Economy close to tanking?

If all you can do is worry about the US economy, you need to find something else to do. Of course there are those who want to turn it into a political issue for their political arguments.

@Tiny, You do know Bill Gates donated $50 million dollars to the campaign of V.P. Harris. I doubt if he is concerned about having to pay a little more tax when she gets elected President.

Shark tank judge Mark Cuban is voting for Harris too. I wonder why these two billionaries don't like Trump.

BTW, Biden had proposed that the corporate tax rate go back to 25% not back to 39%. Which is where it was before Trump implemented his tax cuts for the 1%.


https://eccie.net/showthread.php?t=3007124 Originally Posted by adav8s28

Adav8s28, Actually Biden wants to boost the federal corporate rate to 28%. State tax rates vary from 0% to 11.5%. I'm not sure what the weighted average is but will guess 5%. If so that would mean a 33% average state + federal rate under Biden's proposal. That would put us 2nd highest in the developed world, after Malta,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...s_by_tax_rates

And the average for the EU is 21%. I believe Biden's 28% federal rate wouldn't be competitive with other countries' rates.

Granted, Gates and Musk could pay a 25% to 33% capital gains tax on unrealized gains annually now without any heartache. But how would that have worked back, say, when Tesla and Microsoft were much smaller private companies, and doubling in value every year or two? You don't think that would have lowered their chances considerably of becoming world beaters?

If all you can do is worry about the US economy, you need to find something else to do. Of course there are those who want to turn it into a political issue for their political arguments.


Originally Posted by VitaMan

Sugar high. I'd like to see a similar chart showing the countries' current annual budget deficits. The USA's deficit is running about 3X higher than China's! That would REALLY look impressive!

If all you can do is worry about the US economy, you need to find something else to do. Of course there are those who want to turn it into a political issue for their political arguments.


Originally Posted by VitaMan

Here's the PPP (purchasing power parity) alternative

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...es_by_GDP_(PPP)

US doesn't look so dominant anymore unfortunately

Well, doesn't it seem quite obvious that Joe took those words to heart, acceding to his party's left wing's desire to cram through massive surges of excessive and unnecessary deficit spending, and that the consequent inflation surge (along with the border fiascoes) is the primary reason that Biden's approval ratings are so low? Originally Posted by Texas Contrarian

Covid has caused global inflation which was exacerbated by a war in Eastern Europe. Your complaints regarding a misspelling I’ll attribute to Apple autocorrect aside, your facts don’t change the reality. Global inflation wasn’t the result of the Biden administration. Neither were high gas prices. In any event both of those are currently well under control. The economy isn’t tanking and it’s fundamentally sound. Republicans always try to out grow deficits and debt which doesn’t work as each Republican administration has handed the democratic successor a terrible economy. Originally Posted by 1blackman1

The American Rescue Plan caused inflation in the USA to rise well before it did in other countries. It was running 1.7% in February, 2021. Biden's $1400 checks starting hitting the following month. By June, 2021, we were at 5.4%, while inflation was running 1.9% in the EU area. YoY CPI inflation in the EU didn't catch up to the USA until July, 2022.

As TC has noted, there's a feed through effect that affected inflation in other countries. Not only did post COVID demand and logistics and production snafus contribute to worldwide inflation, but so did bleed through to the rest of the world from its largest economy (not adjusted for PPP), the USA's. For example, when the overhang of savings in the USA, in part from those $1400 Biden checks, got spent off, it increased demand and caused prices for certain items to go up worldwide.

Texas Contrarian has said many times here that Republicans have unwisely run up deficits. You should admit the same about Democrats.

Here's the PPP (purchasing power parity) alternative

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...es_by_GDP_(PPP)

US doesn't look so dominant anymore unfortunately Originally Posted by TravelingHere

I'm not getting your link to work. Try this,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...es_by_GDP_(PPP)

And yes indeed, China's bigger. We definitely now dominate the rest of the world when it comes to running huge budget deficits though! Even during peacetime when the economy is humming!

The American Rescue Plan caused inflation in the USA to rise well before it did in other countries. It was running 1.7% in February, 2021. Biden's $1400 checks starting hitting the following month. By June, 2021, we were at 5.4%, while inflation was running 1.9% in the EU area. YoY CPI inflation in the EU didn't catch up to the USA until July, 2022.

As TC has noted, there's a feed through effect that affected inflation in other countries. Not only did post COVID demand and logistics and production snafus contribute to worldwide inflation, but so did bleed through to the rest of the world from its largest economy (not adjusted for PPP), the USA's. For example, when the overhang of savings in the USA, in part from those $1400 Biden checks, got spent off, it increased demand and caused prices for certain items to go up worldwide.

Texas Contrarian has said many times here that Republicans have unwisely run up deficits. You should admit the same about Democrats. Originally Posted by Tiny

Im against deficits and debt no matter who’s running them up. I’m sure I have stated that a million times. But our biggest contributors in my voting history have been republicans, except when a democrat is president - that’s the only time the care about deficits and debt. Austerity isn’t a Republican priority ever. At least democrats pretend to have “pay fors”, republicans lie time and again that tax cuts pay for themselves. Oddly they also seem to hand off terrible economies every time they have had the presidency. Who was the last Republican president to hand his successor a good economy? Who was the last Republican president to inherit a faltering economy?

Your simplistic analysis of when and why inflation increased here vs Europe looks good for the ignorant but we both know that during and coming out of Covid we were spending like crazy to maintain our economy while Europe was being somewhat more austere in 20 and 21. Starting in early 20 we were already trying to spend our way out of Covid and the 1400 payment was on top of increased unemployment payments and free money for businesses, all of which began in 20 before Biden was president.

We encouraged spending as a way to maintain the economy in 20-21 and put debt forgiveness for businesses on top of that. We ran through all available supply which caused a knock on effect that production could not catch up to when the rest of the world was reopening as well. Again, that wasn’t a Biden caused issue. It was just a timing as to when the rest of the world fully reopened vs the US who pushed to open as quickly as possible.

Im against deficits and debt no matter who’s running them up. I’m sure I have stated that a million times. But our biggest contributors in my voting history have been republicans, except when a democrat is president - that’s the only time the care about deficits and debt. Austerity isn’t a Republican priority ever. At least democrats pretend to have “pay fors”, republicans lie time and again that tax cuts pay for themselves. Oddly they also seem to hand off terrible economies every time they have had the presidency. Who was the last Republican president to hand his successor a good economy? Who was the last Republican president to inherit a faltering economy?

Your simplistic analysis of when and why inflation increased here vs Europe looks good for the ignorant but we both know that during and coming out of Covid we were spending like crazy to maintain our economy while Europe was being somewhat more austere in 20 and 21. Starting in early 20 we were already trying to spend our way out of Covid and the 1400 payment was on top of increased unemployment payments and free money for businesses, all of which began in 20 before Biden was president.

We encouraged spending as a way to maintain the economy in 20-21 and put debt forgiveness for businesses on top of that. We ran through all available supply which caused a knock on effect that production could not catch up to when the rest of the world was reopening as well. Again, that wasn’t a Biden caused issue. It was just a timing as to when the rest of the world fully reopened vs the US who pushed to open as quickly as possible. Originally Posted by 1blackman1

The worst part of the pandemic is that it came in an election year. Guaranteed insanity was going to happen.


The problem is that politicians in Washington DC don't even remotely have a budget set up that is easy to tell who increases spending or cuts spending. Baseline budgeting guarantees more spending every year.

Im against deficits and debt no matter who’s running them up. I’m sure I have stated that a million times. But our biggest contributors in my voting history have been republicans, except when a democrat is president Originally Posted by 1blackman1

According to the link below, which I haven't checked, the national debt increased 7.6 trillion under Obama, followed by 6.7 trillion under Trump and 4.7 trillion under Biden.

https://www.investopedia.com/us-debt...entage-7371225

- that’s the only time the care about deficits and debt. Austerity isn’t a Republican priority ever. At least democrats pretend to have “pay fors”, republicans lie time and again that tax cuts pay for themselves. Originally Posted by 1blackman1

Politicians, regardless of party, don't give priority to austerity. They'd much rather spend like drunken sailors to get re-elected and kick the can down the road for the next generation. And deficit spending is usually a bipartisan affair. Trump, Pelosi and House Democrats were the drunken sailors in 2020. Senate Republicans tried to hold them back to some extent, refusing for example to send out $2000 checks in December. And Gingrich and other Republican Congressmen arguably are as responsible for wise budgeting in the late 1990's as Bill Clinton and Robert Rubin.

Oddly they also seem to hand off terrible economies every time they have had the presidency. Who was the last Republican president to hand his successor a good economy? Originally Posted by 1blackman1

By your standards, that is ignoring deficits and the national debt, Trump. As of 12/31/2020, GDP was only down 1.0% YoY, despite plumbing to depths last seen since the Great Depression earlier in the year. At that time, EU area GDP was down 6.1%.

Who was the last Republican president to inherit a faltering economy? Originally Posted by 1blackman1

Ronald Reagan

That said, the president normally has little to do with the state of the economy. Factors like technology, globalization, productivity growth, level of investment and government spending, the business cycle, oil prices, Fed policy, wars, what's happening in the rest of the world, and good old American entrepreneurship have usually been more important.

Other than government spending, which is also the province of Congress, the POTUS doesn't have a lot of control over most of that. And the spending can be a dual edged sword. Excessive spending is part of why Trump's competitive this year. If not for the American Rescue Plan and other stimulus spending legislated in 2021/2022, inflation wouldn't have gotten as out of control, and the workingman wouldn't have seen prices rise faster than his wages through much of the Biden/Harris administration.

Your simplistic analysis of when and why inflation increased here vs Europe looks good for the ignorant but we both know that during and coming out of Covid we were spending like crazy to maintain our economy while Europe was being somewhat more austere in 20 and 21. Starting in early 20 we were already trying to spend our way out of Covid and the 1400 payment was on top of increased unemployment payments and free money for businesses, all of which began in 20 before Biden was president.

We encouraged spending as a way to maintain the economy in 20-21 and put debt forgiveness for businesses on top of that. We ran through all available supply which caused a knock on effect that production could not catch up to when the rest of the world was reopening as well. Again, that wasn’t a Biden caused issue. It was just a timing as to when the rest of the world fully reopened vs the US who pushed to open as quickly as possible. Originally Posted by 1blackman1

Larry Summers and Jason Furman, Democrats to the core, were shouting it from the rooftops. The American Rescue Plan was going to ignite inflation. And it did. I guess that's simplistic if you have a political agenda, as do the pundits you've been reading or watching on television.

Even I saw this coming. So did TC and LL.

https://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?t=2757539
https://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?p=1062353922