The Government’s Impractical Volcker Rule

Regulators in Washington have little idea of what they do. They are often wrong. And they are not penalized for their errors.

Under the so-called Volcker Rule, banks are not supposed to trade with their own money. That sounds good to politicians because it appears simplistic enough to sell to voters who haven’t a clue about banking.

But funds are intermingled and the extent of supervision depends on size. There are simply too many “ifs” in the picture. Political influence thus often rears its ugly head.(See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

   

When Foreign Countries Buy U.S. Treasury Bonds

When the U.S. has a trade deficit, that is, it buys more from overseas than it sells, it has to settle accounts. Foreigners don’t eat our dollars, but they can buy U.S. Treasury bonds with them. Fortunately, they have taken them though the bonds are not necessarily an investment bargain.

Foreign central banks now own over one-third of Treasury bonds. Only about one-quarter is held by individuals and investing institutions. Much will be employed in the future as margin backing for trading derivatives und regulatory law.

Unfortunately, those bonds pay very little and keep losing purchasing power. Our problem is, there may be a time when foreigners no longer will accept what is referred to as dollar convertibility, or world recognition as a standard of value. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

   

The Practicality of Retail Medical Offices

This is another ObamaCare casualty.

Mall medical services were designed to accommodate everyday, urgent medical problems that may arise, where patients want to immediately know how serious their illness may be. The idea is to avoid overcrowded conditions in hospital emergency facilities. ERs are there for specific purposes, other than routine health evaluations.

Such medical offices can be made adjuncts to other types of retail facilities. They are supervised on staff by licensed nurses, while overseen by licensed physicians. Doctor referrals are made by those nurses.

Different states have varying regulations, depending on pressure groups, who would prefer not to have this form of competition.

Nevertheless, they’re a form of reliable, private choice, low-cost, health care coverage. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

Comparing European and American Unemployment

About one third of the unemployed on benefits get jobs once those benefits expire. The longer the benefit term, the longer many unemployed take to start looking.

The difference between the U. S. and Europe has been that the latter has longer-term unemployment benefits. Incentives to find work are minimized. It’s no wonder Europe also has chronically higher unemployment rates. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

A Temporary Job May Be Practical

Why not look for a temporary job when permanent opportunities are scarce? There are a variety of temporary positions in different industries, covering a variety of activities.

This advice is for those just out of school with a new diploma but with no job offers in their chosen profession. Or a suggestion for those of you who have no idea what it is, exactly, you would like to work at.

You will get the on-the-job experiences you need, though few may relate in any way to what you studied in courses at school. You may even wait tables in some instances.

But they will all add to your practical education. And, importantly, to your pocketbook. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

The Public Has Little Economics Knowledge

I listen to call-in radio to hear how people think about everyday living matters. They talk about personal finance, economics and business and related political slants.

I find most folks are in the dark about the basics that they should have acquired in public school. College graduates often are just as lacking in fundamentals. Except for any leftist indoctrination they may have gotten from professors. Most have no knowledge of basic finance, economics and business.

And unfortunately, too many radio and Tv moderators and anchors have had similar “liberal” schooling, and are in no position to correct erroneous views. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)

The Climate Ploy Can Pay Well

Since the heat waves of summer will replace the dire experiences of severe winter, climate control is soon bound to get more media attention.

There are climate  enthusiasts who treat climate control as a religion and have no doubt the earth is warming.

But to others it’s a political cause that creates a road to office and helps to keep them there.

To still others in government, it’s a subterfuge for quietly and indirectly raising taxes on consumers, as well as industry.

And for others, it’s business in which you can buy and sell so-called cap and trade credits. They also market a green philosophy in a variety of industrial and consumer products that you choose to develop for profit.

Eventually the now-gullible public will find out the climate promoters can be grouped with the types who used to tell us the world would come to an end by a certain date. When that never occurred we just forgot about the quackery.(See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at Twitter.)