More reasons to stand around wringing ones hand and talking about the need for tough diplomacy.
It cost billions of dollars to make and it can be damaged by a piece of bread?
Links for Today
Reply
Category Archives: Money
Poisoned apple
If Germans–and in particular Opel employees–are as upset by GM’s decision to keep Opel as the NYT makes it seem, GM would be better off selling it. It’s extremely difficult to keep a competitive edge with resentful employees.
My guess, though, is that GM can still leverage Opel’s talent and market if they proceed well. What’s really telling is that people have so little confidence in GM that they would be upset by GM keeping a company in its roster. Usually the resentment comes after the announcement of a sale. I don’t believe anybody has a deep resentment about GM keeping Opel per se, but to express such a sentiment shows an extremely low confidence in GM’s overall ability to survive. You would rather be owned the the Russian state than by GM? Desperate indeed.
Links for Today
This might be next week’s essay of the week. But if you have the time, you might want to read it now. The question of the hour is who told what and why. You can’t believe anything you read in such articles and yet it might all be true.
From Megan McArdle:“California has come up with a novel way to close this year’s budget gaps: it’s increasing withholding from the paychecks of its citizens.”
You can leave, but you can never talk. What would happen if a church tried to slap such a legal injunction on a pastor?
Lines that make you lose respect for Scientists: “”Early paleontologists recognised the distinction between adults and juveniles, but people have lost track of looking at ontogeny – how the individual develops – when they discover a new fossil.”
Recovery
The recession is over. This is how I know:
- Certain product lines that died when things got bad are picking up. Now that we finally have our sales forecast adjusted to a realistic level, it’s too low. Customers are getting exceptionally long lead times for items they waited until the last minute to order. No plan, no components; no components, no tools.
- After spending about nine months on the ground, as far as work is concerned, I have flown twice within two months’ time. Not for any particularly good reason either time, and especially this last time. The travel restrictions are easing (unofficially).
- We are hiring. Temporary workers. Just for November and December.
While I don’t seriously beleive that all the world’s troubles are behind us–and might even suggest that nothing is more dangerous than a bomb that hasn’t gone off yet–if you a reporter you may feel free to report this a conclusive absolute proof that we have had a total recovery.
Essay of the Week: 10/25/09-10/31/09
This week’s essay of the week is an argument for the corrosive influence of inflation on people’s habits. The question is: which is cause and which is effect?
Links For Today
We are doomed because we are unable to learn our lesson.
A scandal. That last part of the article calls out the real scandal.
Computer games cure stroke. Sort of.
Links For Today
Using the Air Force to fight winter.
$1.4 Trillion dollars worth of new debt. And that is just getting started.
Links For Today
How dangerous does your mug look?
Social Security will have no cost of living increase for 2010. Sadly, the way the dollar has been dropping lately, seniors might need a cost a living increase next year. But that is how the law is written.
Italians have been making the French look good since the Vandals wiped out what was left of the Roman empire in Italy. This just continues the trend.
Sometimes it is best to go it alone.
Interesting thoughts on the inflation/deflation debate from Macro Man.
The world gone mad part 2. This one will probably be overturned. Americans are ready to give up a lot of their rights. But not the right to own a big screen TV.
College on YouTube
At the college that I went to, most of the faculty had a very progressive, liberal, fault-finding perspective. Most of the students, too. And those that didn’t were generally arrogant and self-assured about the benefits of conservative self-centered self-help.
Now you can go to college on YouTube.
Some of this criticism is spot on. Some of it is ludicrous. Does this commentator honestly believe that all transactions everywhere are always mutually beneficial? Anyone who does not have an MBA and has worked a few jobs should know better. Exploitation is real. Capitalism does a lot better with the “worst form of commerce, except for the alternatives” line of defense than it does with the “does no harm” line of defense.
There are other such things in the commentary to complain about; other blind assertions, fiat declarations of universal rules and benefits, and so forth.
But you know what? The drivel being commented on doesn’t actually deserve better.
I was going to recommend the commentary for any kids young enough not to have experience seeing through liberal hate speech, but I am not sure I know any kids that are both capable of understanding the more complex words and sentences used and also not capable of understanding the inadequacy of the woman’s presentation. So now I am just posting it so you can get disgusted. Enjoy.