USA & World Economics

I would like to wish all the members of this site even the ones that have been rude to me, a happy holidays and a very wonderful new year. I use this site often but I must admit after so many nasty replies to my posts I'm reluctant to post. Your right my spelling is bad and my grammer is bad but the point I'm trying to make is what matters. If I misspell something in my post try to skip over that and just think about the point I m trying to make. Not everyone will agree with my openion and they shouldent but lets just discus.

Regards Hotrod11.

Several years ago I met my congress man Tod Akins. He was traveling back to DC for a vote on the Schrenable incident. This girl had been declared brain dead by over 20 Florida judges but for some reason the house republicans wonted to shift this to federal jurisdiction. I asked mr Akins why he would travel back to DC and spend so much tax payers money on this unwinnable problem. He said look I am a junior represenative and if your boss -Tom DElay -- calls you and says get your ass on the next flight to DC. What would you do?

So why are so many people still angry & unhappy? Is it because most of the jobs that were lost in the Financial crisis are never coming back? It was going to happen anyway because of globalization & technology. The crisis just accelerate the time-line.

Immigrants are coming in the thousands every day. Their will to survive and improve their lives is stoking the fire in America's engine room. Meanwhile, the home-growns are mostly just failing math, smoking pot, playing video games, and watching porn.

Just my un-humbled opinion.

[URL]http://www.marketwatch.com/story/five-predictions-for-us-economy-in-2015-2014-12-31[/URL]

[URL]http://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrochafuen/2015/01/01/the-u-s-economy-in-2015-challenges-and-opportunities/2/[/URL]

About the shooting in Paris. Those guys were really pushing the envelope. Not saying they were wrong, but just thinking that they were invincible. A friend of mine crossed the metal barrier to take a picture of a tiger, and got his trousers shredded by the tiger through the bars. I said, what were you thinking?

[URL]http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/15/pope-islam-paris-charlo-hebdo/21796053/[/URL]

[QUOTE=RevBS;443400]About the shooting in Paris. Those guys were really pushing the envelope. Not saying they were wrong, but just thinking that they were invincible. A friend of mine crossed the metal barrier to take a picture of a tiger, and got his trousers shredded by the tiger through the bars. I said, what were you thinking?

[URL]http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/15/pope-islam-paris-charlo-hebdo/21796053/[/URL][/QUOTE]Wrong thread. How is this economics?

So the EU is getting hammered from multiple orifices today and yesterday and lets be honest, for quite some time. Since it became a protectorate of Germany and a vassal of the US. No independent foreign policy to speak of.

The Euro is down 1:1. 16 tu the USD and down to 1:1. 0 to the CHF. Overnight. Anybody want to comment on the Rouble? .:)...

Russia just told the eu commissioner for " energy union " to pound sand. These pods actually went to Moscow and demanded the following.

1. They wanted Russia to continue subsidizing Ukrainian gas imports for the forseeable future. LOL. This one made me laugh.

2. They wanted all future energy purchases from Russia to happen through the new Eu " energy union ".

3. They wanted Russia to restart the Southstream pipeline project (after the US and the EU did everything to stop it), they wanted Russia to build the infrastructure in Europe to deliver the gas and then they wanted Russia to adhere to the new " third energy package " retroactively even though all the previous Southstream agreements were signed and negotiated way before this third "energy package " was even a twinkle in Frau Merkels eye. BTW this third energy package states that even though Gazprom has to build and service these pipelines, they only get to profit from 50% of its capacity.

Ahahahahahahaha. What are these eurotard muppets smoking over there? Seriously. They actually thought they had leverage or something?

Russia told them.

1. There is no need to extend these one off winter sudsidies to Ukraine since there are already preexisting contracts that encompass future gas prices. And if the EU wants to insure transit through Ukraine they have to pressure Ukraine to uphold current agreements. And if the Kiev neonazis need gas they can't pay for, therefore endangering gas supplies to the EU, its not Russias problem. Oh and yeah since Ukraine is broke, the EU will probably have to pay off Ukraines past energy debts and most likely its future ones as well.

2. The Southstream project is Dead. Long live the southstream project. Russias decision is final. The Eurocrats didn't want it and so they won't get it. Russia will build the pipeline to Turkey and from Turkey to the Greek border ending in a energy distribution hub just before entering eu territory. If the EU wants Russian gas, they have to build their own pipeline infrastructure to connect with this hub and then they can adhere to this " third energy package " all they want. It will be their pipelines on their soil. Ahahahaha. Check and mate.

3. here's the real kicker. Once the " turk stream " pipeline is built, Russia will stop all gas transit through Ukraine. All of it. They will service Ukrainian demand for gas as long as the Ukrainians pay for it in advance. All future purchases of Russian gas must be done through the turk stream or not at all (this excludes preexisting Nordstream and Belarusian pipelines that service most of the north and central parts of europe and account for about 50% of all Russian gas sold to the eu).

Anyone with half a brain saw this coming. You mess with the bull you get the horns. What is little eu going to do? Germany connivingly secured their own gas imports through the Nordstream and then did everything it could to destroy the Southstream project. So much for E unity? I'm betting the central and southern european countries are going to love this.

Put a fork in her fellas. I think the EU is done. Don't forget to hedge accordingly.

[URL]http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-the-price-of-oil.html[/URL]

A nice read on the current oil industry for us ordinary folks. It is a link, so I will await comments from our experts in AP who has far more reliable sources than the NY Times.

Meanwhile, nothing like a long driving vacation in the late spring or early summer in the good ole USA. Any suggestions of great 10-14 day drives, especially in the East and South? Pretty much covered the West & Rockies.

[URL]http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gop-financial-reform-attack-20150114-story.html[/URL]

Now that they are a majority in Congress, the GOP is trying to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Law. As if the Financial crisis never happen, these crooks are doing their masters' bidding again. Shameless, unrepentant. Never guilty, that is the signature of American culture today.

It is funny when the Democrats got 20 million more votes and still lose.

Would that be because of Gerrymandering?

[QUOTE=BadMan;443442] Anybody want to comment on the Rouble? .:)[/QUOTE]Sure, I'll take a stab at it: continued devaluation vs both the dollar and the Euro through the end of the year.

[QUOTE=BadMan;443442] Russia just told the eu commissioner for " energy union " to pound sand. [/QUOTE]Trust me when I tell you, not one EU commissioner lost a second of sleep.

Russia, despite all of it's sabre rattling, is still one very fucked-up country. Anybody with means and opportunity tries to emigrate at their first chance.

The plan that you laid out so eloquently looks good on paper, but Russia is a totally fucked military dictatorship. [I]IF[/I] Russia manages to build a pipeline all the way down to Greece without multiple major catastrophes along the way, it won't be during our lifetime. And, of course, it won't be Russians building the pipeline as the average Russian can't build shit. It'll be the same Uzbekistani slaves used to build the newly finished Moscow City Center, but that's another story.

Trust me, Merkel's got the goods on Putin. She sees him for what he is, a sadistic punk with a short-mans complex. The European Union has it's share of problems, no doubt. But they pale in comparison with the multiple crisis Putin is trying to manage at the moment at home. In time you'll find Russia's "horns" aren't that sharp. Can't wait for my summer trip, when the Ruble should right around 80 to the Dollar.

Russia is fucked for life. They've always [I]been[/I] fucked, and they always [I]will[/I] be.

Don't ever quote me again. These are 60 seconds of my life I will never get back.

[QUOTE=Chezz;443689]Sure, I'll take a stab at it: continued devaluation vs both the dollar and the Euro through the end of the year.

Trust me when I tell you, not one EU commissioner lost a second of sleep.

Russia, despite all of it's sabre rattling, is still one very fucked-up country. Anybody with means and opportunity tries to emigrate at their first chance.

The plan that you laid out so eloquently looks good on paper, but Russia is a totally fucked military dictatorship. [I]IF[/I] Russia manages to build a pipeline all the way down to Greece without multiple major catastrophes along the way, it won't be during our lifetime. And, of course, it won't be Russians building the pipeline as the average Russian can't build shit. It'll be the same Uzbekistani slaves used to build the newly finished Moscow City Center, but that's another story.

Trust me, Merkel's got the goods on Putin. She sees him for what he is, a sadistic punk with a short-mans complex. The European Union has it's share of problems, no doubt. But they pale in comparison with the multiple crisis Putin is trying to manage at the moment at home. In time you'll find Russia's "horns" aren't that sharp. Can't wait for my summer trip, when the Ruble should right around 80 to the Dollar.

Russia is fucked for life. They've always [I]been[/I] fucked, and they always [I]will[/I] be.[/QUOTE]

Then don't ask for opinions on a public forum.

The Russian Ruble will continue to loose value, as it did today and as it did yesterday, until such time as the price of oil stabilizes. I liked what you wrote. But every time Russia gains a bit of political momentum, and their economy starts to rebound, they find a way to screw it up. I lived there long enough to know this.

[QUOTE=BadMan;443725]Don't ever quote me again. These are 60 seconds of my life I will never get back.[/QUOTE]

There are too many holes in your off topic reply to even try to begin to correct. Also your rant had nothing to do with the thread title. It just seemed like you were venting about your hate for Russians.

Ill be happy to discuss the actual facts of the south stream and turk stream projects, their geopolitical implications for Europe Eurasia Nato the GCC etc. That, energy politics, and the ongoing currency wars are the most important political topics of this decade.

Non factual subjective emotional rants aren't exactly what I had in mind.

Maybe I should have qualified my statement by saying a " factual knowledge based " opinion or argument.

[QUOTE=BadMan;443739]There are too many holes in your off topic reply to even try to begin to correct. Also your rant had nothing to do with the thread title. It just seemed like you were venting about your hate for Russians.

Ill be happy to discuss the actual facts of the south stream and turk stream projects, their geopolitical implications for Europe Eurasia Nato the GCC etc. That, energy politics, and the ongoing currency wars are the most important political topics of this decade.

Non factual subjective emotional rants aren't exactly what I had in mind.

Maybe I should have qualified my statement by saying a " factual knowledge based " opinion or argument.[/QUOTE]With all due respect, in your post you asked people to comment on where they thought the ruble was going, which I did. I won't get into a discussion about whether or not I was off-topic or if I posted in the right or wrong place, as that's just silly. This is the chit-chat section of a mongers message board, and I try not to take what gets posted here too seriously. I gave you my opinion, and that was it. Don't read too much into it -- it's just one man's opinion.

I certainly don't hate Russia. I AM Russian and my history and opinions regarding Russia are way too complicated and personal to post here (other than the sweeping generalizations I made below). Hate is too broad of a statement in any case. I loved (most) of the people I met during the course of my 30 trips there. And though I appreciate your offer to engage in what I'm sure would be a lively discussion of the "south stream and turk stream projects, their geopolitical implications for Europe Eurasia Nato the GCC etc. ", I'm on vacation in this beautifully fucked up city, and I have about a million things I'd rather do. You obviously know your shit, and I respect you for that. But engaging with you on an academic level would take way too much time / energy. And that's a dig on me, as I was the one who quoted a two week old post. I'd rather just let it go. Peace!

First of all. This thread is USA & world economics. So that is what I'm trying to discuss. Second of all the rouble comment was rather tongue-in-cheek. I didn't expect anyone to bite. I'd discuss it but it would take a much longer post. And if you're Russian you must be fifth column or a navalny acolyte. Because very few people in Russia dislike Putin. The more those nato eurocrats attack him, the more his electorate supports him.

You can say what you want about the guy but the numbers speak for themselves. I'm talking economic facts here not biased personal opinions.

[URL]http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2012/07/26/russias-economic-growth-in-comparison-with-the-g7/[/URL]