LAR: The reasons for Apple's big foreign sliceX
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Jan. 30, 2012
The reasons for Apple's big foreign slice Once a country bustling with assembly lines and jobs aplenty, the climate here has changed and companies are finding better relationships across borders and taking their business elsewhere.
Video: Gingrich and Other Candidates on Housing and Members of Congress on Obama on The Week Ahead Host Frank McCaffrey and ALG's Robert Romano review where Republican Presidential candidates stand on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Tricking the elderly…not just for used car salesmen anymore SEIU pushes new Dept. of Labor rule to attempt to take money away from the care recipients and put it into the eager hands of their "companions".
Economy slowed down in 2011, debt close to topping economy While the economy dithers, the national debt is growing at about 10 percent annually. The reasons for Apple's big foreign slice
By Rebekah Rast
Jobs in America are changing.
A perfect example of this is Apple. Since releasing its first quarter profits from 2012 and after an article that ran in the New York Times, the company has been making headlines. There is no question that Apple is one of the most successful companies in the world as it now boasts a higher value than the country of Greece.
Yes, Apple is an American company, but as the New York Times pointed out, much of its business is done outside of America. And while it employs a good amount of Americans, the number is nothing close to the number of employees it has in China.
Apple is a successful company in every way. Its technology and consumer base is second to none. It is a business model touted as being the best. But even the president has wondered why doesn't this American company have more of a presence in the U.S?
In fact, current trends would show that many companies are taking business overseas — even the president's highly subsidized "green" energy industry. Once a country bustling with assembly lines and jobs aplenty, the climate here has changed and companies are finding better relationships across borders and taking their business elsewhere. A glance at the business climate in America sheds light on many of the reasons why businesses don't fit their products with the label "made in the U.S.A." any longer.
There are many factors that contribute to why more business is being done overseas. Most of it comes down to their bottom line—making a profit. In the case of Apple, the demand to create the latest and greatest of products has led it to China.
The New York Times quotes Betsey Stevenson, a previous chief economist at the Labor Department, who stated, "Companies once felt an obligation to support American workers, even when it wasn't the best financial choice. That's disappeared. Profits and efficiency have trumped generosity."
America sits with nearly 17 million people unemployed creating a more accurate unemployment rate of 11 percent. It is obvious that many of the jobs once held by Americans don't exist any longer as the economy continues to struggle. In fact, between 2000 and 2010, the economy has lost about 4 million blue-collar jobs.
Get full story here. The Week Ahead: Gingrich and Other Candidates on Housing and Members of Congress on Obama
Video by Frank McCaffrey
Get permalink here Tricking the elderly…not just for used car salesmen anymore
By Rebecca DiFede
The Department of Labor (DOL) is at it again with another regulation that can only be described as inane.
The proposed rule deals with the domestic service provided to employers who are aged or who have become infirm and thus need companions to assist in their general care.
Specifically, it wishes to make sure that the domestic companions are not being taken advantage of, and thus have drafted a list of exemptions to their rules and made complying with the letter of the rule very difficult.
One section of the DOL proposal deals with the necessity to adjust the clothing of the aged or infirm person in the event of a change in weather. For example, if the weather changes from sun to rain, a rain coat and rain boots might be required and, since the aged or infirm person is unable to do so themselves their caregiver must assist them.
Seems pretty standard.
But the changes suggested by the Wage and Hour division state that this type of assistance is "permissible, however the Department does not envision this task as being a regular and recurring part of the companions duties". Hmm.
So apparently, in the land of greed where the DOL exists, there is no frequent weather change? If memory serves, the DOL headquarters is in Washington, D.C., which has more rapid weather changes than the set of a Hollywood film.
Not only does this seem blatantly unreasonable, but it makes a mockery of the person requiring the care. As if after a certain amount of times, the companion is rendered unable to help anymore and then the care recipient will need to figure out how to do it on their own, in order to be fair to the companion.
This seems to defeat the entire purpose of the companion's existence. If the care recipients were able to perform these actions themselves, they wouldn't need someone to do it for them.
Get full story here. Economy slowed down in 2011, debt close to topping economy
By Robert Romano
The economy slowed down in 2011 to "a tepid snail's pace," says Americans for Limited Government President, according to new data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
In 2010, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had grown at 3 percent in 2011, but only at 1.7 percent in 2011. The Bureau said the slowdown was on account of "a downturn in federal government spending, an acceleration in imports, and a larger decrease in state and local government spending."
Wilson noted that spending at the federal level had actually increased last year. The slowdown, he said, proved "the 'stimulus' of 2009 and 2010 merely created some artificial demand for goods and services, which, once it ran out, did not create a virtuous cycle of growth as promised."
He added, "The only thing that was apparently accomplished is that now the debt is nearly larger than the economy." While the economy dithers, the national debt is growing at about 10 percent annually.
Currently, the national debt stands at $15.236 trillion, while the GDP stood at $15.294 trillion as of Jan. 1. But the real-dollar GDP number may be revised downward, just as the Q3 GDP numbers were, first from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, and then down to 1.8 percent, resulting in the total number decreasing.
In response to the Bureau's previous revisions, Wilson had said, "the economy in the third quarter has once again fallen way short of the government's rosy projections. The Bureau initially exaggerated the actual growth number by 38 percent." Did that happen again?
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