Posted by Larry Doyle on March 4th, 2011 6:36 AM |
What is really going on in Wisconsin?
Are Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and his Republican colleagues trying to ‘break the unions’?
Are the ‘Wisconsin 14’ senatorial contingent true patriots standing up for the rights of the working man?
Given the level of heated protest on the streets of Madison and on the airwaves throughout the nation, clearly people have strong opinions on both sides of this topic. What does it all mean? Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 3rd, 2011 6:47 AM |
If Ben Bernanke had never stepped into the markets via the Fed’s quantitative easing program, where would our level of interest rates currently be? What about equities, commodities, and our greenback? I think the following are easy assumptions to make:
1. Interest rates would be higher.
2. Credit spreads would be wider.
3. Equity markets would be lower.
4. Commodity prices would be lower.
5. The greenback theoretically would be higher, but I am less confident of this.
What will happen to our markets and our economy when Ben Bernanke ultimately does pull the punch bowl–that is quantitative easing–away from those utilizing the easy money provided by the Fed to prop our markets and our economy? Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 1st, 2011 9:14 PM |
America needs more men like Thomas Sowell.
A regular reader of Sense on Cents brought Thomas Sowell to my attention a few months back. Sowell was born in North Carolina and moved to Harlem at the age of nine. His personal story is beyond inspirational. I recommend it to anybody looking for evidence of how to succeed in the face of real odds.
America should embrace and elevate Thomas Sowell and his work. I am happy to do just that today. Sowell knows a thing or two about real freedom and democracy. Are we to merely assume because some in the Middle East may want freedom, that freedom will be theirs? We should not be so naive. Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 28th, 2011 5:28 AM |
Charles Ferguson
“Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by financial fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong.”
With those words last evening, Charles Ferguson, the winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary for his film Inside Job, did a lot more than merely begin an acceptance speech. Ferguson touched the third rail and made a political statement. But did he really? Really? Not in my opinion. Ferguson spoke the truth.
When did the mere voicing of the truth become political? Perhaps in America 2011 those who speak the truth actually stand out because we hear so little of the prized virtue. That reality is a sad commentary on our society.
I commend Ferguson. Backstage he had even more to say. Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 27th, 2011 2:37 PM |
I encourage anybody and everybody who reads Sense on Cents to submit guest commentary for potential publication. Detailed and informative opinion is always constructive to engender necessary ongoing debate.
Corporate profits have seemingly rebounded strongly. Unemployment levels remain elevated. Are the profits soaring because of the unemployment or in spite of them? What gives? Mark Provost of The Economic Populist has strong opinions. I thank him for sharing them in this extensively researched piece, Corporate Profits Soaring Thanks to Record Unemployment.
In a January 2009 ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos, then President-elect Barack Obama said fixing the economy required shared sacrifice, “Everybody’s going to have to give. Everybody’s going to have to have some skin in the game.” (1) Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 26th, 2011 2:07 PM |
I am not sure if anybody got the license plate of the truck that ran over me and then backed over me this past Wednesday. In any event, in between my various rounds of medication for the flu during the last few days, I watched a man whom I have referenced previously but to whom America needs to really pay attention. I am speaking of Thomas Hoenig, Chair of the Kansas City Federal Reserve.
I think very highly of Mr. Hoenig. He embodies the essence of ‘sense on cents.’ I welcome sharing a recent interview Hoenig provided to The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch.
Savor this like a fine wine. Unlike most in Washington or around our nation, Hoenig not only ‘gets it’ but he has no problem in ‘telling it like it is.’ Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 23rd, 2011 12:35 AM |
Real life is better than the movies.
I can not imagine how some people sleep at night wondering if their phones are tapped at work or at home. That said, as we all know, “just because you’re paranoid, does not mean that they are not out to get you.”
To what do I refer? The new twist in the ongoing insider trading scandal on Wall Street has the hedge fund crowd playing defense against the use of wiretaps on the part of the Feds.
Really? What kind of defense?
Bring in the firepower and check to see if your phones at home and work are being tapped. Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 22nd, 2011 7:22 AM |
What do I see as recurring themes on our global economic landscape? Unrecognized financial losses lead to overreaching economic programs. Those programs influence political change, but also ultimately varying degrees of social and civil unrest.
Over the course of the last year, we have witnessed differing iterations of this scenario play out in Greece, England, Ireland, and elsewhere. The current hotspots on our global map are Middle Eastern and northern African nations, specifically Libya. The distance from Tripoli, Libya and Cairo, Egypt to Madison, Wisconsin is approximately 5000 miles and 6000 miles respectively. Is the distance between these locales actually much closer than that? Are there any similarities to the bloodshed being experienced in Tripoli, and previously Cairo to the tame protests on the university town of Madison, Wisconsin?
I believe there are. Recently, Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan made this comparison as well. Let’s view Ryan’s comment and then navigate further.
Regardless of what you think of Ryan, I do believe there are real similarities between the unrest in the Middle East and that on display in Madison. How so? Well, what is the basis for the unrest in the Middle East? Rent.
What are you talking about, LD? What the hell is rent? Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 19th, 2011 12:20 PM |
Real long term success and greatness are founded upon the principles that people do not lie, cheat, or steal. Our nation is neither succeeding nor is great at this point in time because we have allowed these vices to grow and spread throughout our society. Shame on us.
Our nation does have the potential to be a fabulous nation again; however, let’s stop kidding ourselves in thinking that we are a great nation currently. How is it that America has lost its greatness? Where are the aforementioned vices on display? Read the rest »
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 18th, 2011 5:33 AM |
I recently commented to Rick Davis of Consumer Metrics Institute that I love his site because each and every time I visit, I learn something. How good is that? Outstanding and further reason why Rick continues to elevate himself within the Sense on Cents Hall of Fame. Do yourself a favor and throw Consumer Metrics Institute in your favorites. You will not be disappointed.
What does Rick bring us lately? A great piece hearkening back to the mid-1800s. Let’s navigate as Rick writes,
We have received a number of thought provoking responses to our back-of-the-envelope calculations about the impact of mortgage delinquencies (and so-called “strategic defaults”) on consumer spending. One such correspondence has been with Jeff Harding at The Daily Capitalist. Jeff correctly pointed out that our calculations ignored the offsetting damages that the defaults were inflicting on banks, making the spending gains that we calculated a present-day example of Bastiat’s “Broken Window Fallacy.” Read the rest »
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What is really going on in Wisconsin?
America needs more men like Thomas Sowell.
Bill Gross: Who Will Ultimately Finance Uncle Sam and at What Rate?
Posted by Larry Doyle on March 3rd, 2011 6:47 AM |
If Ben Bernanke had never stepped into the markets via the Fed’s quantitative easing program, where would our level of interest rates currently be? What about equities, commodities, and our greenback? I think the following are easy assumptions to make:
1. Interest rates would be higher.
2. Credit spreads would be wider.
3. Equity markets would be lower.
4. Commodity prices would be lower.
5. The greenback theoretically would be higher, but I am less confident of this.
What will happen to our markets and our economy when Ben Bernanke ultimately does pull the punch bowl–that is quantitative easing–away from those utilizing the easy money provided by the Fed to prop our markets and our economy? Read the rest »
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