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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Amy J who wrote (264466)	12/14/2005 7:38:12 AM
From: Road Walker	Respond to of 1572580

Amy, re: "There's a disconnect between the younger generation and anyone over 45 or so," says Steve Rubens, a 29-year-old businessman from Palo Alto, Calif. "Something happened; I don't know when." In the 60's and 70's there was a saying "Never trust anyone over 30". Talk about a disconnect. re: He and others his age are ready to revamp the system, to create a new workplace that embraces both flexible hours and new technology — improving efficiency and giving workers more time for life off the job. I agree wholeheartedly. In fact I would like to see a 36 hour, four day workweek. There is an issue a presidential candidate could campaign on that would strike home with voters. From Profiles of Congress senate.gov Age At the beginning of the 108th Congress, the average age of Senators was 59.5 years, almost the same as in the107th Congress, which was older than at least the previous 17 Congresses.3 The average age of Representatives was 53.9 years, about the same as in the previous Congress, but also older than the previous 17 congresses.4 The average age of both houses was 54.9 years. Representatives must be at least 25 years old when they take office. The youngest Representative, as well as youngest Member of Congress, is Adam Putnam (R-FL), 30. The oldest Representative is Ralph Hall (R-TX), 81. Senators must be at least 30 years old when they take office. The youngest Senator is freshman Senator John Sununu (R-NH), who is 40 and a former Member of the House. The oldest Senator, as well as the oldest current Member of Congress, is Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), 86.

To: Amy J who wrote (264466)	12/14/2005 9:52:23 AM
From: bentway	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572580

Amy, the Gen X and Y's aren't protesting because they aren't facing the draft. Consider, my generation faced being forced into a kind of slavery by the government where we either HAD to go and kill or be killed for the government's aims against a people that hadn't attacked us and we had no particular animus twoard, in a country most of us had never heard of. The only way out for many was to flee the country as refugees and fugitives or go to jail as a criminal. We witnessed the politically connected like our current President use dodges like serving in the National Guard, which meant you didn't have to go at the time. Deferrments were granted by the local draft boards, and also went to the sons of the powerful.

To: Amy J who wrote (264466)	12/14/2005 10:12:20 AM
From: combjelly	Respond to of 1572580

"the issue is probably Gen X didn't have the luxury of time during their school years to do protests -" Everybody has their reasons. When I was in school, it was in the wake of Kent State and the economy was starting to collapse under the pressures of inflation and high energy costs. Upon graduation, we moved into an economy with high unemployment, high inflation and companies were starting to downsize. So it was a cycle of getting a job until the next wave of layoffs and acquiring and sharpening skills to get the next job. In a job market that still operated under the dictum of "last hired, first fired", it was a guarantee. The market was very fluid, computers were starting to have an impact on everyone and the technology was changing quickly. To make it even more fun, employers were wary of long resumes and gaps in employment. So we had other concerns. I suppose this probably explains why my generation, especially the women, went for Bush in a big way. Those that made it tended to have done it because they were quick on their feet and worked hard. Those that didn't, resented what they saw as having the deck stacked against them. Bush caters to both mindsets.

To: Amy J who wrote (264466)	12/23/2005 12:24:26 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1572580

Some commentary [from someone who seems to know what he talking about] about Ford and GM on the TSC website. Please note that while GM is struggling financially, Ford is doing okay. its only in the competition arena where Ford like GM is encountering problems. If the unions are the problem as you and Harris believe, why is Ford in spite of no union/health funding problems having a tough time with the competition? I still think the answer is that companies like Toyota are outclassing Ford and GM in production, in design, and to some degree still in quality. FWIW. Not So Negative on Ford 12/22/2005 8:55 AM EST I disagree with David Wessel's story in The Wall Street Journal this morning, in which he ponders whether General Motors (GM:NYSE) or Ford (F:NYSE) will file for bankruptcy in 2006. Many in the media continue to view both Ford and General Motors in the same light, ignoring the stark financial differences between the two. For one, Ford has made about $2 billion over the last year while General Motors lost $3.9 billion. Second, General Motors is strapped with obligations from its now bankrupt supplier Delphi, while Ford is not on the hook for much in the way of employee benefits at Visteon (VC:NYSE). And Ford has nearly $17 billion in cash and the same in non-finance division in long-term debt, while GM has just $15 billion in debt and $30 billion in non-finance division long-term debt. Sure, both companies are struggling against tough competition from Toyota Motor (TM: ADR NYSE) and other Asian automakers, as well as product lines focused on gas- guzzling pickups and SUVs. And higher short-term rates are squeezing both companies' net interest margins at the finance divisions. But both companies are not created equal, and Ford hasn't even formally announced its large restructuring plan that will be introduced in mid-January. I believe Ford could be a good trade into January as people begin to speculate on the number of layoffs and plant-closures the company will announce. Also, I expect Ford will cut its $720 million annual dividend, which will provide a nice stream of liquidity and is just about enough to cover Ford's annual interest burden on its long-term debt. Position: None