Overall inflation is almost back down to the around 2% modest target, but some people are still not satisfied. Prices are still higher now than they were before the last period of inflation started.
I guess we could try and bring prices down to below current levels. That's deflation. Do people really want deflation?
Many economists say that deflation should be avoided as it is usually associated with recession and depression. Is that what people secretly want? Do they want a collapse of the economy?
Maybe people have a secret desire for less consumption and materialism. Is there a secret desire for less emphasis on wealth and money?
Falling home values might make housing cheaper, but it would put some folks "upside down" in their home; that is if they owe a mortgage.
If Trump returns to the White House, I think it's likely that the following divisiveness and instability could cause the economy to go into a tailspin. That's why a lot of money does seem to be on the side of Kamala Harris. Apparently Harris does lead in campaign contributions. It's what could be called "blue state money" as blue states do tend to be more successful economically.
I think the innovation of liberal culture tends to be good for prosperity and resilience in modern times given the "information / high tech economy." It's no longer your grandfather's economy.
Personally, I still feel that a lifestyle of less consumption is desirable and better for the natural environment and I also feel that we can make personal choices toward less consumption with Harris as president.
With Trump as president, personal choices toward less consumptive lifestyles would still be possible, but the increased instability and hatred toward one another, that a Trump Presidency is likely to stir up, would be undesirable for many reasons. Economic collapse, a likely scenario under Trump, could force people into less consumption, but certain scenarios of being forced into economic turmoil would not be pretty.
On the other hand, given more likely social stability and status quo under Harris, we could still make the personal choices toward more responsible lifestyles; such as in evolution versus revolution.
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Monday, October 07, 2024
Maybe the vice presidential candidates should be the presidential candidates.
Posted on Facebook October 2 2024.
I listened to part of last night's vice presidential debate. It seemed much more civil than the presidential debate and was about important issues.
Ironically, the presidential debate was more about grandstanding and gotcha points. Harris must have been trying to keep up, a bit, with Trump's grandstanding in the competition for votes.
I'm for Harris / Waltz. It is ironic, however that the vice presidential debate was more useful from a thinking standpoint. Maybe the vice presidential candidates should be the presidential candidates.
Having Trump on the stage kind of sets the tone like the elephant in the room.
Speaking of elephant (Republican Party) Vance seemed fairly civil this time; more like the somewhat more civil Republican Party of George W. Bush. Less talk, from Vance, of single, childless cat ladies and no one brought up immigrants eating people's pets.
I listened to part of last night's vice presidential debate. It seemed much more civil than the presidential debate and was about important issues.
Ironically, the presidential debate was more about grandstanding and gotcha points. Harris must have been trying to keep up, a bit, with Trump's grandstanding in the competition for votes.
I'm for Harris / Waltz. It is ironic, however that the vice presidential debate was more useful from a thinking standpoint. Maybe the vice presidential candidates should be the presidential candidates.
Having Trump on the stage kind of sets the tone like the elephant in the room.
Speaking of elephant (Republican Party) Vance seemed fairly civil this time; more like the somewhat more civil Republican Party of George W. Bush. Less talk, from Vance, of single, childless cat ladies and no one brought up immigrants eating people's pets.
I'm remembering Carter Presidency as Carter soon turns 100.
Posted on Facebook Sept. 29 2024.
Happy Birthday to former President Jimmy Carter who I hear turns 100 on Tuesday October 1.
President during my college years and a bit beyond. 1977-1981.
I remember him for advocating less energy consumption to help us get through the energy crisis, back then. We were running out of easy to drill liquid petroleum. One of his famous statements was how dependent we were on a thin line of oil tankers stretching halfway around the world.
He advocated alternative energy and had solar panels installed at the White House. He also advocated American energy independence with something called the Carter Synfuels Program; basically mining shale and cooking it to squeeze out the last drops of American oil. Coal production and gasification was also seen as a solution as USA had plenty of coal reserves.
Since then, new technology has made getting oil out of shale much easier than thought back then. USA is now basically energy independent, but another problem has cropped up; climate change.
Solar, wind and other alternative technologies have significantly improved since those years bringing the price of alternative energy down.
I would like us to see a return to Carter's type of advocacy for conservation and modification of consumptive lifestyles plus continued advancement of the cleaner technologies.
Carter was also noted as an advocate for international human rights with his UN ambassador, Andrew Young, a big figure in that era of hope.
At some point Andrew did have to leave that post, but I forgot the details.
On gay rights, that era could be thought of as ancient history compared to the recent progress made in USA on that topic.
I remember a ground breaking meeting between top White House staff and a group called the National Gay Taskforce. The president wasn't at that meeting, but it was seen as a big step forward at that time. Gay rights was gaining ground at the grass roots level and that was possibly the first recognition at the White House.
Carter's presidency was buffeted many unfortunate events beyond his control such as the Iranian hostage crisis and the Three Mile Island nuclear power incident.
Toward the end of his presidency, there was some feeling that things were floundering. In 1980 Ronald Regan ran against Carter and won the presidency. Tax cuts were popular and gradually things changed with income and wealth inequality now much higher, in USA, than before. Reagan symbolically removed the solar panels from the White House.
Happy Birthday to former President Jimmy Carter who I hear turns 100 on Tuesday October 1.
President during my college years and a bit beyond. 1977-1981.
I remember him for advocating less energy consumption to help us get through the energy crisis, back then. We were running out of easy to drill liquid petroleum. One of his famous statements was how dependent we were on a thin line of oil tankers stretching halfway around the world.
He advocated alternative energy and had solar panels installed at the White House. He also advocated American energy independence with something called the Carter Synfuels Program; basically mining shale and cooking it to squeeze out the last drops of American oil. Coal production and gasification was also seen as a solution as USA had plenty of coal reserves.
Since then, new technology has made getting oil out of shale much easier than thought back then. USA is now basically energy independent, but another problem has cropped up; climate change.
Solar, wind and other alternative technologies have significantly improved since those years bringing the price of alternative energy down.
I would like us to see a return to Carter's type of advocacy for conservation and modification of consumptive lifestyles plus continued advancement of the cleaner technologies.
Carter was also noted as an advocate for international human rights with his UN ambassador, Andrew Young, a big figure in that era of hope.
At some point Andrew did have to leave that post, but I forgot the details.
On gay rights, that era could be thought of as ancient history compared to the recent progress made in USA on that topic.
I remember a ground breaking meeting between top White House staff and a group called the National Gay Taskforce. The president wasn't at that meeting, but it was seen as a big step forward at that time. Gay rights was gaining ground at the grass roots level and that was possibly the first recognition at the White House.
Carter's presidency was buffeted many unfortunate events beyond his control such as the Iranian hostage crisis and the Three Mile Island nuclear power incident.
Toward the end of his presidency, there was some feeling that things were floundering. In 1980 Ronald Regan ran against Carter and won the presidency. Tax cuts were popular and gradually things changed with income and wealth inequality now much higher, in USA, than before. Reagan symbolically removed the solar panels from the White House.
I'm curious how the meeting between Trump and Zelensky turned out?
Posted on Facebook Sept. 28 2024.
I'm curious how the meeting between former President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky turned out. I haven't seen any results from meeting in the news yet, but I have been out on the McKenzie River Trail anyway. Forgot to bring my radio and I was likely out of cell coverage much of the way if I'd wanted to look at my phone instead of dodging tree roots across the trail.
Both presidents have nearly opposite strategies. Trump would deal and likely give land, such as Crimea to Russia. Zelensky would fight until every acre is returned to Ukraine. I wonder how that meeting went?
I'm curious how the meeting between former President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky turned out. I haven't seen any results from meeting in the news yet, but I have been out on the McKenzie River Trail anyway. Forgot to bring my radio and I was likely out of cell coverage much of the way if I'd wanted to look at my phone instead of dodging tree roots across the trail.
Both presidents have nearly opposite strategies. Trump would deal and likely give land, such as Crimea to Russia. Zelensky would fight until every acre is returned to Ukraine. I wonder how that meeting went?
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