Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/18/2015 11:40:08 AM

I keep hearing from some that things are going swimminlgly in the economy, U2 is down around 5%, blah, blah, blah.  And yet the Fed decides to hold off on a rate increase despite having sent every single it would happen.  I suspect they know what those of us not blinded by ideology also know.  

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/18/2015 1:10:08 PM

Stop being a troll as you know the reasons. Simply, global growth, market volatility, and low inflation.  It takes more than just our eonomy as the basis for a rate increase. 

Heading to the lake this weekend????

Name:	Council Rock Doc -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/18/2015 1:48:23 PM

I certainly am no economist, but MM, you and I have both consistently brought to the forefront and been criticized by the libs here, numbers that must cause some concern and consternation.  Numbers that the MSM will not mention.  Numbers that the BLS won't highlight.  For instance, since 2009, median houshold income has DECREASED 3.5% to 53657$.  That is 6 years into Obama's supposed recovery.  The number of individuals meeting poverty levels has INCREASED from 43.6 million to 46.7 million.  THe FED knows that the 5.1% UR is baloney.  They know that the real rate, if you include discouraged workers and part timers,  would be over double that.  We have had 0% interest rates for 7 years now (ZIRP).  The world has taken advantage of these rates with the result being exorbitant debt worldwide.  US debt alone is 45 Trillion, but the only part of that which is continuing to grow is government debt, which we are on the hook for.  This is not partisan rah rah here.  The economic environment for our children is grave and to hear the likes of Archie and GF spout the party line concerns me because this is not a Democratic/Republican food fight.  The entire voting public needs to understand and accept more than is tossed at them as truth regarding this economy.  The ship is not righting.  I think that the Feds will not raise interest rates until after the election and probably not until 2017.  That is how concerned they are about what a tiny uptick in banking loan rates will affect an extremely fragile economy.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Huh?!?!?
Date:	9/18/2015 2:11:24 PM

You'll have to better explain yourself on this one.  That is the pablum put out by the Fed and investors I think are rightly interpreting what it really means. The Fed obviously believes that we are headed from a weak recovery to a recession.  And their concerns about the jittery markets confuses me.  We have been told over and over that the markets have already absirbed a rate increase into the numbers.  Now that the rates don't go up the markets initially dropped which is the exact opposite response one would expect.  GF, your ideology is really blinding you to the truth here.  Another recession is coming and is frankly long overdue given the historical average.  

No lake this weekend but I will be there next weekend with some friends to play golf and hopefully some boating if the weather cooperates.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/18/2015 2:53:38 PM (updated 9/18/2015 2:58:11 PM)

All true and I am sure the Fed understands the reality of the weakest recovery since FDR, the distortions coming out of BLS and so on.  There is no other explanation that 7 years into a recovery the Fed is afraid of a quarterpoint rate increase from essentially zero.  It is truly amazing to listen to the likes of GF and the liberal media trying to explain this away.  What scares the crap out of me is the cost to service this debt when interest rates eventually do go up.  We have screwed our kids althought to be honest they have screwed themselves voting for Obama and Democrats.

This from the AP:  http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FINANCIAL_MARKETS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-09-18-09-02-44

What's your thinking on the Steelers this year?  I am not optimistic.

Name:	lucky67 -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/18/2015 5:44:52 PM

the answer is simple; the FED doesnt trust the economic #'s spilling out of the beaucratic Democraticoffices of Dept of  Labor, office of Economic Affairs, etc; middle class incomes/employment  still down; more people on welfare//food stamps; 78% of all govt budget goes to ENTITLEMENTS; all you guys better come out of retirement , go back to work , to fund all this &--Not to mention Obama Care rising, rising, rising costs

Name:	Firefighter -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/18/2015 10:04:58 PM

Let's face it. There is no good path to take. Each path leads to a disaster.

If you had high short term debt, such as credit card debt, you would be in the same boat as the federal gov't and the federal reserve banking system. Would you want the interest rate to increase? The additional interest payments would sink all high debt burdened people / organizations.

If you have no short term debt, raising the interest rate would be great. The banks might even raise their interest payments on savings accounts.

The federal reserve has so much debt they will not let congress audit them. They have even bailed out european banks. They don't know what to do.

Name:	architect -	Reply
Subject:	Look who's talking about "blinded by ideology"
Date:	9/19/2015 7:18:38 AM

MM wouldn't recognize an unbiased comment if it kicked him in the fanny.

BTW:  Layoffs down by 11,000 this week after dropping 6,000 last week.  The average for new unemployment insurance claims is the lowest in over 20 years!  If the economy is so BAD how is this FACT a FACT?

Of course it could be better, it alway can, but we are now shedding jobs at 1/3d the rate of 2008 and adding 200,000 to 300,000 a month instead of losing 700,000 a month as in 2008.

If it is that bad as MM always claims, one has to wonder how he has managed to avoid bankruptcy!

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/20/2015 7:30:51 AM

The thinking at the Fed was that supposedly they wanted to raise rates now so that when the next recession comes they will have some tools in their toolbox to stimulate. Apparently things are so bad here and abroad that they are afraid the rate change will trigger a slowdown. I recognize that there are some positive signs in the economy and am glad for them. But I am also able to recognize the signs that are not positive unlike left wing nuts. They will fixate on one positive aspect and ignore twenty negatives. Such is the life of the intellectually stunted. 

But the fact remains that were the economy in better shape after being an incredible seven years into a so called recovery they could and would have raised rates but chose not to.  I understand why.  Others blinded by their ideology and refusal to face the reality of failed economic policies would not ever understand anything.  Economic illiteracy is an ugly thing and left wing nuts have it in droves. There is no other explanation for them trying the same failed policies, getting the same lousy results and then holding onto to that ideology.

Name:	architect -	Reply
Subject:	Nonsense from one really "blinded by ideology"
Date:	9/20/2015 10:23:50 AM

Why is it so many of you believe MM's opinion whether or not it is founded on fact but think that the chairperson and all the Fed governors are liars?

Name:	lucky67 -	Reply
Subject:	If the economy is so great why no rate increase?
Date:	9/20/2015 10:31:30 AM

All Fed Governors & Chairman are appointed--not elected--therefore they are Politicians 

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	For Mr Bamaalum
Date:	9/20/2015 2:53:19 PM

First, my condolences for the loss to Mississippi.

"All Fed Governors & Chairman are appointed--not elected--therefore they are Politicians." 

They are nominated by the President and then voted into office by the Senate. How do you propose they be elected? Are you suggesting they would not be politicians if they ran for office? How do you propose they be elected? By whom?

Since Judge Moore was not appointed as SC Chief in AL but elected... is he not a politician? 

I am lost.....

Name:	architect -	Reply
Subject:	For GF
Date:	9/20/2015 9:05:49 PM (updated 9/20/2015 9:07:48 PM)

Me too!! Personally I think the election of judges is one of the worst ideas ever to come down the pike...I offer Judge Moore as evidence. Of course appointment by politicians is not much better.  A system of selection by an appointed independant panel made up of judges and other jurists selected by the profession and academics might be a better way than either political appointment or election.

I once read a proposal for selecting Supreme and Appeals Court justices by having a pool of 10 or so people for each court who would initially be be nominated by a committee appointed by the president and the Judicial committees of the house and senate and approved by the senate (after vetting of course).  When a vacancy occured a selection for a replacement would be decided by drawing a name from the pool.  The president would then appoint and the senate approve a replacement for the now vacant spot in the pool.  This would not completely remove politics from the system but would lessen the partisanship since neither the president nor either congressional faction would have any idea who would be selected until the name was picked out of the hat.