Oil Drops over 30% since summer, now what?

[MinnesotaEric]

I get that, and agree with you. What I have seen is construction companies employ illegals to undercut local trades guys, drywall guys, masons, framing contractors. These guys are paid cash, and undercut legitimate companies, and aren't paying taxes into the system.

If you've seen, then call immigration. My sister Ann (who is infrequently in the background of photos and videos as my tree-cutting accomplice when I'm working on my new development) used to run a $4M grow program that used Spanish and Portuguese workers. All where legal and very few of them spoke a lick of English. Yet they were all legal.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Let me get this straight: poor people are holding America back?

And the way to fix this problem is to make it suck more for poor people?

And in this way, create a greater division between the haves and have-nots?

That's what we should do?

A little pushback: how about incentivizing getting off the public dole instead?

I have no idea how you got that out of what I posted. Where did I say the poor are holding America back? Easy handouts do more to create division between the haves and have-nots than anything else. We have generation after generation stuck in poverty.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I have no idea how you got that out of what I posted. Where did I say the poor are holding America back? Easy handouts do more to create division between the haves and have-nots than anything else. We have generation after generation stuck in poverty.

You expressed your concern that unqualified people are receiving entitlements for disability and welfare.

Welfare caps at $32K a year and to receive money for disability, one must have less than $2,000 in assets.

Thus my restating your concern that the problem with America is that the poor people are hold America back because their are too many moochers.

That is what you're saying, right: there are too many poor moochers, right?

 

[MinnesotaEric]

FWIW, William Smead of Smead Capital today stated the contrarian case for falling oil prices that I've been arguing for in this thread, writing:

Dear fellow investors:

The 努ell known fact with regards to oil over the last decade read like this: because of huge GDP growth in emerging markets like China, there were going to be 400 million new middle class citizens born of uninterrupted prosperity; they were going to want all the autos, consumer goods, $10,000 watches and food that Americans have.

The demand for commodities was going to be endless because capitalism practiced under authoritarian control was going to be better than the 妬nvisible hand of the free market. No recessions or depressions required.

Now, with oil dropping from $95 per barrel to below $57 through the first half of December 2014, many pundits seem to focus on the over-supply of oil and falling demand in a slowing global economy. But we think they miss the long-term view.

As long-duration common stock investors, we don稚 see oil dropping merely because OPEC and Bakken Shale have produced too much supply. Instead, we see oil痴 demise as a symptom of something larger: the unwinding of a globally synchronized trade tied to the 努ell known fact stated above.​

The rest of the story is at either link:

Read more: Smead Capital Management :: Entries

Oil's Demise A Symptom Of Something Big - Business Insider

 

[KiotiKowboy]

Good, Bad or Ugly ... illegal is illegal. I do not want people living and working in the United States whose first act was to break the law. I say, deport EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM - Yesterday! If that means we pay more for labor, fine. Politicians who openly support and aid continued violation of our borders are in direct conflict with their oaths of office. They should be removed from office, prosecuted and imprisoned. Either change the law - BY CONSTITUTIONAL means - or live up to the obligation of enforcing the current law.

We do NOT have a "broken" immigration system. What we do have is a bunch of mealy mouthed, self-serving, corrupt and cowardly elected representatives in government. They are used as useful idiots by those, also in government, who clearly have a desire to destroy this nation to instill their twisted ideologies.

If you are here legally. Thanks for coming. Welcome aboard. How can I help you succeed?
If you are here illegally. Get out!

 

[NoTrespassing]

No, what I'm am saying is that we have plenty of able bodied people to do much of the work that illegal aliens are coming to this country to do. Unfortunately many of those people CHOOSE not to do it. I've done much of the work I'm talking about and I know it's very difficult work, but if I have to choose between picking vegetables and sitting on my couch, I will choose to pick vegetables.

I'm really tired of hearing that Americans won't do those jobs.

It seems we are very far from the original topic btw.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

I'm really tired of hearing that Americans won't do those jobs.

It seems we are very far from the original topic btw.

AMEN, on both points.
When able-bodied people are receiving food stamps or other freebies, there should be no such thing as a person who "will not" perform ANY job. No workie - No money. Pretty simple. Just pulling staples out of power poles, from all the yard sale signs, should keep a few people busy.

 

[houstonscott]

Good, Bad or Ugly ... illegal is illegal. I do not want people living and working in the United States whose first act was to break the law. I say, deport EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM - Yesterday! If that means we pay more for labor, fine. Politicians who openly support and aid continued violation of our borders are in direct conflict with their oaths of office. They should be removed from office, prosecuted and imprisoned. Either change the law - BY CONSTITUTIONAL means - or live up to the obligation of enforcing the current law. We do NOT have a "broken" immigration system. What we do have is a bunch of mealy mouthed, self-serving, corrupt and cowardly elected representatives in government. They are used as useful idiots by those, also in government, who clearly have a desire to destroy this nation to instill their twisted ideologies. If you are here legally. Thanks for coming. Welcome aboard. How can I help you succeed? If you are here illegally. Get out!

Right on, if you are ever in central Texas I'll buy you a beer. HS.

 

[sld]

When you break the law to get here, it must be easy to keep breaking laws.

ID theft, don't pay taxes, etc....

 

[dave1949]

Is this oil squeeze combined with sanctions going to be the end of Putin, or will he double down on Russian nationalism? I'm not sure he can be voted out of office anymore, he has wiped out a lot of the democratic process it seems.