November 7, 2008

If we're going to truly reinvent America, we gotta make stuff again. So, we've got 300 million people and access to more. What should we be making?


I think we could make cars again, but only if we start over. No more unions, no more massive health care burden, no more ugly poorly designed gas guzzlers. Maybe let Toyota or Honda (who know how to make cars) take over GM, Chrysler and Ford and put Americans to work. Or maybe only make by law (or nationalization) green cars - natural gas and electric. And ban all gas cars by 2025.

Besides autos,
I think we could make solar panels and windmills.

I think we could make roads, bridges, tunnels, highways, light rail lines, regional and cross-country high-speed bullet trains, subways and airports.

I think we could make nuclear power plants.


I think we could make rocket ships that could take us to Mars and back within 10 years.


I think we could make schools and prisons and universities and hospitals.

Bottom line, if Americans are willing to be paid a fair wage going forward, after the crash, and make products that people actually want and need (instead of the crap put out by Ford), and also build the infrastructure and new energy platforms that will be needed for the next 100 years, we could reindustrialize the United States.

We have 300 million people and access to tens of millions more. We could build a country that is ready for a population of 500 million. Hell, if we don't, who's gonna take all these damn houses and pay for social security and medicare? And yes, that means immigration. LEGAL immigration. Apply, get a record, pay taxes, maybe we'll let you stay. And protect the border and kick every single illegal immigrant out. They can come back (maybe) if they apply.

Millions of Americans will be out of work next year. Millions and millions and millions. And since people won't be buying products like they used to, the only way to put most back to work is in building things. In America. For Americans.

Let's spend trillions to remake the country I say. Dream big. Really big.

Let's get to work.

72 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I think we could make rocket ships that could take us to Mars and back within 10 years."

Hrm, not sure about the wisdom of that one. It's a very gigantic task that is also obscenely expensive and very dangerous. I know, I know, so was Apollo, but at least now we have robotic explorers. Way more efficient.

Anonymous said...

Amen.
We have to have an industrial base.
Pushing paper has failed.

Anonymous said...

We need much more emphasis on quality public education. No more "Iraq and Maps" !!

Our public schools are a JOKE ! We graduate illiterate underachievers !!

BAN PLAYSTATION at home !! Encourage reading !!

Shi* , we need help , GAWD !!!

Anonymous said...

There is no point in going to Mars. It can't sustain our life form. It might make technologies come to life that could be used to harvest asteroids or the moon. But why???

We have enough resources right here on Earth. We wouldn't be runinng out of them if we worked more closely with the natural cycle of life and respected the infinite wisdom of natural design.

What we are doing is feeding like pigs and expecting the portions to continue indefinitely.

Build cars, trains, etc. It will only provide work for people for so long. Maybe 50 years. But then you get right back to the same equation. What is our purpose on Earth? is it to just build and buy and consume or is there a higher purpose that does not revolve around all things economic?

Just asking.

Paul E. Math said...

I agree with you on this one, Keith.

But, for the most part, we need to let the free markets decide what consumer products (cars v. tvs v. skis v. etc).

The exception to my free market ideology is in goods and services that are enjoyed publicly. Free markets are not good at this so, unfortunately, the incompetent and wasteful government is lesser of the evils in this area. I'm talking about infrastructure: railroads, public transportation, wifi cities and towns, electricity.

So we need to let GM and Ford fail. The markets have spoken - they are poor companies with poor products and inefficient production systems.

But let's build some great geriatric hospitals and entire geriatric communities. And let's train ourselves in treatment and diagnostic technologies.

And let's get off foreign oil. Let's make our own energy: solar, wind, nuclear. Shit, maybe even these electric underwater kites will help a little.

But for God's sake, let's not keep making buggy whips for fear of putting all those buggy whip makers out of work.

Leon said...

Here's an idea, siphon off a few hundred million and put out an open tender for innovative projects, you dream it and the government decides whether to pay you to build it.

I'm thinking giant solar facilities, greenhouse farms in the desert, and rapid transit systems between mcmansion communities and the big cities.

The only challenge would be rewarding those who successfully complete a project, and punishing those who squander their funding.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, it's not just a question of what we should be making, but how we can smoothly get the average person to adjust their attitude to deal with making stuff again.

People now have access to so much information and education and the result is they want to get paid for the "value" they assume that adds. Once young people realize that college makes you educated and able to think for yourself, but not necessarily able to make a living there will be a massive shift in priorities. Welding and bricklaying school, anyone?

I expect a huge university crash as undergraduates realize that the huge loan sums they need to take to pay for school won't necessarily get them a better job or any job at all. So many majors have no practical application.

I worry that our world-wide population levels will make recovery very hard as there are so many people clamoring for good jobs and willing to work for next to nothing, just to have a job. Farming might become big, since we'll need food regardless of any other needs.

Anonymous said...

How about stop with sprawl as the default for new development? How about start making some decent new cities for a change?

Make some car free cities so that those who don't want to own a car or live in car infested environments have a choice?

Throw out the horrible zoning and land development codes that require construction of sprawl.

Make some communities where community is the focus instead of the individual.

Build for bicycling, pedestrians, passenger rail. Every city could start with turning one of their downtown parking spaces into bicycle parking. One parking space can park a lot of bikes.

Anonymous said...

This is a big part of why Americans are so damn FAT! Humans are wired with the energy and drive to be doing hard, productive work, like our ancestors did, but with the paper society and few 'real' jobs, all the food we eat to sustain our ability to work just goes to waste and is stored as blubber. We have the physiology to sustain the amount of food we eat, but it needs to then be expended in exertion. Sitting at a desk or standing behind a counter doesn't do it. We need to get back to work - real work. Work which involves bending the back and using our muscles to not only burn the calories we put away, but also to actually produce and make things happen.

Anonymous said...

Two words that are hard to conceive, yet necessary, completely and totally unapologetic and a 100% must: POPULATION CONTROL

We need to find some way to deal with this or the world will just get worse and worse. (sigh) But what does anyone care, they all just want to be comfortable and work jobs to pay for shit they dont need and live meaningless little lives. Oh well, I'm going snowboarding while I still can ;)

Anonymous said...

Less financial engineering and more civil engineering - we need to redefine what is productive and noble work

and redefine our notion of "successful"

Bryan said...

In my personal opinion, one of the main problems of alternative energy sources is that where we have the most resources (Arizona:Sun::North Dakota:Wind) are located far away from the urban population centers that need power the most. The finite resistance of copper causes a direct relationship between power line length and wasted energy which never reaches the consumer. While tremendous interest in "high temperature" superconductors has existed for twenty years, only one test system is up and running. My point is that alternative power generation must be coupled with alternative strategies for the Grid.

Anonymous said...

We have enough prisons already. The prison-industrial complex is another powerful special-interest group.

Nuclear power is bad. We have no soulution to the problem of radioactive waste. I know the French love nuclear. Leave it to them. There are better alternatives to fossil fuels.

We do need infrastructure projects. They are government funded and will get people working when the private sector is in retreat.

Anonymous said...

If we're talking about what the gov't should be doing:

-Walkable Communities

-Freight/Passenger Rail Lines

-Nuke Plants

-Port Improvements (especially the neglected ports along river/canal systems)

-Major Investments in Developing Low-Input Agriculture

-Market-Based Resource Management Programs on Public Lands

-Serious Water/Soil Conservation Efforts

Other than that, tax the bejeezus out of anything remotely related to fossil fuel energy and the market will take care of what to make.

Anonymous said...

America is broke, and they just put a socialist in office. America is not going to make anything. Most states in the USA from California to New York are cutting back not planning or expanding. Boomers will begin to downsize, as their age dictates reality. Xers are surviving. Yers will be poor. For America to reinvent itselt, it needs to pay its bills not borrow as if their is no tommorrow. Tommorrow is here.

Anonymous said...

Are you freaking out of your mind, Keith??!!

"Let's spend trillions and go to Mars, la la la la la!!!

What we need is to slash spending and slash taxation and let a productive, free market flourish again. We don't need some numbskull ideas coming from central planners like you Keith.

Let's spend trillions!! La la la la la!!

Can you say hyperinflation??

Anonymous said...

Keeferonio,
Great aproach, I agree..

An interesting side effect of all this is how exposed Europe has become.
Remember when European made cars where considered ‘quality made’
Dunno if it was only a perception (along the lines of ‘the grass is greener across the pond’) or there really was a period when a European product was really of decent quality.

Today, who would even consider buying a BMW, Mercedes or VW?
They are crapier built then toys made in China, and grossly over priced, never mind parts and maintenance.

When I see an FBer passing in a Mercedes, it reminds me of that crappy over priced circa 2005 Mcmansion, that is poorly built, expensive to heat and cool, expensive to maintain, with high taxes.

How bout rounding up all the Eurotard over priced crap, recycle them and build something of value.

Anonymous said...

Where the government can help is funding research, much like DARPA does. private companies typically only invest in incremental research, like the continued shrinking of process technology for integrated circuits. true pie in the sky research is too risking for private companies.

Anonymous said...

YOU ALL ARE MISSING THE POINT!!

We like to think that we can "make" things once again but we can't make things if they are not competitively priced. And, we can not make things that are competitively priced until the cost of living in western countries is reduced. And that won't happen until the value of our most important component of the cost of living, real estate, goes down. Sorry about that folks. You can only make things by government decree for so long and then the whole economy will collapse. It must be profitable at some level to make all of those things that we need.

I can't believe how often I hear that "we should put a bottom under the cost of housing". That policy virtually eliminates the possibility of re-establishing a healthy manufacturing economy.

Also, most idiots don't understand that Americans won't let anyone build a factory that actually does make things because of the supposed pollution, which will, again, reduce real estate values, and we will simply not stand for that.

You could not introduce a manufacturing job into this country with a surgical instrument.

miner_tom

Devestment said...

1) A better hybrid than Toyota that earns a tax credit.

2) Raw materials fabrication so we are not dependent on foreigners at times of war.

3) Agriculture based commodities.

4) Domestic oil not for export or the open market.

5) Ethanol

6) Everything we use.

Anonymous said...

Awsome, string of comments here.

How bout we share what little changes each one of us are already doing.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter what we make, as long as we keep salaries low, we won't progress.

We need a good strong labor movement and strong unions to bring back high wages. Without that we're just India or China.

Anonymous said...

I live in an area with 4 seasons and we get cold winters up here, my house is heated with an hydronic oil burner, I also own several acres of forest land, by managing the land we cut down overly mature trees to allow for a healthier eco system, so I recently purchased a highly efficient wood boiler and am in the process of installing it.
Plan is to utilize my free re-newable fuel and never buy heating oil again.

BTW I have a full time desk job, and am really enjoying building the chimney and installing my wood boiler by myself and a buddy helping.
*all done above and beyond code

Mammoth said...

Glad to oblige, 'Happy Snapper.'

Living on ~5 acres, and am just beginning to reap the first harvests from the apple, pear, cherry, plum and nut trees which I began planting shortly after buying this place.

Also have blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and a nice-sized vegetable garden with two greenhouses.

Although I work 40 hrs/week and suffer through the typical commute & office BS, on the side I have a small plant nursery/food business.

The plan is to 'grow' the business, and eventually give up the 'day-job.'

This little bit of locally-grown produce ensures that at least one piece of land won't be paved over for development anytime soon; it also provides nutritious sustenance for a number of people as well as slightly reducing the amount of food being shipped across the country, which wastes resources.

The next step is to get some chickens and maybe a goat or two.

What are YOU doing?

-Mammoth

Anonymous said...

ive geen waiting for my revitalization and longevity pill for a long time....would like to have the cellular composite of a 22 year old again....................then with my thousand year life span i might need mars

Joe said...

We need to focus on food, water and energy because therein lies survival.

We take going to the grocery store for granted but I forsee a day when the stores will be empty or best case, under guard and only limit purchases.

People just do not realize how bad the situation is. We are looking at a loss of currency here and a collapse of government.

Revolution always follows a currency collapse.

Joe M.

Anonymous said...

no five cent fountain of youth pills for you....when trillions can be made by "health care"

Anonymous said...

Residential Geothermal with government subsidy such that ROI
is 5 years or less. $5000, about the cost of a conventional HVAC system, or about the cost of granite countertops.

Unfortunately, the extent of obama's promises, which may have little or no value anyways, appears to only account for cheap weatherization which has already been address by prior legislation and only give a maximum of $500 over 2006, 2007, 2009 combined.

Anonymous said...

Folks need to remember that NASA was and is a military outfit. Half the budget is black. Man in space is scientifically irrelevant, and only done for major power chest thumping (e.g. Apollo). I love the robots as much as the next guy--but that is the tail on the budgetary dog--basically PR value with some planetary science.

So, I want a manned mars program, but it can't be motivated by science return, spin off tech, international cooperation (or competition).

I think Eisenhower was right--the military industrial complex is destroying the country. Basically the USSR AND the US lost the cold war. It bankrupted both of us, them in the 80s, and us more recently. Mexico City has the best public transportation system in N. America (featured in Total Recall), build by the Japanese for a cost less than one stealth bomber. We have been robbing the US infrastructure/public budget for decades to pay for military hardware.

So, fix the budget--stop buying new tech military toys--and do a REAL (not flags and footprints) manned Mars program with 25% of the money you save. Keep a leaner/less mean aerospace/mil contractor industry alive with it.

Cold War Swords to Martian Plowshares

Anonymous said...

happy snapper...above code does not sometimes equal "permitted"

Ready to play said...

We definitely need an agency dedicated to processing "big ideas." Maybe even funding them.

In other words, if I, for example had a big idea that creates jobs and helps the environment around the world, and I can't get a loan from the bank to get it started, then where do I go? Private investment? I don't think so. It would take too long to find a funder and one would have to jump through too many hoops.

Anonymous said...

Mammoth,

I also have an annual veggie garden (hobbie) that produces most of my veggies for late spring summer and fall months, have a strawberry patch and lots and lots of wild blueberries, black berries and raspberries, as for fruit trees I’ve plated a cherry tree that should be fruiting in about 2 years.
(plus give away tons to my immediate friends neighbors)

BTW there are many
‘MADE IN THE USA’
clean and efficient heating system manufacturers.
Here is the one I went with.
http://www.woodboilers.com/

This one is really great too.
http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/index.htm

Anonymous said...

‘Anonymous said...
happy snapper...above code does not sometimes equal "permitted"’

ok, let me re-phrase:
everything has been verified with our local building and zoning goons, and will be inspected.

My point was that I decided to it myself and save the labor costs.
I think most of us are capable of doing a lot more then we think we can.

Lost Cause said...

A replacement for hydrocarbons, starting with gasoline free automobiles.

PS -- this is BS about "letting the market decide." The market is fixed, and you are only allowed to buy what they want to sell to you. If you still don't want to buy it, they have a marketing campaign.

Tom Grey said...

We should make -- revised environmental codes that are more sensible, easier to meet, to allow new factories.

On cars: 'we Americans' are making lots of cars in America for good companies, like Toyota & Honda.

Your solution to unions is a no brainer no go.
No more unions, no more massive health care burden,

How about this: promise gov't lending to auto unions who agree to buy the factories of Chrysler after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is the only way to get rid of the health & pension promises that can't be kept (without yearly taxpayer subsidies). Let, and help, the unions own the factories and the contracts -- and choose the managers.

Allow the jobs to pay a less stable rate, with monthly profit sharing. Then let the unions try to maximize wages (=profit sharing amount) through price & cost decisions.

(Maybe my solution is also no go, but seems more realistic to me.)

Frank R said...

Problem is the unions and regulation. That's what killed our auto industry. Unfortunately they are both going to get worse now.

Say bye-bye to America's industrial base.

Anonymous said...

What should we make?

I think the question is "What does China want to buy?" Make that.

We need to anticipate a huge increase in energy costs that will make it hard to import heavy items from China. For example, we used to make TV's in Indianapolis because it was close to the most customers, but RCA and company closed up shop. We need to return to that mindset where shipping is expensive.

We need to make food and energy more locally. The central power plant model is going to be replaced by a more distributed generation system. (e.g. solar panels on your house)

We need to re-think how we grow food and use more energy-friendly techniques that are less dependent on fossil fuel. Michael Pollin is a good expert in this area. Here he is for 40 minutes on NPR.

http://tinyurl.com/6hmyv8

All that said, there is no reason to expect that we can make things that are competitively priced until major financial realignment occurs.

- We need to drop a bomb on the health care system and start over like other countries have. Employee-sponsored health care has to go.

- We need to let housing prices enter reality by eliminating all the subsidees and tax breaks for buying real estate.

Lost Cause said...

OK Snappy -- I am not really doing anything, but I will start doing something today.

Anonymous said...

Mexico City has the best public transportation system in N. America ???

Old diesel busses painted green?

Anonymous said...

Vaccine for SARS.

Anonymous said...

Good job, America!!

You just voted another Neocon into office.

Barack Obama, Neocon

Not that you had much of a choice. You had a choice between a black Neocon and a white Neocon.

Oh well. Conned again. What can you do?

Anonymous said...

NASA chews up the highest percentage of government outlays for research followed by the NIH.

Space exploration is basically high-level stamp collecting, a hobby for a once affluent nation on the decline.

Anonymous said...

Paul E. Math and anon 3:18 are right. We do need to return to actually making stuff, as opposed to borrowing, consuming, and inflating asset prices. However, if central planners dictate what we make, through tax incentives or divine fiat, there will be massive malinvestments.

Perhaps 100% of our new development should go toward nuclear, or maybe none of it. Perhaps 10% should go to windmills, and 28.3% to a better energy grid. Maybe solar is the way to go in one part of the country, but coal is better in another. Who knows? Can the proper allocation be reached by political compromise in D.C.?

The only way to achieve a reasonably efficient allocation is to let the free market decide which of these choices are the best, and to allow inefficent investments to fail. Government's only roles should be to provide a safe, predictable, low-tax, level playing field for the participants, provide a stable currency with which to conduct business, and enforce contracts.

By the way, Keith, we need to shut down some our prisons -- not build more. Our incarceration rate for victimless "crimes" is way way too high. Have you seen all the infomercials hawking degrees in "criminal justice?" This sector is completely nonproductive, and should be decreased as much as possible.

Finally, I resent the prospect of having a hybrid automatic shoved down my throat when I can get better mileage from a 4-banger with a stick-shift.

Anonymous said...

So tell me Keith this dramatic change we have been sold by you and the remainder of the electorate now that Mr. President is filling up positions with left over Clinton appointees and what about the medias love affair with the new chief of staff compare that to Rove but hey we are all Americans today so lets give peace a chance.

Anonymous said...

If anything was learned from 147 oil this summer, its that we need a lot more nuclear power in this country.
Most of the anti-nuclear power agenda was fostered in the 1970's, but it was mainly the anti-nuclear weapons activists wrongly combining the two issues.
Obama would be extremely smart to push for the fast track construction of new nuclear power sites, along with whatever pie in the sky wind and solar projects he intends too.
Not only would it create 10s of thousands of new jobs during the construction and running of them, but it would help reduce our dependancy on foreign oil.
France gets over 80% of their power from nuclear plants, and that is a model we should be emulating.

FlyingMonkeyWarrior said...

I am in Ethanol and Bio-diesel, and feel great about doing my part and for the fact that I am relatively safe from the sh!t storm heading to the economy.

It is about sustainable fuel and recession proofing your personal career, imo. Flex fuel cars have been around since the late 90's and the last Farm to Fuel Conference I attended had Toyota there. Toyota's flex fuel car will be launched in 2009.

Now, we are using methane from dumps to make the higher alcohols which are the ethanols. We use non-food feedstock like food scraps from giant food plantations, (not corn), and food processing plants scraps and go in to local regions in North America.

There is an ethanol mandate in that e10% is required, rather than the MTBE as a gas additive by 2010and I and my colleagues are ahead of the curve.

Just my small plan to help the world and to help myself at the same time.

FMW

Hi Mammoth. Glad you got your nursery up and running!!

FlyingMonkeyWarrior said...

PS. ETHANOL can fire electricity power plants, too.

Anonymous said...

miner_tom said..."...I can't believe how often I hear that "we should put a bottom under the cost of housing". That policy virtually eliminates the possibility of re-establishing a healthy manufacturing economy..."

Hear, hear; that is the crux of the matter. It was a pyramid scheme built on fiat currency.

chslaxcoach said..."...Employee-sponsored health care has to go..."

Yep. Look what those costs did to GM.

We need a better deal, but at the same time need to admit that immense expenditure on frail elderly life-prolonging is something we can no longer afford.

Anonymous said...

'Anonopussy said...
Good job, America!!
You just voted another Neocon into office.'

Loser!

Your furor was a wussy, who ended up committing suicide.
You aught to follow in the steps of your leader, do it now!

Your way of thinking has destroyed Europe forever.

Anonymous said...

BMW Driving Sex Machine?

Ha!

Guess its all a matter of tatse.
or a matter of being blind to something you invested in.

BMWs are ugly crapy tin cans, oh; and pricy too.

Anonymous said...

The USA is still a world leader in technology and the latest modern state of the art comfort systems for homes and commercial buildings is GEOTHERMAL HEATPUMPS. Invented years ago by engineers at Carrier , which traces it's roots to Buffalo , NY , this concept is now FINALLY catching on !!

Google GEOTHERMAL HEATPUMPS and see the future in HVAC !!

Anonymous said...

Make one Road from Canada to mexico. Build a giant Port in Mexico to bring goods cheaply to the NA. Move all Industry to Mexico to avoid the greenies.
Give eveybody a hall pass El Passporto to move freely through Mexico, USA and Canada.
Bring in one Currency to merge them. Sovernty is useless.. This is what I would do .. Wait its already happening.. Darn they beat me to it.

Anonymous said...

"Google GEOTHERMAL HEATPUMPS and see the future in HVAC !!"

It's about time. Building site are starting to incorporate these, because clients are now demanding LEAD certified buildings.

Biodiesel and ethanol, the verdict's generally a no for me. Diverting corn to make ethanol is a terrible idea. Using methane from landfills and bio processes is a much smarter way to run our motorized vehicles.

Anonymous said...

Where do get the trillions? From China buying treasuries? They won't keep doing it, because it debases the dollar and shrinks their own investment. They would be stupid to buy the treasuries. That's where the Iraq War debt came from. They're wise to it. The game's over. Or maybe by selling collateralized debt packages. All you need is to convince the big ratings agencies like Moody's and Standard and Poor's to inflate the quality a bit so that foreigners will by the paper. Oh, yeah...that's how the credit market crashed. Damn, we can't do that either. Ok, so you tax the rich for the trillions. Yeah that'll work...the rich. The government will MAKE them pay up. "Them" being people that make more money per year than all 50 Senators put together make in an entire term of office. They will just pay up and not fire anyone from their businesses. They will just pay up and not outsource to China and India. They will just pay up and not reinvest in foreign businesses instead of American ones. Sorry, dude. We're broke.

Obama is going to print the money, expand the government and create bogus jobs with the expansion. The dollar will get destroyed and hyper-inflation will hit. Ron Paul was right.

Anonymous said...

FOOD

Plain & simple-

We can do what no other Country on Earth can do - feed everybody, or at least, damn near everybody

And the Chinese, Russians & Saudi's can never forget this!

ApleAnee said...

Anonymous said...

America is broke, and they just put a socialist in office. America is not going to make anything. Most states in the USA from California to New York are cutting back not planning or expanding. For America to reinvent itselt, it needs to pay its bills not borrow as if their is no tommorrow. Tommorrow is here.

Thank you. Nobody wants to hear this you know. Read the comments here, out of one side of the mouth comes "we are broke", out of the other side comes "we need to spend trillions".

No one really believes the USA is broke. Not really. Not even on this blog. We criticize Bernanke about dropping dollars from helicopters. What is the difference between that and throwing trillions at infrastructure or going to the moon, or mars?

The problem is us and our greed and sense of entitlement. Until that problem gets solved we are just pissing in the wind with our mouths open

I would respect Obama if he would get on TV and just tell us the truth. The party is over. Deal with it.

A blog that is by invitation only is not a blog. It is a chat room.

Anonymous said...

the problem is not finding the work, the problem is an untrained workforce. an MBA and $.25 will get you a hot cup of jack sh*t.

Anonymous said...

My life experience has always been that, 'Necessity is the mother of invention.'
Who would have thought that someone wanting to sell a pezz dispenser would start a billion dollar business like ebay.
Or that 'Ask Jeeves' would turn into 'Google'.
It's almost like you can't plan it, it will spring up somewhere, where you least expect it.
Probably in some kid's basement.
Ideas just seem to have an organic flow which comes from the collective conscience.
Me, I've been trying to think of a better mousetrap for those packages you have to tear open at Taco Bell and Arby's,etc, and they end up all over your clothes.
Been thinking about it for 15 years, can't come up with anything better.
But one little invention like that would make billions.

Anonymous said...

"an MBA and $.25 will get you a hot cup of jack sh*t."

So are you saying the legions of MBA's are useless?

Anonymous said...

I believe we are broke.

The illusion is that the dollar will always be the rock upon which the world builds its economy, but the dollar can continue to lose half of its value every day...in perpetuity. Inflation can be defined as an increase in the money supply. Printing money does just that. Soon we are talking about spending Quadrillions on trips to Mars. Broke is broke. The world was not fooled when the Romans clipped the corners off of all the silver coins in order to make more silver coins. Prices went way up. That is what will happen here.

Today, Obama asks for a new "stimulus package" from Congress. In short, he's asking them to clip the corners off the coins again. Make the coins a bit thinner. I'm not fooled, just like the Romans weren't fooled thousands of years ago.

Listen to Ron Paul. He's the only one who had it right.

Anonymous said...

Listen to Ron Paul. He's the only one who had it right.

I'm afraid Keith and his crazy Obama zombie legions have left this plane and are now living in Obama la la land.

Keith and crew will be the new leaders of Obama's Great Leap Forward for America.

They've lost their senses. Voted for the lesser of two evils and didn't bother to do their due diligence on Obama because they only had blind hatred for the Little Shrub + Penis Shooter.

Well, like we were saying all along the choice between Obama and McCain was a false choice. They both represent the same interests.

The only choice you had was which color you want your brand of corporate fascism wrapped in.

That's how the two-party system works. One term the population gets pissed off at the Demorats. They vote them out for the next term and then get pissed off at the Republiscum. Meanwhile, the same agenda rolls forward controlled by the same insiders that work for both parties.

You've been conned suckers.

Anonymous said...

Read Peter Schiff's weekly commentary on europac.net. Read Schiff's books if you haven't done so.

Obama is pro-consumption and will likely make another "stimulus package". Obama hasn't mentioned anything about downsizing the government. The economic and cultural cleansing that is about to take place will be hindered by Obama's economic policy. The sheeple want to consume for Christmas, so an Obama stimulus package would be right on time to pay up the Christmas credit card bills.

Bend over America! The great fuckover is just beginning. If you thought that the worst is over now that Obama will be president, think again. The current US government and economic system needs to collapse and halt, so that it can be rebuilt from scratch.

Sorry Keith, sorry to all obamabots out there. Just because Obama has been elected does not mean the crisis will be over by 2010.

ApleAnee said...

deepcgi said...
I believe we are broke.
Listen to Ron Paul. He's the only one who had it right.

I agree. It is like the 12 steps to recovery from alcohol. Before you can change anything you have to stand up and say I am an alcoholic. You have to be honest with your predicament.

We are broke and addicted to debt. The month of September saw an increase in credit card usage. We still are in major denial about our situation.

This blog was instrumental in making people understand that there was a problem with the Ponzi Housing Scheme. I wish someone would do a blog that deals with the real issue we have and that is the delusion that we can continue to live the way we have for the last 10 years on borrowed money.

I just wish we could find some way to be honest and quit deluding ourselves. It is so frustrating to me because nothing can change until we are honest enough to say we collectively have a problem.

Anonymous said...

Not only are the legions of MBAs useless, they're evil.

They were instrumental in creating this mess.

Anonymous said...

vanilla ice said...

So are you saying the legions of MBA's are useless?

Hell no, what the world needs is more media luvees, financial gurus, litigation lawyers, psychoanalysts, and I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have some twat with a degree in wine tasting to tell me not to buy this particular bottle of wine as it tastes like creosote!!

In answer to your question, no not all, but if 95% of them disappeared from the face of the earth, it wouldn't be a great loss.

Anonymous said...

Here is how Mitt Romney answered that question:

http://tinyurl.com/5eyxlq

Why didn't he ever sound this intellgent while running for president. He could have at least saved us from Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber.

Mammoth said...

To those who advocate building new nuclear power plants:

Excellent idea! Let's build the first nuclear power plant 1 mile from your home.

Anonymous said...

Vanilla Ice Said...

Biodiesel and ethanol, the verdict's generally a no for me. Diverting corn to make ethanol is a terrible idea.


About 87% of our corn crop is fed to animals. America usually sends about 20% of its corn to other countries. You'd think that this corn feeds most of the hungry in the world, but the corn is actually sold to wealthy nations to feed their livestock. Poor countries don't accept our corn due to it being genetically modified and therefore deemed unfit for human consumption.

Creating ethanol first results in more meat than if you fed the corn directly to the cattle. The food supply can actually be increased by first processing corn into alcohol, creating a higher-quality animal feed called distillers grain.

Anonymous said...

I can not think of a thing that can be built in America that big manufactors won't ship to China for them to put together or make it so that they don't have to pay taxes or pay american salaries. One of the problems there is all the Mexican's who came here for a "better life" who have jobs that American's should have (also throw in alot of Chinese) There should not be one company that is allowed to have a work force of illigal immigrants (and the government knows who they are)who have jobs here and have shut americans out. Let American's go to their countries and try to take over their jobs and see how that goes. When everyone (who has the power to employee people) thought that foreigners were better than American's because they don't complain and work hard, they've gotta remember they are American's so that must apply to them too. And as I said before I can not think of one product that will stay in the states if there looks like a good return on the money, before you know it it will say "Made in China" or "Made in Mexico".

Anonymous said...

One word: education.

For the under-18s we need to raise a new generation of literate and numerate people. The US has one of the worst education systems in the developed world, so its no wonder we have to import expertise and skill from other countries.

For older people, a comprehensive retraining system, with real employment so that they can learn on the job. If we're going to rebuild this country, we need the manpower both at the 'calloused hands' level and at the engineer/project management level.

And, to the person who said we need population control - many studies have found that the best and most effective way to lower population levels is to provide decent education for girls/women. Women with a good education and decent jobs tend to have less children, as can be seen by the falling birthrate in many demographics in the USA and in Europe.

So, I say education is the key to American recovery.

Anonymous said...

if we do not burn all the methane comming up from artic volcanoes we may die.....? what of to much methane ..?????

Mark said...

happy snapper,

The Germans have a $195B trade SURPLUS. You read that right: SURPLUS. Somebody is buying their products, despite their high-wage economy.

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