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.

Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: paul61 who wrote (94669)	9/16/2012 7:25:50 AM
From: paul61	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 217690

WAIT............I think that Hitler tried that "good people" thingy.............you know build the "master race" ! !

To: paul61 who wrote (94669)	9/16/2012 7:26:28 AM
From: Haim R. Branisteanu	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 217690

Portugal Hit by Protests Against Austerity Measures 15-Sep-2012 By Patricia Kowsmann LISBON--Tens of thousands of people protested across Portugal Saturday against new austerity measures that are facing opposition even from members of the parties supporting the ruling coalition. Chanting "We don't care about the troika, we want our lives!" people marched on the streets of the capital and other 40 cities. TV stations put the number of participants at more than 50,000 in Lisbon. The Portuguese government didn't give any estimates. Anti-austerity marches also took place in neighboring Spain. The protests in Portugal were by far the largest held in a country that has been a haven of calm since the government started imposing austerity in June last year to fix a spiraling budget deficit. But that seems to be changing after more belt-tightening measures for 2013 were announced this week, including changes in income-tax brackets to increase tax collection, wage cuts in the public sector and a increase in social pension contributions for all workers. Economists say public employees could lose more than two paychecks out of the 14 they receive each year. Employees from the private sector could lose at least one. "Our lives are being destroyed, and we need to do something about it," said Joao Camargo, one of organizers of the protests. "Today is the day we tell the government we don't approve this program," he added. The measures have also been criticized by politicians, including from Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho's own Social Democratic Party and the Democratic and Social Center, which form the coalition government with a majority in Parliament. Members of the Democratic and Social Center party have urged Mr. Passos Coelho to make more spending cuts, saying they opposed further tax hikes. The main opposition Socialist Party, meanwhile, said it was no longer supporting the government and threatened to present a motion to censure Mr. Passos Coelho in parliament. Manuela Ferreira Leite, a former finance minister and a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party, said the government "is insisting on a recipe of austerity that isn't showing the needed results." Indeed, bailout lenders were forced earlier this week to relax budget targets for Portugal over the next two years, after it became clear the original goals weren't achievable. This year, Portugal will have to reach a budget deficit of 5% of gross domestic product instead of 4.5%. The deficit target for 2013 is now 4.5% of GDP, compared with 3%; and 2.5% for 2014, up from 2.3%. Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar said while the government was able to cut more expenses than it had originally forecast for this year, tax revenue has fallen sharply due to rising unemployment and a slump in domestic demand. Officials from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank said despite the changes, Portugal's program is largely on track. At home, however, the government faces growing criticism for focusing too much of the austerity on workers and not enough on the wealthy. The main focus of people's anger lies with a controversial plan to lower the pension contributions of companies by charging more to workers--a move the government says will make the country more competitive and keep the jobless rate stable. Under the plan, employees will be required to pay 18% of their salaries to social security, up from 11%. The move would allow companies to cut their contributions to 18% from 23.75%. "They are stealing from the people, who already have nothing, to give more money to big corporations," said Joana Martins, a 42-year-old secretary protesting in Lisbon. "The people will be even more oppressed, the small companies will continue to be in bad shape and only the big will benefit." -Carla Canivete contributed to this article. Write to Patricia Kowsmann at patricia

To: paul61 who wrote (94669)	9/16/2012 12:33:36 PM
From: Maurice Winn	3 Recommendations Respond to of 217690

Paul, you just demonstrated my point by failing the Good People intelligence test. To understand, you would need to click back upstream and read what was actually written rather than what was in your imagination. You can see from that [well, you probably can't but others perhaps can], that there is much room for improvement, with plenty of low-hanging fruit. Meanwhile, before you go off and try to read and think [or more likely not], are you really unable to understand that some people are better than others and of extremely high value while some people have negative value? Do you really look all around you and see only a grey cloned uniformity in people? Do you really claim you are unable to discriminate between good people and less good people, or even bad people? You think women might as well just marry the first bloke who passes by when she feels the need? You are obviously unable to understand that some women are able to decide for themselves whether one bloke is better than another. You certainly have a peculiar idea of life. Mqurice