> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
> serious inflation.  As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict.  While
> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash
> bailouts, rebates and tax cuts, it seems reasonably clear that these
> represent only a drop in the bucket faced with the magnitude of the
> current economic problems: simlultaneously collapsing real estate,
> financial, service and manufacturing sectors, combined with an aging
> population and a deteriorating social infrastructure.
>
> The government points to the recession of 1991-1993, saying that it
> "managed" it by cutting interest rates by 1%% at once.  In fact, the
> downturn lasted until 1993 or 1994, and really ended only with the
> coming of a fundamentally new technology: the Internet.  Economists
> regularly exaggerate their understanding and control of the economy,
> arguing for inevitable business cycles as natural, physical laws of ...

> On Mar 21, 10:22 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>

>> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
>> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
>> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
>> serious inflation.  As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
>> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict.  While
>> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
>> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash
>> bailouts, rebates and tax cuts, it seems reasonably clear that these
>> represent only a drop in the bucket faced with the magnitude of the
>> current economic problems: simlultaneously collapsing real estate,
>> financial, service and manufacturing sectors, combined with an aging
>> population and a deteriorating social infrastructure.

> ...

> On Mar 21, 9:40 am, "fyfp...@gmail.com" gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>

>> On Mar 21, 10:22 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:

>

>>> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
>>> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
>>> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
>>> serious inflation.  As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
>>> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict.  While
>>> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
>>> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash
>>> bailouts, rebates and tax cuts, it seems reasonably clear that these
>>> represent only a drop in the bucket faced with the magnitude of the
>>> current economic problems: simlultaneously collapsing real estate,
>>> financial, service and manufacturing sectors, combined with an aging ...

> On Mar 21, 10:43 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>

>> On Mar 21, 9:40 am, "fyfp...@gmail.com" gmail.com> wrote:

>

>>> On Mar 21, 10:22 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:

>

>>>> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
>>>> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
>>>> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
>>>> serious inflation.  As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
>>>> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict.  While
>>>> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
>>>> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash
>>>> bailouts, rebates and tax cuts, it seems reasonably clear that these
>>>> represent only a drop in the bucket faced with the magnitude of the ...

> On Mar 21, 10:00 am, "fyfp...@gmail.com" gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>

>> On Mar 21, 10:43 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:

>

>>> On Mar 21, 9:40 am, "fyfp...@gmail.com" gmail.com> wrote:

>

>>>> On Mar 21, 10:22 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:

>

>>>>> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
>>>>> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
>>>>> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
>>>>> serious inflation.  As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
>>>>> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict.  While
>>>>> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
>>>>> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash ...

> On Mar 21, 11:07 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>

>> I'm a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. myself, and something of a
>> connoisseur of the Canadian attitude to life:  Ultra-conformist,
>> permanently colonial, lazy in a nice kind of way, manipulative and
>> controlling.

>
> You forget to mention Canadian bureacracy, which is stifling but has
> been highly glorified as an instrument of social stability.
>
>    You see, believing that they can live off their natural
>
>
>

>> resources forever, Canadians don't really see any need to ever do
>> anything, and don't like anyone who does want to do anything.  That's ...

> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
> serious inflation.  As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict.  While
> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash
> bailouts, rebates and tax cuts, it seems reasonably clear that these
> represent only a drop in the bucket faced with the magnitude of the
> current economic problems: simlultaneously collapsing real estate,
> financial, service and manufacturing sectors, combined with an aging
> population and a deteriorating social infrastructure.
>
> The government points to the recession of 1991-1993, saying that it
> "managed" it by cutting interest rates by 1%% at once.  In fact, the
> downturn lasted until 1993 or 1994, and really ended only with the
> coming of a fundamentally new technology: the Internet.  Economists
> regularly exaggerate their understanding and control of the economy,
> arguing for inevitable business cycles as natural, physical laws of ...

> On Mar 21, 9:40 am, "fyfp...@gmail.com" gmail.com> wrote:

>> On Mar 21, 10:22 pm, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>

>>> It seems reasonably clear to virtually everyone now that, at the very
>>> best, the American economy has lapsed into a period of "Stagflation",
>>> minimal or negative growth combined with the constant threat of
>>> serious inflation. As in the 1970's, this has followed a period of
>>> growth during an extended and unsuccesful military conflict. While
>>> the government and the Fed are frantically patting themselves on the
>>> back for having "handled" the situation with a combination of cash
>>> bailouts, rebates and tax cuts, it seems reasonably clear that these
>>> represent only a drop in the bucket faced with the magnitude of the
>>> current economic problems: simlultaneously collapsing real estate,
>>> financial, service and manufacturing sectors, combined with an aging ...

> On Mar 21, 10:22 am, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>

> That's the case from the government end, while the potential private
> entrepreneurs among the middle and upper-middle class are constrained
> by declining real earnings.
>
> Not a good mix. But hey, what would that money go to anyway---clean
> efficient energy use, improved infrastructure, improved health care?
> Who needs that?