Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LLCF who wrote (58652)	1/17/2001 1:36:10 PM
From: Terry Whitman	Respond to of 436258

Just thought I'd weigh in with THIS nugget for da bears- cache.wsrn.com Have to add my 2c on CPI bulls**t too. There certainly have been gains related to computer advances. No doubt about it. Those gains should be measured in terms of the bottom lines of those using them- NOT by some voodoo hedonic weightings based on processing speed or hard drive size or whatever. SO what if my new computer is 4X faster than my old one. Doesn't mean I do 4X more work. Hell, it doesn't mean I get any more work done at all. I probably just waste the additional gains surfing the net. CPI should compare the price of the same exact goods between one period and the next. These should be necessary expenses only, like food, shelter, energy, clothing, taxes, and medicine. To a lesser extent, services should also be included, like insurance, dental, medical, plumbing, haircuts, waste service. etc. NFW should any substitutions be allowed. Maybe folks do substitue hamburger when steak is too high- but that should not be counted. Those doing regressive substitutions have lowered their standard of living. You're not getting a fair comparison! As for cars- sure they have improved over the years- but in the big picture, what does a car really do better now than it did 50 years ago. Does it get you to work faster? No, probably the opposite- more traffic now. Does it increase you economic productivity in any way shape or form? Not really. Perhaps you could adjust a bit for increased reliabilities (greater productivity from less time spent at the repair shop) and better safety (less time spent in hospitals)- but I don't think it would be significant. It's all a bunch of LIES to allow the gov't to inflate away the debt. BWDIK