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| Europe |
| Germany's exports up 7.3% in March |
| 2011-05-10 |
| [Iran Press TV] The export volume of Germany, the world's second-biggest exporter after China, has shown a 7.3 percent increase in March the highest monthly number since 1950. Y'know, I'll bet if we made stuff we could export it, too... Europe's economic powerhouse drove its trade surplus up to 15.2 billion euros (USD 22 billion) in March, official data showed on Monday. The calendar and seasonally adjusted trade surplus had come to 11.2 billion euros in February, according to figures published by the national statistics office, Destatis. Germany exported goods worth a nominal 98.3 billion euros in March while taking in imports worth 79.4 billion euros, the data showed. "That was the highest monthly figure recorded for both exports and imports since the collection of foreign trade statistics had started in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1950," a Destatis statement said. On a monthly basis, exports were 7.3 percent stronger and imports were up by 3.1 percent. "The 'made in Germany' brand is extremely popular abroad," Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle was quoted as saying by AFP. On an annualized basis, the value of goods shipped abroad by Germany gained 15.8 percent in March, while imports were 16.9 percent higher, Destatis said. The German government now expects the economy to expand by 2.6 percent in 2011, and by 1.8 percent next year. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 Who is John Galt? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-05-10 12:28 |
| #9 Frankly, I've never believed that the fellow showing up to work site with a lunch pale was the problem. I always figured he was the probably the solution! (Read Amnity Slaes, The Forgotten Man) I suspect we could all be conservative Anabaptists, riding around in horse drawn wagons and the outcome would be quite similar. Bottome line...it's a common occurrence and recurring theme throughtout history, we've been betrayed by our betters. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-05-10 09:52 |
| #8 The other half is a public that believes that showing up any job every day for a few hours should entitle them to 4000 square feet, Correction - they believe that they should get all this just for sitting on their fat ass in front of the T.V. and voting for whoever will "Obama's going to fill my gas tank! Obama's going to pay my mortgage!". That they have a fundemental right to free healthcare (no matter how much they abuse themselves), Plenty of free food, plenty of free clothing and shelter, and 2-3 60" HDTV's and the cars and vacations you mentioned. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-05-10 08:28 |
| #7 All economies are service economies. Manufacturing is merely a service. There's a limit to the amount of physical stuff the economy demands. Germany has you should also not stubbornly high unemployment, so shipping all that wealth abroad for so few imports is not exactly wise. The wests problem was simple, stupid people believed that falling house affordability was wealth. They believed that debt induced GDP growth was actual growth. They believed that there was no such thing as too much credit. Once the economy is back to reciprocal (i.e. taxes on government created rights and no taxes on trading (selling and buying), working, employing, saving and investing). Then people will start to re-create wealth. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-05-10 07:02 |
| #6 Agreed, lex. But those of us that actually produce stuff have so many barriers up to go into any meaningful office, what to do? |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2011-05-10 05:42 |
| #5 That's half of it, Besoeker, especially the part about outcome egalitarianism. The other half is a public that believes that showing up any job every day for a few hours should entitle them to 4000 square feet, two new cars every five years, a cruise and another exotic vacation every year, enough money to send all their kids to private college, and retirement at 60 expecting 30 years of living just as well if not better with no health care expenses and without having to work at all. Both factors. You can't fix one and not the other and expect manufacturing to come back here. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2011-05-10 05:40 |
| #4 Cheer up boeta. Things are not that bad---see Wisconsin. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-05-10 05:15 |
| #3 We have to reindustrialize and actually make and sell stuff. Why hasn't either party produced just one candidate or officeholder who sees this and calls for it? Posted by Bill Griling5080 The above, while the only hope for our standard of living and (western society as we know it) to survive, is unlikely to happen. Those who hold power owe no real allegiance to this country, they are internationalists, the globalists. They've monitored the demographics and went "all in" for China many years ago. The chips are on cheap labor and the economic growth engine of China, not the US. We are now mortgaged to the Chinese through loans and commerce. How long will it be before we default on the paper and see Chinese oil rigs off our costs drilling into their collateral? The only questions which remains is how dreadfully low will these people, with Obama at the helm take us, and will anything remain? The American diaspora has already begun. It began with the wealthy and their international investments. We are now rushing toward Zimbabwe. Our immigration policy and open border to the south is clearly a demographic tool and further proof of intent of the globalists. The denial of the Global War on Terror and radical Islam is yet another signal of a culture and society in peril. We are to be homogenized into multi-cultural, politially correct, egalitarian oblivion. Decades of half-wars and meaningless 'nation building' among sixth century cave dwellers drain our economy and line the pockets of the military industrial complex. Western society stands on the brink. Rome 400 A.D. is us. I am not hopeful. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-05-10 02:42 |
| #2 Because our political class consists of men and women who don't know how stuff is made and brought to market. Even those of our politicos who have business experience are basically just service providers, dealmakers, other intermediaries or trust funders who don't understand the logic and processes behind creating and selling a P R O D U C T. |
| Posted by: lex 2011-05-10 01:36 |
| #1 Ok, the 'Service Economy' thing has not worked out. We have proven that you cannot have a viable economy if all you do is either make and sell burgers to each other or send and read memos about making burgers. We have to reindustrialize and actually make and sell stuff. Why hasn't either party produced just one candidate or officeholder who sees this and calls for it? |
| Posted by: Bill Griling5080 2011-05-10 01:20 |