U.S. stocks are rallying today after Ireland announced a new $20 billion austerity package aimed at getting its debt crisis under control. The Irish government plans to cut spending and raise taxes over the next four years.
The move helps the country meet requirements for a EU/IMF rescue package, which Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen says will likely be around 85 billion euros.
Howard Davidowitz, a corporate restructuring professional, is encouraged by Ireland’s “positive action.” The key in any restructuring, he says, is to “make hard decisions,” which it looks like Ireland is prepared to do.
Unfortunately for Europe, the crisis doesn’t end with Ireland. Interest rates in Spain, Portugal and Greece (already the recipient of bailout) are rising. Davidowitz says the situation in Spain is increasingly troublesome thanks to a 20% unemployment rate and housing crash.
Don’t be surprised to see the “PIIGS” announce more austerity measures in the future.
The situation in Europe, and specifically Ireland, is very similar to what’s happened in the United States, Davidowitz notes. The only major difference is the U.S. can still borrow very cheaply. But, unlike Europe we’ve "done nothing! Nothing!" to get spending under control. He fears “the U.S. dollar is at risk” and could face a crisis “in the next two years,” if we don’t start our own austerity plan.
Step one, he says: End quantitative easing and allow the Bush-Era tax cuts to expire. "I don't think we should cut taxes for anybody," says Davidowitz, noting we could have paid for the $3.8 trillion deficit-cutting plan the President's commission is recommending by not passing the Bush tax cuts in the first place.
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God Bless The U.S.A.
I am dreaming, as it seems that a lot of people who did not graduated from high school are telling us in their comments to go back and study basic macroeconomics. Warren Buffet included, I presume.
Davidowitz must think that Palin has the best economic plan. If that's the case make sure you get a second place to live.
Want your country back? Demand a return to the tax rates of the 1960's, when America was at its richest, and the top tax rate was close to 90%. Or, at a minimum, DEMAND congress raise taxes to a level that allows us to fund our wars without borrowing the money, which the troops' children and grandchildren will have to re-pay. A 'Support Our Troops' sticker is meaningless, if you want to keep YOUR taxes low, so the people fighting's children can pay for the troops you claim to support.
Don't like 'Obamacare'? The solution is simple: end ALL 911 emergency services, and hospital visits for the uninsured. Right now we spend 18% of GDP treating the poor and uninsured. Health care reform drops that number and takes $1 trillion off the deficit. The only other alternative is to let the poor and uninsured die in the parking lot, as opposed to having people like me pay the bill for their ambulance rides and emergency room visits. I'll kick in for their insurance, but I will no longer foot the whole bill.
ve said weve been bankrupt 4 2 years now, vted 4 obama 1st time but not the next time. just keeps spending more, plus the obama care will prove 2 be a DISASTER
please i need your help people i need to come to american but i dont have money people over their help me god wil continue to help american president
Stop talking about "cutting taxes". You are talking about "raising taxes" when you let previous cuts expire. The "Bush Tax Cuts" have been in place for 10 years. Letting them expire is a tax increase. 100 years ago the tax rate was much lower. Political semantics aside, when is it enough. 35% Fed rate is not enough, but somehow taxing those with the highest income 39.5% will do the trick. On top of State taxes in California that are 9% and rising almost for sure, the highest earners and producers will now pay 50% of their income to support the non-producers and government employees and teachers and the entitlement society. This will fail. CUT SPENDING! Socialism does not work. Capitalism does. Those who produce will stop working and we will have no one who cares or works and we will have a Communist State in which those in government will be the spoiled ones. PLEASE don't turn America into China and Cuba and Russia and France and Ireland and Greece! Doesn't anybody see the march's and picketing and suffering and pain there? Socialism DOES NOT WORK. Government needs to get out of the way and the people need to get to work and produce and prosper. If we allow Socialism to continue to grow, we will be doomed to socialism forever and a nightmare in our world. Cut government spending in America! Stop being dependant on the government. Reduce taxes. Everybody just become productive and accountable for your own decisions and effort. That is what built America and what will rebuild it. Don't kill America!
The US has full control over its monetary policy. This sort of thing won't happen since unlike Ireland who cannot devalue its currency to pay off debt, we can. While we should enact measure to cut budgets and get spending in line with expenditures and maybe payoff debt. Doing so in a recession makes it worse. You need government spending to jump start economic growth. You'd hope it would be investment spending. Making better priorities is a must. The rest of this guys comments are dumb. Did this guy study economics or is he another hedge fund d bag? I vote the other who cheated on tests his rich daddy paid him to get a fancy ivy league degree. Then yahoo hired him. Because idiots hire other idiots.
The EU has set aside a trillion for bailouts and can go to th IMF for help. Ireland will need less than Greece did. The other piigs may pull through without bailouts. We saw the euro rebound after the Greece crisis went away in May. This will happen again. N.Korea makes gestures. There will be no invasion of the South. I am sick of the hysteria. Don't sell.
Read Karlgaards article in Forbes. The US economy swung into the black this year. Corporations are sitting on 3 trillion now. Everything is coming up roses, albeit slowly. As an investor I want to know if the economy will be able to continue to make its contribution to earnings. Next year this may be as low as 30% of the total revenues of large caps. The unreported economy will overtake the reported within a few years. it is burgeoning as the 17% join its ranks. The cheap dollar and global growth of 4.8% will mean that large caps may earn 60% of their revenues abroad next year. Up from 50%. We are entering a golden age for investors.
What does our debt have to do with this? Not much. It may result in more devaluation of the dollar. The Fed will devalue it to 10 cents before we become insolvent. I told peeps here 6 weeks ago to put their cash in XOM with me. Just do what I tell you. Don't sell.Our debt is peanuts compared to what it was in1945. If Chubby Checkers is right we can pay it off with a modest increase in taxes. Cool but not now while the economy is levitating and everyone is holding his breath.
Peeps are hysterical but they always come to their senses. Don't sell. It will become obvious to everyone that blue skies are smiling and the DOW may jump 300 points in a day.
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