Category: American Consumers
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on Jan 7, 2011 in American Consumers, Campaign promises, Congress (House & Senate), Current Affairs, Economy, Gas Prices, Governance, Health Care, Nancy Pelosi, President Barack Obama | View Comments
That would be the price of gasoline these days. I don’t know about where you live, but I do know I went away for a week, and came back with the gas prices higher than when I left. We are closing in on $3 a gallon here. The Washington Examiner had an editorial on this [...]
By Larry Doyle on Jul 1, 2010 in American Consumers, Current Affairs, Economy, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
How would you like to have the answers to a quarterly report before other participants have even thought that the activity is occurring, data is being compiled, analysis is being rendered, and the results are released? That would truly be awesome, wouldn’t it? Can you imagine college students knowing the answers to their final exam [...]
By Larry Doyle on Mar 29, 2010 in American Consumers, Current Affairs, Economy, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
If the American consumer represents 70% of our economy, shouldn’t economists study consumer spending as much as possible? Well, one individual, and he is not a trained economist,–he is actually a physicist by trade– has done and is doing just that. Who is this visionary? Richard C. Davis of the Consumer Metrics Institute. I hosted [...]
By Larry Doyle on Feb 13, 2010 in American Consumers, Auto Industry, Current Affairs, Economy, FINRA, SEC, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
When regulators are in bed with industry, bad things happen. When regulators actually go to work for the industry, then really bad things happen. Evidence of this dynamic on Wall Street is overwhelming. Yet, don’t think Wall Street has a monopoly on this incest. Bloomberg highlights incestuous activity has also played out in the disaster [...]
By Larry Doyle on Dec 13, 2009 in American Consumers, Current Affairs, Economy, Housing & Housing Crisis, Mortgage Crisis, Mortgages, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
Despite overwhelming efforts on the part of Uncle Sam, the simple fact of the matter is the program to successfully and permanently modify mortgages has not gained truly meaningful traction. Public pressure on mortgage servicers specifically and the mortgage modification program at large have generated a slight, but hardly significant, increase in permanent modifications over [...]
By Larry Doyle on Oct 30, 2009 in American Consumers, Economic Stimulus, Economy, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
What is the real economy doing? While yesterday’s GDP printed a surprisingly strong 3.5%, are we to take that on face value? If we care to most effectively navigate the economic landscape, we should dig a little deeper. A full 2.2% of the 3.5% rise was directly correlated to Uncle Sam’s support of the auto [...]
By Larry Doyle on Oct 16, 2009 in American Consumers, Bailouts, Bank Bailouts, Banks, Economy, Inflation, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
The American public is becoming increasingly wise to the ways of Wall Street and Washington. Many Americans were duped by financial practices and products emanating from Wall Street. Where was Washington? I would assess Washington’s involvement and responses in the following fashion: 1. At worst, Washington was complicit given a wide array of failed public [...]
By Larry Doyle on Aug 28, 2009 in American Consumers, Bank Failure, Banking Institutions, Banks, Economy, Sense on Cents (Larry Doyle blog) | View Comments
Will the failure of a small bank in a small community truly impact America? Analysts discount the impact that the expected massive number of bank failures will have on the U.S. economy. Additionally, analysts also discount the fact that the FDIC fund to cover depositors of failed institutions is close to zero. This fund can [...]
By Linda Anselmi on Aug 5, 2009 in American Consumers, Economy, Linda Anselmi, Unemployment/Jobs | View Comments
There is a gaping hole in our recovery and more and more of Main Street America is falling through it. And that gaping hole is JOBS. Or more accurately, the place where JOBS should be. The price of U.S. recession is paid in jobs In the current recession, economists say high unemployment is likely to [...]
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on Jul 31, 2009 in American Consumers, Auto Industry, Bailouts, Congress (House & Senate), Current Affairs, Democrats, Stimulus Plan | View Comments
People are understandably wary about the government handling our health insurance. That would be the CLUNKER program. I trust you have heard about this? If not, here is a short review: Okay. I can see some wisdom in that. It is great to get these old gas guzzlers off the road, recycle the vehicles, have [...]
By Pat Racimora on May 19, 2009 in American Consumers, Credit Card Companies, Credit Risk, Economy | View Comments
“Usurers” is a dirty word. In dark streets, we call them “loan sharks.” Otherwise we call them “credit card companies.” It’s shocking that the interest they can charge along with the other little gouging games they play are legal. But we do have little stones to toss at this Goliath…
By Uppity Woman on May 19, 2009 in American Consumers, Banks, Credit Card Companies, Credit Risk, Economy | View Comments
The Senate is getting ready to address the bill that was initially intended but they broke their promise to rein in thieving credit card companies that have taken to arbitrarily punishing good, reliable customers for their own bad management and greed. But don’t expect much So what else is new? from Congress. As usual, they [...]
By Pat Racimora on May 12, 2009 in American Consumers, Bank Bailouts, Bank Failure, Credit Card Companies, Depression, Economy | View Comments
An optimist has been defined as one who would, should a ton of crap be dumped on his doorstep, jump right in and rummage through it, convinced that there must be a pony in there somewhere. I tend towards optimism. So, while not for one second denying that millions of citizens have been significantly harmed [...]
By Larry Doyle on Apr 28, 2009 in American Consumers, Banking Institutions, Current Affairs, Economy | View Comments
Can you imagine putting money into a bank and agreeing to accept a minus 5% rate of interest? Well, the Federal Reserve believes the appropriate rate of interest for this economy is in fact -5%. The FT reports, “Fed Study Puts Ideal U.S. Interest Rate at -5%.” The world is awash in a sea of [...]
By Uppity Woman on Apr 25, 2009 in American Consumers, Banking Institutions, Credit Card Companies, Larry Summers, President Barack Obama | View Comments
Pretty much everyone you know has already been gouged by credit card companies while the Band Played On. Congress said nothing, the President said nothing. Nobody stopped every major credit card company in the USA from screwing with everyone’s credit scores by cranking up their interest rates in mid-stream and offering customers no options other [...]
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
by 
* (Included in the 
* 
.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
- You'll have access to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, as well as ultra-fast Web browsing with Amazon Silk -- faster than iPad. Full e-mail and document access and a keyboard. Fire can transmit what is on your screen onto a connected TV or monitor without an accessory. It runs Flash (iPad doesn't). 
