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| Home Front: Politix |
| Cheney says Ebay will save economy. (sorta) |
| 2004-09-10 |
| I'm posting the whole thing, because it doesn't make sense. If he did say that in the right context, then he's making goofy remarks. Thing is, I can't find a Transcript to Verify it. And given the great job our press is doing... I don't trust them. Indicators measure the nation's unemployment rate, consumer spending and other economic milestones, but Vice President Dick Cheney says it misses the hundreds of thousands who make money selling on eBay. "That's a source that didn't even exist 10 years ago," Cheney told an audience in Cincinnati on Thursday. "Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay." San Jose, Calif.-based EBay Inc. is an Internet auction site where anyone can sell just about anything, including clothing, cell phones, jewelry, memorabilia, trinkets and automobiles. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards responded that Cheney's comments show how "out of touch" he and President Bush are with the economy. "If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking," Edwards said in a statement. |
| Posted by:Anon4021 |
| #4 I have a friend that has a coin and stamp store here in town. He is in the process of hiring four people to run his eBay operation because it's grown so large. He estimates he makes 70% of his store's income from eBay. I know at least five other stamp dealers who work mainly on eBay and a few similar auction sites, while their physical stores are primarily there for acquisitions and their long-time regular customers. I sell my writing exclusively on the Internet. I can't get published by one of the big boys, and most Print-on-Demand publishers want money I don't have. It's easy to download my books without paying for them, and quite a number of people avail themselves of this option. Still, I get a check a month on the average, ranging from $3 to $10. It's not big money, but many small-time writers don't make that much from Print-on-Demand or online electronic markets. The truth is, the Internet has changed more than just information sharing. Everything that is possible is being done over the Internet. That accounts for a huge portion of the economy that the government establishment hasn't gotten a grip on yet, doesn't understand, and is mainly ignoring because it can't regulate, tax, and control it. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-09-10 7:09:28 PM |
| #3 UPDATE: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/09/10/loc_cheney10jobs.html Video link on right. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4021 2004-09-10 11:50:17 AM |
| #2 It's the ambulance chaser and the gold-digging boytoy who are out of touch. Web-based, home-based employment is growing rapidly and is already huge. The payroll jobs data do not accurately indicate the real level of employment in this economy. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-09-10 11:39:44 AM |
| #1 I think he was referring to the whole underground economy. This includes every thing from E-bay, swap meets, gun shows, various barter clubs and working off the books by sevice personnell. I have seen estimates that this may make up as much 15 percent of the economy. That may be high but if you consider the fact that illegals sent as much as 15 billion with a b to Mexico each year it is not insubstancial. |
| Posted by: Old Fogey 2004-09-10 9:45:37 AM |