Category Archives: Economics

Health Care: Market Style [Literally]

Posted on February 7, 2011 | 2 comments

Are they waiting for bread or medicine?

So, I needed some bread the other day.  I dressed in my best thermal and made my way down to the local state run community bread line.  With luck I’d be able to get half a loaf of 5 day old bread 3 days early.  Times is tough in the state ya know.

Actually, because food isn’t either:

  1. Distributed by the state
  2. Used as means of compensation

I went to my local for profit market driven food market.

In addition to my fresh bread, I bought wine from California, Champagne from France, beer from Seattle and Saki from Japan.

Olive oil from Italy.  Chocolate from Switzerland.  Blueberries from Chili.  Bananas from India.  And fresh organic tomatoes from right here in North Carolina.

But the MOST amazing thing I saw in my fresh daily market just 1.5 miles up the road?

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Government, Health Care

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Taxes Up or Taxes Down – Pick One

Posted on January 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

Lot’s of talk about taxes.  Mostly it was last year during the Lame Duck session, but with the State of the Union coming up, we’re back to talking about ’em again.

It seems, normally I suppose, that folks are divided as to whether or not tax increases create or destroy jobs.  Or, in the inverse, do tax cuts creats jobs or not.

It’s an interesting debate.  But for another time.

I wanna suggest that until the actual vote to make ’em permanent takes place, it doesn’t matter.

Consider this:

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National, Rocket Surgery

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A Test On Taxes

Posted on January 21, 2011 | 3 comments

The debate rages on; almost always never resolved.  Do tax hikes benefit or harm economies?

On the one hand, the argument is that the State needs the income to do the People’s Business.  On the other hand, taxes are a burden and a head wind for economic growth.

Who wins out?

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Posted in Economics, Government, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly

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Econ 101: Coal and China

Posted on January 16, 2011 | 5 comments

China is reporting that the nation is experiencing localized brown outs. Cities are without electric power.

Why?

Because power plants don’t have coal to make electricity.

Why?

No one is mining coal. No money in it.

Why?

The Chinese government mandates coal below market rates.

Econ 101.

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Posted in Economics, Energy, Politics: International

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A Tale of Two Mothers

Posted on January 4, 2011 | 13 comments

It’s all we hear.  The RICH are getting richer while the POOR are getting poorer.

The RICH don’t pay their fair share.

The poor are being abused by the rich.

And on and on it goes.

But is that the true picture.

Consider this story:

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Posted in Economics, Government, Middle Class, Politics: National

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To the Victor Go The Spoils

Posted on January 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

I am learning more and more in life that if you wanna get something done:

  1. Don’t wait for consensus.  Just go and get it done.
  2. Don’t worry about what those who will oppose you think.  Make them fight you to undo what you just did.

It would appear that I’m not alone:

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Posted in Economics, Liberty, Lobby/PAC, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly

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Unemployment in North Carolina: Up

Posted on January 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

Troubling news in the Tar Heel State.

RALEIGH — Unemployment rates increased in 99 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in November, according to statistics released today by the state’s Employment Security Commission. The rate remained the same in Davie
County.

Not so good.  I continue to hope for the best here in North Carolina, but we continue to struggle.  I’m not sure why.  Even though we are a Democrat dominated State, and have been for well over 100 years, even the Democarst have been relatively pro-business here in North Carolina.

I suspect that the reason we continue to see jobs drift away is that we have been so heavily dependent on furniture and textile mills.  And, as we all know, that work has been moving over seas for some time now.

I’ll have to do some research to see how long it took other cities [see Pittsburgh] to recover as they saw their jobs vanish.  In any event, let’s hope that 2011 does better than 2010:

Over the year, the unemployment rates dropped in 81 counties, remained the same in one county, and increased in 18.

So, year over year, Carolina has dropped its unemployment, but only by 0.7%.

 

 

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics: North Carolina

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Gentlmen, Start Your Engines! If You Have an Engine

Posted on December 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

China has massive problems.  They are growing too fast and can’t keep infrastructure up to the increasing demands.

They have limited families to 1 child.  And next on the “restricting block?”

Cars.

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Posted in Economics, Politics: International, States Behaving Badly, Transportation

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And This Is Rationing “Care”

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 2 comments

In the private sector, a service is something that is meant to be maximized; made better.  This in an effort to lure more and more people into purchasing you r product – your service.

When the government is doing a service it take monopoly share of the market.  It’s illegal for FedEx and UPS to deliver packages to a mailbox [ a mailbox that I purchase by the way ].  The government licenses cars.  Issues driver’s license.  The government educates our kids.  All of it, they mandate .

But the service they provide turns from something that is meant to be grown and made better to something that is meant to be minimized and made cheaper.

Watch

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Posted in Economics, Liberty, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly

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Health Care the Right Way

Posted on December 25, 2010 | 1 comment

Compensation.  What one offers another in trade for goods or services.  Most often today, it’s money.  That is, I pay the service station money in exchange for gasoline.  Or, I pay the tavern in cash in exchange for beer.

Occasionally, the compensation may be something besides money.  Then it becomes a sort of barter.  One party trades a good or service in exchange for another; wheat for milk.  Dental work for electrical work.  Whatever.

Another example is health care.  Rather than our employer compensating us in cash, they instead compensate us in insurance.*

Imagine, if you will, if our employer compensated us in groceries rather than cash–just like health insurance.  What would our world look like?

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Posted in Economics, Health Care, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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