Your Nation's Voice

Will The Current Economic Downturn Kill Consumerism?

Think about it.  Sixty five to seventy percent of American Gross Domestic Product is a direct result of consumer spending.  That means that practically 2/3 of every GDP dollar earned in this country is a direct result of what you spend on clothes, homes, cars, insurance, etc.  American consumer spending represents 18% of the entire world's GDP!

Last Minute Election Stuff

Well, the clock is running down on the election and I've found a few tools that may be of interest as you're counting down the days until November 4th.

Everyone is wondering what the tax impact will be under each of the presidential candidate's plans.  I looked around at several tools that perform those calculations.   Obama has his own, but I suppose Conservatives might not trust the numbers - duh! 

A.I.G. - A.rrogant & I.nherently G.reedy?

Well, it's already started.  As mentioned in my article entitled "Paulson And Your Money - $700 Billion On The Line", one of the key things we need to insure as part of any company bailout is that we "don't let the rescued executives walk away with any of the funds."

Paulson And Your Money - $700 Billion On The Line

Now that the $700+ Billion economic recovery bill has passed, it's time to implement.  The first thing for us all to remember is that this is your money.  You want this program handled properly with appropriate oversights and judicious management; in other words, don't pay too much for the junk mortgages or bank stocks and don't let the rescued executives walk away with any of the funds.

Why You Should Care About TED

No, TED isn't someone you should know, but it is something you should know about.  TED is sort of like a finanial barometer of money flow.  If the TED Spread is increasing, money flow is slowing down.  If decreasing, then it is speeding up.

Why is this important to know?  The current crisis we're in has as much to do with banks not lending each other money, and therefore not lending it to you and I, as anything.  If money is tremendously tight (i.e., the TED Spread is very large) that's a bad thing.  So, watching the trend of the TED Spread against an historical average will give you an idea if the government bailout plan is working.

Helping The Average American

Hey Congress!

You've helped the financial institutions, so what about the average American?  I realize that stopping our economy from melting down helps all of us (is it working yet?), but what can you do to directly help those of us in the trenches?