finance
Money talks; reviewing the global economy, government spending, taxes, and economic policy that affect our social and political future.
A Possible Reversal from Edge of Recession
Do you believe that the economy is in such overblown form that a bubble is going to burst? Investors estimate that the economy will enter a recession with a 50% likelihood based on the economy’s previous exponential expansion and contraction tendencies. It appears to have taken a long time to complete, but has recently been accelerated by high inflation and extremely high rising oil prices as a result of the Russian War, both of which have sped up the process.
EstalontechPublished 2 years ago in The SwampThe Housing Crisis Today
When the Fed raised interest rates, they apparently forgot that every time they have done so in the past inflation only increased. So, this time they really added salt to our already critically wounded economy. The dire conditions millions face remain unabated whenever the Fed acts. We have to remember that the Great Depression made millionaires in a time of the greatest financial and economic calamity of the 20th century. Today, the justification for interest rate hikes is basically the same. The profiteering of many individuals and corporations have unleashed a cataclysm of financial hardships that has expanded to almost 4/5 of the US population. Essentially what is happening is nothing more than price gouging. Yet state and federal governments have proved ineffective to address what is already becoming one of the worst housing crises since the Great Depression.
Dr. WilliamsPublished 2 years ago in The SwampMutual Aid versus Charity
In our day-to-day, we typically think of there as being 2 main ways to help out disadvantaged communities such as the Disabled, Homeless, LGBTQIA+ Youth, etc. Those two are Government welfare and/or Charity, but Charity is not as great as it immediately seems, and can often act as a barrier to real assistance to those groups. Due to some shady non-profit practices, Bureaucracy, and lack of meaningful support from the charities in general. But there's a new kid on the block, or rather relatively new to the mainstream but a pretty old idea.
Quaker-nomicsPublished 2 years ago in The SwampThe Flat Tax System: Explained
The progressive tax income system, simply put, is a mess. The U.S. Tax Code, everyone can agree, must be revisited. With legislators seeking new alternatives, the flat tax system has become one of the prominent leaders to replace the current system. Therefore, is it worth it, and will it ever happen? Let's analyze.
Evaristo DerbyPublished 2 years ago in The SwampWhat Happens If There Is A Financial Storm?
Many people throughout the world have had to increase their debt-to-income ratios, but Americans may not have had to. Joe is happy to pay people to remain home and encourage the “ Great Job Improvement ”phenomenon,this is actually an outcry as the Dem are renaming it to supersede the massive resignation phenomenon that was derived as record numbers of people are leaving their jobs after the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the job market and has been named one of the reasons for the current recession in the United States.
EstalontechPublished 2 years ago in The SwampDoes the Government Print Money to Fund Itself?
There are two very different views dominating the debate about the Bank of England’s (BoE) ‘quantitative easing’ (QE) programme — the purchase of government bonds using newly created money.
Alex HughesPublished 2 years ago in The Swamp- Top Story - January 2022
5 Economic Benefits When Workers Telecommute
When Covid-19 hit the scene in 2020, it forced employers into a corner. Either they became flexible with their work arrangements, or they allowed their production to flat line. We can argue on either side of the fence the pros and cons of this hostage situation, but at the end of the day, there inarguably were both pros and cons.
Jade CindersPublished 2 years ago in The Swamp Potential US Dollar Depreciation and Protect Yourself from Hyperinflation
Hyperinflation isn’t as scary as it sounds. It’s really just a fancy way of saying inflation, and inflation isn’t necessarily bad. However, when inflation gets really high, it becomes problematic.
EstalontechPublished 2 years ago in The SwampSocial Dividend History
There are many forms of basic income that you can talk about for hours on vocal about, but the version I am talking about actually has its roots in socialist thought. There is a form of basic income that can be referred to as a social dividend that is based on publicly owned enterprises. According to Wikipedia, a social dividend is "the return on the capital assets and natural resources owned by society in a socialist economy. ". How a social dividend differs from traditional basic income is that social dividend directly implies and relates to social ownership of productive assets. It also implies these socially owned assets are to be the source of the income while other forms of basic income may get funding from other sources. This idea of a social dividend is considered by many to be in line with Karl Marx's critique of capitalism. One of the biggest problems Karl Marx had with capitalism is that the surplus value earned by society is usually only distributed among a small elite - usually a small number of capitalists and private shareholders that get all of the benefit from the extra money in society. According to Marx, surplus generated by social means of production should be appropriated by all members of society. As described by James Yunker in 1977 in the journal Annals of Public and Cooperate Economics: "It is abundantly clear from the writings of the founder of scientific socialism, Karl Marx, that he viewed the distribution of property income under capitalism as morally reprehensible. To Marx, property return must be identified with 'surplus labor value', namely the excess of total labor value over the total wage bill under conditions of a subsistence individual wage. This surplus value is distributed over a small minority of owning capitalists. Although the value is created by labor and is therefore the legitimate property of labor, the capitalists are able to extort it from the proletariat by virtue of their ownership of the capital instruments of production...Nevertheless, while Marx employed the surplus labor value theory to undermine the moral foundations of capitalism, it was, in his view, neither to be the instrumentality of capitalist collapse, nor was it the primary reason for the desirability of the abrogation of capitalism...Surplus value was seen as providing the fuel for the cyclical engine and therefore as the fundamental cause of the impending dissolution of capitalism."
Tyler McFaddenPublished 2 years ago in The SwampNew Scottish Budget Just Dropped
Scotland is a pretty Lowkey country, mainly because it's overshadowed by whatever happens in Westminster in England (and the wider UK). However, Scotland, I believe shouldn't be as Lowkey as it has been. Scotland is setting an example to the rest of the world of how you can be a Green Leader on the World stage despite not being the largest country on the block. The Scottish Budget for 2022-2023 gives insight into what to expect for other government budgets following the pandemic. Somethings included are surprising, but the things not included set an unusual precedent.
Quaker-nomicsPublished 2 years ago in The SwampWhat Grew Faster than the National Debt?
The MAGA catchphrase demands we look back to a time when America was great. There was a time when America had a thriving middle class. It was a time before we suffered from stifling inequality, a time when the national debt grew modestly. It was a time as a nation we sent a man to the moon. As a nation, we defeated Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. We made great strides in science and technology that laid the foundation for the digital age.
Gary JanoszPublished 2 years ago in The SwampClimate change cuts sugar supply
Supply chain issues, inflation, and labor shortages are three challenges facing consumers this holiday season. Now, right before Thanksgiving, your favorite desserts and dishes might be nixed due to severe weather disrupting ingredients. Wheat, berries, cream and soybean oil are staples for classics like pumpkin pie and and cheesecake, but empty shelves are greeting amateur and professional bakers alike. Droughts, extreme rainfall, and other climate impacts are constricting supply and driving up prices for key pie ingredients.