Cell Phones

When it comes to cell phones, everybody has one now and days, whether it’s the Iphone or The Galaxy Samsung II. Everybody loves to have a phone but the cost of paying the bill is just a pain at least for me, my phone bill is $40 dollars a month. Its probably cheaper plans out there but paying $40 bucks every month has kind of became the norm for me, kind of like you buying $3 dollars and some change at the gas pump. To have a phone is a microeconomics, its an individual decisions to have one, you don’t have to call or text people you can find another way to communicate. We could use a computer and send emails or just send a hand written letter in the mail. I understand having a phone make life A LOT easier but in this down economy we’re in there are a lot of cut back made. People are going laid off their jobs, businesses are closing, and people are cutting back on stuff they really don’t need just to meet the budge. For example, if people need money to pay a bill they will could probably cut off there phone, there children’s phone, and if there in deep trouble they can cut off there whole family plan. So if you need stuff cut back on the items you don’t need, like your cellular phone, movies, and eating out. All of these thing are just elastic items that you really don’t need you just have them because there a luxury to you.

Tent City, New Jersey

On a public land site off of Jersey Shore there are people who aren't living the life of the Italian Americans you see on MTV... No these people have formed a community known as "Tent City". There are 70 homeless inhabitants in Tent City who among many were successful but have lost their jobs in New York City during the recession.

http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/09/15/n_tent_city.cnnmoney/

In the above link their are some humbling videos about tent city dwellers and other New Yorkers who are suffering during our economic crisis. As I stumbled across these interviews I found myself depressed that our economy is so far away from helping these people. The residents of Tent city are so hopeless that they are giving up on the Government supporting them. In a interview with one New Yorker he implied that the middle class of New York are people who live off of some type of aid from the government.

The inhabitants of Tent City do have the right idea. Our government has to much influence on our economy and we need to give more power to the corporations by eliminating taxes to give companies a chance to expand. Thus eliminating the need for communities like Tent City.

Mayweather Vs. Ortiz

The "Money" Mayweather Vs. "Vicious" Ortiz fight racked in nearly 2 million dollars. In addition it cost $59.99 for anybody who ordered it on pay per view but it was also held at The MGM theater in Las Vegas, Nevada and they always rack in MAJOR MULA.! Alot of people showed up the fight including celebrity like Puff Diddy, Jamie Foxx, and Mark Wahlberg. The MGM seats at least 16800 people and when there's alot of people and people selling food the demand is going to raise. Why? because the more people the more food that is going to be purchased and in addition to that the food is going to be cheap. As demand goes up the prices go down, it's a inverse relationship. The viewing of this fight is a luxury it not something that we actually need it just something people go see to be excited, it's an inelasticity. The fight is something we want to see not something we need to see. Mayweather funded the fight so muc of the money is going to go back to him, MGM will get there cut, and Ortiz lost so there's no telling how much money he is going to receive. Its just alot of money gained in a matter of hours and on top of that it wasnt a really good fight. He cheap shooted him in the 4th round and won. ESPN named the fight "The Weird Classic." So never boxer in a fight funded by Mayweather Productions it all just a big money scam.! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Americas and Oil Companies

Throughout the Americas, countries are making new oil rigs to drill in new found places with oil. A Chinese-built rig has been placed in Cuba to drill in the waters for more oil. But surprisingly, the hottest new oil market is in North Dakota's prairie where 400,000 barrel of oils are being produced daily and it may ease our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Western oil companies are now focusing their sights on clusters on oil fields in the Americas. Now that we are drilling in our own land and country, this might help us control the gas prices and ultimately lower them. Though the Middle East still can control the prices because their oil fields are cheaper to develop and many countries want to go to them to save money. We are still looking for new places to develop oil other than the Middle Easy and now North Dakota. Right now we are looking for oil in regions near Russia in part of the Arctic Ocean. The biggest deal is how much the cost will be to actually drill in at the site. If it costs too much money, then we won't drill there and we'll have to keep drilling in the Middle East. A big oil boom, soon is much needed to keep this country at peace and from getting in to even more debt. The Americas need to become more producers of oils to help each other and not allow outside countries to drill from them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/world/americas/recent-discoveries-put-americas-back-in-oil-companies-sights.html?hp

Government Intervention on College Football Economy

In a previous post a couple a weeks ago on The LongHorn network and the Big 12 Meltdown I mentioned how the college football economy is unique to any other economic system. In the college football economy the corporations (athletic programs) have more control than the government (NCAA) and the consumers(fans)... With the conference realignment getting national news the U.S. government looks for a reason to get involved. You see athletic conferences are actually tax free organizations that are banking billions yearly off of unpaid collegiate athletes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/sports/ncaafootball/congressional-scrutiny-of-conference-realignment-is-said-to-be-likely.html?_r=1

After the announcement from the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse that they would depart from the Big East and enter the ACC, an anonymous congressman from a state with a university that could be negatively impacted said

“I think the situation is rising to a level where getting Congress engaged may be unavoidable.”

This congressman believes that the government can intervene onconference realignment because of administrative issues regarding antitrust laws, taxes, and potentially Title IX. The problem with conference realignment is there will be athletic programs who will get left out and will be forced to play in a conference that doesn't receive an automatic BCS bowl bid for winning the conference championship. He also said

“If my school is somehow left out, my constituents are going to demand I do everything in my power to stop that.”

After hearing those comments we now know that the only fans with power are the same ones who almost caused our country to lose our AAA credit rating. Hooray... You now can expect a full blast of apocalyptic conference destruction on the east coast with the Big East unfolding. Meanwhile the soon to be former Big 12(10) has a political cat fight developing over Texas A&M's departure to the S.E.C. causing worry for Baylor's future as well as 8 other teams trying to figure out where they will be playing next year.

Now is the government involvement over conference realignment warranted... My answer is no because the government will make things seem "fair" but in reality a conference should only have to accept a team that earn the right to be in there conference like Texas A&M did.

States Taxes and Spending

States have been struggling to fund the most basic programs in 2011 and most likely won't be able to avoid tax and fee increases. States are now taking a closer look at business incentive programs, trying to focus more on returns on investments. They're looking at unemployment insurance tax rates and reforming or reassessing tax structures in other states, for example, sales tax exemption. There are many other taxes that states are looking at to reform, reassess, raise or decrease or even get rid of all in all. Business could benefit from these new taxes, but there is always that possibility of failure as well.

In the last two years, almost all the states have made cuts to major service areas and will most likely make more cuts to programs this year. The Recovery Act fiscal cliff will worsen funding shortfalls, more than likely in education and infrastructure, resulting in more drastic cuts in those areas from last year. Due to the loss of stimulus funds, 75 percent of the nation's school districts expected to cut teaching jobs last school year. In addition, states might attempt to shift cat burdens fro programs onto local jurisdictions, such as juvenile and adult correctional expenditures and pensions for teachers.

10 years later

Ten years ago today on 9/11/01 our country was attacked by people who did not believe in the freedoms that Americans enjoy. It forever changed the way the world traveled, it increased the tensions between us and middle eastern oil companies, and finally it sent our country in to debt by causing our national defense spending to shoot off the charts. But is it fair to say that the terrorists won by causing horror and economic disaster on our country? Heavens no!

http://www.gobankingrates.com/ten-years-after-economic-impacts-9-11/

The terrorists lost because they didn't stop us from doing what we wanted. One of the many things Osama Bin Laden hated about our country is how Americans are greedy (I prefer pursuit of happiness). Guess what? Donald Trump down the street from the twin towers still lived in his cozy tower trying to find somebody he can mentor by humiliating him/her on national television for many years. Speaking of buildings how about that 1.2 billion $ Spaceship that the Dallas cowboys play in? Jerry wanted America's team to have the best didn't he? Hold up now... Let's not forget how the NFL still played on opening day five days after the attacks on the world trade center and how the military flew jets over the stadiums while the national anthems were being played. Our economy's mindset hasn't changed and I still have faith in it.

Now being an ambitious young man who lives in America I plan on supporting our country's way of life by working towards the pursuit of happiness. In fact I'm willing to pay my taxes on military spending debt because I know those people who died in the attacks would do the same for me knowing it would defend the freedoms that everybody should be born with. Osama Bin Laden once said "We love death. The U.S. loves life. That is the difference between us two." The real difference between us two is I can choose the diamond while you can only take the water. How's that for paradox value?

God Bless America!

The Cost Of Living

The Cost Of Living

When people ask me whats up I always say the cost of living. I say it as a joke but the joke is actually true. The prices to have the resources you need to live just cost way to much these days. Milk is like $3.25, Gas are like $3.33, and if you have a baby thats going to be an estimate of 250,000 dollars to raise til the age of 18. The main reason for prices being so high is the debt that The US has. We are in a trillion dollar debt and no country has a trillion dollars to give us to get us out of debt, that wouldnt help anyway that would just put us in debt with that country. China has issued us some money to kinda help us out but a trillion dollars is alot of money. We saved a dollarsfrom the day Jesus was born until today we still wouldnt have a trillion dollars to pay off our debt. One of the ways we could reduce the debt is add tax increase to the resources or just tax the higher class people more then the lower class. Being the fact, that they tax so much stuff already which raises the prices of FREAKING LIVING it make it hard for people to make ends meet and get the neccessary resources they need. So maybe they thinking about another way to decrease the taxes or just dont tax at all.

Rising Gas Prices

Gasoline prices are peaking up to 5 dollars a gallon in some areas of the country and is certainly a cause for concern. According to a poll in the Washington Post, about 70 percent of Americans say that high gas prices are the reason for their financial crisis. High gas prices in 2008 contributed to our nation's deep recession, and we still haven't fully recovered from it. Policies that lower fuel prices and lift regulations that are contributing to even higher petroleum and energy prices need to be favored more than the other policies trying to get passed. Since failing to pass a flawed cap and trade legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency has been used as backdoor to implement new harmful regulations and energy taxes. Recently, the House passed H.R. 910, The Energy Tax Prevention Act, in order to prevent the EPA from promoting any regulation relating to climate change under the Clean Air Act. We also must take steps to ensure our nation is not held hostage to the prices set by the Middle East. That means we need to look for new sources of oil in Alaska, on the Outer Continental Shelf and from shale in the West. The use of American innovation to accelerate technology that burns coal in a cleaner way because it is an abundant energy source in our country needs to be used. I believe that over the long run, we the people need to develop and implement new alternative energy sources and technologies.

LongHorn Network and the Big 12 Meltdown

My Saturday evening was spent depressing over the fact that I was one of the millions of Texas Longhorn fans watching the Oregon vs LSU game instead of watching our team start their rebuilding period with the debut of freshmen Jaxon Shipley and Malcolm Brown. The LongHorn Network (LHN) is currently in a broadcasting dispute ESPN which prevented every major satellite television company from showing the game. But that's not the biggest of my problems... The biggest is the LongHorn Network is in the process dismantling the Big 12.

http://www.burntorangenation.com/2011/9/2/2401944/case-of-longhorn-network-blues

Our arch-rival Texas A&M is secretly jealous that the University of Texas has a TV network that is going to be making millions of dollars and be able to televise high school football games that star high school recruits. In retaliation Texas A&M is leaving the big 12 and looks to join the South Eastern Conference (SEC) in order to balance the recruiting field by playing in the most competitive conference and earn more money from television contracts. Meanwhile the University of Oklahoma views the departure of Texas A&M and former conference foes like Nebraska as a sign that the conference is heading in a direction that will decrease their own payouts from television contracts as they look to join the Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC-12).

After writing my last post Dirty Money at The U and in this post I realize that college football operates as a market economy that is motivated by Adam Smith's philosophy of worrying about your self. Only in this economy the consumer (the fans) get to miss college football action and lose their traditional rivalries and the the government (the NCAA) can't control its members from cheating. This economy is controlled by the corporations who know they can get away with cheating (most of time) and can force their consumers to do whatever it takes to support their university.