What are people's thoughts on

[Colonel Flagg]

Good Times. /Any time you meet a payment.
Good Times. /Any time you need a friend.
Good Times. /Any time you're out from under.

Not getting hassled, not getting hustled.
Keepin' your head above water,
Making a wave when you can.

Temporary lay offs. /Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. /Good Times.
Scratchin' and surviving. /Good Times.
Hangin in a chow line /Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em

Good Times. (1974)

[Pentegarn]

That's 2 Good Times references in a week on this board. I think we officially made the quota

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

Maybe so, but most of these jobs were from industries (paper, automobiles, steel) which were poorly run for decades. Fat dumb and happy were the executives, right before they all jumped ship with their golden parachutes. Chainsaw Al Dunlap comes to mind.

"Maybe so” ?

And we aren't discussing how they're run; we are discussing how laws and regulations have been put in place to encourage off shoring of our manufacturing base. Which HAS happened, there is no "Maybe so". There is the giant sucking sound of our jobs going down the drain.

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

And I think that our CEO would take issue with you calling our sales figures small potatoes.

I believe you were the one that referred to yourself as small potatoes.

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

I'm not an economist, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. However, I would think the current job market gives one plenty of incentive to start their own business.

I person who is in debt and getting paid half what the guy before him made is "plenty" of an incentive to start their own business?

And I'm not going to bring up all the taxes, licenses, and selectively enforced regulations that small businesses have to follow. Did you know in the new Obamacare bill private employers MUST provide healthcare for their workers? That will bankrupt a large portion of them, allowing the giant companies like Wall-Mart, Target, to move in.

Why didn't they just expand Medicare?

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

The standard of living in the USA is not what it once was, but I would hardly call it "low" by any stretch. I'd reserve that right for countries like India or Brazil.

"not what it once was"

That's the understatement of the year. US citizens living standard has been cut by 2/3rd ! College graduates can't even get jobs washing lettuce at the local Jack-In-The-Box. Older workers are having to take jobs at drastically reduced pay. Depression!

Why? Because of Free trade, destruction of the manufacturing base, and corporate welfare.

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

Say what? Now you're saying you want the GOVERNMENT to run the oil industry? You trust the government to do the right thing? Ummmm.....

If the government was run by the people for the people then common sense would suggest that all the natural resources in this country our ares....not to make private individuals mega profits to use against the American people. Try getting a bill that gives significant funding to Alcohol, Biofuel, Biodiesel, as a fuel source. Not going to happen because of the Oil cartels lobbyists. AKA Bribes.

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

However, the economy has cycled more than once or twice since the 1960's. Both downward and upward. Unless you have some macroeconomic background of which I am unaware, I'm extremely skeptical of your "doom and gloom" take on things. It's just not that cut-and-dried, my friend.

You cannot compare the present depression to anything in past events, this is so many times worse than it ever was before that Carters / Reagan's / Bush recession will look like a sunny day compared to what's in store for this country.

If you count up all the money that has been spent on bailout and then count up all the Derivative debt that's STILL on the books of the investment banks and still being created then it is 10x the amount of the global GDP.

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

In a phrase, "bring it on". That's essentially our corporate philosophy. We can compete with anyone from overseas, even with our labor base being domestic.

I highly doubt that. How can you or any other business compete with people making 25 cents an hour?

It's impossible. I'm sure you have a lot of customers but you as like others have been can be undercut in a heart beat.

Watch: Wall-Mart - The high price for the low cost

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

No they're not. You need to understand the tax laws and how they can be read to favor small business and industry. In my view, the playing field has been leveled somewhat, and we've come ready to play.

Are you kidding me? Small businesses cannot compete against multinational corporations. The laws that are on the books are directly squarely at small business while large corporations get a free pass, pay literally no taxes, get tax incentives, and welfare.

Have you seen all the "For Rent" signs around? Take a trip down to your local shopping center. I bet half of it is empty.

It will be here soon and the rose tinted glasses will have to be adjusted. You'll see. The bailouts, austerity, countries in turmoil, and the drop in DOW is just the beginning. The dam will break soon.

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

Are you referring to La Raza?

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

You naive idiot. How can you be so mind-boggling stupid as to believe that Latinos aren't being hassled in this country due to race?

Because they aren't. We have a huge illegal alien populations destroying our society. It isn't focused at latinos its focused at committing the crime of entering the country illegally.

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

If you support the law, and I take it that you do, what exactly do you think that "reasonable suspicion" for stopping somebody and demanding to see their papers is? Do you really think that the cops won't use this as an excuse to hassle every brown person they see? That other minorities (such as the Chinese) won't be unfairly targeted?

Unfairly targeted? Last time I checked everyone whose gotten pulled over by a police officer in the last century has had to show their drivers license. If a police officer sees a bunch of people waiting to be picked up for work and they are all kinds of races he has more then enough reasonable suspicion to ask for all their identification.

We have to remember here that its fault of both the employer of illegal aliens fault AND the illegal aliens themselves.

They are both committing crimes and harming the social fabric of this country NO MATTER what race they are.

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

Sure there aren't. I'm sure you're in an excellent position to know what its like to be Latino in this country. I'm sure that you know far better than the cultural leaders and the people who listen to them about the issues facing Latinos today.

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

Hell, why don't we make you a cultural leader, since you know so much?

You should, I can teach you how to not use infantile expletives in a conversation.

La Raza and other ethnocentric groups are here to cause fissures within our society. They are here to push a race war between Hispanic / Latinos and whites / blacks.

The Ford Foundation is to push blacks into a race war against whites / Latinos.

This is all blatant incendiary rhetoric being placed out there to agitate the local populace into attacking each other instead of going after the real criminals. Wall street.

[Zhukov]

You believe that a select group of "oligarchs" rule the world and plan for the extermination of the poor through fluoride in water and withholding healthcare, and ALSO that the destruction of society is coming about through illegal immigrants?

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by Zhukov

You believe that a select group of "oligarchs" rule the world and plan for the extermination of the poor through fluoride in water and withholding healthcare, and ALSO that the destruction of society is coming about through illegal immigrants?

No.

[Dimnos]

No

[The Leader]

And you also believe that we are in a depression right now even though you say that things will become worse than they were in the '70s? Wouldn't that mean that right now we are in a recession which will lead to a depression... You know, after things get worse than they were in the '70s and they're as bad as they were after '29?

[Jeanette X]

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

Because they aren't.

(citation needed)

We have a huge illegal alien populations destroying our society. It isn't focused at latinos its focused at committing the crime of entering the country illegally. And I thought you said it was WALL STREET that was destroying society, not immigration. Make up your mind.

Do you really think that if they wanted a law that would unfairly target Latinos, that they would write explicitly that way?

Unfairly targeted? Last time I checked everyone whose gotten pulled over by a police officer in the last century has had to show their drivers license.

It isn't having to show your license, its the BEING PULLED OVER IN THE FIRST PLACE. Minorities are pulled over far more than whites.

If you police officer sees a bunch of people waiting to be picked up for work and they are all kinds of races he has more then enough reasonable suspicion to ask for all their identification.

La Raza and other ethnocentric groups are here to cause fissures within our society. They are here to push a race war between Hispanic / Latinos and whites / blacks.

(citation needed)

This is all blatant incendiary rhetoric being placed out there to agitate the local populace into attacking each other instead of going after the real criminals. Wall street.

Because any discussion of race and how it continues to divide society is INCENDIARY AND IT WILL AGITATE TEH BROWN PPL! WE MUSTN'T DISCUSS RACE! WE MUSTN'T TALK ABOUT IT! WE MUST IGNORE THE ISSUE AND HOPE IT GOES AWAY!

HOW DARE THOSE PEOPLE OF COLOR DISCUSS RACIAL ISSUES! ITS NOT LIKE THOSE ISSUES AFFECT THEM IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!

[Grislygus]

holy shit, Coolinator is an oligarchy nutter? I've talked to one of you people in person you guys make the lunar landing theorists look sociable

[Grislygus]

or was zhukov just making that shit up to get a rise out of him

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by The Leader

And you also believe that we are in a depression right now even though you say that things will become worse than they were in the '70s? Wouldn't that mean that right now we are in a recession which will lead to a depression... You know, after things get worse than they were in the '70s and they're as bad as they were after '29?

No.

We are in the second phase of a depression. The recession started in 2008 and by January it was considered a depression.

We must remember the definition of a Recession and that of a Depression. Recessions only last a few months.....after those select number of months then it is defined as a depression.

2008-2010 = Depression - Job losses, bankrupt banks, credit freezes, bailouts, bankrupt states, forclosures, etc, etc, etc...

Just because the men on television keep referring to it as a "Deep Recession" or a "Credit Crunch" that's just another way of saying DEPRESSION.

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

Do you really think that if they wanted a law that would unfairly target Latinos, that they would write explicitly that way?

This law targets illegal aliens of all kinds. The word illegal immigration doesn't just revolve around Latinos. It's a race-less crime. Race is an irrelevant issue here.

And to top it all off.....all this is, is a copy and paste of the already existing federal law that was not enforced. People are sick and tired of this lack of enforcement. They don't care was race commits the crime. They just want the law to be enforced. Stop listening to these "CULTURAL LEADER" race baiters. We all know Al Sharpton is a joke....why listen to people who are saying the same exact thing to create controversy.

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

It isn't having to show your license, its the BEING PULLED OVER IN THE FIRST PLACE. Minorities are pulled over far more than whites.

(citation needed)

Originally Posted by Jeanette X

Because any discussion of race and how it continues to divide society is INCENDIARY AND IT WILL AGITATE TEH BROWN PPL! WE MUSTN'T DISCUSS RACE! WE MUSTN'T TALK ABOUT IT! WE MUST IGNORE THE ISSUE AND HOPE IT GOES AWAY!

HOW DARE THOSE PEOPLE OF COLOR DISCUSS RACIAL ISSUES! ITS NOT LIKE THOSE ISSUES AFFECT THEM IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!

This law isn't about race. It's about breaking the law or not breaking the law. If you're an Legal / Natural Born American citizen then you don't have anything to worry about. If you're here illegally then you're committing a crime.

I don't care if your green or blue skinned. Its called breaking the law. Skin color is irrelevant.

[RaNkeri]

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

No

Why throw out your hazardous waste for a cost, when you can call it a medicine and sell it to the public as a profit?

Ummmm....

Why? Because of Free trade, destruction of the manufacturing base, and corporate welfare.

Ummmm.....

If the government was run by the people for the people then common sense would suggest that all the natural resources in this country our ares....not to make private individuals mega profits to use against the American people. Try getting a bill that gives significant funding to Alcohol, Biofuel, Biodiesel, as a fuel source. Not going to happen because of the Oil cartels lobbyists. AKA Bribes.

Ummmm....

The laws that are on the books are directly squarely at small business while large corporations get a free pass, pay literally no taxes, get tax incentives, and welfare.

The bailouts, austerity, countries in turmoil, and the drop in DOW is just the beginning. The dam will break soon.

Ummmm....

La Raza and other ethnocentric groups are here to cause fissures within our society. They are here to push a race war between Hispanic / Latinos and whites / blacks.

The Ford Foundation is to push blacks into a race war against whites / Latinos.

Ummm...

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

No

You cannot compare the present depression to anything in past events, this is so many times worse than it ever was before that Carters / Reagan's / Bush recession will look like a sunny day compared to what's in store for this country.

Ummm....

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by RaNkeri

Ummm....

Your point?

[The Leader]

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

No.

We are in the second phase of a depression. The recession started in 2008 and by January it was considered a depression.

We must remember the definition of a Recession and that of a Depression. Recessions only last a few months.....after those select number of months then it is defined as a depression.

2008-2010 = Depression - Job losses, bankrupt banks, credit freezes, bailouts, bankrupt states, forclosures, etc, etc, etc...

Just because the men on television keep referring to it as a "Deep Recession" or a "Credit Crunch" that's just another way of saying DEPRESSION.

No, the definition of a recession is a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting longer than a few months, as you previously posted in another thread. You had trouble reading your own definition in that thread too, though. It's already been pointed out how you don't seem to understand how bad things were in the recession of the '70s, let alone the depression of the '30s so I'm not surprised that you would consider what's going on now as a depression. It'd blow your mind if you went to live in a third world country for a few months.

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

Your point?

He was pointing out how you contradicted yourself.

[Dimnos]

Coolie, you got Jeanette to post more and for that I thank you. However that aside you can still go fuck yourself.

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by The Leader

No, the definition of a recession is a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting longer than a few months,

So we agree then that we're in a depression.

The economy is in a significant decline in all sectors and it has lasted longer than a few months. It's been over a year now......actually its been a couple of years now. 2008-2010. Wouldn't that mean it has went from a recession....to a depression?


I don't understand the mental obstacle here? It's very obvious.

[The Leader]

You don't understand it because you can't even see when you contradict yourself. You can't even read!

[Dimnos]

I can still afford my house, gas, food and insurance as well as pay my bills. Nothing to be depressed about here.

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by The Leader

You don't understand it because you can't even see when you contradict yourself. You can't even read!

Recession definition

A significant decline in activity spread across the economy,
lasting longer than a few months. It is visible in industrial production, employment, real income, and wholesale-retail trade.

Depression definition

A severe and prolonged recession characterized by inefficient economic productivity, high unemployment, and falling price levels.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Recession

Are we in a prolonged recession? If so (2008-2010) then we are officially in a Depression. Acknowledge reality.

[10,000 Volt Ghost]

PEOPLE THINK THE ECONOMY IS SO BAD BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL NEW POOR. MY CITIES ECONOMY IS GREAT.

[The Leader]

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

[b]

Are we in a prolonged recession? If so (2008-2010) then we are officially in a Depression. Acknowledge reality.

You write that a recession is a significant decline in activity spread across the economy lasting longer than a few months. You then write that this recession has been going on for more than a few months. In order to be a recession, the decline must last more than a few months. We are in a recession by your definition and your posts, and you obviously have no knowledge of what things were like in the '30s. You really need to get some help with analytical thinking.

[Pentegarn]

Quote dictionary.com all you want Coolie, but you fail to prove 10% qualifies as 'high unemployment'. The fact is that the prolonged period of 4% unemployment was a fluke, and not at all the norm. 10% unemployment is uncomfortable, but it is not high by honest standards. Not when the rate during the only depression we have ever had were 3 to 5 times that amount.

But I won't stop at that flow in your argument Coolie, your definition calls for a severe recession. This recession is not at the rate of severe, it isn't even as bad as the 70s were, but you want us all in a state of panic (for what I am now forced to believe is for sinister motives) so you not only insist it is a depression, (despite history, facts, the actual definition of a depression, the direct comparison of the 70s recession to now, and everyone posting here disagreeing with you), but then you try to bend reality around your words in a sad desperate attempt to get us all to join you in your log cabin in Montana

[Pentegarn]

In other news, Coolie will be using this article to disprove evolution

http://aquarium-fishtalk.com/evoluti...n-sea-monkeys/

[Colonel Flagg]

Damn. Coolie, I can't tell if you are purposely talking like a complete moron, or if you're doing it just to get everyone angry at you. Truly you need a verbal smackdown.

And the small businesses are there, and they're growing in number.

And the only one who said we were in a depression was you. As I recall, no one agreed with you.

I'll have to start calling you Cassandra, except she was right most of the time, and you're just wrong.

Again, only my opinion. I know you'll take issue with this, and either ignore me, or contradict me again. That's how you win arguments, right?

EDIT: I forgot the best part (thanks, Kahl)

Originally Posted by Cassandra

I highly doubt that. How can you or any other business compete with people making 25 cents an hour?

Very easily, but if you can't understand why you're wrong about small businesses, you won't understand the reason:

Spoilers!

It's called kanban, and it's something we had to learn from the Japanese (hence the word). We can provide product in a day, when overseas companies with unskilled workers and shittier raws can provide the same product in weeks. This gives local companies (such as ours) a significant advantage over offshore corporations. It's why most Japanese companies now make cars in the USA. And it's not a secret - comapnies in SEPA are learning how to incorporate this into an overall business strategy that allows them to do more with less, and keep their workforce employed and well-paid. Win-win situation, big guy.

[kahljorn]

WEEE:

how laws and regulations have been put in place to encourage off shoring of our manufacturing base.

Like what? Unions? Environmental regulations? Health codes? Not allowing child labor?
I hope that they get rid of these things so that our manufacturing base can rise again

I person who is in debt and getting paid half what the guy before him made is "plenty" of an incentive to start their own business?

Wow, what a generalization. All small business owners are now getting paid half of what every other small business owner got before the "Depression."

And I'm not going to bring up all the taxes, licenses, and selectively enforced regulations that small businesses have to follow.

i'm sure you're not going to bring up anything which would be relevant to your point.
Small business firms MUST Provide health coverage? Interesting:
HERES A QUOTE FOR YOU:
"C. Exemption from Employer Responsibility Requirements
Both the House and the Senate bills would give medium and large firms a financial incentive to provide health insurance coverage to their employees through pay-or-play provisions. These would serve to reduce the financial incentive that some firms have to stop providing employer-sponsored health insurance. However, firms with payrolls or employment levels below a certain threshold would be exempt from these employer responsibility requirements. The proposed thresholds would exempt the vast majority of small firms."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/doc...ess-july24.pdf
Oh hey look, everything you said is wrong -- again.

US citizens living standard has been cut by 2/3rd

Living standards don't constantly rise. Did you know that recessions are considered a natural part of the economy?

College graduates can't even get jobs washing lettuce at the local Jack-In-The-Box.

Maybe they shouldn't have majored in psychology and law.

If the government was run by the people for the people then common sense would suggest that all the natural resources in this country our ares

You don't understand the difference between democracy and capitalism? You don't understand the difference between socio-political systems and economic systems?

You're even dumber than I thought.

Try getting a bill that gives significant funding to Alcohol, Biofuel, Biodiesel, as a fuel source.

Uhh, well significant funding is a relative term, but there's plenty of funding for this type of shit. one thing to consider is that NOTVERY MANY PEOPLE DRIVE alternative energy vehicles because the cars are expensive and its a new, developing technology -- meaning we don't know how reliable it is yet. Interestingly there are tax credits for those who shell out the money to buy them. There's even tax credits for producing ethanol and shit.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=Advanced+Energy+Research+Project+Grant&aq =f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=c78e48b898b2787e
there's one of the sources of funding

I highly doubt that. How can you or any other business compete with people making 25 cents an hour?

because people who make 25 cents an hour don't have degrees in chemistry, a highschool education or anything else which is probably necessary for his job?

We must remember the definition of a Recession and that of a Depression. Recessions only last a few months.....after those select number of months then it is defined as a depression.

Wrong again. Many RECESSIONS have lasted more than a few months. Coolie, What is an L-shaped recession?

The answer is a type of recession that can last two or more years. The japanese asset price bubble was an L-shaped recession that lasted 5 years. Look what wikipedia says under L-shaped recession:

Spoilers!

"Because the late-2000s recession in the United States followed a similar economic bubble (the United States housing bubble) some economists fear the U.S. economy could enter a prolonged period of low growth even after recovering from the recession"

A significant decline in activity spread across the economy,
lasting longer than a few months.

two years is longer than a few months, so i don't see the problem.

Depression definition

A severe and prolonged recession

Severe and prolonged is a relative term. SO LETS looK At SOME FAMOUS DEPRESSIONS AND SEE HOW LONG THEY LASTED SO We cAN GEt AN IDeA Of how 'pROLOnged' a depression is:
According to HISTORY, the great depression lasted about TEN YEARS (and it could easily be argued that it lasted longer).
The "LONG DEPRESSION" lasted 23 YEARS.
Panic of 1937 was a five year long depression, whose affects lasted years after.

SO, at the very least a prolonged recession should be around FIVE YEARS? What are we at? Two years? We're fine. ALSO L-SHAPED RECEsSIOn. Remember the L-shaped recession in Japan lasted at least five years.

COOLIE'S ARGUMENT IN A NUTsHELL:
BEING TALL IS LIKE BEING OVER SIX FEET TALL. BEING VERY TALL IS LIKE BEING EXTRA TALL. COOLIE IS 6'2, THEREFORE HE IS VERY TALL BECAUSE THATS EXTRA TALLNESS!


PS L-shaped recession rapes your argument in the assgina.