The Nation's Financial Condition

[Jim Malone]

The Chapter 12 Trustees I service across the country have not experienced this. Most carry about a 12 case inventory with 7-12 new filings a year offset by 7-12 new case filings so there are always 7-12 cases on hand that are active and operating.

Largest trusteeship used to be in Lubbock TX with 100s of active operating cases but trusteeship is down to less than 50 cases.

NY Dairy farmers sell their milk barrels for less than it costs them to produce due to pricing support programs amounts. Been a rash of suicides by dairy and beef farmers who can’t pay their bills. Veterinarian account receivables are increasing geometrically from nonpayment.

Farm bankruptcies have doubled under Trump — and the worst is yet to come

"Let's be patient and see what our businessman-cum-president can get done, right?"

..

[a fan]

NY Dairy farmers sell their milk barrels for less than it costs them to produce due to pricing support programs amounts.

That's un-possible, Jim. That's socialism!

[dislaxxic]

Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It [Bloomberg]

..

[dislaxxic]

and then...

ATTACKING MONOPOLY POWER CAN BE STUNNINGLY GOOD POLITICS, SURVEY FINDS

"If the polling is even close to accurate, lawmakers would be rewarded for bold stances on reducing corporate power, whether through new anti-merger legislation or spurring antitrust authorities to act more aggressively to rein in the behemoths. On Tuesday, the Senate Commerce Committee did just that in an oversight hearing with FTC commissioners, urging them to do more to investigate and regulate Facebook. “Big tech is maybe no longer entitled to be as big as it is,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn."

..

[a fan]

Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It [Bloomberg]

..

I said this MANY times a the old Water Cooler over the years, if you'll recally, dislax..... Corporations will do ANYTHING to avoid having to compete with other businesses.

Laypeople don't understand this. Laypeople don't understand how corrupt the American market has become, and how little consumer choice Americans have today, as opposed to where it was 50 years ago.

[youthathletics]

Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It [Bloomberg]

..

I said this MANY times a the old Water Cooler over the years, if you'll recally, dislax..... Corporations will do ANYTHING to avoid having to compete with other businesses.

Laypeople don't understand this. Laypeople don't understand how corrupt the American market has become, and how little consumer choice Americans have today, as opposed to where it was 50 years ago.

Does that not tie into all the Trump is "attempting" to accomplish...his whole slogan MAGA, alludes to your comment of where we were 50 years ago. I drew attention to this in another post when I mentioned that Trump is trying to get us back to this post war boom eras.

[foreverlax]

Why in the world would anyone want to go backward....move forward!!

21st century ideas, not some hope to get back to the good old days, which weren't all that great in a lot of ways.

[jhu72]

Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It [Bloomberg]

..

I said this MANY times a the old Water Cooler over the years, if you'll recally, dislax..... Corporations will do ANYTHING to avoid having to compete with other businesses.

Laypeople don't understand this. Laypeople don't understand how corrupt the American market has become, and how little consumer choice Americans have today, as opposed to where it was 50 years ago.

Does that not tie into all the Trump is "attempting" to accomplish...his whole slogan MAGA, alludes to your comment of where we were 50 years ago. I drew attention to this in another post when I mentioned that Trump is trying to get us back to this post war boom eras.

Trump is not now and never has been interested in solving this problem. IT IS A CAMPAIGN SLOGAN -- nothing more.

[youthathletics]

bang1 I was referring era's of prosperity, where we built things, we were productive with infrastructure, setting our sights on space, etc. You sound like eeyore from pooh, especially the last one.

[youthathletics]

Trump is not now and never has been interested in solving this problem. IT IS A CAMPAIGN SLOGAN -- nothing more.

You may very well be right jhu72, but I am not giving up hope...no need to think negatively all the time.

[jhu72]

bang1 I was referring era's of prosperity, where we built things, we were productive with infrastructure, setting our sights on space, etc. You sound like eeyore from pooh, especially the last one.

Love the Pooh series and Eeyore.

I am not being negative, I am being realistic. Trump does not care about any of this. He only cares about where his next buck is coming from. There is zero consideration on his part as to what is going on in anyone else's life, other than how he can cash in on other peoples troubles. How he can play it to his advantage. He is a con artist, nothing more.

[youthathletics]

Sorry jhu72 you were a casualty of friendly fire, this was intended for forever.

[dislaxxic]

I am not being negative, I am being realistic. Trump does not care about any of this. He only cares about where his next buck is coming from. There is zero consideration on his part as to what is going on in anyone else's life, other than how he can cash in on other peoples troubles. How he can play it to his advantage. He is a con artist, nothing more.

Yeah...if THIS is what happens when a "businessman" runs the country as president...I'M OUT.

..

[foreverlax]

Sorry jhu72 you were a casualty of friendly fire, this was intended for forever.

Wasn't sure.....

This isn't about me being a downer....I just have no interest in borrowing billions to fund ideas that are well past their time, i.e. coal.

We make plenty, we are just way more productive than we were back in the good old days....example -

How about Trump's last tweet - "Steel Dynamics announced that it will build a brand new 3 million ton steel mill in the Southwest that will create 600 good-paying U.S. JOBS. Steel JOBS are coming back to America, just like I predicted. Congratulations to Steel Dynamics!" GREAT!!

1. Cost between $1.6b - $1.8b
2. New jobs - 600
3. Construction to begin '20 and come on line in 2nd half of '21

The idea that each employee at Beth Steel could have produced 5000 tons annually was absurd, back in the good old days.

[HooDat]

Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It [Bloomberg]

..

I said this MANY times a the old Water Cooler over the years, if you'll recally, dislax..... Corporations will do ANYTHING to avoid having to compete with other businesses.

Laypeople don't understand this. Laypeople don't understand how corrupt the American market has become, and how little consumer choice Americans have today, as opposed to where it was 50 years ago.

The government stopped enforcing anti-trust laws starting with Reagan in the 80's and then Bill just amped it up and it has been "off to the races" ever since. Since then, I can think of very few mergers that were shut down on anti-trust / anti-competitive regs. I am old enough to remember when you would actually be nervous about your deal getting approved......

[foreverlax]

Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It [Bloomberg]

..

I said this MANY times a the old Water Cooler over the years, if you'll recally, dislax..... Corporations will do ANYTHING to avoid having to compete with other businesses.

Laypeople don't understand this. Laypeople don't understand how corrupt the American market has become, and how little consumer choice Americans have today, as opposed to where it was 50 years ago.

The government stopped enforcing anti-trust laws starting with Reagan in the 80's and then Bill just amped it up and it has been "off to the races" ever since. Since then, I can think of very few mergers that were shut down on anti-trust / anti-competitive regs. I am old enough to remember when you would actually be nervous about your deal getting approved......

...and then came Eron and the thought of seeing anyone from the C-Suite going to jail evaporated.

[CU77]

bang1 I was referring era's of prosperity, where we built things, we were productive with infrastructure, setting our sights on space, etc.

Right, infrastructure like the interstate highway system, paid for by the federal gubmint, and the space program, paid for by federal gubmint.

Being a first-world high-tech society absolutely requires high taxes and high gubmint spending. We knew that in the 50s and 60s, but have now forgotten it, to our peril.

[a fan]

The government stopped enforcing anti-trust laws starting with Reagan in the 80's and then Bill just amped it up and it has been "off to the races" ever since.

And Obama was just as bad. Remember when we were supposed to break up the banks? What happened to that?

[foreverlax]

Trump got inside Jay Powells head...rates are good right here, market goes up.

1. Don't like that he caved....Tall Paul wouldn't have

2. Rates going up is good - waaay too much debt out there...adding on more a lower levels is not good

3. Rates staying here leaves some powder if he has to go neutral on policy

GE bonds traded at .80 on the buck. Anything can happend here fellas...

[HooDat]

The government stopped enforcing anti-trust laws starting with Reagan in the 80's and then Bill just amped it up and it has been "off to the races" ever since.

And Obama was just as bad. Remember when we were supposed to break up the banks? What happened to that?

very interesting interview on the topic - I have found my next non-fiction read.....

https://www.theamericanconservative.com ... -big-tech/

and for folks like Dis, CU and JHU - I know the source may turn you off (American Conservative), but this piece is not propagandist crap - it's worth a read - One more example of how the labels enforced on us by the politicians are BS