“We’re buying a future where people aren’t forced to choose between paying for their cancer treatment or paying their credit card bill.”

I guess I’m left wondering how far out such a future might emerge — 50 years? 100 years?

Or do you mean they aren’t forced to choose because they can’t pay either one?

http://rortybomb.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/diy-stress-test-3-a-new-fed-stress-test-and-size-versus-losses/

Europe Industrial Production Declines by Record 21.6%

“Production in the euro region plunged 21.6 percent from a year earlier, the most since the data series started in 1986, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said today. Economists expected a 19.8 percent decline, according to the median of 14 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. From March, output declined 1.9 percent.

The global economy will contract for the first time since World War II this year as the fallout from the financial crisis leads companies to scale back production and run down stocks, the World Bank predicts. The European Central Bank this month kept its benchmark interest rate at a record-low 1 percent and will soon buy bonds in a bid to improve the flow of credit.”

1/2 day on Fridays!……Weekend!

all my gold is in electronics (I hear) .. and stuff like the Norman Rockwell’s plate series “Four Seasons” r1972 looking at the back of “Spring – Beguiling Buttercup” is pretty to look at too … got it at auction a few years back .. haven’t researched the RoI for me or the for the estate .. don’t really care
… money is crappy toilet paper .. its what you turn it into the makes the world pretty (or not)

Are we an empire? Yes. Have business interests colluded with governmental power over time to foster this empire? Yes. Is wealth unequally distributed in this country? Yes. Is there a great crime behind every great fortune? Yes, usually. Do we need regulators in and of the economy? Yes. Satisfied?

I was putting across the point that jobs come from the private sector. From nowhere else are jobs sustainable long-term. BOB’s policies may be designed for other goals (increased public welfare, wealth redistribution) but they will stifle job and income growth. We will settle for a smaller pie, economically. Some folks may be content that their slice is larger, and larger relative to others. But the pie will be smaller. Perhaps much smaller.

Is this all BOBs fault? Of course not. It is mostly, in fact, the fault of the One Party, Two-Branch legislature that has made payment promises we can hardly keep, with benefits today and a cost in the future.

I am wondering if I need to read the entire thread to get the big picture of comments

I would request that flagged comments get posted at the actual time the flagged becomes unflagged .. not with the original thread time stamp .. further there is so much that the robots can’t get . so why bother . (within reason) . (always) . imo