2004 Democratic Primary

[Filuwaúrdjan]

1. Great Dismal Swamp? Hmm... accurate but... Maybe just Roanoke?

7. Good point. Great name for a river

8. True.

11. Fine.

I always like feedback

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Some of GA districts are pretty horrible (GA-13 especially), but I've never really looked at the FL map (though will do now)

[Platypus]

I try to avoid geographic names unless:

1. They are natural geographic names, like rivers, mountains, etc.
2. One city/town/county is so dominant it cannot be overlooked
3. Two or more cities/counties/towns share a similar name
4. That name is historic.

They just sound too boring, and similar.

[© tweed]

Canadian Observer is back after a long absence

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How about Roanoke River?
Or River Roanoke?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Home ownership rate hits new record

The Census Bureau said 68.6 percent of homes were occupied by their owners in the fourth quarter of 2003, up slightly from a 68.3 percent home ownership rate in the fourth quarter of the previous year.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/03/news/economy/homeownership.reut/index.htm

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Service sector jumps

Growth in the U.S. service sector accelerated in January, the nation's purchasing managers said Wednesday, beating analysts' expectations.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/04/news/economy/ism_services/index.htm

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Factory orders top estimates
 
Dec. gain of 1.1% beats views for growth of 0.2%, helped by strong demand for machinery.
 
http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/04/news/economy/factory_orders.reut/index.htm

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

[Gustaf]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

No, probably bad for those who have lost their jobs...people who own their own homes are most likely even Republicans already, or idelogical Democrats.

[opebo]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

No, probably bad for those who have lost their jobs...people who own their own homes are most likely even Republicans already, or idelogical Democrats.

Actually so many Americans own their own home - nearly 70% - that some must be Democrats.  In fact I'd say that very few non-home-owners even vote.

[Gustaf]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

No, probably bad for those who have lost their jobs...people who own their own homes are most likely even Republicans already, or idelogical Democrats.

Actually so many Americans own their own home - nearly 70% - that some must be Democrats.  In fact I'd say that very few non-home-owners even vote.

Well, I admit that that's a good point. I concede that I might have been wrong. But it seems like a lot, 70%, I think the numbers are similar in Sweden, but I thought we had different traditions.

[opebo]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

I don't believe in trickle down economics. When the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. 1000 new jobs is not a recovery, not in this universe.

What, you think there's a fixed amount of goods and wealth?  A zero-sum game?  How do you explain things like a rising standard of living coupled with rising population?  GDP must be going up somewhere - WE'RE MAKING THE PIE HIGHER!

[opebo]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

I don't believe in trickle down economics. When the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. 1000 new jobs is not a recovery, not in this universe.

What, you think there's a fixed amount of goods and wealth?  A zero-sum game?  How do you explain things like a rising standard of living coupled with rising population?  GDP must be going up somewhere - WE'RE MAKING THE PIE HIGHER!

Then why is it so hard for so many to get a job?
Many qualified people get layed off and can't find work.
That is the reality that I have seen personally. My company has been forced to lay off workers and they have not been replaced.
If the economy is doing so well why aren't new jobs being created?
1000 new jobs is not a recovery.
That's a no brainer.

Because of the impressive increase in productivity.

[opebo]

And what about all these jobs going overseas?

That is a lesser factor than productivity growth, but it also helps increase profits.

[Gustaf]

Bush will lose this election against any Democrat, because Americans know that the economy is bad. Really bad. Joblessness is a serious problem, with no end in sight.

The economy is "really bad"?  "Bad" for whom?  Bad for the record number of Americans who own their own home?

With change comes opportunity.

I don't believe in trickle down economics. When the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. 1000 new jobs is not a recovery, not in this universe.

What, you think there's a fixed amount of goods and wealth?  A zero-sum game?  How do you explain things like a rising standard of living coupled with rising population?  GDP must be going up somewhere - WE'RE MAKING THE PIE HIGHER!

Then why is it so hard for so many to get a job?
Many qualified people get layed off and can't find work.
That is the reality that I have seen personally. My company has been forced to lay off workers and they have not been replaced.
If the economy is doing so well why aren't new jobs being created?
1000 new jobs is not a recovery.
That's a no brainer.

Because of the impressive increase in productivity.

Growth tends to make all people richer, in relative terms I think poorer people benefit more, but rich people probably benefit more in absolute terms. Growth does NOT however affect unemployment - if that was the case there would be no unemployment after the hundreds of thousands of % of growth we've had since the stone age. It does however increase the real wages.

[opebo]

Here's one connection that worries me - the more likely a Democrat victory seems, the worse the stock market will get.  Which will not reflect well on Bush or on the state of the economy, making Democrat victory more likely.  Sort of a downward spiral. Wall Street fears losing Bush.

[Gustaf]

There is a correlation between unemployment and growth, since the government loses money when people lose their jobs, but they can also be independent of each other. It depends a lot on the government's policies.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

No, probably bad for those who have lost their jobs...people who own their own homes are most likely even Republicans already, or idelogical Democrats.

Home ownership in America is at 68%!  That's much higher than the number of conservatives and/or Republicans.  There is probably another 10% who choose to rent but are indeed able to own a home.  The wealth of America is astounding.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I don't believe in trickle down economics.

Good, then go out and start your own business and employ your own workers, then you won't have to worry about waiting for something to trickle down to you.  But most of all, stop whining.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

That is the reality that I have seen personally. My company has been forced to lay off workers and they have not been replaced.

It is a well known fact that US corporate profits are at an all-time high and are over $1 TRILLION dollars per year.  Yes, some companies are hurting; but overall corporate America is extremely healthy and productive.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

And what about all these jobs going overseas?

Because you're not as talented as you lead yourself to believe.  There are people in third world countries that can replace you at lower costs and thus they provide more VALUE to the company than you.

If you want to be secure, then equip yourself to add more value to your employer than the next guy.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I don't believe in trickle down economics.

Good, then go out and start your own business and employ your own workers, then you won't have to worry about waiting for something to trickle down to you.  

Not a good idea. Most businesses fail.
And don't worry you'll be the one whining soon, because Bush's defeat is almost a certainty.

And that sums up your problem in a nutshell:  You blame others instead of taking personal responsibility for your own success and you are unwilling to take risks.  You want the benefits of success that others have earned through their own initiative and hard work.

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." (Ecc 11:4)

[Nym90]

Bingo. The only way to add more value to the company then the 3rd-world workers offer is to be willing to work for very low wages, often below the U.S. minimum wage even. That's not fair to expect people to take a huge cut in their standard of living just to be able to maintain their jobs.

The reason that we are such a great nation is because of the great wealth of the poor and middle class relative to other countries, not the great wealth of the rich.

It's unpatriotic for corporations to move their factories overseas and show no loyalty whatsoever to American workers. How can they expect any loyalty from us as US consumers if they show us no loyalty in return?

[Gustaf]

No, probably bad for those who have lost their jobs...people who own their own homes are most likely even Republicans already, or idelogical Democrats.

Home ownership in America is at 68%!  That's much higher than the number of conservatives and/or Republicans.  There is probably another 10% who choose to rent but are indeed able to own a home.  The wealth of America is astounding.

The wealth of America is astounding Don't kid yourself, a large majority of Swedes own their homes as well, and we don't think our wealth is astounding b/c of that.

[Nym90]

Well, yes, I admit I'm guilty of not being willing to take the risk of working for $1/hour.