George Rebane
Without a formalized utility, making public policy is guided by topical and anecdotal outliers.
[This is the transcript of my regular KVMR commentary broadcast on 14 October 2015.]
Wealth inequality has been a topic of keen interest and agitation, and concerns about it seem to be increasing, especially with our left-leaning neighbors. Today terms like the ‘one percenters’ are common in any discussion about the economy and the direction our country is taking. Wealth inequality is one of many issues that divide us. People of a conservative bent explain that such an inequality is a natural result of people being different in their work habits, education, intellect, willingness to tolerate risk, and so on. All of these attributes coupled with today’s acceleration of technology create work environments and opportunities where people with such characteristics can make more money than those who lack them.
However, folks on the left are convinced that the unequal distribution of wealth is the result of richer people screwing the poor, and all of that is due to bad public policies which government can mend. As we saw in a recent letter to our local Union, there are many out there who believe that enterprise and entrepreneurship in America fundamentally do not work to benefit society, and have been barely tamed through vigorous application of collectivist remedies under the regulatory umbrella of a caring government.
When economists talk about wealth inequality, they often focus on the gap between the rich and the poor. But to understand what’s really happening in the U.S., they ought to talk more often about the gap between the young and the old, and between different races.
What many people have had a hunch about turns out to be true – the old are richer than the young, and whites and Asians are richer than the blacks and Hispanics. But the big item is that wealth grows with age and maxes out when we are around 65 years old; then people start drawing down their savings in retirement.
But the wealth gap also depends on race. Whites and Asians of middle age with college educations have net assets markedly above blacks and Hispanics, the larger proportion of whom drop out of high school or don’t go on to college. At this stage of life such white and Asian families make up about a quarter of our families, yet they own over two-thirds of America’s wealth. What causes such a difference based on race? That’s a question with many controversial answers, probably the kindest of which today lies in the area of cultural differences. In years past, one could also put up a lot more reasons having to do with racial discrimination. Of course, there are still some today who have seen little or no improvement in America’s race relations since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Zumbrun’s report is based on a new paper by Federal Reserve economists Jeffrey Thompson and Gustavo Suarez (download pdf here). In it they provide a detailed look at patterns of wealth in America, and conclude that answering the racial divide question is difficult and that more research is needed.
Josh Zumbrun concludes with -
This data raises tons of uncomfortable questions with no easy answers. One question that Mr. Thompson and Mr. Suarez wanted to answer was why the racial wealth gaps in the U.S. are so large. This might sound straightforward–maybe the wealthy simply earned and inherited more money. But that’s not what the data shows. Even after accounting for different incomes, inheritances, education and other factors, these gaps between families of different races remain, especially among the wealthy. It turns out that documenting the gaps is only the first step.
My name is Rebane, and I also expand on this and related themes on Rebane’s Ruminations where the transcript of this commentary is posted with relevant links, and where such issues are debated extensively. However my views are not necessarily shared by KVMR. Thank you for listening.
Dr. Rebane, I look forward to reading Mr. Zumbrun's article, but the thing that strikes me is, despite the fact that it might be "explained", how is the existential fact of this condition considered in its ultimate effect on the rest of society? Put simply, I might be a well educated wealthy Asian eye doctor, but if the "suffering unequals" become numerous and angry enough to enter my gated community and burn a few houses down, should my "intelligence" have foreseen the future and taken some preemptive action? None of us are "islands".... we live on a contiguous round ball and when the water of discontent is up to your knees, it may be too late to put the Austrian economy books down and do something to stem the tide. Maybe it requires early actions that are "radical" and at variance with normal free market capitalism. Wealthy enclaves are not without fear when they see the fires of discontent burning in the distance.
Posted by: Fuzz | 14 October 2015 at 07:10 PM
Fuzz 710pm - You are arguing a point long established on RR. Yes, there will be blood in the gutters if we don't redistribute wealth. But you are sadly far off base if you think the country has been following what was written in the "Austrian economy book". The wisdom in those books has been a beacon ignored, especially since the Great Society kicked into gear. The socialists, still short of their goal, have been decrying the Austrians as a strawman to the country's light thinkers. I hope you are not among them Mr Fuzz.
Posted by: George Rebane | 14 October 2015 at 08:18 PM
Fuzz at 7:10 - "Maybe it requires early actions that are "radical" and at variance with normal free market capitalism."
That would seem to suggest free market capitalism (we don't have anything close to that) is the best but let's do something else to pacify the losers and eaters so they don't get out of hand.
We know what causes poverty and yet the govt does little or nothing to prevent it. Instead, the govt pats all of the po' folk on the head and tell them the lie that it's not their fault and we (the govt) will make it alright.
After 50 years of this stupid lie, you'd think just a few folk would figure it out.
The whole 'income inequality' deal is total BS.
If enough of the middle class were making a solid living, they wouldn't give a small flying rodents rear end how much anyone else made.
America had a great run for a couple of hundred years as a fairly free and corruption free (comparatively) country. We had gobs of all of just the right natural resources at the right time and friendly and weak neighbors. Coupled with a couple of largish ponds on either coast to dissuade bad guys, we had it made.
After WWII, it was pure gravy. White, male union workers had a virtual monopoly on the only up and running industrial society. They could (and did) demand the moon for standing around doing work a monkey could do.
There was no competition to speak of from the rest of the world.
Then things changed and we had to compete with the rest of the world. It got ugly and it's going to get worse.
Folks like B Sanders haven't got a flippin clue.
Fuzz hasn't got a clue. Just what kind of deal are you proposing? Hand out printed money? Take it all away from anyone you think is 'rich'? Yes - you will have to take it all away from Gates and Buffett and even then it won't be enough. Then what happens?
There will still be riots and bloodshed in the end.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 14 October 2015 at 08:31 PM
As I have said in the past, if your not rich or well off, it's your own damned fault.
Those that don't work for what they desire and expect things to be given to them are deadbeats in my book. No one is "owed" a damned thing. They are not "special" just because of their skin color, or where they happen to have been born.
No one is "above" any job. If you need that buck, work for it. You want a higher education? thee same rule applies.
The gov. taking from one to give to another "plan", hasn't worked. More people are on the dole than ever.
Yet the LIB Presidential hopefuls are promising even more "free stuff". Yet no explanation on just how that will be paid for. Those teachers going to work for free? The Doctors?
Sanders is all for 90% taxation. OK,, who wants to bust their ass and only keep 10% of their paycheck?...... Anyone???
Posted by: Walt | 14 October 2015 at 08:55 PM
Dr. Rebane and Scott,
I was asking a rhetorical question. I used “Austrian economy books” merely to represent the idea of thinking theory while Rome starts to burn and not being fully cognizant of how far it might burn. Are the vast majority of run-of-the-mill “haves” giving enough personal thought to this that it becomes something to engage and strategize?
"Fuzz hasn't got a clue. Just what kind of deal are you proposing? Hand out printed money? Take it all away from anyone you think is 'rich'? Yes - you will have to take it all away from Gates and Buffett and even then it won't be enough. Then what happens?
There will still be riots and bloodshed in the end.”
Scott, I’m not proposing any particular thing…and I do have a clue. I’m wondering what those in a far higher pay grade have to say and how they think about it.
Posted by: Fuzz | 14 October 2015 at 08:58 PM
Fuzz 858pm - "run-of-the-mill haves", interesting grouping. Those who are paying attention do know that it is not a matter of money or QoL that will cause the 'poor' to revolt. It will be culture.
Our poor have real incomes way above the nominally counted figures and a life style that the world envies. It explains the constant pressure to get into the US legally and illegally. But we are an ignorant nation in the aggregate, and therefore politically manipulable. The institutional dumbing of America proceeds apace and more or less on schedule.
Kahneman et al have shown that people can be induced to tear down an environment they perceive to be unfair even if it means that they also will suffer greatly in the aftermath. And anyone who can run the numbers knows that a massive transfer of wealth (a la Sanders) will neither address the problem nor quiet the savage breast.
Posted by: George Rebane | 15 October 2015 at 07:00 AM
"Scott, I’m not proposing any particular thing…and I do have a clue. I’m wondering what those in a far higher pay grade have to say and how they think about it."
Of course you are not proposing anything.
Because you haven't got a clue.
I already know what the folks in the 'higher pay grade' think.
Have you paid attention to the massive ammo purchases by the various fed agencies? And the lies they tell as to why they making these purchases?
Posted by: Account Deleted | 15 October 2015 at 07:21 AM
What I want to avoid is the "arguing over the deck chairs on the Titanic" situation which ultimately lets us slouch into real trouble. Nic Hanauer, multi-billionaire from Seattle, first non-family investor in Amazon, is worried about this drift and has warned that the pitchforks are coming. Computerization, globalization, and outsourcing are doing the damage to blue collar jobs, from job loss to wage freezes or reductions. I believe that business taxes and unnecessary regulation should be reduced to be competitive, but you still have the condition that the guy in Matamoros, MX will build the washing machine for $1.50 while the guy in Moline, IL, who has worked at the plant for 12 years and has a modest middle class life, is making $18. Suddenly, all 1200 of his co-workers discover they're jobs are headed south. Good luck and hope you don't starve. The CEO of Nabisco (made $22M last year) just announced she's sending 600 decent paying jobs south. Now, I'm not saying that shouldn't be allowed, but every time it happens another thread in our national fabric is ripped. History shows that those "ripped threads" frequently reestablish at a lower wage and benefits. The Free Market can call this whatever it wants...."creative destruction", etc.....but the damage is done. Large retailers use "last minute" labor, where the employee gets less than 30 hours (under benefit level) and then is informed just hours before his/her shift whether they will be needed. This prevents the employee from getting a meaningful second job because they're still on the hook for the first. Plus, they can't count on a set income. Resentment?....you bet. I remember reading that 30 years ago union meat packers averaged $19/hour, now they're all hispanics making $12. Will the Free Market "creatively destruct" itself into something it should have avoided? All those blue collar workers aren't going away. Paying the cannibal to eat you last is not a strategy.
OK Scott, if you know it all, what would you do?
Posted by: Fuzz | 15 October 2015 at 07:45 AM
Well Fuzz, That great thing called Obamacare is responsible for all that "part time" employment. As for jobs getting shipped elsewhere, High priced unions and over regulation.
That's the nuts and bolts of it. And of course the new higher minimum wage.
Yes, Thank "O" for the "new" 38 hour work week.
That applies right here. Kmart in GV. has VARY few "full time" workers. Most if not all are "part time". Yup, "O"bummercare is SO great.
Posted by: Walt | 15 October 2015 at 10:27 AM
Fuzz
Just wait till the TPP gets signed. What did Ross Perot call it? a giant sucking sound. Our very sovereignty will be sighed away to international corps at the stroke of a pen. A recent example of Republican hypocrisy is the La Malfa sponsored bill the so called The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 which forbids states from setting their own rules concerning labeling food products. States rights out the window. What a joke the so called "states rights" Republicans are when it comes to standing up to the big boys. Same with the TPP. It's a surprise to me that Hillary is opposing the TPP which Obama and the Republicans support. This will be interesting to follow.
Posted by: Paul Emery | 15 October 2015 at 10:45 AM
If you've lived a long time, experienced both sides of the spectrum and paid attention you'll understand why things are the way they are. Simple math. The Ency Britannica explains the simple pschycology of how to win a revolution communist labor union style. Because employees have no idea what it requires to invest in and run a business it's easy to get them to resent and envy their employer. Next the controlled media stirs it up and mostly reports only one side to show its winning. Over the years I've heard from people how many important businesses have been forced to leave, or quit, because of Gov and Union demands. For example, years ago a large California company that built big metal shelving employed around union 400 people. They went on strike. During the news story one of the strikers said if they didn't get their demands they were going to destroy the business (that employed him). Not long after that the business left the state along with 400 jobs. The next picture was the former striker living in his car while looking for a job. His complaint was "why didn't our union do something?" He was oblivious that he and his union accomplished their goal to destroy the hand that helped him to eat and have a roof over his head where he slept. When Pres Bush sr. Informed us about the new world order where all nations and people would be equal we thought about it. equally poor? or what? If you divided everything equally some would take care of what they had and improve on it, whereas others would live it up until there was nothing left. Back to the same ol' inequality? The sad part is that the same old materialistic utopian dream of so many failed dictators (living off collected taxes) raises its ugly head over and over throughout our worlds history...but most people never notice who the undeserving rich really are. The symbolic-simple story of Robinhood versus the Sheriff of Nottingham is a beginning to understand the fundamental problem of redistribution by those in power.
Posted by: Bonnie McGuire | 15 October 2015 at 01:22 PM
Income inequality has 100% to do with how the economic system is set up by those who control our government. Government creates the laws and rules of the economy therefore the best investment going in the US today is in government. Right now we have an oligarch style nation and government and the policies and laws reflect it.
https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf.
"When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it. "
Posted by: Ben Emery | 15 October 2015 at 01:54 PM
"States rights out the window."
-Paul
"[The Congress shall have Power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes."
-Article I, Section 8, Clause 3, Constitution of the United States
Paul, although I realize the Commerce Clause is one of the biggest holes in the Constitution, in this case it appears to be a real application of an enumerated power. Every state demanding their own standards for labeling of products expected to be shipped across state lines would be a bloody mess.
Posted by: Gregory | 15 October 2015 at 02:19 PM
Mr Fuzz seems to be new to these pages as he sounds like he's introducing us to the income inequality problem. RR has dealt with systemic unemployment for about eight years providing qualitative and quantitative analyses along with interested readers' debates. We have also introduced the Non-profit Service Corporation concept to address systemic unemployment which liberals have criticized without giving specifics or alternate solutions. This is a much circled barn that readers like Mr Fuzz should acquaint themsleves with and then take the conversation on from there, instead of reintroducing everyone to the starting line - this blog is not a 'Hello World!' commentary. (The search function in the left margin really works and so does Google.)
BenE 154pm - I think it's time for you to give us a repeat of your solution to he income inequality problem. Some of the newer readers may have missed it, and only you can do it justiece por favor.
Posted by: George Rebane | 15 October 2015 at 02:27 PM
Gregory
Can't you say the same about gun laws, Marijuana laws, gambling, prostitution, marriage laws...... Yes States rights does make things complicated. The Repubs have hung their hats on being advocates for accepting that "bloody mess" as you describe it but not in this case. What makes food labeling so "special" ?
Posted by: Paul Emery | 15 October 2015 at 04:06 PM
....like Sanders, millions of American progressives hold these deeply statist and authoritarian beliefs:
changes in climate threaten human extinction;
fossil fuels should be banned, and alternative fuels should be mandated;
wealth and income should be forcibly redistributed;
no individual should earn more than a set amount of money each year;
welfare and entitlement programs should be vastly increased;
whole industries (healthcare, education) should be nationalized, while others (energy, banking) should be regulated to the point of de facto nationalization;
some form of global government should be installed;
a global wealth tax should be implemented;
private ownership of firearms should be banned;
anti-discrimination legislation should be applied to private religious organizations;
racial, gender, and sexual orientation quotas should be mandated on both public and private employers;
certain types of speech should be criminalized;
certain criminals should be subjected to greater penalties if motivated by “hate”;
social justice should be pursued by any means necessary;
and government should attempt to engineer equality of outcomes.
These ideas, and the people who hold them, are not outliers in America. There are millions of rank and file progressives, mostly registered Democrats, who believe exactly as Bernie believes. They may prefer to vote for Hillary Clinton purely as a tactical matter because they are unsure the country is “ready” for full socialism, or because they think Hillary has a better chance of beating the hated Republicans in the general election.
But average progressives and Democrats agree with Bernie Sanders across the board, whether they plan to vote for him or not.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-10-15/sanders-and-his-followers-are-not-outliers
Posted by: fish | 15 October 2015 at 04:29 PM
The cognitive dissonance....it burns.....!!
Feds Collect RECORD $3,248,723,000,000 in Taxes For '15...
$21,833 Per Worker...
Still Run $438.9 Billion Deficit...
President's Spring Golf Trips and Fundraisers Cost Taxpayers $4,436,245.50...
Posted by: fish | 15 October 2015 at 04:31 PM
"OK Scott, if you know it all, what would you do?"
First of all, Fuzzy - I think you're going to have a hard time finding any quote of mine to back up that nonsense.
We do know the causes of poverty. But the answers to that question aren't very popular, so the govt doesn't bother to try to implement them. See - we have 'democratic' elections and the electorate likes free stuff. So the candidates just promise free stuff and the poverty problem gets worse.
I notice you made reference to what the head of a company makes. You need to stop worrying about what others have and pay attention to what you can do to make your time and skills valuable to other people around you. Not valuable according to your opinion, but the opinion of those from whom you wish to get money. You obviously didn't read my condensed history of why American workers are losing their jobs. Go back and read it and then we can have a conversation that doesn't have you spouting a bunch of Mother Jones and Daily Kos talking points.
Note: I don't know everything, but I do know that water runs downhill and there's no free lunch. Start with the basics and go from there.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 15 October 2015 at 09:19 PM
Scott 7:21am "I already know what the folks in the 'higher pay grade' think.”
I assumed this level of information put you in the catbird seat for suggestions.
Scott, I read and understood your original summation of history. So, how about this: if you were elected President tomorrow, what would you do? You can’t say, “Get off your ass, get a job, get off of welfare, forget about what others make, income inequality is “BS” (as you put it), life ain’t fair, stop whining and stay off my lawn! (Well, you could, but it might not be good politics :)
Dr. Rebane, I’m guilty as charged for not using the search function. I admit to being an infrequent reader. If Scott refuses to be President, I nominate you. Could you briefly summarize the 5 (more or less) major points you might propose to directly confront this situation. The post WWII “golden years” scenario is not replicable and the struggle to maintain a middle class life has many headwinds, now and in the future. Yes, the Bernie Sanders message may resonate with the "ignorant unwashed” (as you might put it) but they still vote. As President, you have to grab the tiller and navigate, like it or not. It doesn’t mean you have to give up your principles, but you’re now the leader of all citizens in a very partisan world. What would President Rebane do? (If you don’t like being put on the spot, I understand…. just curious.)
Posted by: Fuzz | 15 October 2015 at 10:51 PM
" You can’t say, “Get off your ass, get a job, get off of welfare, forget about what others make, income inequality is “BS” (as you put it), life ain’t fair, stop whining and stay off my lawn! (Well, you could, but it might not be good politics :)"
Isn't that what I had just posted?
'Good politics' = getting elected.
Getting elected = promising free stuff.
As a nation we are stuck with a huge number of gruberized proles. And the Dems are hell bent on opening the floodgates for more to pour in to our nation.
Our nation was founded on the idea that the fed govt was here to ensure our rights and nothing more. Those rights spelled out plain and simple. The folks that spelled out those rights also made it plain in other essays and letters that the fed govt was not to be handing out free stuff.
We have swung away from that idea and we now have a nation that believes the fed govt exists to provide everyone with free stuff.
If that is the direction our nation wants to go in, there is nothing anyone can do to stop it from eventual economic collapse. That is the way human nature works. In the meantime, those that hustle, work hard, make intelligent decisions and put off immediate gratification for future reward will always do better than those that don't. As we become more and more socialistic, there will be less and less incentive for the hard workers to carry the dead weight. Then we become a less and less productive nation and a certain downward spiral to the drain pipe of history occurs. Just as it has in all other nations before us.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 16 October 2015 at 07:15 AM
"Every state demanding their own standards for labeling of products expected to be shipped across state lines would be a bloody mess."
We already have labeling laws that tell us whether our vanilla is real or artificial, our orange juice is squeezed or from concentrate, and what the caloric content of processed food is. Why are GMOs any different? Most GMO crops are modified to be "round up ready. The active ingredient in roundup, glyphosphate (sp?) is a known carcinogen. 85% of people want GMOs to be labeled, yet Congress passes a law forbidding states to pass labeling laws. Why does congress want to limit our ability to choose?
Posted by: Joe Koyote | 16 October 2015 at 09:51 AM
Hey Paul,
Sherrod Brown is sponsoring a petition to make the treaty public. I signed it...so should you!
http://www.sherrodbrown.com/landing/e151014/?subsource=ngpattre151014m
Posted by: fish | 16 October 2015 at 10:51 AM
Sherrod Brown is sponsoring a petition to make the treaty public. I signed it...so should you!
Oh well.....apparently Sherrod only wants to petition for a free and open viewing of the TPP treaty if you contribute to his PAC.
Never mind!
Posted by: fish | 16 October 2015 at 10:59 AM
"Can't you say the same about gun laws, Marijuana laws, gambling, prostitution"-Paul
None of those laws are regarding packages that are part and parcel of interstate commerce that already have federally mandated labeling, are they?
If you want federal money and other benefits to flow based on marriage, both inflow and outflow, the feds have skin in that game, too.
Posted by: Gregory | 16 October 2015 at 11:03 AM
Is Fuzzy above digging a ditch? ( I wasn't) If I was in need a buck, I would do any job,even IF they pay wasn't all that great. How bout you Fuzzy? Or should I have gone to the gov. with my hand out stretched? Sure... That would have been the easy way.
Posted by: Walt | 16 October 2015 at 11:38 AM
"85% of people want GMOs to be labeled, yet Congress passes a law forbidding states to pass labeling laws. Why does congress want to limit our ability to choose?"
-JoKe, possibly Joe Keeble of Nevada City, formerly of CSAC, Yuba CC, and Sierra College Adjunct Professor of Communications
Because the Congress doesn't want crazies to demand crazy labeling; imagine 50 different labels on a bloody box of Kraft Mac & Cheese for those who can't or won't cook real food.
Companies are, I believe, free to put any GMO-free claims they wish on their labels. Why isn't that enough for Mr. "Koyote"/Keeble?
Posted by: Gregory | 16 October 2015 at 01:56 PM
Walt, just today I was digging a ditch! (When you’re retired, on a fixed income, you dig your own ditches.) I roofed my house for $1700 in shingles, painted every square inch of the inside, build my own cabinets, and grow much of my own food. I plan on moving to Seattle to be near my daughter and the first thing I did was contact Seattle Tilth (garden group) about the best places within one hour of Seattle to grow a garden. I’m a veteran, my wife is a veteran, and my brother-in-law is veteran Green Beret. I can trim the toenails on a flea at 50 yards with my Browning .22 I don’t smoke pot but I see the benefit of medical marijuana. But, above all, I’m an “eco-bastard” :)
Posted by: Fuzz | 16 October 2015 at 08:05 PM
Gotta hand it to ya' Fuzz, at least your honest. I respect that. It's more than I can say for others. glad to hear you exercise your 2ND Amendment rights. Hat's off Sir.
I too am a VET, and did my duty. (someone has to sweep runways) An honorable salute to your family.
For the record, I'm not anti MMJ. When the current law says "no profit" I take issue with the profiteers. If the law says 10 plants, that doesn't mean 11 is OK.
Heck. we should go shooting sometime. I get my new 45 in 10 days.( that, I can shoot in my backyard. I have all the legal clearances.)
So your a self declared "eco bastard". No one is perfect. Good luck up in Berkeley North.
You may be doing a lot more of your own work than you care too. Things just got real expensive up there.
It's always better to know the "other guy's" background in these discussions. Most of the Lefties here do not supply any. None..zip. They never deal in facts, just "feelings".
But facts AND feelings can work together once you (we) know where one is "coming from".
I have always worked for what I wanted. Nothing was ever given to me. I detest "deadbeats" and those that think they are "owed something". That includes a collage education. You want one? work to pay for it. I didn't go that rout. I liked the "dirty work". But it still takes smarts to make shit run down hill.
Somehow being a tradesman has become a "dirty job" that most people think is beneath them. (Why?) Now, today, these people will jump on the welfare bandwagon instead of doing a "sub-human" job.( those are for the illegals...right?)
Now thanks to "O" and Co. part time work is the new norm. (astronomical costs to business for mandated health care.)
Bottom line is,, work for it. ( of course there are exceptions to that rule, like age and disability to name a couple.)
Posted by: Walt | 16 October 2015 at 09:20 PM
Walt, we just helped my daughter buy a condo and real estate in Seattle is EXPENSIVE! (My daughter says the Chinese are coming in and buying up everything, not to mention the big digital names on a hiring spree.) We want to be far east of I-5 because the geology experts say that if the Cascadia Subduction Zone goes (think Indian Ocean quake, @9.2), “everything west of I-5 will be toast”. Lots of unreinforced brick masonry up there. The Cascadia runs from Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino in California. If the whole zone goes (could be partial) they say you will feel it down to Sacramento. The experts also say we are “overdue”. The last time it happened was in 1700 and the tsunami went all the way to Japan and did serious damage. (Took 15 minutes to get to our coast and 10 hours to Japan.) I was all prepared to live near the shore of Puget Sound until I read “The Really Big One”, Annals of Seismology, July 20, 2015. Scared the pants off me.
…. and thank YOU for your good work. Every occupation, done well, helps everyone. Youth unemployment is such a problem….got to get the vocational training perfected so the non-college kids (especially non-STEM kids) can still have a path to a decent future. Hey, you can't digitize and outsource plumbing, carpentry, heavy equipment operation, etc etc. ..... unless they start training robots :)
Posted by: Fuzz | 16 October 2015 at 10:17 PM
from fuzz - " I roofed my house for $1700 in shingles, painted every square inch of the inside, build my own cabinets, and grow much of my own food."
Sounds fine to me. And when was the last time you heard a leftie or Dem exhort such a work ethic as a path to a better life?
Seattle is expensive? There's only so much room and it's a very popular place to live for obvious reasons. So yes, it's expensive. Our son lives there. I'd love to live in the Puget Sound region, but we're retired as well, so we went to an area that we can afford.
You declare yourself to be an 'eco bastard' - not sure what that means as far as your politics, other than a stubborn and obstinate nature. Most eco types love big govt and artificially high prices for everything.
Youth unemployment has gotten worse as the minimum wage increases. There's an obvious fix there. But that fix doesn't work with the gruberized, so we'd better learn to live with it.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 17 October 2015 at 08:47 AM
From "Instapundit"....
I imagine that there is a man running a local "non-profit" who is all a tingle over this! Holding people "accountable" for their opinions and all that......
https://ricochet.com/china-harbinger-brave-new-world/
Posted by: fish | 17 October 2015 at 10:06 AM
Thank you Walt and Fuzz for your enlightening values about what it takes to survive in the real world. Bless you hearts.... Those with your ethics are the creative people who make things work. It's depressing to see the opposite mentality running and ruining everything.
Posted by: Bonnie McGuire | 17 October 2015 at 11:16 AM
Fuzz.. Personally I would think twice about living up there. That dormant volcano is WAY too close for comfort. ( The next Pompeii ?) No thanks. But to each his own.
Yup, the day will come that fault zone is going to pop. I have lived a dangerous life as it is, and am lucky to have lived to tell about it.
Thanks Bonnie for the kind words.
Gotta go,, the rental tractor is here. Time to get ready for Winter.
Posted by: Walt | 17 October 2015 at 03:10 PM
Thanks for those nice words Bonnie!
Walt, good point! My wife and I were joking last night that we would get up there, get all set up, the earthquake would hit, the volcano would blow, and we would be covered with ash and homeless :) My daughter's beautiful condo building is earthquake insured with a 5% deductible, but her job would be severely disrupted. The worst case scenario says 13,000 dead immediately. The problem for Seattleites is that the subduction zone really wasn't understood well until the '60s. They live with a knife over their heads. Meanwhile, I enjoy red ripe tomatoes here in God's country.
Posted by: Fuzz | 17 October 2015 at 07:23 PM
Hmmm. Good points one and all.
https://www.facebook.com/RowdyConservatives/photos/a.217983685002343.55586.217926015008110/740445552756151/?type=3&theater
Speaking of ways to solve problems:
https://www.facebook.com/RowdyConservatives/photos/a.217983685002343.55586.217926015008110/740445552756151/?type=3&theater
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 17 October 2015 at 07:50 PM
It is all connected. The cover up is to protect our own gov illegal actions throughout the region, especially covert CIA actions as Sy Hersh has reported.
Report: Hillary Emails Contain Secret Bush Iraq War Documents
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/clinton-emails-bush-blair/2015/10/17/id/696750/
Posted by: Ben Emery | 17 October 2015 at 09:50 PM
Hey Ben your buddy Frischy is playing in the sandbox, have fun with that. What are you thoughts about the mullahs in Tehran? (that 950 sounds like sandbox material) Did you see lefty Bill Maher give grandpa Bernie a rhetorical bitch slap on how he was gonna pay for the free stuff? lol ;-)
Posted by: don bessee | 17 October 2015 at 10:09 PM
Administrivia - have been on travel and will return shortly. Apologies for the sparse postings since connectivity has been poor. Will attempt to open a new sandbox.
Posted by: George Rebane | 18 October 2015 at 05:58 PM
Yup,,, THIS will surely fix that income problem. Just tax the shit out of people.
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/10/18/sanders-would-raise-payroll-taxes-on-everyone-to-fund-paid-family-leave/
Posted by: Walt | 18 October 2015 at 08:04 PM
"make sure that when a mom has a baby she can in fact stay home with that baby for three months..."
3 months? Then what? Oh yeah, free govt baby indoctro, oops sitting.
After our 2 kids were born my wife could stay at home with the kids all she wanted. Of course, we were so wealthy, we qualified for food stamps.
If you want to have children, you might try to think about taking care of them yourself. Novel concept, I know. There would need to be a husband, not a baby-daddy and a committed relationship. Pretty radical. Times change and gosh - what do you know, but we need another tax increase. To pay for whatever Europe does. When do we at least get to have freeways with no speed limit like Germany? It seems like the left likes everything punitive about Europe but nothing fun.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 18 October 2015 at 08:40 PM
H.
http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/21/of-course-theres-no-place-for-jim-webb-in-the-democratic-party/
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 21 October 2015 at 06:57 AM
To understand wealth inequality, one must first understand....
https://www.facebook.com/RowdyConservatives/photos/a.217983685002343.55586.217926015008110/743231375810902/?type=3&theater
The poor are many.
https://www.facebook.com/RowdyConservatives/photos/a.254420818025296.63999.217926015008110/743207072479999/?type=3&theater
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 22 October 2015 at 08:35 AM
One must only look out the window to understand The Golden State's wealth inequality.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/425885/california-high-taxes-immigration-democrats
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 23 October 2015 at 06:11 AM