Comments on: Tuesday’s column: The November reader mailbag

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:35:45 +0000

Especially at this time of year, it’s fun to browse around. Fresh Market is full of lots of fun holiday treats.

By: gdad

gdad — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:53:55 +0000

#30 Sometimes yes, Dave H. But often more like Kristen.

By: Sandi Saunders

Sandi Saunders — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:05:54 +0000

No one can help the “feeling” you get Another Chuck. But I can tell you that you are wrong. Liberals, Democrats and Progressives of every stripe “feel that repairing our debt, credit rating or fiscal responsibility is imperative to our survival”. What we disagree on is how we do that. Making the people who have already lost so much, lose more is just not how we see a recovery happening. Down home we call that “trying to get blood out of a turnip”.

The increased taxes on the truly wealthy, who have made out well even in this economy, is to share the sacrifice and solution. What the current proposed tax increases do, is to make sure that the entire nation participates in this recovery and the reforms needed, why would anyone think that is unfair?

No one item solves the problem on its own, but taken in their entirety, increased revenue and spending cuts, reforms and new initiatives are the best way forward. That is not just according to Dems/Libs/Progressives either. It is sound economic policy. Something that has been in very short supply long before the crash or Obama.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:30:47 +0000

Dave H, I usually have a list of things I really need, but I still buy other things. I share Kristen’s attitude. I love grocery shopping.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:33:35 +0000

DaveH, no. Grocery shopping is my favorite version of guilt free shopping. I love the spontaneous finds.

By: Sandi Saunders

Sandi Saunders — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:47:17 +0000

I think it shows the heights of ignorance and bitter partisan angst for Another Chuck to say that “Romney lost the election when he “threatened” he was going to put people back to work. Many Obama supportors didn’t like that idea“. Do you really suppose that we like shouldering the ever growing load? Of course we, and almost all of the unemployed people, want jobs created and an income that is more than a pittance that keeps them from homeless and hungry! What an asinine statement for you to make! 62 million Americans did not believe Romney was capable of creating those jobs and millions more people just stayed home, so they must not have believed it either.

This nation has bled jobs for over a decade and it has taken a toll. We also had the hacks on Wall Street convince the Congress that their weapons of financial destruction were just what we needed. The clods forgot the lessons from the Great Depression or the S&L debacle. Most of those cheerleader were the Romney supporters this time around. Stop blaming the poor and the unemployed for a house that the TP/R Party helped mightily to build!

By: Dave Hicks

Dave Hicks — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:37:09 +0000

Re: the grocery shopping:

Anyone else take a very detailed shopping list and stick to it?

By: Sandi Saunders

Sandi Saunders — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:29:49 +0000

When in doubt, look where people who should really know what they are doing are buying for their investments or talking about for the future. Seems like a good rule of thumb for anyone. It is especially interesting if you look at this information in the face of the current “fiscal cliff” with its “jagged rocks” and serious pitfalls for all Americans…Whoa, scary stuff!

Turns out…not so much. “Global demand for U.S. securities is still strong,”
http://buzz.money.cnn.com/2012/09/18/china-us-debt-tic/

http://www.bondbuyer.com/issues/121_187/foreign-investments-in-united-states-municipal-bonds-has-exploded-in-years-1044376-1.html

And this sets the stage: “Q1-2010 marked the first time in history that corporate profits exceeded business fixed investment. Unlike prior cycles where an increase in corporate profits led to faster investment growth as cash was reinvested in plant and equipment, business investment has increased very modestly since 2009 even as corporate profits have nearly doubled as a percentage of GDP. Were businesses simply to reinvest cash flow at historic rates, fixed investment would add nearly 4% to GDP ($695 billion) by the end of 2016 and more than offset the fiscal drag from reduced disposable personal income.

…While removal of uncertainty should not impact the spending decisions of liquidity-constrained households (i.e. those households for whom desired spending exceeds disposable income), greater clarity could induce higher-income households to spend more of their disposable income and shift more of their wealth out of cash and government bonds and into productive assets (stocks,corporate bonds, etc.). If tax increases come through tax reform that reduces economic distortions introduced by the current tax code and lowers marginal rates, the positive economic impact could be even greater”

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/115301244?access_key=key-mcke6qi8vizyerfvypb

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/12/03/fiscal-cliff-stimulus/?iid=SF_TS_Lead

By: Sandi Saunders

Sandi Saunders — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:28:11 +0000

I agree with Robert Creamer, the real question for America is: “Will the 1% of Americans who had the party that caused the deficit be asked to pay the bill“? It does sound simplistic but the bottom line is that teachers, firefighters, police officers, clerical workers, construction workers, bus drivers, low wage workers, and virtually all of the rest of us, did not create nor gain from the financial shenanigans of the last decade. Why should we then be asked to “bail them out” of their folly? “Wall Street gamblers who don’t make anything of value should no longer be allowed to pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than” many of the workers and true job creators, risk takers and broad shouldered Americans actually making this nation work.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/budget-battle_b_2189553.html

Hold Strong President Obama.

By: Another Chuck

Another Chuck — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:14:29 +0000

Mike 3, thanks for your input and a professional voice of reason. It appears as if the the liberal mind wants to make everyone a victim of for profit endeavors, including the hapless folks that need to acquire groceries.