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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen



So which is it?

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ORIGINAL: rexrgisformidoni


Come to the US you kiwi f**k and tell my Dad he was a failure. I dare you.

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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery


Without FDIC, we'd be having runs on the banks, just as in the early 20th century. People would hoard instead of invest, to the detriment of themselves and the economy. They'd be no money to loan--and no checking accounts--do we then drive to the corporate headquarters to pay our bills each month? Nor could we buy a money order--no institution from which to buy it.

The consolidation you describe has already happened much earlier than this. We DO have a handful of banks----Morgan/Chase and Citibank alone carry the bulk of the business. And others---WalMu and Wachovia---are now no more.

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ORIGINAL: kdsub


The market is not global anymore than it was global 50 years ago…

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I would love to see your proof that the American worker is overpaid and under productive…please show me a few links that back up this statement… If you run a few searches on the net maybe your opinion will change…unless you are bigoted.

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I will agree with you about excessive taxation and regulation but not subsidies and protectionism. In the past our regulations were based on what was best for business…not the American people…that needs to change.

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We use 50 percent of the oil in the world…no producer could take that kind of drop over night… They would give in if grudgingly…

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz


Fair trade with a level playing field. Europe have been trying to skew the playing field in its favour since, forever.

It gets worse. When Europe set about trying to destroy itself, who came along an saved their ragged arses ? The rest of the World, that's who ( the largest volunteer army during WW2 was Indian ). Then as soon as Europe had been sorted out, what did they do ? Set up an exclusive club all for themselves and told everyone else to piss off. Marvellous.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz
Last night I was watching a BBC documentary on a village in Pakistan and the so-called Millenium goals. One old timer in the village had something very interesting to say. He pointed out how he was sick of some European coming along and telling him how he had to wash his hands all the time. The Qur'an says to wash your hands 5 times a day, they know how to be clean !! Do you see the point ? What he was saying is that Europe have a habit of telling the rest of the World how to live, and in a way that advantages themselves. They're not to be trusted. I agree with the old fella, and counsel caution with everything derived from Europe. They are self serving ,greedy and corrupt.

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ORIGINAL: dreamysubmale
Maybe the Fashion Industry in the 80’s was from the 50’s era, but not the manufacturing of goods .A vibrant economy? I doubted it. Not since the mid 80’s when the Labour led Government (the Party that stood for good socialism) adopted the theories of an accountant/pig-farmer Roger (now Sir Roger) Douglas, LP’s Finance Minister at the time had we had stable economy. Many considered his ideas to be some sort of a joke in bad taste.

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Prior to that, NZ had a mixed socialist/capitalist economy and the socialist part of this meant that the less fortunate were looked after by the more fortunate. But NZ was prosperous back then. Unemployment was at less than 1%; even 0.4%, as a result most NZlanders had the essentials for a good and reasonable life, and the NZ economy was in these regards much envied by other countries. NZ was a world leader in many activities

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It was a controlled economy for sure. But this had the good spin-off that what the country could not import was manufactured here. Hence there were strong and wide skills and industry bases in NZ.

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The LP (through Rogernomics) removed all direct Government assistance to producer groups, removed tariffs, the control of imports and import licensing, then proceeded to sale most if not all of the Government assets, (including strategic assets) sometimes at fire-sale prices. The effects of that great sell-off of the activities and resources that all New Zealanders had so assiduously created and maintained during the preceding 50 years have been apparent to many; transfer of wealth to a few and overseas, greatly increased unemployment, increasing poverty, increasing lawlessness, casualisation of the workforce, huge loss of skills and so on.

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Our healthcare system once the envy is busting at the seams. The few Hospitals that remained open can’t cope with the influx of patients and they result in keeping them in the corridors.

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver

I think you'll find that the Indian army didn't fight in Europe saving one lot of Europeans from another lot of Europeans, they fought in asia saving one lot of asians from another lot of asians.

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There is a reason why people die so young in the developed world and that is usually because of hygeine. Not because the locals are somehow don't take personal hygeine seriously but because of the poor conditions in which they live, they need to be extra vigilant.

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ORIGINAL: MrRodgers

Oh yea, Europe is a real shithole.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver

I think you'll find that the Indian army didn't fight in Europe saving one lot of Europeans from another lot of Europeans, they fought in asia saving one lot of asians from another lot of asians.

Incorrect. The Indians fought in North Africa and then Italy. They were in the battle of El Alamein, the turning point in the land battles against the Germans, and then at Cassino. Think about that, and then consider how prejudicially Indians ( and Pakistanis and Bangladeshis ) are treated. It doesn't reflect well on Europeans.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver
There is a reason why people die so young in the developed world and that is usually because of hygeine. Not because the locals are somehow don't take personal hygeine seriously but because of the poor conditions in which they live, they need to be extra vigilant.

I'm talking about the attitude Europe has when dealing with the rest of the World. For more of this study the ideas of  Dr Mahathir Muhammad, the former PM of Malaysia. He made a good speech once describing how Europe wants the rainforest Indians to stay in their carbon neutral jungle. Ask the rainforest Indians what they want, and they say they want colour TV's and hot and cold running water and if it means cutting down the rainforest to get, so be it.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz

The answer I want to hear is what their loan book breaks down as, you know, 20% commercial, 40% farms, 40% residential, that sort of thing. If a bank told me they were sub priming or being creative in any way, I'd run for the door. See ? The information is the key, not some government guarantee.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz
Fair trade with a level playing field. Europe have been trying to skew the playing field in its favour since, forever.

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I grew up with s system of government guarantees on trading banks. When the system was changed and all government guarantees were removed, the system didn't implode. But some banks did disappear, being rolled into other institutions. Now, when a depositor here walks into a bank and asks how safe is his money, the bank offers their books to study.

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The bailout as put in the USA is simply a payoff for political cronies. There is no need to buy that bad debt. The main problem appears to be interbank lending drying up, as the banks don't trust one another. All the central bank needs to do is enter the market to provide that interbank liquidity.

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver


You are European yourself according to your profile, albeit a New Zealander, you are enjoying the fruits of the imperial age. If you feel so bad about the crimes of the imperial age shouldn't you be giving your home back to the Moaris and moving back to Europe?

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Let them cut the rain forests down and impoverish themselves tomorrow for jam today. The earth  in which the rainforest grows isn't very fertile and within a year or two of being cut down becomes infertile. I suggest Dr Mahathir Muhammad is considering his personal wealth than the wellbeing of the rainforest Indians. He and his corrupt government will get billions from the logging. I doubt the rainforest Indians will get their colour TVs, they will just get their land back when it is more useless than a wal-Mart car park.

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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen


Yes, fair trade with a level playing field would be a marvellous thing - but its unattainable, or if attainable then only temporarily - there are simply far too many variables at work and far too many clever heads on all sides quick to take advantage of the slightest matter to drive a wedge whereby the playing field becomes untenable for some, to the advantage of others.

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And this is where your position seems confused in that it doesnt seem to account for this basic human nature, the presence of which requires all manner of protections and subsidies in order to level the playing field and keep it level for everyone - which you seem to have rejected.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver


You are European yourself according to your profile, albeit a New Zealander, you are enjoying the fruits of the imperial age. If you feel so bad about the crimes of the imperial age shouldn't you be giving your home back to the Moaris and moving back to Europe?

Why would I want to move back to Europe, given its level of corruption, low standard of living and everything shitholesville ? I don't have anything to ' give ' back to the Maori as my family when they moved here dealt with the local tribe fairly and squarely and kept their side of the bargain, and still do to this day.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz

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Let them cut the rain forests down and impoverish themselves tomorrow for jam today. The earth  in which the rainforest grows isn't very fertile and within a year or two of being cut down becomes infertile. I suggest Dr Mahathir Muhammad is considering his personal wealth than the wellbeing of the rainforest Indians. He and his corrupt government will get billions from the logging. I doubt the rainforest Indians will get their colour TVs, they will just get their land back when it is more useless than a wal-Mart car park.

The logging creates employment and enables the natives to pull themselves up out of subsistence living. It's a darn sight better than being kept a prisoner in the jungle for European tourists to turn up and marvel at the rustics.

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ORIGINAL: Paulnz

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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen


Yes, fair trade with a level playing field would be a marvellous thing - but its unattainable, or if attainable then only temporarily - there are simply far too many variables at work and far too many clever heads on all sides quick to take advantage of the slightest matter to drive a wedge whereby the playing field becomes untenable for some, to the advantage of others.

The level playing field is easily attainable. The EU just has to lower its tariffs to zero. That would allow Africa to export its primary production to Europe, earn more, and put them in a position to buy back European machinery to further develop their land. Instead Europe, after having plundered the continent, wants to keep them on a UN drip feed while its multi-nationals continue the looting. 

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ORIGINAL: TNstepsout

The majority of Americans would not understand the relevance of these percentages and have no way to interpret the safety/security of an institution by looking at a loan book. If the average American were that knowledgeable we would not be in the mess we are today as very few people would have been willing to accept the risk involved in variable rate, adjusting ARM etc... type mortgages. I am in the HOA business and I talk to people every day whose ability to understand and comprehend really basic concepts of bill paying and their personal finances is so weak, it's truly astonishing that anyone entrusted these people with a loan of 100k or more. They really can't, or don't want, to be bothered with any type of personal responsibility for their own life and well being. 

Personally I think you may be right. I've been in favor of this bill because I'd really NOT to live through a Great Depression. It really isn't on my list of things to do before I die. But the more I think about it, the more I think that in the long run it would be good for this country and it's people to endure that kind of hardship. It might make a lot of them grow up and act like responsible adults instead of whining children.

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver

Oh I see where this comes from. You are a dheep farmer or something and Britain's entry into the EU left your family high and dry after losing one of its biggest export markets. I thought that bitterness had to come from somewhere.

The EU lowering its tariffs would be meaningless without the US doing the same but I agree with you, the developed world protects its markets while asking the undeveloped world to open theirs.

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ORIGINAL: meatcleaver
Maybe you should start bleating to your fellow white compatriots for their enjoyment of the fruits they exploited from the native people there.

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Fine but I think if you do your research, the indigenous people of the rainforests very rarely profit from logging, it is the large corporations and corrupt local politicians that profit. The local people are then left with land they cannot farm because the soil quality is too poor, desertification spreads and the locals end up in shanty towns begging for a living. Wish it was so that ordinary people profit from such industry, they largely don't.