At work and bored

So what else is there to do but bring forth the best news of the day to my loyal readers.

Paul Krugman correctly points out that the U.S. and E.U. debt crisis have resulted in stagnation and nothing disrupts markets more than stagnation as inevitably some country is too far out over their skis in one way or another and has a crisis.  So Turkey is the poster child for bad economic policy when you have no energy resources.  Not sure why the U.S. is selling off because Turkey is bordering on crisis (Vennie, Argie and the Ukraine are in real crisis and each deserve to be so as I have previously written), but the liquid markets always get hit because they are liquid and eventually things come back. This is why I am leaving the markets to focus on something else.

Krugman discusses the Economy



Tim Egan pointed out that GOP Representative Cathy McMorris Rogers response to the State of the Union not only came up short as a political counterpoint but also illustrates how the GOP policies do not represent the best interests of her constituents.  In fact, he shows the inconsistency and self-interest of her policy mix which is fairly well representative of how in general GOP policies are inconsistent and in general class warfare.

Link to Tim Egan


The President supports fast track, apparently some in the GOP support fact track, and apparently some Democrats support fast track.  But Senate Democratic leadership does not.  Fast Track deserves a vote and the President should pull out all stops to make sure each part of Congress votes on it.  Fast Track allows the President to negotiate Free Trade Agreements without the risk of Congress killing the Free Trade Agreement.  The world needs more Free Trade.  That will help employment everywhere.


Lake Mead is trying up as the water shed that feeds it is in a 14 year drought.  Lake Mead supplies water to 20 million people in the Southwest U.S.A.  You would think people living in a 14 year drought would start to think about moving to somewhere with more reliable water supplies.  If they end up using bottled water for everything, they cannot say they weren't warned.  Iran also has a water shortage, but they have oil (which they can sell if they give up their nuclear ambitions).

And there is a move afoot in Congress to delay sensible Flood Insurance pricing so that the rest of us don't have subsidize idiots who decide to invest thousands of dollars in home that can flood.  Previously, and where the Congress would return us, the Federal Government underpriced the cost of flood insurance so the taxpayer's subsidize claims when floods occur.  The reason the Congress does this is because the idiots who want this insurance vote for both political parties and are numerous enough to control elections even though they are a minority.  This is similar to the NRA and potentially Single Women.

Please snow gods make it snow in New England.