Letters to the Editor
aveutter
Published Letters: 198 Editor's Choice: 32
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I guess this means McCain is a moderate
[Read the article: Schwarzenegger endorses McCain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When Arnie moved up the primary date, the CA Republican chair moved to block independents from voting in the primary. There are a sizable number of independent swing voters in this state, who usually vote Republican. That should be good news for Romney, as core conservatives hate McCain, and consider him a Liberal.
Ostensibly the move may have been crafted to give Duncan Hunter's fledgling candidacy a boost, Nehring and Hunter are both San Diego area Republicans, but Hunter couldn't get out of the gate. There is additionally a large Mormon population in the state, which Romney might tap. McCain might have just gotten the worst endorsement he could have received, because it tends to paint him as a Liberal, and moderate Republicans have been excluded.
Bush dragged McCain through the mud in 2000, so you have to wonder is anyone McCain really needs, in his corner? If McCain does win the nomination, he will be badly weakened, and have no connections to the core faithful, no matter how many bars of bomb Iran, he can sing.
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Wall Street is cheering
[Read the article: The economics of Barack Obama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Nothing has helped Wall Street more than these automatic deposits. Some states automatically increase the employees contribution, if the market somehow manages to lose value, the worker has to pony up the difference.
Even so called responsible Pension Funds like CalPers have fallen all over themselves chasing risky returns. The problem goes back to the post 87' crash when the brokers went to street name accounts. It then became possible to add incremental shares, and pool assets. That is a system which hasn't been tested, but has the possibility to be a real nightmare in the event a major broker goes bust. The Obama plan sounds like it plays perfectly into the current spiraling out of control system.
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A fundamentally unsound practise I am afraid
[Read the article: The bike light that saved the world]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How good are these lights, will they warn you away from road hazards, glass, nails, etc, or are they simply a beacon for the neighbors Rotweiller? Not to be morose about it, but drunk drivers are often attracted to lights of any kind, on otherwise dark roads. Having been a truck driver for years, my advice to everyone is try not to drive at night, night bicycling doesn't seem to have any advantages over driving. Do these things also function as flashlights in an emergency? I love anything that makes bicycling safer, but riding after dark, or before sunrise, is one way to be on the evening news.
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California's color may be Green, not Brown
[Read the article: The race for California]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Nancy Pelosi was booed in San Francisco, Gavin Newson only won his office when the Democratic Party poured a ton of money, late into his campaign. His advocacy for gay marriage was an issue he borroweed from the Green Party candidate he ran against. California is not San Francisco, and the outlying areas are downright conservative. Jerry Brown as mayor of Oakland, ran a get tough on street crime policy, which took him to State Attorney General. He is probably the more prototypical California Democrat, though no mention is made of his position, or his endorsements.
California has been adding more voters who are registered independents. Democrats have a special antipathy toward the Green Party, which is officially a Progressive party. It may be that a number of likely Green voters will vote in the Democratic primary. Republicans reacted to same problem by excluding independents this time.
Latino's tend to have a poor turnout, especially in primaries with no overriding issues. The real issue could be the war in Iraq, and dissatisfaction with their Democratic Congressional representatives.
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An economy which requires the destruction of wealth
[Read the article: Recession medicine]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Economists could increase the savings rate by counting home equity. Home equity isn't measured in the present set of economic figures. Economists consider savings the enemy, Bernanke has spoken of the global savings glut as a bad thing. Interest rates are low, as a matter of economic policy. Economists want to drive people out of safe investments, sometimes called savings, and into investments which would stimulate economic growth if there was any need for investment.
It's difficult to get your arms around the concept, that there is a bear market in credit. The world has more credit than it needs. Financial institutions have trouble making money, when no one wants credit, and because there is no need, borrowers have little chance of investing the money they borrow, and making money from their investment. No where is this more true than with the consumer, who have few prospects of finding a better job next year. Now the Fed needs to put a bit more pressure on money market savers, by stimulating inflation, while holding interest rates down. That will certainly force savers to either spend, or invest in things which would otherwise stimluate economic growth. This economy engineered by several generations of politicans requires the destruction of wealth.
On the one hand Bush has sought to make the Federal Reserve Chief the assistant to the Secretary of Treasury, and Ron Paul has advocated abolishment of the Fed. Both men really want the same thing. As voters there is no clear choice, as consumers, and taxpayers, one cannot afford to live in an inflationary environment without accessing cheap credit. The political solution is to make credit even cheaper, or perhaps even free. A tiered credit system suggests another form of class warfare. Rather than nationalizing US oil reserves, politicians should make the Credit Card companies GSE's, with Fannie and Freddie lines of consumer credit. Then we can get on to the next bubblem which is preferable to destroying the system we now have.