Occupy Wall Street - Marine vs 30 Cops

Speaking of the police. Here is a link to a video of a soldier - in uniform - protesting the treatment of demonstrators by the police.

http://perezhilton.com/2011-10-18-marine-vs-30-cops-occupy-wall-street

Wall St Protest Photos Part 3

More photos. None of the police. Let's just say they became a little . . . sensitive when I tried to take photos of their position.

Occupy Wall Street Photos Part 2

Occupy Wall Street Photos

Its been a while since the last post. I am going to write a series of posts about the "Occupy Wall Street Movement" later. For now, here are some recent photographs I took.

How America's Baby Boomers are Hoarding Wealth and Jobs from the Young and Minority Groups

That is, of course, if recent trends hold up. As mentioned, more older Americans -- those 55 or older -- are working relative to previous generations. Fearful of not being able to make ends meet in their golden years, they're not letting go of their jobs.

By holding on, of course, they're not passing the baton to younger Americans. So you can see the cycle. Older people keep working. More younger Americans are unemployed. The wealth is hoarded by the old folks. The wealth diminishes in value without anyone (younger Americans) to whom it can be sold.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/113447/young-jobless-will-ruin-your-portfolio

Goldbugs? Are they Right?

The article is self explanatory. I will be publishing a short history of the 40th anniversary since Nixon ended the gold standard later this weekend.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/11/us-gold-bugs-idUSTRE77A3CT20110811

US States Suffer From US Downgrade

After S&P's downgrade of America from AAA to AA+ it is only natural for the everyday person to wonder what practical effects will occur. It is easy to get wrapped up in the arcane intracies of high finance but a return to less nuanced and general coverage is always good.

Here is a good article that reviews what effects may occur in US states. Specifically,

States with high numbers of federal workers or contractors, large military presences or generous Medicaid programs for the needy are among the most vulnerable from Standard & Poor's recent downgrade of U.S. government debt.

The fears are that if the federal government could be downgraded then the states are not too far off. A downgrade for states would be disastrous for many as the immediate fallout would be higher borrowing costs. The review of states is also prescient as S&P's competitors, namely Moodys, are still angling for a way to distinguish themselves in the government debt markets but without the controversy followed by S&P after their federal credit rating.

Source: http://www.benefitspro.com/2011/08/09/states-await-downgrade-fallout



The bottom line: States are nervously awaiting the fallout from S&P's federal downgrade. Lower budgets to meet stricter accounting measures could result in more laid off workers, fewer contracts for local businesses,lower tax revenues, and an increased number of people on the public rolls.