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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (11916)	1/18/2003 1:50:21 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Jw: All those former Fidelity and Putnam execs may have to unload some of their extra real estate they bought at inflated prices ;-)

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (11916)	1/18/2003 1:54:05 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Shop till we drop? thenation.com Tied to an increasingly integrated but keenly competitive global production system and market, the US manufacturing sector saw its profits stop growing after 1997. By the end of the decade, the gap between capacity and output was, according to The Economist, the largest since the Great Depression. By April 2001, practically all key industrial sectors were suffering tremendous overcapacity, with the worst situation existing in the telecommunications sector, where only 2.5 percent of the infrastructure laid down was being utilized.

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (11916)	1/18/2003 2:28:58 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Ex-Treasury Chief Questions Bush Plan Mon Jan 13, 2003 PITTSBURGH - Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said the president's plan to eliminate taxes on corporate dividends will do little or nothing to improve the nation's economy. "I would not have done it," he said. Speaking out for the first time since being forced from his post, O'Neill said some of the money from the president's $674 billion tax-cut plan would be better spent to shore up Social Security (news - web sites). But O'Neill credited Bush for fighting terrorism effectively and said the president hasn't gotten enough credit for highlighting education issues. Bush has defended the tax-cut plan against Democratic charges that it favors the rich. Besides eliminating taxes on stock dividends, the 10-year plan would speed up tax rate reductions, increase the child tax credit and accelerate deductions planned for business equipment. O'Neill made his remarks during and after Friday's taping of a public affairs program co-produced by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. The paper reported on O'Neill's remarks in Sunday's edition. O'Neill was ousted last month after angering Bush with public remarks that reflected his lukewarm views toward White House tax-cut policies. Both he and White House economic adviser Larry Lindsey, who also was ousted, were accused by the president's political advisers of failing to communicate the administration's economic policies. The firings were seen as part of a shake-up designed to control political damage from the ailing economy. When asked about his departure Friday, O'Neill said, "I was never angry with the president. I was happy to leave." O'Neill criticized the political and media environment in Washington, which he felt stifled honest discussions about the nation's problems. "It's all about sound bites, deluding the people, pandering to the lowest common denominator," he said. "I didn't adjust (in Washington) and I'm not going to start now." While businesses shed more than 100,000 jobs in December, O'Neill said replacing employment takes time. "The notion that government can actually do something about that in the short term is ridiculous," he said. O'Neill said the current 6 percent unemployment rate is "not bad" because businesses are learning to do more with fewer workers and the nation has to account for the influx of immigrants into the work force. Since returning to Pittsburgh, the former chairman of Alcoa has been working with an alliance of insurers and hospitals trying to make the region's health care system more efficient. story.news.yahoo.com

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (11916)	1/18/2003 2:38:42 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Dollar set to prolong its decline iht.com

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (11916)	1/19/2003 4:48:35 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Gold and Deflation By John H. Makin aei.org

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (11916)	1/19/2003 4:56:58 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Report: bin Laden Urges Islamic Unity By MAGGIE MICHAEL Associated Press Writer January 19, 2003, 4:01 PM EST newsday.com CAIRO, Egypt -- A statement purportedly written by Osama bin Laden urges Muslims to stop fighting each other and unite against the "crusader coalition" that is attacking the Islamic world, according to excerpts published Sunday in a London-based Arab newspaper. Asharq Al-Awsat printed portions of a 26-page statement it claims was written and signed by bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida terror group. The letter did not mention any nation, but earlier statements attributed to bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders have accused the United States and Israel of launching a religious crusade against the Muslim world. The journalist who wrote the article, Mohamed el-Shaf'aie, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the statement was mailed to the paper from an Islamic source in London with close links to a Pakistan-based Islamic research center known for its ties to al-Qaida. The letter attributed to bin Laden says, "the current situation Muslims are living in requires a deployment of all efforts to fight the Islamic battle against the crusader coalition, which has revealed its real, evil intentions." "Their target now is Islam and Muslims and not only the (Middle East) region," the letter added. America has come under attack throughout the Islamic world for a perceived bias toward Israel in the Jewish state's conflict with the Palestinians, and for the U.S. threat to attack Iraq if it retains weapons banned by the United Nations. The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, launched after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States, and U.S. detention of hundreds of men with suspected links to al-Qaida and Afghanistan's previous Taliban rulers have compounded the view in the Islamic world that Washington is attacking Muslims. The United States denies such claims. Despite numerous written, audio and videotaped statements attributed to bin Laden after the launch of the Afghanistan war, it is unclear where the Saudi-born Islamic extremist is or if he is still alive. No al-Qaida affiliated web sites immediately published the latest statement, which normally happens whenever one appears. The statement excerpts published by Asharq Al-Awsat urge Muslims to "wake from their deep sleep ... and stop (acting as) rivals and fire their arrows toward their enemies instead of themselves." It was not clear who the letter referred to, but feuds and disputes are common within the volatile Middle East. The statement's author said he was "surprised by the many different controversies and feuds among Muslims in general and those working for Islam in particular. Such a dangerous phenomenon has become the only thing Islamic-oriented factions agree upon." The letter also defends al-Qaida leaders for unspecified mistakes. "The honor of righteous men should be protected despite whatever faults they may commit," the letter said without elaborating. * __ On the Net: Asharq Al-Awsat, asharqalawsat.com Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press