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Showing posts with label debt celing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debt celing. Show all posts

Friday, January 13, 2012

It's The Debt Stupid!

In August 2011 I wrote the following about the shenanigans over the US debt ceiling:

"The bill allowing the President to raise the US debt ceiling has finally been passed by both houses.

Crisis over?

No, the markets have reacted badly to the fall in US manufacturing and have been less than impressed with the political antics on Capitol Hill.

Whilst the politicians who brought about this crisis may feel smug and self satisfied, they should bear in mind that US creditor nations such as Russia and China will never trust them again to deal with economic issues such as this in a sensible and rational manner.

As such the long term prospects for the US economy, and Dollar as a reserve currency, are bleak; thanks to the selfish indulgences of the politicians on Capitol Hill.

Breaking News

China rating agency Dagong downgrades U.S. to A+ from A

And so it begins!

The politicians were warned!
"

Well here we are in 2012 and the whole sorry business is about to rear its ugly head once more, as President Obama is seeking to raise the debt ceiling by a further $1.2 trillion to $16.394 trillion.

For why?

"To meet existing commitments."

Congress has 15 days to vote on a resolution of disapproval under terms of budget control legislation passed last year.

"Experts" predict that the shenanigans of last summer won't be repeated, because Congress won't be able to muster enough votes to block it.
We shall see.

Politicians are, after all, entirely self serving selfish individuals; they would never let an opportunity for political grandstanding and political brinkmanship be blocked by economic considerations or the financial welfare of their electorate.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

The End of The Dollar?

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has quite correctly said that the system of currencies and capital rules, which binds the world economy, is not working properly.



UNCTAD blame this systemic failure for the financial and economic crises.



Additionally, UNCTAD have called for a new global currency that replaces the Dollar as a reserve currency.



Given the recent shenanigans in Washington, where the politicians played chicken with the Dollar and the world financial system, it is hardly surprising that the calls for abandoning the Dollar as the global reserve currency are becoming louder. Countries do not want to be held hostage again by the antics of those on Capitol Hill.



Monday, August 8, 2011

A Walk Down Memory Lane

1980: Ronald Reagan runs for president, promising a balanced budget

1981 - 1989: With support from congressional Republicans, Reagan runs enormous deficits, adds $2 trillion to the debt.

1993: Bill Clinton passes economic plan that lowers deficit, gets zero votes from congressional Republicans.

1998: U.S. deficit disappears for the first time in three decades. Debt clock is unplugged.

2000: George W. Bush runs for president, promising to maintain a balanced budget.

2001: CBO shows the United States is on track to pay off the entirety of its national debt within a decade.

2001 - 2009: With support from congressional Republicans, Bush runs enormous deficits, adds nearly $5 trillion to the debt.

2002: Dick Cheney declares, “Deficits don’t matter.” Congressional Republicans agree, approving tax cuts, two wars, and Medicare expansion without even trying to pay for them.

2009: Barack Obama inherits $1.3 trillion deficit from Bush; Republicans immediately condemn Obama’s fiscal irresponsibility.

2009: Congressional Democrats unveil several domestic policy initiatives — including health care reform, cap and trade, DREAM Act — which would lower the deficit. GOP opposes all of them, while continuing to push for deficit reduction.

September 2010: In Obama’s first fiscal year, the deficit shrinks by $122 billion. Republicans again condemn Obama’s fiscal irresponsibility.

October 2010: S&P endorses the nation’s AAA rating with a stable outlook, saying the United States looks to be in solid fiscal shape for the foreseeable future.

November 2010: Republicans win a U.S. House majority, citing the need for fiscal responsibility.

December 2010: Congressional Republicans demand extension of Bush tax cuts, relying entirely on deficit financing. GOP continues to accuse Obama of fiscal irresponsibility.

March 2011: Congressional Republicans declare intention to hold full faith and credit of the United States hostage — a move without precedent in American history — until massive debt-reduction plan is approved.

July 2011: Obama offers Republicans a $4 trillion debt-reduction deal. GOP refuses, pushes debt-ceiling standoff until the last possible day, rattling international markets.

August 2011: S&P downgrades U.S. debt, citing GOP refusal to consider new revenues. Republicans rejoice and blame Obama for fiscal irresponsibility.

Friday, August 5, 2011

It's The Politicians Stupid!

As markets throughout the world plunge, on fears of another financial crisis, the blame for this can be laid full square at the feet of the politicians.

Those in the US who used the stage of Capitol Hill for their self serving antics over the debt ceiling and the "leaders" of Europe, who have behaved and bickered with crass stupidity, are equally to blame.

José Manuel Barroso, the inept President of the European Commission, publicly warned that Eurozone countries are failing to stop the “contagion” of the debt crisis. All very well, maybe. However, by publicly stating that, he needless to say spooked the markets.

To add to the feeling of panic, Italy publicly stated that China has told it that if the European Central Bank will not buy Italian debt, why should China?

I have to ask, by making this public, what exactly were the Italians thinking?

1 It spooks the market even more

2 It shows that they themselves are desperate, as clearly they are trying to offload their debt to all and sundry.

Add into the melting pot the fact the the "leaders" of Europe recently claimed, with self inflated pride, that they had "solved" the Eurozone crisis and that they had earned their holidays and you have a recipe for disaster.

Take all of the above together, and it is self evident that the blame for the current crisis can be attributed to the politicians. Politicians who clearly do not understand that markets are driven by primal instincts (fear, greed, euphoria and a pack mentality).

Until the politicians actually "get it", the crisis will continue and worsen.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives - Epilogue

The bill allowing the President to raise the US debt ceiling has finally been passed by both houses.

Crisis over?

No, the markets have reacted badly to the fall in US manufacturing and have been less than impressed with the political antics on Capitol Hill.

Whilst the politicians who brought about this crisis may feel smug and self satisfied, they should bear in mind that US creditor nations such as Russia and China will never trust them again to deal with economic issues such as this in a sensible and rational manner.

As such the long term prospects for the US economy, and Dollar as a reserve currency, are bleak; thanks to the selfish indulgences of the politicians on Capitol Hill.

Breaking News

China rating agency Dagong downgrades U.S. to A+ from A

And so it begins!

The politicians were warned!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives - Satan's Sandwich

I see that the politicians on Capitol Hill have just about managed to act with some commonsense at the eleventh hour, and have passed a bill in Congress that allows the debt ceiling to be raised. The Senate is due to vote today.

Neither "left wing" democrats, nor the swivel eyed of the Tea Party are happy with the compromise.

Representative Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat), said:

"This deal is a sugar-coated Satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see."

The bill raises the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion, which theoretically will allow the government to meet its debt obligations until 2013.

However, $1 trillion will be cut immediately from government spending, with a further $1.4 trillion to be agreed by the end of the year.

The markets, having briefly rallied, fell as they digested the news that US manufacturing has grown at its slowest pace in two years.

Whilst all this self indulgent nonsense has been going on, those with an eye for playing the markets will have done very well out of the rise in value of gold then, if they anticipated the vote in favour of a deal, the fall back in value of gold.

Let us trust that those politicians who played games over this issue were not some of those who played the gold markets!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives - Deadlock Resolved?

President Barack Obama claims that he has reached an agreement with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders, aimed at ending the US debt deadlock.

He has been on television and claimed victory.

However, there is an enormous caveat.

Reaching agreement with the leaders of both the Democrat and Republican parties does not in itself mean that the "swivel eyed" right or "loony" left factions within Congress will follow their leaders blindly down the path of compromise.

Given that the factions have taken the US, and the world, to the edge of financial chaos it is too early to claim victory for commonsense and compromise.

Ideologues do not give one jot for commonsense, or the needs of those whose who live in the real world.

As Obama warned:

"We are not done yet."

Friday, July 29, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives - Republicans Fail

With 96 hours left to raise the debt ceiling, and in a sense save the world economy, the Republican Party has failed to gain sufficient internal consensus to support its plan that was scheduled to be put before Congress yesterday.

The leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, has lost his political credibility as he failed to persuade the Tea Party faction to support him.

As such, the vote and plan have been abandoned and the markets have continued to fall.

Proof, if ever it were needed, that the politicians care more about partisan politics than people's lives.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Playing Poltics With People's Lives

US politicians on Capitol Hill continue to play politics with people's lives, and as yet refuse to agree to raise the debt ceiling.

Ideology may give comfort to those who live and breath politics. However, the rest of the world needs a real job in order to feed and cloth itself. The damage being done to the world economy by the intransigence of the Prima Donna's on Capitol Hill is putting the livelihoods of millions at risk.

Irrespective of whether or not the debt ceiling is raised in time to avoid default, none of those involved in this disgrace deserve to be re-elected.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives - The People Fight Back

I am pleased to see that the American people have woken up to the fact that the politicians on Capitol Hill have let them down.

The switchboard at Congress almost crashed as Americans voiced their anger at the stalemate in Washington over raising the country's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

The vote on raising the debt ceiling has been postponed until Thursday.

The message to the politicians is simple, don't play politics with people's lives!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives -The Columbian Stand-off

Sadly, for those of us who live in the real world, the politicians in the US have so far failed to reach any form of agreement wrt raising the debt ceiling.

Partisan hatreds and ideology are driving this protracted Columbian stand-off, whilst the economic well being of real people who have to earn a living in the real world is being held hostage by the antics of those on Capitol Hill.

he risk of a US default is increasing, as talks between President Obama and Boehner (the leading Republican in Congress) collapsed acrimoniously.

Needless to say, the politicians are blaming each other for this mess.

President Obama made a television address in which he stated:

"We risk a deep economic crisis - this one almost entirely caused by Washington."

Boehner claims that he "had made a sincere effort to work" with the White House but that divisions could not be narrowed.

Playing politics with people's lives will lead to economic disaster, and will cost both the Democrats and Republicans dear in the next elections.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Playing Politics With People's Lives

The markets are beginning to realise that, thanks to the intransigence of the politicians, the US may well default on its debts. The opening sessions in all major countries this week saw falls in their key indexes.

Sadly, the politicians are more concerned with playing politics with people's lives rather than raising the country's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

Some cynics are of the view that the chaos caused (and flight to gold - today it touched an all time high of $1,622.49 per ounce) by the ongoing impasse in raising the debt ceiling is benefiting those with an interest in gold.

Let us trust that those politicians who are blocking a deal are not found to have significant holdings of gold.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

The world economy stands on the precipice, thanks in no small part to the dishonesty and incompetence of politicians around the globe.

Europe faces the collapse of the Euro; as countries such as Greece, Italy, Portugal (which has just "discovered" a Euron2BN budget hole), Spain and Ireland are going to default on their debts.

Meanwhile in the USA, politicians (thanks in no small part to the pig headed intransigence of the Tea Party) continue to fail to raise the debt ceiling.

Wall Street has at last woken up to the very real danger that the politicians will fail the country, and fail to raise the debt ceiling in time, before the USA defaults on its debts. With no signs of progress from Capitol Hill Wall Street is now falling.

Welcome to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Long Hot Financial Summer

Italy is now in the firing line of the markets, as fear of Europe wide contagion spreads.

Meanwhile the clock is ticking on the debt ceiling farce in the US as a result of the childish and partisan stand off between the Republicans and Democrats.

It's going to be a long hot summer in the markets!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Foretaste

Those who have been focusing on the ongoing Greek tragedy may care to remember that the portents of doom, concerning a Greek financial meltdown, are but a foretaste of the catastrophe that will be unleashed if the US doesn't get its debt laden house in order soon.

The IMF has issued a warning that the US needs to sort out its debt problems, and ensure that Congress passes legislation that allows its debt ceiling to rise. Failure to do so will lead to default on US debt, which will cause financial shock waves around the world.

The irony of course being that using debt to pay debt is in itself the road to ruin.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Moody's Displays Irony

Having downgraded Greece, Moody's (showing that they have no favourites) have also threatened to downgrade the USA if politicians in the US do not agree to raise the debt ceiling in the coming weeks.

It is of course more than a little ironic that, in order to maintain its credit rating, the USA has to borrow (and be able to borrow) more money.

Needless to say with a "booming" economy (albeit pumped up on more debt) Wall Street and companies such as Moody's (who sold toxic assets, and helped sell toxic assets, with a AAA rating pre slump) will do very well.

Now that's "irony" for you!

Monday, May 16, 2011

US Hits Debt Ceiling Today

The US federal debt will hit its legal limit today yet, according to CNN, Congress doesn't seem to have any plans to raise it.

What is the debt ceiling?

It is a $14 Trillion cap set by Congress on the amount of debt the federal government can legally borrow. It has been raised 74 times since 1962.

When the ceiling is reached, the US Treasury has no authority to borrow more money. As such the US is in danger of defaulting on its debts, unless the US Treasury Secretary (Timothy Geithner) picks and chooses which debts to pay and which to sit on.

Even if he manages the "debt shuffling", the damage done to "Financial Brand USA" will be immense.

It is now up to Congress to sort this out, lest the USA end up defaulting before Greece does.

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