50% dos brasileiros é a favor da privatização da Petrobras, segundo pesquisa

When prices get to high people get really angry, and in some case they protest and riot. It’s happened here in the US before. We saw it in Mexico with the Tortilla Riots, and the Arab Spring was partly due to high commodity food costs (namely wheat). In Nigeria, they raged against the ending of fuel subsidies, and there have been demonstrations in many of the first world nations as well. Generally, the powers that be and leadership realize they must keep the masses happy, and thus, they work to intervene in free-markets.

Without freedom to choose, free-market capitalism cannot exist. I guess that makes sense because the operative word in free-market capitalism is free, thus, it goes without saying. Still, consider if you will that when we distort or disrespect the consumer, customer, or clients right to choose what they buy and from whom, we are ditching our very founding principles and abandoning the reason our economy has done so well over the last many generations. No, not without hick-ups but overall it’s done well.

Our country’s major business problem is a shortage of customers. With unemployment high and with people trying to pay down debt, consumer spending is down. Without customers, businesses won’t hire new workers no matter what incentives the government gives them. The only way to break out of this cycle is for the government to step in. The government can now borrow at 1.6% on a 10 year loan. The borrowed money can be well spent on upgrading our decaying infrastructure. In addition it will make jobs and revitalize many industries. With our economy back on track, additional tax revenue will take care of the debt.

I have a good friend who loves to tell me I’m going to be famous someday. He seems to think the tipping point is just around the corner. I simply smile and say, “you’re too kind” because I know better.

A lot of the political debate that is taking place this election season surrounds the deficit and the growing concern over the national debt. President Barack Obama has called for a combination of both spending cuts, and changes in the tax structure which would effectively raise the top tax rates in order to generate more revenue. On the other side of the argument we have former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney; Romney has advocated for deep and powerful tax cuts which he claim are “revenue neutral” and even more significant cuts in domestic spending.