Monthly Archives: March 2020

Politics

Still A Trump Fan? – Here’s One For You

So, you’re still a Trump fan? You’ve now heard of the $2 Trillion COVID-19 U.S. stimulus package – right. You recall that there was a bit of a delay in getting it through in spite of general bipartisan support. Well, it’s 880 pages apparently and room was needed to help along the one percent club during this health crisis. Yes. While health professionals scrambled without sufficient PPE ( you will know the acronym now) to care for the overwhelming caseload, while  masses digested news of job loss, and while families hunkered down in self-isolation,  legislators were hard at work fine tuning an earmark to grant a new tax benefit for the richest one per cent of Americans.

You see, the way you grant benefits to the one per cent club is you change a tax provision.  Those earning this kind of money have “multiple streams of income”. Tax rules typically have restrictions when it comes to amortization (depreciation). The U.S. tax code up until the corona virus stimulus package had a limit on the ability to deduct excess losses generated from amortization (depreciation) from real estate (buildings) against other forms of income. The limit was $500,000. This limit has been removed. Let’s think this through. For those real estate developers who are now going to encounter serious drops in market valuation, the probability of experiencing “recapture” on written down buildings in the future during an ultimate disposal is reduced (lesser capital gain or loss), but today they’ll get the benefit of reducing aggregate taxable income by utilizing unlimited excess losses. Actually, not only today but they’ve been granted retroactive treatment back to 2018 by amending their 2018 returns. 

Now, do you want to cut Trump a little slack with his incoherent COVID-19  bafflegab when behind the scenes he was distracted on how to potentially profit from misery with an earmarked addendum to a stimulus package?  

What would an honourable leader do if he wanted to grant such a benefit? He would float the topic to the public, debate it openly in parliament and grant it a vote within its own piece of legislation. 

Credits to CNN and NY Times.

Lifes Lessons

Untimely Elimination of Epidemiologist Position

There was an untimely elimination of an epidemiologist position in China back in July of 2019. You know how much Mr. Trump liked to exclaim “you’re fired” back when he hosted “The Apprentice”. It’s Reuters and four of their sources who expose this stunning revelation. The key post administered through the American Centre for Disease Control was bestowed the duty of identifying disease outbreaks in China. Dr. Linda Quick served in the role prior to it being extinguished. This woman actually trained Chinese field epidemiologists in concert with monitoring the public health landscape. Chinese American Bao-Ping Zhu who served in the role from 2007 to 2011 expressed his dismay to Reuters. The four sources also confided to Reuters that no other foreign disease experts were embedded in China after the departure of Dr. Quick.

Who would have thought during the taping of “The Apprentice” that the term “you’re fired” by one, Donald Trump would one day come back and haunt hundreds of thousands of people around the world whose health depends on the early detection of deadly viruses? Were there other variables associated with the outbreak? Yes. One very important variable would have been the strength of the relationship between countries and the goodwill of China in communicating issues around public health to the U.S. and the World Health Organization. I’ll leave it to you to speculate whether Trump fostered trustworthy relations with the Chinese. If these sources are correct, the World Health Organization may have also failed in its duty to deploy resources inside China. 

The matter of corporate interests in the aviation sector, the “travel bug”, and duties of repatriating citizens, and limitations of airports in dealing with crowds have also been key elements associated with this pandemic of COVID-19. The aviation industry as we see it today and the negative consequences we’ve come to realize were likely unimaginable to the Wright Brothers as they pioneered motorized flight.        

Politics

Cavalier Trump And COVID-19

Has cavalier Trump posturing as Chief Medical Man having made irresponsible initial remarks during outbreak tempted New Yorkers to ignore social distancing guidelines? Governor Cuomo was appropriately eloquent and stern yesterday when bringing attention to the non-compliant social distancing behaviour of New Yorkers

One might ask…what role must the U.S. federal government play in back stopping a “for profit” medical system with idle inventory of medical supplies in the case of a pandemic? Well….when you look at some the spending decisions made by Congress…one might suggest that this has been one hugely over looked budget line item.

Given the character of Donald Trump and his propensity for vindictiveness, it was easy to predict his “blame” on China for not communicating effectively with his administration. Oh yes, he couldn’t help himself from labelling the virus the “Chinese virus” as a reference to where he thinks the blames lies never mind the racist overtone. You’ll recall the remark pertaining to the white supremacists marching against the removal of confederate statues. “There are good people on both sides.”

Instead of deferring to medical professionals and heeding their counsel, he’s compelled to stand at the microphone and spew defensive rhetoric when faced with legitimate questions at his gong show of a daily briefing. After pointing Pence as the front man, his unwavering ego of course demands the spotlight.

As one procurer of medical supplies has pointed out “it’s the wild west”. Perhaps, a phrase which aptly characterizes the White House operations tainted with nepotism, oppression evident by personnel turnover, and skulduggery exemplified by Ukraine / Biden scandal. America, you had your chance to oust him but were denied due to gutless senators holding the party line. 

Economics

Canadian Practical Measures COVID-19 & Economic Crisis

Recommendations for the federal government of Canada in lieu of corona virus pandemic and economic crisis. Will they listen? I don’t know.

  1. Permit the purchase and sale of unused RRSP contribution room.
  2. Permit the direct tax deductibility of net capital losses up to a maximum of $25,000 per year.
  3. Rewrite usery laws prohibiting lenders from charging more that a seven per cent differential from the Bank of Canada overnight rate.
  4. Reassess affordability of Canada Child Benefit program.
  5. Expropriate treaty land deemed necessary for commercial development from which fair negotiations have failed.
  6. Proclaim jurisdiction over tide water ports with constitutional amendment if required.
  7. Assign able bodied unemployed men to environmental remediation projects.
  8. Improve service channels to Canadians via CRA and Service Canada.
  9. Impose and enforce director liability for environmental negligence.
  10. Responsibly incentivize investors interested in the development of our natural resources.

If any reader finds this list appropriate, do feel free to copy the items into a letter addressed to any Canadian politician you deem open minded.  

Economics

Banking Credit Specifics Amidst COVID-19

You’ll notice that your governments are speaking in code much of the time when it comes to addressing the financial impact, consequences to your household, and detail pertaining to your access to credit facilities in the context of COVID-19. Your Prime Minister is once again scheduled to address the nation at 11:30am EST. We’ll see if he get his “head of his a@s” and starts speaking in terms of your household cheque book.

While the Bank of Canada rate has been reduced over the past decade, margins between the “overnight rate”, “prim rate” and “retail lending” has widened. That’s right…the banking system has done very well because you my fellow Canadian has been too happy to pay interest in the wide margins. 

This crisis has hit while you are highly leveraged meaning that many more of you will now be faced with bankruptcy unless your government starts REGULATING THE BANKING SECTOR in terms that assist you in managing your debt. The board of directors of your chartered banks won’t be too warm to that idea especially in lieu of their confounding argument that masses of Canadians hold chartered bank stock in their registered investments.      

From what I can see so far, your government is going to be floating more “paper” in order to free up credit. The term “paper” refers to securities which may take the form of derivative contracts. Oh ya…you remember those – the ones that produced the financial crisis of ’08 / ’09 (mortgage backed securities). Of course your government will also be referring to the “purchase of bonds” which is code for creating new money out of thin air with a charge to your grandchildren’s future.

Lifes Lessons, Philosophy

The Cyber Medium of Control

This is what’s on my mind today as I receive emails pertaining to COVID-19 from those compelled to exhibit their interpretation of this virus in the context of their platform / agenda / business relationship with you / notion of how think you now need to operate in the context of their interpretation of the public health message. 

Everybody’s got an opinion and they have needed to learn how to type in order to convey it through the internet. Thanks god I took typing class in grade 9 with all the girls while my friends took shop as their elective. What were they thinking?

Anyway….I’m amused by superfluous posts and reposts of value driven dogma which percolates occasionally on internet threads. Suddenly an audience is illuminated through a key stroke when the more difficult gesture would be a letter to a member of parliament (yes, I have written them in case you wonder).

Then there’s the internet companies who literally dictate terms and then await the fall out. I guess Apple app developers receive automated bots for feedback on why their apps disqualify for hosting. I’ve had a copyright claim on youtube within the first 30 seconds of upload. They couldn’t have possible got through the full 1:58 in order to fully digest the material.  I’ll be at their mercy with my 28 subscribers having uploaded to “private” never intending to monetize the video.

 Then there’s the government with its tax collection and system of correspondence now pretty much dictating communication through the internet as opposed to a live person. If you really want to talk to somebody, you’ll have to navigate the phone auto attendant just to find the queue to wait in for 30 minutes. Your music will certainly be interrupted frequently with messages of education hoping you’ll  find some nugget of information thereby reducing the probability of being redundant when you finally get through to talk to that agent. This agent will need to provide you their agent ID number. Have your pen handy for those 30 minutes ‘cause they spout it off quickly hoping you’ll not catch it thereby potentially not being liable for the conversation.

You get the drift. We have all these phones now but folks don’t want to talk on them for anything relevant to their business or professional life. Email or text only please – I’m now conversation inept having been raised behind a computer screen. 

One must ask, are we now more efficient? I suggest yes at times and no oftentimes. Nobody wants to be controlled but they do want balanced reciprocation. People know when they are being controlled and they will resent it. When communication is compromised – so is the relationship.

Economics, Lifes Lessons

Newsy Week Eh

From the stand point of the stock market, this is a lesson that so many folks needed to learn. Your investment advisors are simply people with vulnerabilities like the rest of us. The buy and hold mantra has cost you money. You must put attention on your own investments and you must actively manage your portfolio with input from financial people who know more than you. You must be the torch bearer of your own financial destiny. You must be in a mode of “continuous learning”. What about locked in accounts and government pensions you ask. Well, you are at the mercy of portfolio managers but you still have access to your accounts with a right to know what you own.

So….how do I find the time to manage my own investments? You fit it in. You stop succumbing to the bosses request for overtime. You put boundaries around your schedule. You stop being a pushover when it comes to your calendar. This might mean helping your spouse understand that that second vacation within a calendar year goes bye bye.  Boo hoo! What would you rather have  – an earlier with compounded accelerated rate of return and an earlier retirement or that second vacation just because your kids get a spring break?

Now that I’m on a roll ‘cause I put this together having just returned from an empty gym ‘cause of the psychology behind avoiding sweat boxes now that we’re dealing with this corona virus, I expound further.  Have you seen the chart on the Dow 30? The thing has been going straight up for years. Did you not think that it was overdue for a major correction in response to some kind of Black Swan event? Hell….I simply took a look at the incompetence of governments in running budgets given deficits and debts and on that basis alone considered the market over heated. Have you not perceived the weakness currently in our North American political leaders??  There’s another factor right there in and of itself worthy of shorting the market or running for the hills. 

Economics, Politics

Era of Non-Confidence

If you feel like you’re being hosed. You are. We’re in an era of non-confidence and nobody wants to own it because the exclamation lacks personal power. You hate ceding your power and I don’t blame you.  Ideally, you pick your choice worthy battles. You fight them thereby appeasing your conscience while incidentally assuming that bigger fights with more moving parts will be handled effectively by those in higher power structures. Here’s the thing…..the credibility of those higher power structures has been eroded. The affect is a not necessarily apparent on the surface but once you get behind the doors of a broke household or board room…..the scene may look more vivid.

Whether it be a deceitful president of the United States, a government authority overstepping its jurisdiction, a tepid minded Prime Minister, protesters impeding commercial activity, a police department being indifferent, a legal system operating atrociously slow, a tax system redistributing wealth, or an electoral system exercising regional disparity, people in my opinion are feeling more powerless now than in the past. This is my sense. What are the implications of this? Not much happens in the beginning. Fringe movements rise up and energies fade. It’s not until groups in large numbers feeling similarly aggrieved amass that any traction takes hold.

Insular leaders living in a vacuum clueless of what’s being discussed at the supper table is a phenomenon of the day. The election of Donald Trump should not have been a surprise for elitist liberals but indeed this pompous bunch had their worst nightmare come true. The wide swath of political blue painted across the map of the Canadian prairies in 2019 should not have come as a surprise. Elitists again were caught off guard. 

People expect competent leadership with commercial interest playing a vital part in decision making. People expect merit based pay. People expect entrepreneurial risk to be rewarded. People expect their tax dollars to be spent wisely. People expect the responsible development of resources within environmental guidelines along with the permitting process to be reasonable. These are not difficult concepts but the intransigence at every turn by figures of authority mixed with a political landscape of deceit and unreasonable demands by First Nations people are more than just getting on the nerves of ambitious Canadians.