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Showing posts with label Forbes.com. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forbes.com. Show all posts

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Kansas Hits a Pretty Ugly List


There is a new 50 states ranking out just now, from Forbes Magazine, showing the top states people are moving into and the bottom ones, in effect, people are moving out of.

Kansas does not fare well

The U.S. States People Are Fleeing 

(And The Ones They Are Moving To)


Image result for wichita kansas plains

On the list of states people are leaving, Kansas is in the top 5.

5. Kansas
Total Moves: 2,370
Percentage Moving Out: 56.7%

Let's see.

Bitter cold winter.  Blistering hot summers. No mountains. No oceans. Lots of famous, flat topography and geography. Tepid food and service in restaurants, being the Midwest.

And owned, for the last too many years, by Republicans, the Republican Party, Sam Brownback, the Koch brothers and the Right Wing who slashed taxes for the already wealthy and corporations and drained the state budget and those for schools.

Yeah.

I totally get that.


Saturday, March 25, 2017

The Outrageous, "In Your Face" Presidency of Donald J. Trump


There is a fascinating, if not insulting, article over at ThinkProgress today on the Trump Presidency:



Here's the "meat" of the headline:

...on Saturday, Trump headed to a golf course for the 12th time during the nine weeks he’s been president. And by visiting the Trump National Golf Club in suburban Virginia, Trump — who repeatedly ripped President Obama for his much less-frequent golf outings and promised he “would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done” during the campaign — has now visited a Trump-branded property for eight straight weekends. That covers all but the very first weekend of his presidency.

But there's so much more to the article, and to this Presidency so far, it's difficult to think of anything but the outrageousness of it all. Here's another example:

White House pool reporter Adrian Carrasquillo reports that it’s unclear what Trump is doing at his golf course.

"After multiple inquires, (the press) pool still does not know who the President has met with today over the last 3 hours. It is unclear why the Trump Team can not find out this information for the pool. Will update if any information becomes available..."

What this means, ladies and gentlemen, is that, in spite of being President and in spite of what he said on the campaign trail about how he'd never go on vacation and how much work there is to do, not only is he not doing said work and not only is he down there on our Federal dime (dollars), not only is he not doing anything constructive in his job, he's also in no way beholden to the press--read: to you and I--as to what he's doing and/or with whom he's meeting or with whom he might be talking.

He's not done there, either, in his chutzpah.

Trump’s latest trip to one of his properties comes a day after Forbes broke news that Eric Trump plans to give his father quarterly updates about how Trump’s sprawling business empire is doing financially. Trump has refused to divest from his business, putting him in a unique position to profit off the presidency.


“Yeah, on the bottom line, profitability reports and stuff like that, but you know, that’s about it,” Eric Trump said, in reference to what he’ll brief his father on. “My father and I are very close… I talk to him a lot. We’re pretty inseparable.”

Those statements contradicted what Eric Trump told the Forbes reporter less than two minutes earlier.

“There is kind of a clear separation of church and state that we maintain, and I am deadly serious about that exercise,” he said. “I do not talk about the government with him, and he does not talk about the business with us. That’s kind of a steadfast pact we made, and it’s something that we honor.”

In January, Trump discussed his plan to hand over day-to-day management of the Trump Organization to his sons while retaining ownership of the company.

“My two sons, who are right here, Don and Eric, are going to be running the company,” Trump
said at a press conference in New York. “They are going to be running it in a very professional manner. They’re not going to discuss it with me.”

But Eric’s comments about the quarterly briefings he plans to give his father aren’t consistent with the plan Trump outlined.


Just look at what he, Trump, has done since he was sworn into office:

Memberships at Mar-a-Lago doubled in price to $200,000 shortly after the inauguration (taxes and $14,000 annual dues not included). For that price you get access to the president — perhaps even while he’s trying to deal with an international crisis in a dining area.

Then, to make things worse and to capitalize yet further with his/this Presidency, he wants to exploit it and us all even further.

Meanwhile, the head of Trump’s hotel-management company recently
announced plans for “an ambitious expansion across the U.S.” that would triple the number of Trump-branded hotels in the country.

Bottom line:  Trump didn't divest himself from his business, from his company or companies in any way. It seems he had no intention of doing so, too, in spite of what he said, again, during the campaign. He's blowing the Emoluments Clause of our own Constitution, right out of existence. (see below).

Besides being full of nerve and arrogance, it likely is already unconstitutional, this Presidency, this administration. Based on the Emoluments Clause alone. I said it before, between all this and the fact that he lost the American popular vote in November by 3 million votes, this administration should be ousted and the real winner of it all should be installed, inaugurated.

And post haste.

Meanwhile, here, ladies and gentlemen, are the first less than 100 days of this Presidency.


Honestly, again, God help us.

Links:

Emoluments Clause - Wikipedia

Why Trump Will Violate the Foreign Emoluments Clause - The Atlantic

Check out the irony and hypocrisy of this headline, too.

Report: Trump angry Kushner took vacation during health debate

I'm telling you, this man lacks nothing if not chutzpah.

Meanwhile, here's a good idea from some Democrats in Congress:

Dems Try To Force Trump To Publish Club Visitor Logs With 'MAR-A-LAGO' Act

Meanwhile, Mr. Calm, Cool and Collected, says don't fret:

Trump signals new hope for overhaul of ObamaCare, says 'Do not worry'



Monday, January 16, 2017

Coming Republican Implosion? Sooner Than We Thought?


                  (I love the looks on these two faces just that moment)

Here's some rather fascinating news on what those pesky Republicans, flush from their wins last November, are doing this week in Washington. And I don't know that I'd trust it but it comes from the very business-friendly, Conservative and even Republican Forbes Magazine.

OMGHouse Republicans Are Preparing To Hit Consumers With A Horrible New Tax That Will Harm Trump And Hurt The Economy


What they're doing:

... it’s the Republicans, not the Democrats, who are ready to administer an unnecessary black eye to the new President. That’s not their intention, but it manifestly will be the result.

The vehicle for this unwitting GOP punch is a new exaction called the border adjustability tax. This levy will cost American consumers at least a trillion dollars over the next ten years. Knowing how Washington politicians calculate these things, you can bet the amount will end up being considerably more. Prices for everyday items, such as socks, shoes and household appliances, will go up. So will tech devices like the iPad, not to mention automobiles and trucks. Gasoline? Millions of Americans will pay an additional 30 cents or more per gallon at the pump. Lower-income and struggling middle-class Americans will get hit the hardest.

Here’s how, in essence, this sneaky, anti-consumer tax works. Importers will no longer be allowed to deduct an item as a business expense. To simplify things, let's say a store imports a pair of sneakers for $40 and then sells them for $50, making a $10 profit on which it would owe taxes. Under the Republican plan, however, the retailer wouldn't be able to deduct the $40 it paid for the sneakers. In fact, it would owe taxes on the entire $50! And who, ultimately, pays this tax? You, the consumer, in the form of higher prices or fewer choices of where you can shop. Retailers and their customers will be hit.

Many oil refiners import crude oil to turn into gasoline. This new tax will sharply raise their costs, which will spell pain when you fill up your tank. Worse, some could be forced out of business or have to sharply curtail operations, as drivers cut back on buying the suddenly more expensive fuel.

But wait, it gets worse. Another feature of this bizarre GOP scheme gives exporters a gargantuan tax break by, in effect, not taxing their export revenues. Let's say a corporation sells a piece of machinery to Iran for $5 million, which cost only $4 million to produce. That means $1 million in taxable profit. Under the new Republican scheme, however, that $5 million received from the mullahs wouldn’t be taxable. Instead of a $1 million profit, the corporation, for tax purposes, would have a $4 million loss. Loophole doesn't begin to describe this "tax break."


Don'tcha' just love these fuzzy little pinheads? And according to the article, it sets a wonderful trap for the soon-to-be President Trump, too, God love 'em, by setting up an economy with rising costs. The Democrats could then remind the American people that those increased costs are due to the Republicans and these changes they want to create in our taxes.

God, I love these people. They're sewing seeds for their own destruction both quickly and in big, big ways. Here's yet more of this wonderfulness. The following quote is from uber Right Wing columnist Bill Kristol:

"It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis."

Which arose because of this, further proving his cluelessness and even lack of knowledge of our own, American history.


Then The Donald adds on to all this, because he's just not finished yet.



And check this out. This is how bad Donny's inauguration is going.


Don'tcha' just love the smell of Right Wing and Republican self-destruction in the morning?

And afternoon?

And evening?

Sure, Donald J. Trump, arguably the least qualified person to ever be elected to the highest office in our nation and the most powerful position on the planet is about to be inaugurated this week but think happy, hopeful thoughts, campers.


Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Friday, September 9, 2016

Socialism Worse Than Capitalism?


So many people in America claim Socialism is worse, far worse, frequently, for even people but especially for business.  They should think again.

This, from very Conservative, very Right Wing, very pro-business Forbes Magazine:

The Best Countries For Business 2015 

- Forbes



The U.S. falls in our rankings for a sixth straight year with low scores on monetary freedom and bureaucracy. Denmark leads a strong showing by Europe at the head of the class.

And who are the top ten on this "best countries for business list" from around the world? Check it out:

Denmark has ranked first in six of the 10 annual editions of FORBES’ Best Countries list. The country has been in the news in the U.S. lately thanks to Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who holds up the nation of 5.6 million people as a model socialist utopia. The country does have one of the highest individual tax burdens in the world in exchange for its wide-ranging services, but it is very much a market-based economy.

Denmark ranked in the top 20 in all but one of the 11 metrics we used to gauge the Best Countries for Business (it ranked 28th for red tape). It scored particularly well for freedom (personal and monetary) and low corruption. The regulatory climate is one of the world’s “most transparent and efficient,” according to the Heritage Foundation.


From there the list goes:

2. New Zealand
3. Norway
4. Ireland
5. Sweden
6. Finland
7. Canada
8. Singapore
9. Netherlands
10. United Kingdom

So there you are.  9 of the 10 "top countries for business" are all in Europe and all Socialist.

Oh, and they all also have universal health care. 

And no one goes bankrupt for health care costs.

So where is our own United States on this list, you might ask?

We aren't even in the top 15. 

The picture isn’t as bright for the U.S., which slides four spots to No. 22. It continues a six-year descent since 2009 when the U.S. ranked second overall. The U.S. is the financial capital of the world and its largest economy at $17.4 trillion (China is second at $10.4 trillion), but it scores poorly on monetary freedom and bureaucracy/red tape. More than 150 new major regulations have been added since 2009 at a cost of $70 billion, according to the Heritage Foundation.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. For any and all who think Socialism is horrible, period, in its own right and that any nation having it is, therefore, bad for business. It just patently isn't so.

Not only is intelligent Socialism better for the people, it can be and is also, in plenty of places in the world,  good for business. 

Let that sink in.

Seems Bernie Sanders was right all along, huh?


Monday, September 5, 2016

On This Labor Day...


On this Labor Day, let’s ensure large corporations pay the taxes they owe us. When they do, we’ll be able to grow our economy and invest in workers and our communities.

Americans for Tax Fairness

Let’s ensure that large corporations pay the taxes they owe us.

When the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share, we’ll create millions of good paying jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges and water systems, investing in a clean energy future, supporting our children and their education, and researching new medical cures.

Together we are fighting for a tax system that works for all Americans, not just the wealthy few.

Thank you and happy Labor Day weekend.

Frank Clemente
Executive Director

Links:











Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The Success That is Obamacare


Breaking news this week on Obamacare show the costs of health care are, in fact, not just low and lower but even lower than expected. This broke in the last 2 days:



This is from business-friendly, traditionally conservative Forbes magazine:



CNN Money:


USA Today:


Obamacare subsidies slash costs for low-income consumers

Even the always Right Wing Washington Times agrees the costs are lower:



Robert Reich puts it well yesterday also, on his Facebook page:

Remember when opponents of Obamacare claimed it would bankrupt America? New cost projections, published yesterday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, show the law costing 29% less over the next five years than the CBO first estimated. The reason: Healthcare costs are rising more slowly than previously assumed. Why the slowdown? (1) Larger co-payments and deductibles have caused consumers to rein in their own spending on healthcare, (2) Obamacare has caused providers to improve efficiencies in delivering healthcare, and (3) The law has also created incentives for more preventive care, thereby reducing the incidence of costly chronic diseases (heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes).
Bottom line: Obamacare is on the way to proving itself a huge success. But that doesn’t seem to matter to Republicans who are still out to kill it.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

That damn Obama


That damn Socialist/Communist/Kenyan Obummer.

First I saw this today:

Then this:



And finally this from, of all places, business-loving, conservative Forbes Magazine:


It just keeps getting worse and worse.

Drives me nuts.



Wednesday, October 31, 2012

What a staunch business magazine has to say about this election



From Forbes on this election and these two presidential candidates:

Want a Better Economy? History Says Vote Democrat!

"...The common viewpoint is that Republicans are good for business, which is good for the economy. Republican policies – and the more Adam Smith, invisible hand, limited regulation, lassaiz faire the better – are expected to create a robust, healthy, growing economy. Meanwhile, the common view of Democrat policies is that they too heavily favor regulation and higher taxes which are economy killers."

According to Bob Deitrick and Lew Godlfarb in their reputedly "easy to read book", “Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box”, they found the following and more:

--Personal disposable income has grown nearly 6 times more under Democratic presidents

--Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown 7 times more under Democratic presidents

--Corporate profits have grown over 16% more per year under Democratic presidents (they actually declined under Republicans by an average of 4.53%/year)

--Average annual compound return on the stock market has been 18 times greater under Democratic presidents (If you invested $100k for 40 years of Republican administrations you had $126k at the end, if you invested $100k for 40 years of Democrat administrations you had $3.9M at the end)

--Republican presidents added 2.5 times more to the national debt than Democratic presidents

--The two times the economy steered into the ditch (Great Depression and Great Recession) were during Republican, laissez faire administrations


And that's just for starters. The book holds much more information and data.

I thought it important to point out, so close to election day.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2012/10/10/want-a-better-economy-history-says-vote-democrat/

Sunday, April 15, 2012

KC: No. 3 right now in the nation of "Best Cities to Buy a Home"

That's right, our own Kansas City is ranked number 3 right now in "The Best Cities to Buy a Home" by Forbes Magazine. We were only bested by Austin, Texas (OMG, that is SERIOUS competition) and Tuscon, Arizona (no, thank you very much). If I were at James B. Nutter and Associates or the Chamber or any number of real estate firms in town, I'd go buy at least one of the magazines, if not a quantity and I'd be emailing the link, below, to all my prospective buyers. Those links: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45hlfg/introduction-16/#gallerycontent?partner=yahoore; http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/the-best-cities-to-buy-a-home-right-now.html

Friday, January 6, 2012

Bill Clinton on the Occupy movement

"Occupy Wall Street has done more in the short time they’ve been out there than I’ve been able to do in more than the last eleven years trying to draw attention to some of the same problems we have to address." --Former President Bill Clinton Link to original article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/shahgilani/2011/12/06/the-rumors-about-bill-clinton-are-true/

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

"America's Most Dangerous Cities"---and we ain't on it

Yes, another new list out, this one also by Forbes Magazine and in spite of what some people--some locals, (Tony?)--might think, Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas--both, are no where on the list. (Link: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efel45mde/1-detroit-mich#content?partner=yahoore). By contrast, on their "Best Places for Careers and Business" list, Des Moines, IA is number two while Cedar Rapids from that same state is number 11. Also on the list are Lincoln, Nebraska at 12 and Omahama at 20. St. Loo, across the state, hits at 23. Oklahoma City gets in at 28. Even the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul gets in ahead of Kansas City at their number 34 ranking. (More: Little Rock, AR, 41, Indianapolis, IN at 43, Tulsa, OK, 46). Kansas City isn't on the list in the top 50. The good news? We're safer, maybe, than we thought. The bad? We don't coddle business enough, I guess. Link: http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/27/best-places-11-top-50_slide.html

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

"15 Best Cities for Young Adults"? Not KC

Yes, indeed, another list, another ranking. This one also by Forbes Magazine ranking, as I said, the "15 Best Cities for Young Adults" and Kansas City ain't on it. But Omaha? Number 5. And Des Moines? Number one, for pity's sake. Yow. We gotta' get busy, folks. Links: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45effk/introduction#content?partner=yahoo; http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45effk/5-omaha-neb; http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45effk/1-des-moines-iowa

On the debt ceiling negotiations--and raising taxes on the already-wealthy

Okay, sure, let the Rethuglicans Republicans call it "raising taxes" but the fact is, the wealthy in the country shouldn't have gotten those tax cuts back during Dubya's reign administration. Cutting taxes like this hasn't created any jobs, ever since Ronald Reagan first devised the scheme. Further proof out today and it's from a pro-business magazine, Forbes: The 400 Richest Americans Pay An 18% Tax Rate. "The 400 richest Americans used to pay 30% of their income on the average to Uncle Sam. Today, they pay 18% on the average, according to Steve Rattner, a Wall Street financier, who just presented these figures on Mornings With Joe,MSNBC. The main reason for the drop in their tax rate of some 40% is the tax cuts by George Bush in 2003, taking the rate paid on dividends and capital gains down to 15%. This reduction in the investment class's taxes powered the bull market in stocks from the fall of 2003 until the fall of 2007. Shockingly, the plan to raise the debt ceiling collects nothing from the wealthiest Americans to reduce our budget deficit. The Republican right wing holds the Obama White House hostage. It's a sad day for the principle of sharing the pain equitably." The Republicans need to bail on the idea of not doing away with the Bush era tax cuts, along with the idea of not taking away "Big Oil's" tax subsidies, too, among other things. We need government to work and it needs to start working now. Link: http://news.yahoo.com/400-richest-americans-pay-18-tax-rate-121952135.html;_ylt=AuOxYPIy2FQ9GPfBo_sZFZQC9nQA;_ylu=X3oDMTQwbGNqcnMzBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDIwMHBvb2xyZXN0BHBrZwM2MWEyYjVkMi1iY2E1LTM4ZDgtODU1Ny03NWRiODg0N2M3YjEEcG9zAzQEc2VjA25ld3NfZm9yX3lvdQR2ZXIDNDJiYTgwNzAtYjdiNC0xMWUwLWFlYmMtYzkzOTU3NDAzMGQx;_ylg=X3oDMTJvMGRwYTRoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDNmE0YTY0ZDktMGFjZS0zMGNiLWEzYzUtYjBiMDM5YzViYTMyBHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZARwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Mansion in the Ozarks in the news

There's an article on Forbes and Yahoo! News right now about a mansion going up in our own Ozarks and the information surrounding it: Mystery Mansion Rises in the Ozarks. You’ve probably heard of the 56,000-square foot Spelling Manor that just sold to billionaire heiress Petra Ecclestone or the 43,000 square-foot Fair Field estate belonging to billionaire industrialist Ira Rennert. You may even be familiar with the palatial pads that some real estate developers have built in the hopes of finding wealthy buyers like Alpine, N.J.’s $68 million Stone Mansion or England’s Updown Court (which now faces foreclosure). Here’s another huge home to put on your real estate radar: Pensmore. Pensmore, the Ozarks mountain estate being erected in rural Christian County, Missouri, will garner bragging rights as one of America’s largest homes upon its projected 2013 completion. The chateau-style mansion will encompass an estimated 72,000-square feet on its secluded plot of more than 500 acres. It will include 13 bedrooms, 14 baths and an assortment of outrageous amenities. Read the rest here: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/mystery-mansion-rises-in-the-ozarks.html

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Guess what city is NOT on Forbes "Next Big Boom Towns" list

Out today, Forbes Magazines list of "The Next Big Boom Towns" list and guess what city--heck, cities--is NOT on the list. Hint: one calls itself a "Barbecue Capital of the World" and another has a giant arch in its downtown in a desperate attempt for tourism. Still no clue? Here's another hint: none of the 9 are in the MINK states (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska or Kansas). Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/113083/next-big-boom-towns-forbes

Friday, May 6, 2011

Hermann, Missouri one of "America's Prettiest Towns"

Hermann is on Forbes Magazine's list today of "America's Prettiest Towns":

   Hermann, Missouri

Hermann, Missouri



Founded by German immigrants in 1837, Hermann retains that cultural heritage with its annual Teutonic-themed festivals, such as Wurstfest, Maifest (complete with May-pole circling), and Oktoberfest, with all the brats and beers that suggests. Just an hour and a half's drive from St. Louis, and you'll find yourself in a unique blend of Americana and old-world flavor. So strap on some lederhosen and save room for a pretzel or two. Just don't go overboard, because the town also boasts an ideal location along the Katy trail, which provides bicyclists a pristine setting for winding their way through Missouri.

I stayed there once, in a "bed and breakfast" and absolutely loved the town so I can definitely recommend it if you haven't been yet.  Not only is it pretty, but it's also located right on the Missouri River and has good restaurants and shops to see, too.   As they said above, it's located on the Katy Trail so you can cycle around the place, if you take your bike.  

Additionally, it's easy and reasonably inexpensive to access from Kansas City or St. Louis by taking the train. It drops you right in the downtown area.  It's about another hour or an hour and a half on the other side of Columbia from here in KC.

They mention maybe going in October but I can tell you, because of both Oktoberfest and the University of Missouri-Columbia, nearby, I wouldn't recommend that unless you like crowds--young crowds, at that--and possibly loud, beer drinking groups.  The locals like the money it brings in but they aren't crazy about these folks, that time of year.

They have wineries there, too, and at least one has what was many years ago and I hope still is, a good restaurant.

Finally, when visiting anywhere else around here that has rather hot Summers and cold, grey Winters, it's best to go in Spring and Fall so if you're going to go, now would be a good time.