Comments on: No escape from the perfect financial storm

After this perfect storm, brewed out of years of habit and taken down by mortgages for the masses, consumers and businesses will be far more conservative in their spending habits.

[jimoase]

Our country isn't selling enough internationally to pays its international bills and that is why we are in our domestic economy is failing.

All the cash flow coming into our country, and therefore taxes, come from the activities of our international businesses. For our country to get out of this mess we will need to increase the number of United States businesses selling internationally and increase the sales of our existing international businesses.

Can United States increase the number of businesses selling internationally and increase international business sales by increasing business overhead?

Can United States businesses compete internationally while being lead by the least competent management?

Is good management, such as Bill Gates, worth their above average income?

How does the United States create an environment for growing international businesses by increasing the taxes on those businesses and their leadership?

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Jim

[Commander_Spock]

Agreed 100% . However, how about adding the values of RANKING the businesses who are likely to bring in the most "foreign exchange" into the country.in addition to help reduce the country's trade imbalance starting with companies such as the BOEING COMPANY, INTEL......

[universeman]

The U.S. (and most of the developed world) has gone on a 25-year credit binge which, like a great party, has to end sometime. And just like a party, you end up with a hangover.

Folks, enjoy the hangover. This one might last a while.

For Jim above, while current account deficits are a Big Deal to the U.S., that's not the whole picture. If we didn't borrow and consume so much, we would need to export anything (foreigners could buy our debt and equity and get the return they want.) Problem is we've outstripped everyone's ability to lend to us. Kaboom.

[Commander_Spock]

[...."Folks, enjoy the hangover. This one might last a while.

For Jim above, while current account deficits are a Big Deal to the U.S., that's not the whole picture. If we didn't borrow and consume so much, we would need to export anything (foreigners could buy our debt and equity and get the return they want.) Problem is we've outstripped everyone's ability to lend to us. Kaboom.." Don't think so; and, the gut feeling is that America is really just waking up on New Year's 1999 and here is why:

As a point of reference here is an extract from a 1998 Lotus Development Corporation communication; Re:" Concerning the issues with 1-2-3 that are talked about in the documentation you gave me, most of the issues are related to converting files between older and newer versions of product and converting documents between Lotus and Microsoft. Anytime a file is saved backwards or saved with an older file format than the format the file was created under, such as saving a 1-2-3 , 97 file for Windows 95 into a WK1 format for DOS, then naturally we are expected to loose certain features due to technology and features that are present now that were not present 8 - 10 years ago. Similarly, if we try to convert a file from Lotus into Excel or Excel into Lotus, due to differences in the products not every feature will be converted perfectly with the file filters that are available. Both Lotus and Microsoft create similar spreadsheet programs; however, there are several differences in both programs and these differences will remain to distinguish the products apart. We do try to design conversion filters that will allow as much of the file formats as possible to be exchanged and converted without disrupting the actual file design and format.

In one of your letters you made mention of the @IRR and @ERR functions in the 1-2-3 product. By design the @IRR (notably "absent" in Open Office) will calculate the Internal Rate of Return; where the @ERR is used in conjunction with other formulas, posted was an "ERR" showing an error was received in the calculations. As far as I can see in the program I cannot find an @ERR function that will allow us to calculate an Economic Rate of Return"

Here is exactly what is happening: The United States of America (and the rest of the world) is now waking up to do their "MICRO-ECONOMICS" coursework for their college finals and the market forces (on Wall and Main Streets) around the world are the invigilators.
.

[mark1214]

Well the chickens have indeed come home to roost. It seems like some of the old rules still apply. In the 90's it was the " new economy". The new internet and tech companies didn't need to make a profit. They were wrong. Then the government tried to manipulate the market. Old lending rules don't apply. Everyone should have a "right" to own a home. Well their mandates caused lenders to come up ways to fund everyone. Nothing down, interest only, adjustable rates. The lenders had no problems because corrupt fannie and freddie were only too eager to underwrite this junk and sell it off to wall street who packaged it and sold it to anyone. When will the government learn? Some of the old ways really do work.