AZ BlueMeanie

The Blue Meanie is an Arizona citizen who wishes, for professional reasons, to remain anonymous when blogging about politics. Armed with a deep knowledge of the law, politics and public policy, as well as pen filled with all the colors stolen from Pepperland, the Blue Meanie’s mission is to pursue and prosecute the hypocrites, liars, and fools of politics and the media – which, in practical terms, is nearly all of them. Don’t even try to unmask him or he’ll seal you in a music-proof bubble and rendition you to Pepperland for a good face-stomping.

Poll: Republicans rooting for failure

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The "party before country" extremism of the far-right is apparent in the latest CNN poll (pdf). Remember when the stable of FAUX News fraudcasters routinely dismissed anyone critical of George W. Bush's unnecessary and illegal war in Iraq as a "treasonous traitor" rooting for America to fail? They are now among the cheerleaders-in-chief … Read more

Where are the jobs? Overseas of course (and you are subsidizing multi-national corporations to ship your job overseas)

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Where are all those private sector jobs being created by record corporate profits? I have posted on this topic previously. The new corporate business model: increase profits, not jobs; UPDATE: The new corporate business model: increase profits, not jobs; and Update II: The new corporate business model: increase profits, not jobs; and Update III: The new corporate business model: increase profits, not jobs.

Now the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, says American companies have created 1.4 million jobs overseas this year, compared with less than 1 million in the U.S. The additional 1.4 million jobs would have lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, says Robert Scott, the institute's senior international economist. Where are the Jobs? For Many Companies, Overseas – CBS News (AP report).

The trend helps explain why unemployment remains high in the United States, edging up to 9.8 percent last month, even though companies are performing well: All but 4 percent of the top 500 U.S. corporations reported profits this year, and the stock market is close to its highest point since the 2008 financial meltdown.

But the jobs are going elsewhere. . .

"There's a huge difference between what is good for American companies versus what is good for the American economy," says Scott.

American jobs have been moving overseas for more than two decades. In recent years, though, those jobs have become more sophisticated think semiconductors and software, not toys and clothes.

And now many of the products being made overseas aren't coming back to the United States. Demand has grown dramatically this year in emerging markets like India, China and Brazil.

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"Companies will go where there are fast-growing markets and big profits," says Jeffrey Sachs, globalization expert and economist at Columbia University. "What's changed is that companies today are getting top talent in emerging economies, and the U.S. has to really watch out."

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A key factor behind this runaway international growth is the rise of the middle class in these emerging countries. By 2015, for the first time, the number of consumers in Asia's middle class will equal those in Europe and North America combined.

"All of the growth over the next 10 years is happening in Asia," says Homi Kharas, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and formerly the World Bank's chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific.

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The strategy isn't restricted to just the largest American companies. Entrepreneurs, whether in technology, retail or in manufacturing, today hire globally from the start.

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[E]conomists, like Columbia University's Jeffrey Sachs, say multinational corporations have no choice, especially now that the quality of the global work force has improved. Sachs points out that the U.S. is falling in most global rankings for higher education while others are rising.

"We are not fulfilling the educational needs of our young people," says Sachs. "In a globalized world, there are serious consequences to that."

Banksters of Wall Street whine: ‘where’s the love?’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Drudgico Politico has one of the most insane reports I have read in some time. Our Betters, the banksters of Wall Street, the "smartest guys in the room" who invented casino capitalism and nearly destroyed the world's financial system and economy, are whining "where's the love?" from the Obama administration. Obama & … Read more

Redistricting update: No change, Pearce and Adams fended off

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by Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings The Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments met today to consider the "Communication from House Speaker Kirk Adams and Senate President-Elect Russell Pearce" – basically, they met to decide whether to reopen the nomination process for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission because Pearce and Adams didn't like the … Read more

Seems it never rains in Southern California (oh yeah!)

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Just spoke with my sister in California who had a heads-up on what is headed our way for the next few days into New Year's Day. From the Los Angeles Times this afternoon, Rain snarls commuter traffic, triggers flood warnings [Updated]| Los Angeles Times: More rain pummeled storm-weary Southern California on Wednesday, … Read more