Slog - Comments on How Many Times...

Comment by dbell

dbell — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:19:54 -0800

the answer, my friend...aw, screw it. I'm investing in Canadian beaver pelts.

Comment by PJ

PJ — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:25:43 -0800

All you in the "Ron Paul is a nut" camp can feel free to keep quiet now. He predicted this in the 1st Republican debate a year ago when the rest of them were singing happy tunes. No one listened to Cassandra either, and look what happened there. Crack on him all you want, but He. Was. Right.

Comment by nbc

nbc — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:28:20 -0800

There's no such thing as a "free-fall" here. There's a downward market trend, but no gravitational pull towards 0. WA is a net exporter so a weaker dollar benefits us (the purchasing power declines, but we get more of them). If you've ever complained about the trade imbalance, a cheaper dollar solves that problem.

Comment by Me

Me — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:29:14 -0800

@2, So since he was right about one thing, he's right about everything else?

Comment by PJ

PJ — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:31:24 -0800

And ps, PLEASE don't come with "but he advocates the gold standard and blah blah" or any of that crap. It's okay to admit someone who has been studying economics for over 30 years can have a critical eye for the state of the nation's finances. His mantra has been, "Save more, quit borrowing so much, from private banks and from China, and bring the troops home." He alone realized that the money saved from this illegal war would bring hope back to the nation rather to a country that doesn't want us.

Comment by Mr. Poe

Mr. Poe — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:35:55 -0800

But he advocates the gold standard and blah blah.

Comment by PJ

PJ — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:36:36 -0800

Yo me,

With a crap economy, the standard of living for everyone but the super rich goes down. When that happens, tensions rise. When tensions rise, a country becomes less unified, be it socially or politically . If any of the 3 still with a shot at winning the general elections have half a brain, they should bring Paul in as an advisor in some capacity. I say again, it's okay to have someone who actually knows something about economics who has been bucking the Greenspan/Bernanke bunk for so long. And "one thing"? I take it you are a huge fan of the Patriot Act? The war in Iraq and possibly Iran? Illegal wiretapping? Desecration of the constitution? Sure, pal. You and Bush could go fishing together.

Comment by violet_dagrinder

violet_dagrinder — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:37:03 -0800

"the dollar's plunge continues unabated" sounds like a description of a free-fall to me

Comment by Jeff Stevens

Jeff Stevens — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:40:59 -0800

How many times must the liberals raise our taxes, before the market is allowed to be free?

The answer, my friend, is Ronald Reagan

The answer is Ronald Reagan

Comment by michael strangeways

michael strangeways — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:41:32 -0800

I'm insisting to be paid in Euros from now on.

Comment by nbc

nbc — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:42:15 -0800

Sure Ron Paul might have been right, but it's not there wasn't broad consensus among economists that this was happening. Why should Ron Paul get credit here, when the rest of his economic package includes BS such as the gold standard?

Comment by nbc

nbc — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:48:55 -0800

@7 "Greenspan/Bernanke bunk"

I suggest you read Greenspan's memoir. Politically he's essentially an alpha-Paultard, BFF with Ayn Rand, etc. But as central banker he comes to appreciate the role of an independent Fed, even from a libertarian viewpoint. It's good reading besides.

Comment by PJ

PJ — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:51:40 -0800

It just goes to show the mindset of elected officials to say whatever it takes to get elected. Where were this broad consensus before the primaries started? I'm not a huge fan of Reagan either because his social policies were so stupid. Paving the way for mandatory minimums? Killing all funding for alternative energies? Not a fan. What appeals to people about Paul is that his economic arguments are strong. His ideas about abolishing the drug war should be trumpeted from the front pages everywhere, especially now that it is known we have more people in prison per capita than 2 of the most repressive governments of the modern day. Not just one thing, indeed.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:13:54 -0800

In related news, oil is around $105 a barrel.

Comment by Zach

Zach — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:29:25 -0800

I was just in the lobby of TDAmeritrade trying to get some paperwork taken care of, and some talking head on Bloomberg TV, used the phrase "the dollar is in a free-fall". So.

Comment by K X One

K X One — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:49:30 -0800

"If any of the 3 still with a shot at winning the general elections have half a brain, they should bring Paul in as an advisor in some capacity."

Thanks! I needed a laugh.

It's amazing how many people don't realize what a joke Ron Paul is.

Comment by max solomon

max solomon — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:04:28 -0800

welcome to the 3rd world.

Comment by diggum

diggum — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:05:15 -0800

maybe, but the joke looks to be on us. just because someone has been crying about wolf attacks for years doesn't mean they got lucky when the wolves finally attack.

sincerely,
diggum

Comment by Gomez

Gomez — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:14:06 -0800

3rd world, max? Breakfast and lunch still cost the same today. I still caught the bus to work today. People still watched American Idol en masse this week.

Comment by NYC

NYC — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:24:40 -0800

@19: Breakfast and lunch don't cost the same here. Europeans have driven up the cost of everything, especially housing. Just wait--it's coming your way, too.

Comment by duh

duh — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:29:37 -0800

He alone realized that the money saved from this illegal war would bring hope back to the nation rather to a country that doesn't want us.

And to think, not a single person other than Ron Paul thought spending two trillion dollars in Iraq might be a bad idea. President? The man should be king! King I say!

Comment by eclexia

eclexia — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:35:18 -0800

Lyndon Larouche has been predicting a great economic collapse far longer than Ron Paul. Should we give him some love as well?

Oddly, both Paul and Larouche have been in favor of rounding up the gays.

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:33:46 -0800

Is it time to eat the rich yet?

Comment by SDizzle

SDizzle — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:44:52 -0800

Do you have to be rich to have a Swiss bank account? I'm thinking of getting one...

Comment by McG

McG — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:57:24 -0800

Dan the Euro was at $1.40 in 1996.

If you want to invest in Euros the ETF FXE is an easy way to buy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/business/2001/euro_cash/history/

Comment by Giffy

Giffy — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:01:42 -0800

The low dollar is not really all that much of a cause for concern. It helps our exports and encourages the shifting of global production to the US. This happened in the 80s with Japan moving auto production over here.

Now if long term rates on T-bills start soaring coupled with high inflation then we can start talking about a real problem.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:02:48 -0800

Oh, my God, it's worse than I thought. I clicked on the link, and here's the headline:

"Dollar's Slide Extends to Third Day of Record Lows This Week Before ECB Decision".

Goddamnit, Erica, isn't there ANYTHING you can't ruin?