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  1. #176
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    More expensive cars, TV sets, appliances, ... more expensive health care.... too expensive to maintain houses
    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    Deflation, baby
    Curious definition of deflation
    Decisions Decisions

  2. #177
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brock Landers View Post
    Curious definition of deflation
    Maybe he meant stagflation.
    You are what you eat.
    ---------------------------------------------------
    There's no such thing as bad snow, just shitty skiers.

  3. #178
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beaver View Post
    Maybe he meant stagflation.
    Ah, yes. Welcome back to the 70s. Inflation requires money chasing that shit, but, blood from a stone and all that.

  4. #179
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bromontana View Post
    They need to index meds to a basket of countries like Canadia? does. Pretty sure Trump or Sanders are the only ones in the latest election cycle that have any commitment to that type of regulation.

    Doing so would go a long way towards addressing the runaway hc inflation, though services would still be the elephant in the room.
    The whole policy (and history) of no drug price negotiation is insane and needs to be addressed for sure. But as mentioned, services, service overhead, and peripheral costs of healthcare are also ridiculous. You would hope a proactive healthcare system leads to a healthy population leads to reduced need of drugs.

  5. #180
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mazderati View Post
    The whole policy (and history) of no drug price negotiation is insane and needs to be addressed for sure. But as mentioned, services, service overhead, and peripheral costs of healthcare are also ridiculous. You would hope a proactive healthcare system leads to a healthy population leads to reduced need of drugs.
    Ueah, well, good luck with that from a 70 year old paranoid president who never exercises and eats junk food.

  6. #181
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mazderati View Post
    The whole policy (and history) of no drug price negotiation is insane and needs to be addressed for sure. But as mentioned, services, service overhead, and peripheral costs of healthcare are also ridiculous. You would hope a proactive healthcare system leads to a healthy population leads to reduced need of drugs.
    I hear ya. Services cost can't go down imo without reform of education. Modest quality dilution is needed to bring down ed costs & subsequent services. It sounds antithetical, but scarcity is one stubborn bitch. Either acknowledge the efficacy of good, cost effective care or fall victim to the moth to flame situation we have now with "the best care" that only wealthy corporations can afford.

  7. #182
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    In the year before NAFTA the U.S ran a trade surplus with Mexico, $1.35 billion. That surplus immediately turned to a deficit of $16 billion and has been rising ever since. In 2016 the deficit was $58.8 billion. If you can remember one of the "promises" of NAFTA was that it would raise the standard of living of Mexicans increasing their buying power. 50% of Mexicans live below the poverty line. According to Reuters Mexican auto workers make $8 - $10 per hour including benefits. At those wages they have little extra money to buy any goods much less U. S. products. I understand that we would pay more for goods if they do not come from Mexico but what is the benefit to our economy of more skilled workers in good paying jobs? Having spent too much time in Mexico on business its a corrupt, government with contempt for its citizens. BTW, remittances from Mexicans sent to primarily relatives in Mexico exceeds the revenue of oil that Mexico sells. The last number I could find on money sent to Mexico was $26 billion in 2014. The Mexican Government badly needs the revenue from remittances and because of this they make no effort to slow the flow of illegals.
    Last edited by bigdude2468; 01-27-2017 at 07:05 AM.

  8. #183
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigdude2468 View Post
    In the year before NAFTA the U.S ran a trade surplus with Mexico, $1.35 billion. That surplus immediately turned to a deficit of $16 billion and has been rising ever since. In 2016 the deficit was $58.8 billion. If you can remember one of the "promises" of NAFTA was that it would raise the standard of living of Mexicans increasing their buying power. 50% of Mexicans live below the poverty line. According to Reuters Mexican auto workers make $8 - $10 per hour including benefits. At those wages they have little extra money to buy and goods much less U. S. products. I understand that we would pay more for goods if they do not come from Mexico but what is the benefit to our economy of more skilled workers in good paying jobs? Having spent too much time in Mexico on business its a corrupt, government with contempt for its citizens BTW, remittances from Mexicans sent to primarily relatives in Mexico exceeds the revenue of oil that Mexico sells.
    What's the message? It looks like you're saying NAFTA hasn't been good for the US or Mexico but go on to acknowledge what used to be a US trade surplus with Mexico turned into a bigger trade deficit which, despite lower Mexican wages relative to those in the US indicates increased Mexican purchasing power. Is there other work in Mexico that would pay more than $8-10/hr if auto facilities didn't exist?

  9. #184
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  10. #185
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    The message is how do trade deficits, in this case very large trade deficits help the U.S. other than less expensive products? Mexico is the winner in this scenario and with wages so low in Mexico they do not have the buying power that over the long run would make this a win win. In 1995 the Peso was 3.5 to the $. It doubled to 7.5 in the late 90" and it currently over 20. That is why Mexico can't pull their weight when it comes to buying U.S. products. Any thought that Mexico will ever be anything than a third world country is dreaming.

  11. #186
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    Quote Originally Posted by frorider View Post
    Huh. Suddenly I'm for it.

  12. #187
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigdude2468 View Post
    Any thought that Mexico will ever be anything than a third world country is dreaming.
    Have you let them know?

  13. #188
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigdude2468 View Post
    The message is how do trade deficits, in this case very large trade deficits help the U.S. other than less expensive products?
    Company stock price. Yet another reason why the "trump bump" is b.s. in my opinion. It will be interesting to see how the mid west farmer companies react when they get priced out of selling corn to Mexico (assuming Mexico counters with a tariff).

    Is the wall really going to be that expensive? 20% from Tacoma sales alone you would think should cover many walls. (plus there already is a wall.)

  14. #189
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigdude2468 View Post
    Any thought that Mexico will ever be anything than a third world country is dreaming.
    fyi, it's not right now.

  15. #190
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    Quote Originally Posted by 406 View Post
    Is the wall really going to be that expensive?
    Estimates I've read are in the $30-50 billion range. So, not astronomical, but still the dumbest way we could spend tens of billions on infrastructure. Last week's This American Life episode had a segment about border patrol agents. The segment the agents they interviewed patrol has a 18-ft fence. One agent said that immediately after the fence was finished they started confiscating 19-ft ladders. In no time they had taken so many they had nowhere left to store them and stopped even bothering to take the ladders down. I'm sure it will be different this time....

  16. #191
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    Who is going to mow the weeds on the US side of the wall? Come on Donald, think a littlw
    Decisions Decisions

  17. #192
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dantheman View Post
    Estimates I've read are in the $30-50 billion range. So, not astronomical, but still the dumbest way we could spend tens of billions on infrastructure. Last week's This American Life episode had a segment about border patrol agents. The segment the agents they interviewed patrol has a 18-ft fence. One agent said that immediately after the fence was finished they started confiscating 19-ft ladders. In no time they had taken so many they had nowhere left to store them and stopped even bothering to take the ladders down. I'm sure it will be different this time....
    Plus all the criminals and good stuff(drugs, money, guns) just goes through tunnels or boat.

  18. #193
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    MIT examines cost of building wall

    https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6...s-border-wall/

  19. #194
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    I've raised cash this week. Gone from zero to 8%. Also cut margin debt in my taxable account by 80%.

    I'm in forced change the next few months so that is my reason more than change of opinion.

  20. #195
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    I have been putting a lot of my admittedly small assets into cash

  21. #196
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  22. #197
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    Definitely sell your stock in Invanka's fashion business.

    Edit--Unless she starts selling jock straps and wife beaters.
    Last edited by old goat; 02-06-2017 at 06:14 PM.

  23. #198
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  24. #199
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    Yeah, very interesting. My argument, too, about tariffs and protectionism. All the infrastructure spending in the world can't fix what sorrow that would bring, especially in today's world. GM just reported a very shaky quarter, with China slowing down, and he's going to essentially raise their production costs dramatically with his little brown people hate? Idiot.

  25. #200
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    Yeah, very interesting. My argument, too, about tariffs and protectionism. All the infrastructure spending in the world can't fix what sorrow that would bring, especially in today's world. GM just reported a very shaky quarter, with China slowing down, and he's going to essentially raise their production costs dramatically with his little brown people hate? Idiot.
    We also aren't going to get real infrastructure spending. If anything, we will get a boondoggle chucking tax subsidies at businesses cozy with the administration and we will get no actual new infrastructure built. It will be rife with corruption.

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