Another Econ Blog
June 20, 2008
How to bring gas prices down?
June 14, 2008
Question: What’s your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4 a gallon gasoline?President Bush: Wait, what did you just say? You’re predicting $4 a gallon gasoline?… I hadn’t heard that.”
— News conference, Feb. 28, 2008
Here.
Interesting article courtesy of USA Today.
CNBC Portfolio Challenge
June 14, 2008
Fake money, real stocks, chance to win real money.
Here.
Cost of Shipping
June 14, 2008
Front page of the WSJ.
Plan on seeing companies move manufacturing back into the United States thanks to high oil prices and shipping costs.
One company the WSJ references.
New US Currency System
June 14, 2008
Lowest valued piece: the $.50
Multiply every value by 10.
5 = $.50
10 = $1
and so on…
My theory behind this is to help stop the amount of wasted money. Of course this will never work, in part because America is set in their current currency standards, and also because taking out currency below .50 makes too much sense. Something like 1,000,000 pennies are thrown away each day. It almost costs more to make the copper coin than the actual value of it.
Having even prices, for example: a hot dog costing $30 (or $3) rather than $2.99 makes carrying cash a lot easier. That’s how China and Korea both operate. Rounding to the nearest $10 (or $1) makes much more sense when speaking of ease in investment.
I am aware of the interest and stock concerns when talking about fractions of dollars.
Mexico and Brazil
June 13, 2008
The key to America getting its feet back underneath them? Working with Mexico and Brazil. I think it should be noted that cooperation with Asian markets is just as important but the two others offer a ton of support in America’s unfolding problems.
First off, they’re the only two economies on the upswing. Is that a joke? Mexico? Somehow, as the WSJ puts it, “They didn’t get the memo that they’re Mexico.” US money should be flowing into the Mexican markets to help fuel the somewhat jumpstart their economy is currently experiencing. Opening jobs will help slow the rate of illegal immigration. After all, people come to America because they can’t find work. This does nothing but weaken our own economy as taxes of all sorts and kinds are being avoided. Now I do realize that in a fairy-tale world this would be a good idea. That somewhere in there one has to consider the Mexican government being somewhat corrupt or the markets taking a turn for the worse as soon as the American hand gets involved. But I’m not sure how much of that is true, I just know that Mr. Bush wants us to think that way. In a few months it will no longer be up to him. Rest easy Marines, you won’t need to brush up on your Spanish just yet.
Brazil. No other country currently has the resources that Brazil has to offer. Just like the 1938 oil discovery in Saudi Arabia, America needs to move in on that. It is our style. Find the country that can supply our large scale manufacturing, and make it happen. America isn’t a goods country anymore, as one would say. Well don’t you think that might be part of the reason things just aren’t going right at the moment. Get those manufacturing wheels turning, open up jobs in the homeland, and bring back the 1950’s!
ExxonMobile: “stations aren’t profitable”
June 13, 2008
How much profit does one need before they’re satisfied?
Oil
June 12, 2008
Most economist project oil to remain at, at least 80% of the energy consumption well into 2030’s.
Here is how the Wall Street Journal lays it out:
Plug-in cars are claimed to be in mass production by 2011. The energy used to pump those new electric beasts will come from the local power plant. It of course will be much cheaper than the current price of gas.
The drawback? Energy has to come from somewhere. Power plants must squeeze out more electricity to now meet those plug-in needs. The unfortunate part here is that most plants can’t output that much energy. This means they will have to build more, thus creating more greenhouse gasses. They will inevitably pass current greenhouse output standards. Causing more harm to the environment along with the enormous tax penalties.
Energy isn’t free.
