPLE CREATED THE PROBLEM.

http://www.freedomtofascism.com/

Go see what your country has become.

"A retail sales tax, personalized society security and a globally budgeted universal healthcare system" These are their "answers" to our problems.
1 A Retail Sales Tax=Rob more people of their money.
2. Personalized Society Security= After 50+ years of ripping off my parents who paid into society security their whole lives, our dear sweet federal reserve is suggesting "WE DONT GIVE THEM A DIME". If anyone esle other than government did this, they would be thrown in jail.
3.Globally Budgeted Universal Healthcare System=A society that is set up to make you develop some type of illness will now FORCE you to pay money to for-profit corporations that will only offer overpriced TREATMENTS (never any cures or prevention). Its bad enough people are going bankrupt because of overpriced treatment ; now everyone will have to pay for it!

(Let it be known that I do believe medical treatment should be free to anyone who needs it , however anything for-profit medical treatment should be illegal in this country and putting dangerous cancer causing poisons in your food should also be illegal; we dont have an FDA that works.)

What this paper by the federal reserve system fails to mention is how it plays an important role in robbing us all everyday, nonstop. I really hate these people.

[Fergus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Elan_Rasa', 'T')he fact that the US is broke (according to Empire of Debt) or is going broke is not surprising to me. What was surprising was that the St Louis Federal Reserve would be making this announcement in a public forum and clearly stated that the current administration intentionally hid our financial problems. A long read but eye-opening nevertheless.

Here is the link

http://research.stlouisfed.org/publicat ... likoff.pdf

[nero]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KhanCEO', 'T')he Federal Reserve System is a private bank that prints money or creates numbers out of thin air then loans it to the government with interest which is then paid for by the people of the U.S. through income tax. What a scam and the nerve of these people to offer a fix; I hope who ever wrote this trash gets hit by a bus. THESE PEOPLE CREATED THE PROBLEM.