Saturday, November 13, 2010

Big Biz Ads

Driving in the Bay Area I was listening to "progressive" talk radio when the personality commented companies no longer advertise something to buy, they simply position themselves.  For example, Chrvron advertises that college professors agree with their engineers.  BP has been telling us for years they are a leader in the green movement.

Of course we still have mens warehouse and "a friend in the diamond business" advertising something you can buy, but it is an interesting observation, that big biz does not sell products in their ads, they shape opinion about whatever it is they happen to brand.

When you are huge, opinion shaping is more important than selling things.  Something to reflect upon.


Friday, November 12, 2010

Youth Sound Off

In response to a post yesterday, I got these two comments:
I'm going to try to create my very own job since there aren't any good jobs you can get.

Could someone provide any tips or websites as to how to get government grant money to begin with my personal business? I've been looking over the internet but just about every website asks for money and I've been told by the unemployment office to stay away from the websites that ask for cash for grant info because they're scammers. I'd personally be sincerely grateful for any help.
November 11, 2010 6:11 AM
***Yikes! The problem with the economy is government grant money.  Mostly to corporate welfare and and warefare business, but also to small time players in the form of student loans and uch.  You do not need a government grant, you need customers.  Lad, the best website for you is to get informed at www.mises.org, and read my book or take my class...***


Blogger Matthew said...




wow that is pretty ominous isn't it. It's too bad that I am so young and don't really have a lot of wealth acquired at this point in life. Or a business started up yet...I think my generation is going to have some serious issues feeding the baby boomers... sorry guys
***You do not need a lot of wealth acquired at any point in life.  You need a business that thrives,and an economy with a division of labor that provides emerging innovations to solve emerging problems (dengue fever in miami) and more better cheaper faster once introduced.  You just need a free market.  as to your generation supporting th elders, don't worry... in Korea the USA powers that be decided anyone on a  pension will see things degenerate... just like airlines no longer serve meals, even in first class at mealtime (for flights less than 2 hours), so the elders will suffer more and more, but then they voted for this.  Though Shalt Not Steal.  Get your own oxygen mask on first.  Get your biz going, then help who you cn when you can.  God help the rest.***


This Is Why The Republicans Ran John McCain

At the big-deal G20 meeting, the rest of the world has told USA they will not go along with USA in making Chinese consumers pay for USA insistence on bad economic policies.  (This makes it official, USA consumers will pay.)  Not in so many world, but in effect.

The republicans know very well this would happen, and best to make sure it happens on a democrats watch.  The democrats knew the republicans were going to throw the election (Sarah Palin as weep) so Hillary pulled back and they scooted Barack in to take the blame.  History unfolding before us in Seoul.


Thursday, November 11, 2010

What Do They Know That We Do Not Know

Insider trading is 3000 sold to one bought, Steve Balmer at Microsoft unloaded 75 million shares, and Cisco insiders are unloading millions of shares....  Mish covers this nicely, but the rich clear out first...


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

September Census Trade Data


  • Read All About it...
  • Exports increased to $154.1 billion in September from $153.6 billion in August. Goods were $107.6 billion in September, virtually unchanged from August, and services were $46.5 billion in September, up from $46.1 billion in August.
  • Imports decreased to $198.1 billion in September from $200.1 billion in August. Goods were $164.4 billion in September, down from $166.7 billion in August, and services were $33.7 billion in September, up from $33.4 billion in August.
  • For goods, the deficit was $56.9 billion in September, down from $59.1 billion in August. For services, the surplus was $12.9 billion in September, up from $12.6 billion in August.

Graph of International Trade Balances


Microfinance Crimes

A fellow won a Nobel Prize for his work in microfinance, before the obvious emerged:  it is just another way to oppress the poor.  Jeff Tucker has writing on this here, here and here.

Here is a women quickly trying to salvage her game, as the DARE people do.."O, yes, back then DARE did not work... but we've changed it... now the new version works..."

Nailing people with usury and demanding they live according to your rules as a condition of the loan is too aggressive and impertinent.


Division of Labor

Wealth is foolishly defined by some as how much money one has.  A better definition of wealth is what can your money buy?  People in Hong Kong of course have a higher per capita income than we do in the USA, because they are more free, but they also have a wider array of goods and services available to them than we do, because they are more free.  And since Hong Kong has a population similar to Switzerland in numbers, they of course do not have everything, but if anyone in Hong Kong needs something from somewhere else, they can just import it or hop a plane and go there.

With market driven more, better, cheaper, faster and almost nonexistent taxes and regulations, charities around the world find Hong Kong people exceedingly generous.  A charity without an office in Hong Kong is malfeasant.

The Brits control booze trade worldwide, so they had a weird tax and regulation on wine and spirits into Hong Kong.  One glaring anomaly all my years in Hong Kong was that spirits (even Chinese) were not a deal (and I check.)  China has no intention of leaving any of their people unemployed and a quick, free market way to break monopolies is to get rid of rules, regs and taxes that protect them.  In Hong Kong, done!

Now, as Hong Kong incomes increase, they have another option available to them from earth's cornucopia: wine.  They are educating themselves and learning pros and cons worldwide.  It's Grenache day in Hong Kong. USA wine is either irrigated with fluoridated water or pesticided with a fluoride-based mess.  This of course makes "organic" wine, a small biz specialty, more attractive.  They will learn.  As one Hong Kong businessman told me, wine is better than booze when entertaining because you can get more work done before you get drunk.

If we want more better cheaper faster, we need to cut taxes and regulations, and the programs they support.


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Big Business Care

Obama "health care" will get tweaked by the republicans, but it is here to stay.  Someone graphed out all of the agencies and departments, and published it.  That amazing thing, I suspect unintentional, is it look a lot like cancer.


Monday, November 8, 2010

Let's Slow Down

Maybe I am getting a little old, but what was a joke in a video on Sunday is serious on Monday...  recall the gal who peed on her iPod to find out if she was pregnant in the video Sunday?  Well, Monday UK doctors announce a new app...  and here again, read the comments sections... full of great ideas...


Pilots Have Learned Their Lesson

9-11 atrocity was possible only due to federal regulations regarding hijacking, to which pilots must comply or lose their jobs.  These rules the hijackers knew, and exploited. Several pilots, likely combat veterans all, were led to slaughter, as were their passengers, with only box cutters, against probably 20 to 1 odds.  Not a single FAA person responsible for making the rules or implementing the rules died in the attack.  Not a single government worker lost his job. Quite the contrary, countless more government workers were created due to the government policy failure.

The TSA is government theatre, acting out a charade regarding airline safety. If and when there is another attack, what known rules there are at the time will be exploited.  The Airlines share blame in this lack of safety, since they take the subsidies from the government and are happy to have taxpayers pick up the tab for "security."

Airlines could provide better security at a far lower cost.  But it would have to be a trade secret, that is to say, "it's none of your business how we protect our passengers and aircraft."  Security would be a competitive item, with safety results published.  There are very many ways to thwart hijackers, but airlines are obliged to follow the stated rules of the government workers.  A system when various airlines constantly shifting various means would make liklihood of success diminish, and terrorists pick another target.  They pick airlines for the spectacular and psychological effect.  Something would have to do.  of course, we would keep working down the line of targets, introducing responsibility and safety, until al qaeda was reduced to turning over garbage cans at midnight to make their point.

We could also, since the CIA, the 9-11 commission and al-qaeda all agree, the reason for the terrorist attacks is objection to USA occupying their lands, we could stop occupying their lands, and stop the attacks.  President Reagan cut and ran from the terrorists in 1982, and the attacks let up.

The pilots are buying the security charade, and happily they are not leaving us behind.  Here a principled pilot, representing others, who apparently has lost his job for refusing pointless search, is working to eliminate the pointless government theatre.  Happily, he is not leaving the passengers behind, and


The Gift Of ADD

This sure looks like the thinking of a kid with ADD.

And here is more of what I have written about this gift...

Feel free to forward this to three of your friends.