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Oct
10
I’m optimistic
Filed Under COIT, Election 2008, Gerry Scheub, economy, optimism | 6 Comments
Despite all of the economic stuff on here lately — and the hiatus to sit back and concentrate on matters in the real world — I am optimistic about the future.
To wit:
The markets may have turned a corner and buyers will start picking up bargains. If they don’t, it is only a matter of time before someone starts buying everything of value is is currently on sale. My retirement isn’t for another 25-30 years or so, so there’s plenty of time for the market to appreciate and for wealth to be built. And, I’m hoping for the best for those who are looking to retire in the near future.
My wife had a car that suffered a fault was covered by the factory warranty with $0 out of pocket. We were fairly loyal customers of Toyota before, but this will definitely earn them some money over the coming years when it comes time to purchase new vehicles. Having said that, we’re also going to get a Ford as well since I’m eligible for the “X” plan. (Disclaimer — I have a financial interest in seeing Ford and GM do well, so go out and buy a Ford or GM product right now!).
I saw Commissioner Gerry Scheub the other day canvassing the neighborhood and he spoke of fighting against new taxes. Any candidate who has fought the good fight against the 1% Lake County income tax and promises to keep on fighting against it has my vote. (Disclaimer — I split my ticket based on issues. When I was in Hobart, I always voted for Rep. Chet Dobis because he voted the right way on certain issues.) It’s a good day in Lake County when a Democrat’s main issue is trying to keep money in taxpayer’s pockets — and that Democrat has a proven track record of standing up against serious pressure to back down from his position.
Also, false voter registrations were caught before they had a chance to infect the system. Of course, I’m sure we’d all figure out there was something wrong if Jimmy Johns had voted 72 times from various polling places in Nov. (Disclaimer — I like Jimmy Johns’ Italian sub, the #5 Vito. I suggest voting for #5 when you go to JJ’s sandwich shop). Also, if the vote takes 12 hours to be counted at the satellite locations and 1 million plus new voters turn out, we’ll all know that a certain community organization has been busy filling out voter registrations. Like the primary and the Lake County vote count controversy, I’m sure it will get us on CNN and everyone knows any publicity is good publicity!
I’m glad to see John McCain saying that Barack Obama is a good guy and calming down some of the more fervent supporters who are ready to launch into Moveon.org-type strangeness. If eight years of Bush-hating has taught us anything, it’s the lesson that haters never win converts. If McCain is going to win, it will be on the merits of his ideas and an optimistic message. Going negative won’t win over the people who are just tuning in at this late date and just opens the door to counter-attacks. McCain realizes this and that’s another reason for optimism.
A new day will be here sooner than we know it and things should work out just fine, no matter what happens.
Jan
25
Economist: The World Is In Better Shape Than Most Think
Filed Under Economist, optimism | Leave a Comment
The world isn’t falling apart, despite all of the dire predictions of imminent doom and gloom for the coming year.
The Economist reports that impartial data shows that the world is better off than most people think.
This sense of impending doom is not confined to politicians. Public attitudes generally seem to have become more pessimistic and inward-looking. The proportion of Americans who think their country should be active in the world (42%) is the lowest it has been since the early 1990s. Support for international trade and multinational companies is falling. Opposition to immigration is growing. Large minorities in most countries say globalisation is bad for them personally. Although the main perceived threat varies by time and place—from climate change to economic recession—the general mood is a bit despondent. And the outside world tends to be viewed as a source of trouble.
Indeed, for a great many people the way things are is pretty rotten: Burmese monks, for instance, or the Luo in Kenya. Life is not too bright for investors at the moment, either. But is the broader proposition true? Is the world really becoming worse for the majority of mankind? We argue that it is not.
To some extent, our qualified optimism is borne out by impartial data. In this article we look at three pieces of evidence: the underlying social conditions in poor countries; poverty alleviation over the past decade; and the incidence of wars and political violence. By those measures the world seems to be in rather better shape than most people realise.
