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

To: steve harris who wrote (308279)	10/31/2006 1:36:09 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1571973

Oh, steve, there must be some mistake. Haven't you been telling the thread how great the economy is...the markets are at new highs bla bla bla. You need to tour the country and tell Americans to get with the program. And those stupid Euros......don't they know they are over the hill! U.S. Economy: Consumer Confidence Slips Consumers, Companies Become Less Optimistic By Shobhana Chandra and Bob Willis Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- American consumers and companies were less optimistic in October, raising fresh questions about the economy's strength after the expansion slowed last quarter. The Conference Board's index of consumer sentiment unexpectedly fell to 105.4 from a revised September reading that was higher than originally reported. The National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said its business barometer fell to 53.5, the lowest since August 2005 and less than economists forecast. A reading above 50 signals expansion. Bonds jumped and the dollar weakened as traders speculated that consumer spending, which along with corporate investment kept the economy growing in the third quarter, may slacken. The figures, released three days before the Labor Department's monthly jobs report, showed more people anticipate hiring will ease in coming months. ``The drop in consumer confidence isn't big enough to imply spending is going to go away, but it does suggest the joy of lower gasoline prices is dissipating,'' said Christopher Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York. Economists forecast the confidence index would rise to 108, the median of 59 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey, from an originally reported 104.5. The Chicago measure was forecast to decline to 58. Contrast With Europe Across the Atlantic, people are more upbeat. An index of sentiment among executives and consumers in the dozen nations sharing the euro rose to 110.3, the highest since February 2001, from 109.3 in September, the European Commission said today in Brussels. The Conference Board surveys 5,000 households, usually by the middle of each month, for its consumer confidence report. A separate measure of sentiment compiled by the University of Michigan last week showed that confidence climbed. The Chicago group surveys companies with operations across the country and worldwide. Any firm, even those not located in the Midwest, can respond to the survey. For that reason, some economists watch the Chicago index for an early reading on the outlook for overall U.S. manufacturing. ``This is a real turn in the economy that's occurring,'' said Kevin Logan, senior market economist at Dresdner Kleinwort in New York. ``Sentiment is weakening; people sense that growth in demand is slowing.'' Gauges of production and new orders dropped, while inventories rose. There were also two bright spots in today's report: hiring improved and price increases slowed. Present, Future Conditions Optimism among Americans about their present situation decreased to 124.7 this month from 128.3. The Conference Board's gauge of U.S. consumer expectations for the next six months rose to 92.6 in October from 91 in September, the Conference Board said. The share of consumers who said jobs are plentiful fell to 25.8 percent from 26.2 percent in September. The proportion who said jobs are hard to get rose to 22 from 20.9. The proportion of people surveyed who expect their incomes to rise in the next six months was 19.6 percent, compared with 20.2 percent in September. The share of people expecting more jobs to become available rose to 15.2 percent from 14.7 percent. Consumers are key to maintaining the expansion in the U.S. economy. The economy grew at a 1.6 percent annual rate last quarter, the slowest pace in more than three years, as housing slumped and the trade deficit widened. Gasoline Prices The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline fell to $2.20 on Oct. 24, the lowest since December, according to the American Automobile Association. The price was down 53 cents from $2.73 on Sept. 4. Lower gasoline prices have taken some of the sting out of a sagging housing market, which has made it harder for Americans to tap home equity to finance spending. Sales of previously owned houses fell to the lowest level in almost three years in September, and prices of single-family homes posted the greatest annual decline since at least 1969, the National Association of Realtors said last week. Wages and benefits paid to American workers rose last quarter by the most since 2004 as the unemployment rate matched a five-year low. The 1 percent rise in the employment cost index followed a 0.9 percent gain in the prior quarter, the Labor Department said in Washington today. Target Corp., the second-largest U.S. discount chain, said Oct. 16 it expects a 3 percent to 5 percent increase in October same-store sales. The International Council of Shopping Centers has forecast a 3 percent increase for the retailers it monitors. Third-Quarter Spending Consumer spending rose at an annual rate of 3.1 percent last quarter, compared with a 2.6 percent pace in the previous three months, the Commerce Department reported Oct. 27. Slower economic growth may help control inflation. The Federal Reserve last week kept its benchmark overnight lending rate at 5.25 percent for the third straight month, and policy makers said ``the economy seems likely to expand at a moderate pace.'' ``It's going to be slower than it was before,'' Michael Jackson, chief executive officer of AutoNation Inc., the largest auto dealer, said in an Oct. 26 interview. ``This economy is going to have a soft landing.'' bloomberg.com

To: steve harris who wrote (308279)	10/31/2006 3:42:48 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1571973

"Just ask Kevin R. Wiskus. Mr. Wiskus is a 42-year-old Iowa farmer and lifelong Republican from the town of Centerville, about 100 miles south of the capital, who is making his first run for public office for a House seat. He became so outraged by his own party’s efforts to elect him that he resigned last month in protest. A mailing sent by the state committee told voters that Mr. Wiskus’s Democratic opponent, a lawyer named Kurt Swaim, had defended a man charged with child molesting. Mr. Wiskus knew that Mr. Swaim had been assigned the case by the court as a public defender, and decided the attack was unconscionable. He is now an independent, and said he would serve as an independent if elected. “I was offended,” Mr. Wiskus said in an interview. “I had promised and pledged to run a clean and ethical and honorable race, and I told the Republican party I did not want any attack ads.”" Message 22959348 You see, steve, its the stuff above that makes me proud to be an American and not the ability to torture others.