It's HERE!...Santorum Jelly at the Iowa State Fair, more on tonight's Daily Show!

Warning, don't Google Santorum if you've just eaten.

Btw, I was very active here for years, not a newbee, just a haven't-been-here-for-months-bee.

It's ON!

Looks like they are doing a full show triple, because he was already on in segment one!

Both situation are bad, best is a very small inflation rate of .5 to 1.5% annually, because usually, in normal (good) times in the U.S. workers are given wage increases of 3-4% annually. In that situation, with an average inflation rate of 1.5% for all annual expenses, the worker is getting a little more wealthy each year.

But to answer question one, Yes and No. Falling prices do not help the economy by spurring consumer spending. Yes, they help the consumer in the very short term for very small items and non-durable goods (non-durable goods are goods that are used up when used once, or that have a lifespan of less than 3 years), but for durable goods (a good which does not quickly wear out, or more specifically, it yields services or utility over time rather than being completely used up when used once)deflation is very bad.

(from Wikipedia) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durable_good >
Examples of consumer durable goods include cars, appliances, business equipment, electronic equipment, home furnishings and fixtures, housewares and accessories, photographic equipment, recreational goods, sporting goods, toys and games....

...Examples of non-durable goods include cosmetics, food, cleaning products, fuel, office supplies, packaging and containers, paper and paper products, personal products, rubber, plastics, textiles, clothing and footwear....

So since most non-durable goods are made my machines, which are more and more run by computer which make the need for human workers less and less every year and the fact that most of the durable goods listed above are now imported from lower wage countries, deflation quickly leads to unemployment which causes consumer spending to fall, and since unemployed people spend less on everything, but especially durable goods, it leads to more price cuts and more deflation...

To put it simply (and crudely), in a time of deflation, when the American economy is something like 70% consumer driven (or at least it was before the house of cards began to collapse), WE, the lower 97%, are F*cked.

And to answer question 2 directly, (2) Do wages contract in an deflationary environment? Yes, it's called unemployment or part-time employment.

Landfall is still about 48 hours away as of this post, but it's time to get ready now if you are anywhere between Corpus Chisti and Galveston (or on any of those barrier Islands) get ready to leave, you know the traffic better than I, but taking a direct hit from Ike could really suck, to put it mildly.

NOTE: These graphic self-refresh when you reload the page

<http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/tracker/d... >

Current Wind Field Model


Current Position and Track

<http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com />

Put down your drinks if you like your current keyboard, this is just too funny!

NOTE: The Onion and The Onion News Network is Satire (really fake news, but funny)

<http://www.theonion.com/content/video/late... >

(Video at link above)

I've been talking about this sort of advance for years now, even though I personally didn't have the engineering skills to make one, I knew someone would soon, and here it is!

And guess who did it first!?!

Detroit? No. NASA? No

Japan? Of course!

Yes, while the "big 3" in Detroit were saying that the best they could do in the next 10 years is to deliver "cutting edge," 1975 technology in the form of the plug in electric car, oh sorry, "Plug in Electric Hybrid," The smart people of Japan and Genepax were in their labs making THE "car of the future" happen.

Man, do we suck or what?

We had DIRT and WE LIKED IT!

For all the Newbies, Every so often, some of us just have this question to gauge the room: How old (or young) are you?

On NASA TV!

On Edit...

(For those how missed it, "Eight Belles," the only Filly running today in the Kentucky Derby, finished second but was promptly euthanized on the track because she went down after breaking both of her front legs near the ankles.)

Unfortunately, the video at the link below labeled "Tragic ending for filly Eight Belles" isn't working, (probably too many people trying to watch it at the same time), but if you check out the video just above that one (after the window pops up) you can watch the race from the camera that is following "Big Brown," it's labeled "Iso-cam on Big Brown."

As you watch, watch closely #5 as they make the final turn. Just after they make the turn for home, "Eight Bells" head twists back and toward the right (like she's trying to tell her rider that she's hurt) and at that point her gate starts to look odd. It looks to me like she starts to run on only three 1/2 legs, but then the rider goes to the whip and she starts to put on her finish run on three 1/2 legs.

That's probably why she broke both legs. Take a look and see if you see what I'm seeing, watch her gate after the head twist.

Here's the link to the story and video: <http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24445049 >

Note: there is nothing graphic in the video "Iso-cam on Big Brown", but I can't speak for any of the other videos.

This was her riders first Kentucky Derby, I bet a more experienced rider would have pulled her up sooner.

Btw, I haven't been watching the so-called MSM "news" today, so if you have, are they talking about the race and if so, what are they saying?

Did you know that, the RICHEST people and families in the 1930's, in today's Dollars, wouldn't even make the "Top 100" today! I doubt they would even make the top 500, but since I don't know how low that goes, I can't say for sure.

Here's how I know: I've been working on filling in my Family tree at Ancestry.com for the last few weeks, and even though my close family is lower Middle class, some of my Great Grand-father's uncles and cousins (think Guggenheim, New York Rothschild's, Straus, etc.) were some of the "richest people in America" up to that point.

And as I've been doing the research, I've run across some of their "Last Will and Testament's," some of which were even printed in the New York Times.

Take Daniel Guggenheim's, his total estate was, in 1930 Dollars, $20,686,292.93, (that's 20.6 million Dollars to you and me), or $13,677,133.00 after "deductions."

But in "Today's Dollars," 20.6 million Dollars is only $248,306,610.26 ($248 Million Dollars)

And, according to the New York Times (October 4, 1930), that made him the 2nd Richest man in America!

Here's a calculator:

http://www.westegg.com/inflation /

And what does Bill Gates have Today? Last time I head it was sometime like $58,000,000,000.00 ($58 BILLION) Dollars!?!

So my question is: What, realistically, can be done to Tax these bastards enough to restore some balance to our economy?

Something that will not send us all into another "Great Depression?"

Btw, the "Inheritance Tax" on that in 1930 was only $1,655,581.40 (or less than 8%).

It looks very real, I'm gonna Google it.

Edit: IT IS REAL! <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Stirrup >



<http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/aboutdef... >

<http://www.links2love.com/nicknames.htm >

Some "nicknames" are just bazaar.

Just check out his Store Sticker page if you have any doubt:

<http://store.barackobama.com/Stickers_s/50... >