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Saturday, January 28, 2017

What's Wrong With The American Economy?


Uncommon Knowledge
interview with John H. Cochrane
via Uncommon Knowledge

The American economy’s biggest problem is growth.  To achieve growth, Hoover Institution fellow John Cochrane argues,  America needs to simplify the tax code and deregulate the economy. He discusses how government agencies must conduct serious, transparent, and retrospective cost-benefit analyses, get rid of special interests, and remove disincentives if they want businesses to flourish. Cochrane notes that the US economy needs more innovation, deep tax reform, and better regulations to unleash growth. When business owners can depend on good policy and not pay for play, they will start and invest in their companies and the economy will expand.
Cochrane discusses the future of American economic growth and how he believes it can be fixed. Cochrane encourages us to have more faith in democracy because if the right policies are put in place the economy will quickly improve and everyone will be better off.


Understanding Donald Trump

Uncommon Knowledge
interview with Robert Costa
via Uncommon Knowledge

Robert Costa, an American journalist who writes for the Washington Post, joins Peter Robinson to discuss his insights into president-elect Donald Trump after covering him for the past several years. Costa discusses Trump's mentality on running for president in 2011 compared with 2013, when he made a more serious effort. Costa explains how Trump, an Ivy League billionaire, is able to connect with blue-collar voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan based on his experience on The Apprentice. Costa analyzes the workings of Trump's inner circle, including Jared Kushner, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon, and Trump's cabinet picks. Finally, Peter Robinson and Robert Costa discuss  change between the presidency and the fourth estate with Trump’s election.

Trump, Mexico and Jobs

Scott Rasmussen

Trump, Mexico and Jobs
President Trump's commitment to fight for American workers is a big reason he's president. To deliver on that commitment, he should consider a lesson from the Gemini space program.Back in the 1960s, NASA engineers were learning how spaceships could rendezvous and dock. It looks easy in the movies, but reality is much more complex. For example, if one of the spacecraft is far behind the other, how does it catch up? The obvious answer would be to step on the gas. But that answer would be wrong.
Why?


Humiliating Mexico Over Border Wall Would Be a Big Mistake

Jonah Goldberg

Humiliating Mexico Over Border Wall Would Be a Big Mistake
By all means, build a wall on the border, but don't make Mexico pay for it.
It was a great -- and by great I mean effective, not noble or heroic-- applause line from then-candidate Trump on the campaign trail. Audiences loved it, particularly the call-and-response. Trump: "Who's going to pay for it?" The crowd: "MEXICO!"
But the campaign is over and so is fun time. If the wall is worth having, it's worth paying for.
On Thursday morning, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly cancelled his planned meeting with Donald Trump because the American president gave him no choice.
Nieto was willing to go ahead with the meeting, despite the fact Trump had signed an executive order commencing work on a wall. But then in an interview Trump said that if Nieto wasn't willing to commit Mexico to paying for the wall, he shouldn't bother coming. What else could Nieto do?


The Problem With ‘Buy American’

Colin McNickle

The Problem With ‘Buy American’
Lost in all the rah-rah-sis-boom-bah-ing of President Trump wanting to use American steel only in the Keystone XL, Dakota Access and other U.S. oil pipelines is this fundamental economic fact:
The price of that steel will be higher. In some cases, markedly so. And we all will be made poorer. Not in effect, but actually.
How so?
As Hoover Institution scholar David R. Henderson once explained it:
“Almost all economists say (‘Buy American’ is) nonsense. And the reason is: We should buy things where they’re the cheapest. That frees up more of our resources to buy other things, and other Americans get jobs producing those things.”
Continued Henderson, an economist of some repute:


Chuck Todd: Media Knew, But Downplayed, How Much Hillary Was Hated in Rural America

Leah Barkoukis

Chuck Todd: Media Knew, But Downplayed, How Much Hillary Was Hated in Rural America
Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton came as a surprise to many people, but if the media had done its job, it probably wouldn’t have.
According to NBC’s Chuck Todd, the media knew what was happening in rural America all along—but instead of covering their feelings toward the Clintons, they chose to ignore it for fear of being seen as “sexist.”
“Where I think political correctness got in the way of what we all knew as reporters and didn’t fully deliver was how hated the Clintons were in the heartland,” he told former Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer in an interview for the “1947” podcast.
“And I think it was a fear of, ‘Oh, is it going to look like it’s sexist, anti-woman if we say that?’” he continued, noting how many “Hillary for Prison” signs he saw in the yards of rural America.


A Memo to the Trump Administration on Defense Spending

Ron Paul

A Memo to the Trump Administration on Defense Spending
In a disturbing indication of how difficult it would be to bring military spending in line with actual threats overseas, House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R ---- TX) told President Obama last week that his war funding request of $11.6 billion for the rest of the year was far too low. That figure for the last two months of 2016 is larger than Spain's budget for the entire year! And this is just a "war-fighting" supplemental, not actual "defense" spending! More U.S. troops are being sent to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere and the supplemental request is a way to pay for them without falling afoul of the "sequestration" limits.

New Year's Resolutions for Donald Trump and Congress

Ron Paul

New Year's Resolutions for Donald Trump and Congress
In the spirit of New Year's, here are four resolutions for president-elect Trump and Congress that will enable them to really make America great again:
1. Audit the Fed....and then end it: The Federal Reserve Bank's easy money polices have eroded the American people's standard of living and facilitated the growth of the welfare-warfare state. The Fed is also responsible for the growth in income inequality. Yet Congress still refuses to pass Audit the Fed, much less end it.
During the campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump promised that Audit the Fed would be part of his first 100 days agenda. Unfortunately, he has not spoken of auditing the Fed or another aspect of monetary policy since the election. President-elect Trump should keep his promise and work with Congress to pass Audit the Fed and finally let the American people know the truth about the Fed's conduct of monetary policy. Then, of course, end the Fed.


Yes, Trump can make Mexico pay for the border wall. Here’s how.

Yes, Trump can make Mexico pay for the border wall. Here’s how.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto told an assembly of top diplomats last week that “Mexico of course will not pay” for Donald Trump’s wall. His predecessor, former president Vicente Fox, put it more bluntly in a tweet storm last week, declaring: “TRUMP, when will you understand that I am not paying for that [f----n] wall.”
They are both wrong. Trump absolutely can make Mexico pay. And the answer lies in a provision of the corporate tax-reform plan House Republicans are planning to take up after Trump’s inauguration — the so-called “border adjustment.”
Trump criticized the border adjustment this weekend, telling the Wall Street Journal “Anytime I hear border adjustment, I don’t love it.” Here is why he should: It would force Mexico to give us every penny we need to pay for the wall, and then some.

Ernesto Zedillo: Mexico can thrive without Trump

Ernesto Zedillo: Mexico can thrive without Trump

Ernesto Zedillo, a professor in the field of international economics and politics at Yale University, was president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000.


The Mexican government has been courteous toward Donald Trump, as both a candidate and now U.S. president. Indeed, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has paid a high political cost at home for his being open to working constructively with President Trump. But Peña Nieto has done the right thing by putting the interests of Mexico and the preservation of mutually beneficial relations with our neighbor above his personal popularity. Nevertheless, the time has come to admit that the actions of the new administration have closed off, at least for the foreseeable future, the possibility of any agreement being achieved through dialogue and negotiation that could satisfy the interests of both parties.

In Venezuela, we couldn’t stop Chávez. Don’t make the same mistakes we did.

How to let a populist beat you, over and over again.


 
Andrés Miguel Rondón is an economist living in Madrid. He is a Venezuelan citizen who was born and raised there.
Donald Trump is an avowed capitalist; Hugo Chávez was a socialist with communist dreams. One builds skyscrapers, the other expropriated them. But politics is only one-half policy: The other, darker half is rhetoric. Sometimes the rhetoric takes over. Such has been our lot in Venezuela for the past two decades — and such is yours now, Americans. Because in one regard, Trump and Chávez are identical. They are both masters of populism.
The recipe for populism is universal. Find a wound common to many, find someone to blame for it, and make up a good story to tell. Mix it all together. Tell the wounded you know how they feel. That you found the bad guys. Label them: the minorities, the politicians, the businessmen. Caricature them. As vermin, evil masterminds, haters and losers, you name it. Then paint yourself as the savior. Capture the people’s imagination. Forget about policies and plans, just enrapture them with a tale. One that starts with anger and ends in vengeance. A vengeance they can participate in.
That’s how it becomes a movement. There’s something soothing in all that anger. Populism is built on the irresistible allure of simplicity. The narcotic of the simple answer to an intractable question. The problem is now made simple.
The problem is you.


Introducing Trump Watch: A running tally of Trump administration policies, statements and executive actions affecting civil liberties

President Trump’s executive orders and other early policies are coming out at a dizzying pace. Here at The Watch, we’ll do our best to keep a running tally of those pertaining to civil liberties and criminal justice, as well as a catalogue of the Trump administration’s lies, falsehoods, and misdirection.


The Wall of a Dictator

by  
Yesterday President Donald Trump ordered the construction of his much ballyhooed wall along the U.S-Mexico border to begin. Obviously Trump doesn’t see any need to go to Congress to seek approval for his gigantic, socialist, public-works, multibillion-dollar edifice. He’s the president. He can issue “executive orders.” He can do whatever he wants. Who needs congressional approval? Anyway, Congress might turn him down. Or they might delay construction by deliberating and debating the issue. Who needs all that when one can simply issue an executive order to get the wall built?

Trump’s Wall Protectionism

by  
 
President Trump has now come up with a plan to make Mexico pay for his much-ballyhooed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. One big problem, however, is that his plan doesn’t make Mexico pay for the wall. Instead, it makes Americans pay for his wall.
Trump’s proposal is to impose a 20 percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico. In Trump’s mind, that would mean that Mexicans are paying for his wall because the tax will be on items that are being produced in Mexico.
In actuality though, the tariff is just like a sales tax that Americans are required to pay when they purchase goods at a local level. The difference is that this is a sales tax on goods produced in Mexico. But it is Americans who are paying the tax, not Mexicans.


Freedom and the 21st Century

by  
Perhaps the ultimate indictment of the government’s schools is that most people think year 2000 is the 2001st year and thus the start of a new century and millennium.
This is not mere quibbling. Next time someone owes you five bucks, insist that he start counting from zero, as people seem to want to do with years. Zero, one, two, three, four, five. Debt discharged.
We as a society are in a unique situation: we can’t agree if we are in the 20th or 21st century. The majority say it’s a new century, but a significant minority say otherwise. We haven’t faced this before. In 1900, hardly anyone believed he was living in the 20th century. The New York Times front page on January 1, 1900, said nothing about a new century. That was before the New Math.


Trump Can’t Do It All Alone – Six Things Americans Must Do To Make Real Change Happen

One of the best things is the fact that we can now say “President Trump.”

One of the best things is the fact that we can now say “President Trump.” 
Fawning media pundits and those armies of liberals who worship propriety will use the term “president” to address his predecessor; however, he is just “Obama,” plain and simple.  It’s good to be rid of him.  Now the real work can be done.
The primary focus of the American people from a perspective of priorities should be to convince the president to rally the Congress on one hand, and to use executive orders on the other to reverse the damage done by Obama over the past eight years.  This is where it will take the American citizens to get the ball rolling on this.  For those who may think it cannot be done, look at Prohibition.  That heinous law was repealed, and in this light so can the evils pushed through Congress when the Democrats controlled it and the bureaucratic and executive fiats ramrodded upon us also may be negated.
Such actions as repealing all the hideous quackeries and Draconian edicts follow a logical series of steps to complete.  The President has enough time, however, he and Congress need to work swiftly.  Here’s how it can proceed:

Washington Post Columnist Compares Trump Stock Market Bump To NAZI Germany

“In Nazi Germany, the stock market rose and rose and kept rising, right up to Stalingrad.”

A columnist at The Washington Post has all the answers as to exactly why the US Stock market is through the roof following Donald Trump entering the White House… it’s because NAZI Germany.
As the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 20,000 points, an all time high, and the second fastest run to a significant milestone in history, Post writer Anne Applebaum seriously compared the surge in the stock market to the rise of Hitler.
“in Nazi Germany, the stock market rose and rose and kept rising, right up to Stalingrad.” Applebaum tweeted.

just remember: in Nazi Germany, the stock market rose and rose and kept rising, right up to Stalingrad


Peso Tumbles After Mexican President Says He Rejects Trump’s Border Wall


Coincides with Mexican president's refusal to meet with US president


The Peso took a tumble Thursday after Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced he would not cooperate with US President Donald Trump’s construction of a wall between the two nations.
“The peso is down by 1.2% at 21.3175 per dollar as of 11:57 a.m. ET,” reports Business Insider.
“The currency was up as much as 0.8% at 20.9358 per dollar around 8:50 a.m. ET.”
peso-dip-bi


‘The Making of the President 2016’: How Donald Trump Rode the Wave of Alternate Media to Become President

Pre-order 'The Making of the President 2016' at the Infowars Store now!

The following excerpt is from Roger Stone’s new book “The Making of the President 2016: How Donald Trump Orchestrated a Revolution.”
On November 8th, 2016, Donald John Trump was elected the forty-fifth President of the United States. This is a singular accomplishment that can only be attributed to the talent, energy, and foresight of Donald Trump himself.
Trump’s sprint across eight states in the closing days led to the greatest upset since 1948, when President Harry S Truman barnstormed across the country by train, breaking all railroad speed regulations, making six or seven stops per day, and ensuring his victory over New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey. The physical energy that Trump expended going down the stretch was indeed Herculean. There is no question that his final push into Wisconsin, Michigan, and returning to western Pennsylvania, was an act of pure will that, while Clinton was already celebrating, propelled him to victory.


Drain the Swamp: Trump Triggers Mass Resignations at State Dept.

Former Clinton insiders leave State

The entire senior level of the State Dept. resigned on Wednesday, underscoring how the department was in step with both the Obama administration and the globalist agenda.
The mass resignations provide President Trump with a clean slate to reboot the State Dept. which, over the past few years, became synonymous with corruption and violent regime changes overseas.
Those who resigned even made the point to do so when President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was visiting the Harry S. Truman Building where the State Dept. is located.


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