Posted on 02/25/2011 6:31:32 AM PST by Kaslin
In 2006, I examined a series of surveys we conducted nationwide and then predicted a collapse of the housing market. Plenty others followed with similar forecasts and postmortems over the following months and years. But my column was among the first.
I've made predictions about other slowdowns in the American economy. I've been mostly correct, although in 2010, I suggested that the stock market ultimately would plunge. Turned out that it climbed instead of descending. The fact is that it's easier to predict the weather next month than to get an accurate read on the future of the stock market.
My timing was off in predicting a plummeting of the stock market, my but theory still stands. But the sobering news may extend beyond just that. A more immediate happening could be the sudden and silent rise in the cost of living for average Americans, thanks to continuing stagnant wages, plus unemployment that is higher than the official numbers. These numbers don't take into account the many who have fallen off the unemployment rolls or have simply given up looking for work.
It's true enough that some of those who predict oil prices may be overstating the severity and the extent of the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. There is little question that the outcome of this broad geopolitical conflict probably won't be decided for at least months.
Observers should recall that when the pro-American monarch in Iran was overthrown in 1979, most foreign policy experts in the Jimmy Carter White House believed that university students, bureaucrats and the educated classes in Iran would form a loose coalition that would transform that country into some kind of democracy. Then the Islamist Ayatollah Khomeini entered the stage. Within a year, Americans had been taken hostage in the U.S. embassy in Iran.
Although jobless claims were down this week and some other economic indicators now look a bit better than they have, we now face the possibility of inflation spiking, and of a lack of quality jobs being created.
Until we see corporations and especially small businesses enjoying sustained expansions, we're going to keep chasing our tails in an ongoing circle of weak and weaker economic growth.
Now for a truly troublesome economic cocktail, throw in the instability in the Arab world. We can't know yet who will be in control of some of the region's immense oil reserves a year from now. The existence alone of this political instability may keep both the oil and stock markets in flux.
But the biggest economic moment of truth will be stateside. Corporations have squeezed their employees, their vendors and every other possible resource, all just to keep upping their profits year after year.
But all the blood already has been squeezed out of this ever-hardening rock. We are now seeing indications that, except for military outlays, capital expenditures are still lagging.
The big banks that enjoyed public bailouts are now recovering, but they are still hoarding too much cash. The result is a cutoff of capital flow. At some point, there will be an end to the benefits corporations have enjoyed from their rounds of cost-savings.
What this likely means is that in 2012, unemployment likely will stay above 8 percent. And that number won't include all those who have given up looking for a job. Some economic demographic groups may see overall job gains, especially the college-educated and women.
But even as they and maybe some others start to climb out of the misery of the past few years, corporations probably won't be able to keep pulling the white rabbits of continuing profits gains out of their hats. Profits will level off as quarters are compared to quarters a year previous. Fear and reflexive stinginess will again grip corporations and banks, and they will keep on with their boycotts of expansion. That could kick the economy back into another tailspin.
What to do? We could start by not taxing at high rates those who create jobs. The best temporary solution would be to eliminate capital gains taxes, or at least cut them drastically. That would free up capital and thus motivate corporations to use the new capital to expand their businesses and employ more people. Perhaps the only companies to get this tax break should be those that use the savings to expand.
Just a thought.
I don’t think it will be a matter of waking up tomorrow and the banks are closed and the grocery stores empty.
They’ll try to keep the lead balloon aloft as long as possible.
But people should be aware of the signs.
You need food/water, guns, ammo, silver for purchases,
preferably for at least a year.
You have some time, but maybe not much.
And for what other purpose does a corporation exist?
In the story, a man had purchased "Italy 1920" -- not a good playing position. He had done phenomenally well and nearly conquered all of the known world. Everybody knew about this tremendous performance. He controlled a (virtual) superpower.
Through a plot twist, he lost control of his game and someone else became "Italy 1920", although the 'game year' was now 1950, or something. The new player seemed to make a series of bad choices. He antagonized his allies. He rewarded his enemies. He decreased production of vital resources. He cut back on military spending. His tax policy was crazy. etc. etc.
In the end, the Great and Powerful Italian Empire Which Ruled The World, utterly collapsed into absolutely nothing within about 24 hours. No one in the history of the game had ever seen anything like it.
Everyone was shocked, but they also declared that the second player absolutely understood how to work the levers of the world better than anyone. A masterful performance -- aimed at destruction, not creation.
“I’ve been mostly correct, although in 2010, I suggested that the stock market ultimately would plunge. Turned out that it climbed instead of descending.”
Can I get paid for making predictions like this too ?
This guy could get a job as a weatherman or maybe working for the CIA.
For those interested you can down load my Preparedness Manual at:
http://www.mediafire.com/?zx5772aa15x6xga
Nothing He wrote suggests a collapse
The statement was not a condemnation of corporate profits. It was to point out that they have gone as far as they can to show a profit and that you can expect profits from here on to be lower.
My disagreement with the article is that it does not place as much attention on unreasonable regulatory agencies; EPA, etc.
Our tax system is onerous and definitely is much to blame, but the crazies in our regulatory agencies are at the very least as much to blame.
Manufacturing, oil, mining, fishing...agriculture...all subject to the crazies.
I agree, It will happen slowly. And I'm willing to bet a good majority of people won't even realize it's happened. It will only be realized when we really look back to what we once were as a nation.
lol you caught that too. He's not the only one talking like that.
LOL. Don’t you know? All businesses exist for the sole purpose of creating jobs.
The title is misleading. Sounds like more of the same rather than another “meltdown”.
And to help off set some of the cost
The Coupon Whisperer
http://couponwhisperer.blogspot.com/2011/02/sensible-stockpiling.html
“You need food/water, guns, ammo, silver for purchases,
preferably for at least a year.”
_________________________
How much ammo do you think it will take to last a year? Serious question to you, BTW. How do you see the scenario playing out in various settings?
Wow, that depends so much on your individual circumstances that I wouldn’t try to offer much advice.
Considerations:
Proximity to “urban core”
Hunting
arming neighbors
number of calibers you’re “feeding”
(I’ve attempted to keep this latter item to a minimum, and keep them “common”)
Oregon is run by the enviormentalists. The feds and the state own way more than half of all our natural resources. No more timber harvests, very, very regulated fishing industry and now they have gone after the grass seed producers. We were the #1 in quality grass seed in the world. Many of the counties that have these resources are subsisting on government bailouts to the tune of $50,000,000 per year per county just to help pay county expenses, this has been going on now for over 15 years.
Now the schools are closing all over the state and the parents in the cities are all crying, Why?
I don't know how one profits from this depression but I'm sure some will...
only good thing about Oregone is that we can come down there to shop without sales tax....
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