Thursday, March 31, 2011

An Era of Non-Growth

Inspired by Jon L. Johnson’s March 30, 2011 Market Update - http://www.InvestBilling.com

For the past 10 years the US economy has averaged 1.7% annual GDP growth. That is the lowest decade of growth since World War II. One has to ask why.

The U.S. was founded and established on a capitalist, free enterprise mentality, which encourages risk taking in order to make money and give back to society. Liberals, progressives, socialists and communists have been chipping away at our foundation for decades.

  • World War II and the subsequent boom interrupted the move to socialism.
  • 1960’s – the move resumed with the Great Society programs that massively expanded Social Security and saddled us with Medicaid and Medicare.

  • 1970’s – The Decade of the Misery Index! Federal regulations exploded along with inflation and a general malaise.

  • 1980’s – Tax cuts, Reagan, less regulation, boom time like the 1920’s.

  • 1990’s – Stock market bubble. Welfare reform. Stopped nationalized healthcare. Clinton became a centrist.

  • Bush 43 - Compassionate Conservatism was the death knell of the Republican Party. Conflicting ideologies that included massive increases in the federal government intrusion and spending.

  • Obama – Explodes debt to third-world levels, surrounds himself with tax cheats, socialists and communists, takes over healthcare, repeated end runs around Congress by labeling carbon dioxide a pollutant, hundreds of thousands of new regulations promulgated by unelected officials and czars with no accountability to the voters.
Now what? Will the Tea Party save us? Will the Republican Congress come to their senses and start cutting spending and regulations? Or will the labor unions and Progressives continue to push the country toward a European style economy and lifestyle while the Europeans are moving toward capitalism and less regulations? 1.7% growth is good in Europe but not in the U.S.!