SAR #11013

Blowing things out of proportion is the American Way.

Profiteers:  The US attacked Afghanistan to punish the country for harboring al-Qaida, and invaded Iraq to get rid of Saddam.  That's what they said, anyway.  If those were the motives, why the “Long War”?  Yeah, yeah. I  mean besides the oil and pipelines. (A) Because it is profitable for American businesses.  or (B) Ditto.  Choose one.

Optimistic?  Maybe you should look at employment, housing, commodities and credit data and think again.  Best 1500 word essay wins the usual prize.

Magic Bullets:  There is not a single antibiotic to which at least some bacteria have not become resistant.  More than 90,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections.  That's more than are killed by car accidents, prostate cancer and AIDS combined.

Reading Assignment:  In a NYT article,  Paul Krugman describes the problems facing the euro from sovereign (PIIGY) debt that will be the subject of discussion in class.  Note it is descriptive, not prescriptive.  Pick a 'solution' and be prepared to defend it.

Importing Inflation?  Prices for imports rose 1.1% in December, 1.5% in November, but according to the government that's not inflation, just price increases in stuff like food. Besides, it's still less than 14% a year.  Inflation happens to other countries.

House Percentage:  In the last four years Atlantic City's casinos have seen a 31% drop in income, down 9.6% in the last year.  What are the odds for 2011?

Bummer:  It is pretty tough being one of the long term unemployed who cannot find a job. It is a much worse curse to realize that you may be one of the three quarters for whom there simply will not be a job.  You can't find what's not in the haystack to start with.

Parochialism:  If you get your news from the MSM, you probably think the Wikileaks documents are all about the US.  Not true.  Many are about discounted black and brown nations that don't show up in US navel gazing.  You can access the information without the filters if you go to one of the WikiLeaks mirrors (try this one).

Asked & Answered:  The headline asked if US house prices will fall below their 2009 lows. Silly, they already have.

Chicken in Every Pot : Since the recession began in 2007, the number of homeless children attending public schools in Florida's Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties has gone from 1,300 to more than 4,200.  How can they learn if they have no place to sleep?  If their only meals come from the school cafeteria's Title IV program?  Where do they do their homework?  How much did Goldman Sachs pay out in bonuses?

New Normal:  OPEC says that “Oil at $90 is not an extraordinary situation,” and the market is “well-balanced” and doesn't need an increase in supply. Just an increase in dollars.  Tell them to check with The Bernank about that.

Simple Math:  If your “How to Prepare for the Collapse” book tells you to get a rifle so you can shoot Bambi, throw it away.  After the first couple of years with millions of Rambos out killing everything, there won't be any deer left. Nor cows. Nor dogs.  Or, quite possibly, any birds.

Nothing Gnu Under the Sun:  The American Economics Association assures us that the economy will always revert back to its long-term growth trend, eventually.  Except when it doesn't.

Porn O'Graph: A house in the dell...