Article

2011-07-23 Economy

Western World Operating On Shaky Business Model

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Beavis 2011-07-23 00:16|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 When was socialism/collectivism/redistributionism ever a 'business' model?

Posted by Procopius2k 2011-07-23 09:05|| 2011-07-23 09:05|| Front Page Top

#2 Mark Steyn makes many good points in this article. The ruling party of the Brokest Nation in History has no spending plan other than to plan to spend even more. No rating agencies are downgrading it. The media coverage of this story has been fraudulent. MSM coverage of this issue is a DISGRACE.
One structural problem Steyn did not mention is energy. Modern economic growth is depend on cheap / abundant energy sources. Note the 'cheap' and 'abundant' part - they must be linked. This excludes all 'green' energy initiatives. The US government has been actively working at making US energy supplies more expensive and less available than ever before. Its only contribution to making conventional energy sources more available are all our troops in the Middle East and central Asia. Much of the worldwide economic malaise is related to increasingly more expensive and scarcer energy supplies, and this is the weakest link in our 'shaky business model.'

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-07-23 12:07|| 2011-07-23 12:07|| Front Page Top

#3 Respectfully disagree. Our economic "growth" has been premised on an expanding labor pool filled with illegal aliens and women, with all the attendant problems caused and new private and public services formed to deal with such a social/political calamity.

The national and state governments have benefited mightily from the largesse of this "growth" that has finished working its way through the economic system, and there is simply nothing more that can be done to ever expand the economy or the government.

Don't take my word for it. Cuts or no cuts; tax increases or not, under the current circumstances our economy will begin to grow at its "natural" rate conforming to population growth (the only real engine of economic growth), which will probably be less than 2 percent for the foreseeable future.

The political question is, will the US and state governments continue to demand an ever larger share of whatever is left, or will we finally be forced to reign in government at all levels and limit its role in our daily lives?

Seems to me we are at the point now where there is little choice.

Posted by badanov 2011-07-23 12:26|| http://www.freefirezone.org 2011-07-23 12:26|| Front Page Top

#4 Since the ignorant educational systems of the west embraced Karl Marx as their GOD and government as their Holy Spirit.

All of mankind has embraced coveting as their moral and bearing false witness as their shelter.

Posted by newc 2011-07-23 12:41|| concisemagazine.com 2011-07-23 12:41|| Front Page Top

#5 population growth (the only real engine of economic growth)

?????????????

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2011-07-23 14:54|| 2011-07-23 14:54|| Front Page Top

#6 new consumers

Posted by Frank G 2011-07-23 14:56|| 2011-07-23 14:56|| Front Page Top

#7 Consumers & population growth won't help much without key ingredients like cheap/abundant energy, rule of law, innovation unhampered by stupid bureaucracies, etc. China in the 1500's had plenty population, but accounted for very little on the world scene. Britain in the 1700's outstripped the French in the industrial revolution partly due to their cultural / constitutional advantages & partly due to cheap/abundant coal.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-07-23 15:05|| 2011-07-23 15:05|| Front Page Top

#8 To paraphrase a famous saying "Before wealth can be consumed, it has to be produced."
Or, to put it another way---which country is wealthier: Israel with 7 million people, or Egypt with 80?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2011-07-23 15:12|| 2011-07-23 15:12|| Front Page Top

23:59 Penguin
23:56 JosephMendiola
23:55 Glusort Hitler1574
23:23 Frank G
23:16 Capsu78
23:06 Free Radical
22:27 de Medici
22:18 Pollyandrew
22:14 Pollyandrew
22:09 tu3031
22:05 badanov
22:00 Pollyandrew
21:52 tu3031
21:49 Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
21:46 Pollyandrew
21:46 Steve White
21:26 Eohippus Phater7165
20:44 Frank G
20:42 Dale
20:32 JohnQC
20:31 Capsu78
20:04 Phager the Rash2607
20:04 JohnQC
19:58 Charles