Saturday, December 20, 2014

Six Years Old

It has been six years since I began this blog. More than 125,000 visitors from almost 150 countries and over 3 million words.

My original intent is the same, to observe and comment on things that are of interest and to try to place them in a context meaningful to people.

This has been an interesting period. The collapse of the financial markets are what drove my first writings and then they rapidly progressed to Healthcare and the new ACA law. I strongly opposed ACA, not because of its intent, universal coverage, but because it was written in the dark of night by those for whom it was a benefit. No surprise there, after all it is Washington. But it appears that my observations were spot on.

For example:

1. Economists are Arrogant and Dumb: Just look at that character from MIT. Look at the head of the CEA who kept projecting unrealistic employment rates.

2. The ACA is a Mess: It has not accomplished universal coverage but it has made the practice of Medicine a mess. Just look at the disaster with the EHR, the proposed seamless electronic sharing of health records. Just has not worked.

3. Russia: My concern here is based upon my time running a business in Russia. The Russians are a smart and proud nation but somehow they have never managed to create industries. They extract stuff. But walk through Walmart and you will never find a label, Made in Russia. Why? The Russian have built military systems of the highest caliber but they cannot seem to build a consumer based factory. They seem to be stuck in the 15th century; economically and politically.

4. China: One should beware of linear projections. China has been very successful in its growth thus far but as always there will be bumps.

5. Washington: It seems that the last six years was a period of total discord. Yet what do we expect. They are politicians, they do not have day jobs, and worse yet we have been occupied by the Chicago school of economics. One should go back and read about the Roman emperors. Try Seutonius, it may lend insight.

Let us see what 2015 brings us?