Real Life Lessons from the Chairman of McDuck Enterprises
Scrooge McDuck didn't believe in Reagan’s “trickle down” economics. He believed in something called “trickle back” economics.
“When (Scrooge) pays his nephews their wages of thirty cents an hour he knows they will use the money to buy tall, fizzy sodas at the nearest soda fountain.
Then the soda fountain people will use the money to buy more fizzy ingredients at the chemical factories, and the chemical factory people will buy their ingredients from the coal tar factories - and who owns the coal tar factories? Uncle Scrooge!
By the time those thirty cents have trickled back to Uncle Scrooge they have grown to sixty cents.”

If this system REALLY WORKS why is Cuba, Venezuela, Greece and so many other 'tax til you bleed' socialist economies in need of financial bailout? And who bails them out when there are no more 'fat cats'?

Sweden seems to work.

This plan does not add to the deficit, it should put the Government on a much needed fiscal diet, but it won't because that's the way Government Budgets work. Every bureau and department spends the last few weeks of every fiscal period frantically buying anything so there is no surplus of funds left. They feel their budget will be reduced if they don't spend it all.
Which is what SHOULD HAPPEN!

You describe a flawed system, the budgetary process our partisan politics has come up with

And $800,000 a year city managers...............Bell CA.

You seem to think all people are corrupt.

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Comments from some the US's biggest at https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/business/corporations-tax-cut-gop-tax-bill/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_tax-corporations-545pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.3d6b44a93b28 most mention larger payouts to shareholders.

As to be expected, er required by the fiduciary duty to the shareholder. Since 95% of that stock is owned by wall street investment banks that gift will be used to bump up stock prices. Perhaps your 401(k) statement might thank you, but by the time you need to draw out money the effect will be long gone.

Is it my imagination or do most stocks not even pay dividends these days?

Is it my imagination or do most stocks not even pay dividends these days?

Don't know what % do or don't but there are many that do. Perhaps it might be better to say sexy startup companies don't pay dividends. And for a while the DRP's lost its cachet.

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If this system REALLY WORKS why is Cuba, Venezuela, Greece and so many other 'tax til you bleed' socialist economies in need of financial bailout? And who bails them out when there are no more 'fat cats'?

Sweden seems to work.

What? Sweden a socialist country? Since when?
Nevermind although both Donald Trump and his father Fred hold Sweden as a role model when convenient:)

Is it my imagination or do most stocks not even pay dividends these days?

Don't know what % do or don't but there are many that do. Perhaps it might be better to say sexy startup companies don't pay dividends. And for a while the DRP's lost its cachet.

Nasdaq has a dividend calendar somewhere. I assume other markets also publish dividends.

edit] BAE has been paying out about 20p/share/year for the last few years

Is it my imagination or do most stocks not even pay dividends these days?

My ordinary middle of the road ICMA 457 is paying. It is growing faster than it is paying out.

Cumulative Returns for All Funds within All Your Plans from 01/01/2017 through 12/19/2017 Your cumulative personal rate of return during this period: 21.6%

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What? Sweden a socialist country? Since when?

Jan there are differing degrees of socialism or most any other ism. My impression is that Sweden has a very strong social safety network. Most in this country feel that is a degree of socialism, certainly Eye would most probably. True as far as I know neither the workers or government owns the capital to any degree. Correct me if I'm wrong.

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...Donald Trump and his father Fred hold Sweden as a role model when convenient:)

The Donald, who I never met and his father (who I met a couple of times), are Capitalists :) :)

And there are a couple of Swedes (There are about 10 millions of us) that are stinking rich:)
The world's richest Swedish according to Forbes is Stefan Persson, ranked number 43 with $ 19.6 billion, followed by Hans Rausing in place 96 with $ 12.5 billion.
The Week's Business, however, continues to count Ingvar Kamprad as sole owner of IKEA with a fortune of about $ 78 billion, despite the clever layout of foreign ownership foundations that formally control the company. It would place him as number three on Forbes list 2017.

My impression is that Sweden has a very strong social safety network.

We have a social safety network but not very strong.
We have about the same level of social safety network as Britain.
And many other countries here in Europe.
Free schools, Almost free healthcare.
Care of the eldery. (Well that has changed the last two decades to the worse.)
The cost is of course high taxes but every political party, left and right, agree too that because it works.

We have a social safety network but not very strong.

Jan, there are many who consider any social safety network to be socialism. Read The Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I read them when I was 14 years old and they made perfect sense, not so much now.

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Jan, there are many who consider any social safety network to be socialism.

Hehe:) Most of them live in the US not in Europe.
Ayn Rand?
I will start with this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ooKsv_SX4Y

Hehe:) Most of them live in the US not in Europe.

True, but that is where I live.

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Rich Angelas were handed a stack of Benjamins.

Boeing.
Comcast.
FedEx.
South West Airlines.
Fifth Third Bank.
AT&T.
Wells Fargo.

Each have already announced either employee bonuses, higher pay and an increase in the minimum wage or all three.

That's so far. 1 day after the passage of the GOP ONLY supported tax bill.

Looks to me like the 'trickle' is working nicely so far.

Angela, let's table this discussion and resume next November, right after the election. If the Pelosi/Schumer Armageddon takes place and my expectations of a resurgence of American jobs and prosperity doesn't occur, I will concede the validity of your viewpoint.

If however the Economy does achieve 3% or more in growth for the first three quarters of 2018, I would expect the same concession from you.

As I posted earlier, time will tell. Just as it did with Obummercare.
"Insurance premiums will decrease for each family".
"You can keep your Doctor or Hospital".
"Healthcare costs will be reduced".

After the Election it should be apparent which side of the discussion The People(not the Media or any party leader) agree with.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

Then, and only then, we can turn our attention to this Constitutional Question: Should Trump be re-elected?

Constitutional Question? He is allowed 2 terms. He is not being anointed Emperor.

In My HONEST Opinion, I don't particularly care if the 'man' is re-elected or not.

I would like a Conservative candidate to be elected, but it matters far less than gaining a larger majority in both houses of Congress.

And far less than spreading Conservative philosophy throughout local governments.

And very much less than appointing Judges to the Federal and Supreme Courts who are NEUTRAL in their opinions politically but firmly based on the laws and Constitution of this country.

My hopes for the Election of Trump were:

a) To maintain equality in SCOTUS by nominating and confirming a Justice in the same mold as Scalia.

b) To dismantle and replace the Obamanation referred to (now sarcastically) as the AFFORDABLE Health Care Act.

c) Reduction of the tax burden on the American people and American corporations to spur growth above the death spiral level and promote higher wages and more jobs.

Two of these hopes are now totally fulfilled and one partially fulfilled by the elimination of the mandated taxes(actually fines) for not buying into the Obummercare lie.

And that's just the first 11 months of this Administration.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

Leave the bonuses out of the equation. You cannot plan on getting a bonus every year.

Bonuses ARE part of the equation.

The contention was the reduction in taxation would not be passed 'down' the chain but would be gobbled 'up' if you will.

The bonuses will be spent by the recipients injecting that money into the economy, whether once or once a year.
Again time will tell regarding the tax changes, the "Great Oracles" have been wrong more than right as history points out repeatedly.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

Trump's Christmas present to the United Nations.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that back a United Nations resolution opposing the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42431095

The Palestinians called for the meeting after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution, which affirmed that any decisions on the status of Jerusalem were "null and void and must be rescinded", and urged all states to "refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the holy city".
The other 14 members of the Security Council voted in favour of the draft, but Ms Haley described it as an "insult".
Ms Haley echoed the warning on Twitter, writing: "The US will be taking names."

128 countries just landed on Trump’s naughty list and only 9 backed them (including 7 very small countries that rely on handouts, of cause Israel was the other).

It should've been 129, but our current gutless right wing government decided to abstain going against the general opinion down here. 34 other countries also abstained.

Cheers.

A threat from Trump himself, who mentioned the UN vote at a Wednesday Cabinet meeting. "We're watching those votes," the President said. "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot. We don't care."

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the US will put its embassy in Jerusalem regardless of the vote.

John Brennan, who served as CIA director under President Obama: "Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous. Shows @realDonaldTrump expects blind loyalty and subservience from everyone—qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats."