Business & Economics: November 2006 Archives
Although this example isn't directly related to the War on Terror or the battle for Iraq, it's a good illustration of how the leftist media manipulates the American public into misery and defeatism.
The American people do not appear to appreciate the fact that their economy is, quite literally, in a class by itself. In an earlier post entitled "Americans Hate their Fabulous Economy," I tried to make that clear by comparing the recent Bush years to the preceding Clinton years in terms of their economic performance. I did not seek out obscure and esoteric economic indicators that could be used to mislead people into thinking that their hopelessly anemic economy is actually in great shape. Instead, I analyzed the basic economic indicators that have been used to gauge the health of any economy for decades. Those indicators reveal that America's economy during the Clinton and Bush years can only be described as fabulous -- and almost equally so -- in both cases. But we loved our economy back when Clinton was in charge. Now we don't. It makes no sense. Here again are the poll results that seem inexplicably downbeat:
Engram goes on at length to prove that America's economy is robust and stronger than any in the world -- and stronger than just about any economy throughout all history. But why don't Americans believe it? Because the leftist media constantly denigrates our economy in their perpetual struggle to elect Democrats.
I'm glad the wife and I just sold our house in Los Angeles, because as Neal Boortz points out amnesty for illegal aliens is now guaranteed.
I saw Richard Gephardt on the tube this morning. Naturally he was quite pleased with yesterday's developments. He was doing a good job of chanting the "The must compromise" mantra of the new Democrat majority. More specifically, Gephardt was saying that there would probably be pretty quick action on immigration reform, now that the Republican control of the House was gone.He's right. Amnesty for illegals is on the way. President Bush is for it. The Senate had already voted for it. The only roadblock was the House. Now, with Democrats in control, the House will be eager to go along.
This will be one of the first moves the Democrats make ... right after they go to raise the minimum wage. Amnesty for illegal aliens will be the order of the day, amnesty without any meaningful controls to make sure that the invasion ceases.
Every one of these invaders is looked on as a potential future vote by Democrats. Nothing will be done to stem the tide.
He's right, and although California, Arizona, and New Mexico will bear the brunt our whole country will suffer for it. There are six billion people who would love to live here, and they're all poor. America simply can't absorb them all. It's not a matter of compassion or "fairness", it's just simple math. Math that the Democrats think will cement them in power forever, because they rely on people who vote for a living. (That is, people whose livelihood depends on handouts from the people they vote into power.)
Reader JV sent me an email a while ago with a link to get your CLUE personal property insurance report for free (once per year).
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A useful way to keep tabs on your insurance history.
Money doesn't grow on trees, but it does grow if you tend it carefully. CNN Money offers 25 Rules to Grow Rich By and I think they're well worth your time to peruse.
Some ecologists (and economists?) are predicting that all fish populations will collapse by 2048 if we don't do something. Despite apparently being based on historical data, it doesn't take an ecologist to know that the prediction is absurd. In any event, the researchers' suggested solution is idiotic and based on non-economic principles -- hence my surprise at the alleged presence of economists on the research team (none of whom are named).
Clambakes, crabcakes, swordfish steaks and even humble fish sticks could be little more than a fond memory in a few decades. If current trends of overfishing and pollution continue, the populations of just about all seafood face collapse by 2048, a team of ecologists and economists warns in a report in Friday's issue of the journal Science."Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world's ocean, we saw the same picture emerging. In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems," said the lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. ...
"At this point 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed - that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," Worm said. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime - by 2048."
"It looks grim and the projection of the trend into the future looks even grimmer," he said. "But it's not too late to turn this around. It can be done, but it must be done soon. We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it."
The researchers called for new marine reserves, better management to prevent overfishing and tighter controls on pollution.
The real solution to this perfect tragedy of the commons is not to heap on inefficient government regulation, but rather to remove the fish populations from the commons altogether. Fish populations should be sold directly to the highest bidders, and the seafood corporations that buy them will then have a financial interest in protecting their investment.
Sound crazy? It worked for the endangered Black Rhino populations in South Africa. No one bothered to protect "public property", instead poaching the animals nearly to extinction. But once they were sold to private reserves, the new owners took care of the animals, bred them, harvested them, and now the population is recovering.
More generally, "scientists" and the public need to be taught that government control isn't the first place to jump for every answer to every problem. Government power is an enormous sledge hammer that crushes everything in its path... sometimes that's better than the status quo, but usually it's still far short of ideal.
Update:
My wife just sent me a link to an article about scientists who agree with me that the threat of fish depletion is nonsense.
"It's just mind-boggling stupid," said Ray Hilborn, a University of Washington professor of aquatic and fishery sciences."I'm worried about some areas of the world — like Africa — but other areas of the world have figured out how to do effective fishery management."
For example, most of the harvests in the North Pacific off Alaska — where most Seattle fleets fish — are not in sharp decline.
