Why? Because I am going to shatter your conventional wisdom as I have many times in previous columns about the lies that Wall Street continues to tell you. This time we are going to go deeper into the economy to unearth the truth about lies the politicians are telling you.
Let's understand from the beginning that few politicians understand basic economics. Just because they work in Washington does not make them experts about the laws that have been passed or those they vote upon. Politicians do not create jobs or wealth. Don't feel you are the only one who can't make head or tail out of government statistics.
The most misunderstood debate today is about OUTSOURCING. ? sending our jobs overseas. From March of 2001 to January of 2004 manufacturing jobs declined by 2.6 million ? a loss of 17%. BUT during that same period there was an increase of 17% in worker productivity and only a loss of 3% in jobs. More goods produced with fewer workers. Those jobs did not go overseas ? only 300,000 did. The majority were lost to better machines and will never reappear. If employment efficiency had not increased we would have even higher unemployment today.
That is why unions hate new machines. Loss of jobs. If a company wants to remain competitive they must be able to produce at the least cost or you won't have a job. Do you think you would have your job today if your company continued to operate they way they did 5 years ago? Employment continues to increase every quarter even though we lose about 7% or 8% of U.S. jobs every quarter.
Has anyone told you that thousands of foreign companies have opened plants in the U.S? We don't hear about the small ones only the BMWs, Toyotas and Hondas. According to Peter Drucker, management consultant, we import more jobs than we export. Jobs increased by millions after NAFTA and because of NAFTA.
Will these layoffs continue? It depends upon your industry sector. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there were more mass layoffs (50 or more) during this January than any previous January in history - 239,454 ? 1/3rd of those are in manufacturing.
The U.S. is still not producing enough new jobs to keep us even; that requires more than 150,000 new hires each month.
Political demagoguery blames everyone and anyone who is in office. Whoever the president is is the one to blame ? rightly or wrongly. Every industrialized country today has a problem with excess production capacity and is doing weird things to keep their workers on the production line. We are not the only ones with job losses. That does not make the guy in the unemployment line feel any better.
It is our productivity edge that has kept as many jobs as we have now or it would be a lot worse. Free trade is the answer and not tariffs on other country's goods. As I have written before tariffs are hidden taxes on the consumer and benefit no one. They have NEVER worked in all of history and make more problems than they solve.
Don't listen to the political rhetoric. You may not like what I have said, but maybe it will start you thinking.
Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.
1-888-345-7870; http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
After finding the price of a particular stock, usually the... Read More
Spread trading is a technique that can be used to... Read More
As one of my regular readers you know I have... Read More
Mutual funds by definition are a mixed bag of stocks,... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
What is leverage?Here is a definition of leverage from an... Read More
'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with... Read More
Just about everything you have been told about Social Security... Read More
Inverted interest rates? What's that? Who cares? Even if you... Read More
There can't be many traders who haven't at least considered... Read More
How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?I... Read More
Every day I hear from the "experts" on CNBC-TV and... Read More
Much like the middle child, mid-cap stocks have long struggled... Read More
The fight continues to rage among traders who use technical... Read More
What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More
Caught in a whirlpool and being sucked under. No life... Read More
Every stock market investor faces one primal enemy. An enemy... Read More
For weeks, no, months we have been bombarded with nothing... Read More
Is really not as important as to how you invest... Read More
Stock trading can be a very profitable activity. You can... Read More
Peter is a professional trader, Paul is not. Peter has... Read More
Most advisors will tell you they can beat the market.... Read More
The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More
When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to... Read More
IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE OLD children's tale about an old... Read More
emergency cleaning services Morton Grove ..For the last 12 years we have seen the Japanese... Read More
I constantly hear the talking heads on CNBC-TV, the radio... Read More
So you're started trading, you bought some positions with your... Read More
If you have a pension plan at work you will... Read More
When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to... Read More
There is so much involved in developing peak performance, that... Read More
One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't... Read More
How many people went to a cash position this week?... Read More
An investor can find and research the best stock on... Read More
In today's volatile and confusing stock markets everyone is searching... Read More
I am taking the time to help others learn the... Read More
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a... Read More
A 'stock option' is a contract between two parties giving... Read More
The date October 13, 2000 will forever be embedded in... Read More
To begin, you might look at playing the stock market... Read More
Ever done any whitewater rafting or canoeing? Long periods of... Read More
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a... Read More
If you are serious about making and keeping money by... Read More
Have you bought any mutual funds this year or late... Read More
Many people would like to diversify their portfolios to expand... Read More
It is finally catching up with them. The brokerage companies... Read More
A stock market index is a statistical measure of changes... Read More
For some "long term" would mean holding a stock position... Read More
Most advisors will tell you they can beat the market.... Read More
Regardless of the fact that the world's stock markets have... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |