Sewer rates up in county

Washington County is raising its sewer fees $10.00 a month, from $28 to $38. They are also increasing their tap fees by $1000, from $1500 t0 $2500. Their reason for this increase is because of increases in maintenance and utility costs. The County Commission said they tried to cut costs in other areas, but the increase was still needed. This increase is not popular with the people in Washington County, but they have no choice but to pay the increase. There is no other option for them when it comes to sewer service. Customers are forced to pay whatever price the County Commission sets.

Reggie Bush's Marketability After the NFL Draft

Sometimes, a sure thing is not always certain. Such a case occured in the 2006 NFL Draft, in which the consensus favorite to be the #1 selection - Reggie Bush, tailback from the University of Southern California - ended up not being the sure thing, as he was not selected by the Houston Texans, the team with the first selection, but rather the New Orleans Saints, a franchise that has the task of rebuilding along with the city that it calls home.

Houston was seen to be a better fit for a talent like Bush, not necessarily in terms of the playing or coaching style of the team, but rather as a large enough market to allow a player of his caliber to reach the exposure and marketability that Bush potentially has over the course of career. Houston is the United States' 11th largest television market, as compared to New Orleans, whose rank of 43rd is the lowest, meaning New Orleans is the smallest NFL media market in terms of size.

Even before the draft, Bush agreed to endorsement deals that totalled over 1 million dollars, as he signed with Adidas sportswear; Subway restaurants; Icelink, a jewelery consortium; and Hummer, the General Motors SUV brand. However, despite these deals, Bush has a number of hurdles to leap in order to reach the potential marketability that he has as an explosive, high talent player.

Typically, quarterbacks are the players who are the highest paid endorsers among NFL players. The league's highest paid endorser, for instance, is Peyton Manning, who earns nearly 6 million dollars a year. Yet, of the players who earn over a million dollars per year in endorsements, there are no tailbacks - at least, there have bee no tailbacks before Bush to reach that plateau.

Given that New Orleans' economy is weakened due to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the small size of the market in terms of media exposure, and the limited league marketing of the Saints themselves (the team only has 2 Monday Night or Sunday Night national telecasts in 2006), the money that Bush could attain in a larger market and with more exposure nationally may not exist where he is now.

Some people in the marketing world believe that Bush can transcend the market he is in and become a large media presence, mainly due to his talent and his personality. Others, however, believe that his reaching a mass audience will be a tougher road, likely causing him to have to take many more local and regional deals before he can break into mainstream national marketing.

Do you believe that being in New Orleans, as opposed to some of the markets of other teams in the NFL such as Houston, will affect Bush's earning ability as a product endorser? Or, will his presence in New Orleans help create a larger market there, both for himself and the Saints franchise?

South Korea warns exports may slow on won, oil

South Korean exports could slow due to higher oil prices and the won's strength. Won is South Korean the name of currency. Although South Korean companies expect exports to continue expanding, higher oil price and stronger won's strength brings less amount of products exported. South Korean companies must export more and more products to survive because of scarce natural resources. However, higher oil prices and the won's strength also result in less foreign investment. These are why the fact that higher oil price and stronger won's strength is a hot issue in South Korean economy now. So, many poeple are worrying about that the economic and financial difficulties of 1997 may be happend again.

Hybrids - The Cars of the Future?

Major car companies such as Ford and Toyota recently announced the increased sales of hybrid cars. The sales of the Mercury Mariner and Ford Escape doubled in the past month. Americans have even shown an interest in the subcompact cars. These include the tiny Honda Fit and the Toyota Yaris. On the other hand, sales of large sport utility vehicles and trucks have fallen sharply. Dodge reported that sales of the Ram were down 15%, while Fords sales of the F series were down 9%. The car companies are blaming the high gasoline prices for the increase in hybrid sales. This indicates that large trucks and SUVs are a complement to gasoline. Since the price of gasoline increased, fewer gas-guzzling trucks are going to be purchased. On the other hand, if gas prices were to fall, there would be an increase in the sale of the larger vehicles.
This issue leads me to wonder how safe these smaller cars are. On an average day, the large majority of vehicles I see are trucks and SUV’s. In an accident, I do not see the Honda Fit faring well against a large SUV like the Cadillac Escalade. It appears that consumers are more concerned with saving money than their safety. If the sales of hybrid cars continue to increase, there is a good chance the number of traffic related fatalities would also increase.

$3-a-gallon gas: Blame Washington, not Big Oil

Everyone has been blaming the increasing oil prices on other countries never once thinking that maybe the U.S. is to blame for the predicament we are in. Well, now it seems that the U.S. has had a hand in the jump in oil prices. While crude oil has something to do with the price increase, it also comes back to an energy bill passed by Congress last summer. The bill consists of regulating what additives are to go into the gasoline and how it is to be refined but, instead of waiting until fall for it to go into effect, when gas prices typically decrease, they chose now at the peak of gas prices. The end result is an extra strain and unfortunately, it looks like the prices could go even higher.

Why gas is 3$ a gallon

To be said in its simplest form high gasoline prices are a direct reflection of the choices made by human beings in the past. Always knowing the reserves of crude oil would eventually expire evidently wasn't bold enough to make people realize what was going to happen. Which is the high prices that we all experience today. This is simple economics as supply decreases and demand increases then prices have to increase. Along with diminishing supply as a reason of high gas prices is the unstable oil business itself. The gas pump displays the unstable price, because any interruption in the process of refinement or retail dramatically effects market price. Although prices are high now, in the near future prices are expected to drop due to the decrease in demand from the high prices we pay now. So we have some idea of the future events, but will we continue on the same path or find an alternate route to the new energy source. My question is what do you think the next big energy source will be?? And will the government set restrictions on this new energy source early or just let the market stabilize itself??

Oil Producers, Consumers Say Prices Will Stay High for Years

In the next few years, people related with oil thought oil prices will constantly stay high until crude output is added or capacity is refined.

According to OPEC president Edmund Daukoru, crude oil prices will be between $60 to $65 a barrel. He announced this, when he participated in a meeting of ministers and company executives, including producer and consumer nations, in Doha, Qatar.

Today, Andris Piebalgs, who has a position as European Union Energy Commissioner, said oil prices will fluctuate even though there are some extra plans for capacity. He additionally said this situation will keep going until 2010.

Oil prices have increased to $75 as 23%more than previous because of the U.S.’s political relationship with Iran, and Nigeria’s decreasing supplies.

Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest oil producing country in the world, has a meeting with China, India, and the U.S. as consumers in Qatar this weekend.

The U.S. and Iranian governments are participating in an International Energy Forum as Energy ministers for three days in Doha

Exxon's Fight for Energy Resources

Rex Tillerson, Exxon's chief executive, commented yesterday that, "There is little lawmakers can do to bring down gas prices, we must work on supply and demand!" There is no way to get consumers to limit or highly decrease their usage of energy in the United States. Instead, there are alternate routes that are being investigated to develop new sources of energy. Exxon is investing over $20 billion over the course of the next 5 years for this particular cause.

Rex also commented that this is a situation that cannot be changed overnight. As the largest American oil company they are fighting to help their customers and the American economy. Suppy and demand fundamentals are of utmost importance in this situation. Oil and other energy sources are high on the demand and it is their job to supply the people with what they need. Although, how easy will it be for them to come up with effective energy sources? Is this a possibility or merely a false hope to quell the worries of Americans for the time being?

The Most Fuel for Your Money Part II

Aside from pumping up your tires, there are other ways to get the most fuel for your money. First, let's identify what things aren't as effective in saving fuel as you may think. Rolling down your windows is not anyless fuel efficient than riding with the air conditioner. There just simply is not enough drag to make a big difference in fuel economy.

Next, emptying out your car doesn't decrease fuel consumption. Back in the day it was thought that the less weight you had in your car, the farther your fuel will get you. This isn't the case, so carry your golf clubs with you in your trunk. You never know when your friend will call you in the middle of the day when you're a half an hour from home and ask you if you want to go golfing later in town. It happened to me once already, lucky I had those clubs.

Now let's see what is effective in saving fuel. SLOW DOWN. The article says that going 75 mph instead of 65 mph will increase your fuel consumption by 11%. Also, try to stay at a consistent speed. Slowing down abruptly and accelerating quickly burns a lot more fuel than gradually accelerating and slowing down. This inpatience can result in up to 37% more fuel consumption.

My theory is that if people were to be more patient when driving, fuel efficiency would rise and the amount of accidents would decrease. So have a nice summer and drive safely.

Guest workers welcome in US?

This article explains the Guest worker policy that is taking place in the United states. Especially in California, this is very popular. Many employers can hire workers from Mexico who are egar to work. Many believe that these forgian workers are paid significantly less than American workers but the example giving in the article lists wages for guest workers to be between $7.50 snf $8.50 an hour. Guest worker visas also allow these workers to remain in the US for a little under a year, mostly doing seasonal work for farms. The question this rises is--will the guest worker policy will weaken the American job market in the long run? Under this policy do you believe that the number of persons entering the US to find work will increase, or it will just happen in the open and there will be less illegal employment? The article explains that many of the guest workers are employed in jobs that are not popular with American in the area. Is it a better plan for the US to move more business' south of the boarder or to allow more guest workers in the US? Would moving business' south weaken the pull that these companies have on the Economic world?

Apple wins iTunes pricing battle

In this article, the music companies that deal with Apple were forced to comply with the 99 cent song price on Itunes, because of the success of Itunes.

Basically the music companies had to comply because they get revenue from Itunes and if they don't comply their songs will no longer be available.

This is a 1st degree type of price discrimination, because Itunes knows if they raise the price that buyers will not be willing to pay it.

Itunes wins this battle, because it doesn't do any damage to Apple not having those songs available, considering the Ipod's success and popularity and the fact that this program is compatable with it. Also, the music companies have more value still working with Apple then not using them at all.

Do you agree?

Jobs Galore in the Sunshine State

For the second consecutive year in a row, the beautiful Sunshine State of Flordia has done it again! Done what, you may be asking? It's metropolitan areas dominated the Best Performing Cities Index showing where more and more jobs are being created in America. The three area's listed in 2005's index are Palm Bay, Melbourne, and Titusville areas. Thanks to the Kennedy Space Center's convenient location, it has tremendously diversified the economy in the area. From aerospace, defense-related industries, to a vast number of retirees, Florida's population and job openings are at a continuous rise. The United States bases the rankings on ability to not only create jobs, but sustain them as well and go by measurements of wages and salaries and technological growth. So the question here is, for better jobs should we move to Florida, or should that give other states in America the incentive to up their standards and better the economy job-wise?

The Most Fuel for Your Money

As the article explains, with the gas prices on the rise, there are some things that you can do to make your car more fuel efficient. One way you can do this is by regularly maintaining the air pressure in your tires. If you do this, you will be able “get the best wear, fuel economy and performance out of your tires”

Most drivers do not take proper care of the tires and therefore has an effect on their vehicle safety as well as gas inefficiency. “Properly inflated tires promote safety, help tires last longer, and maximize fuel efficiency.”

Over the summer, gas prices are expected to rise, so increasing the fuel efficiency of your vehicle might just be enough motivation for you to regularly check your tires. In the article it explains that your gas mileage can improve by 3.3% if you keep your tires at the appropriate levels. Another statistic to consider is that 3.56 MILLION gallons of gas are wasted every day because of incorrectly-inflated tires. That is a lot of extra money out of your pocket that is being wasted.

So what are you going to do this summer? Check the air pressure in your tires to increase fuel and safety efficiency OR let the gas prices take an even bigger toll on your budget?

Student loans - a life sentence

Quite a few of us have student loans and it may be a blessing in disguise. Sure it makes it possible for us to go to school without paying a full $120,000 up front, but it will be quite a bit more down the road. With high interest rates and other expenses involved with starting out in life, paying off the loads becomes a tough task. Students may be paying for student loans well into their careers preventing them from starting a family or buying a house. There are of course, debt consolidators popping up all over the place, but that seems like a small solution for an ever growing problem. What other possible solutions could there be in the future as more students go to college and federal loans are even more common?

Flu pandemic coming soon?

Until recently when I went and heard a seminar at McDonough about a possible Flu Pandemic coming soon, I never really even thought about one ever occurring. Furthermore, even after hearing about the strong possibility of one occurring I never thought of the economic effects until now. Surprisingly enough the article I reviewed didn't talk about the death toll and sickness as the main losses to our economy. Instead, this article focused on those who are not and never would be affected by the virus. For example, this article states how in a time of emergency people act in ways that are sometimes unnecessary and in the long run cause even more problems for our economy. An example was given about how after 9/11 people were taking rental cars and simply driving away without ever returning them in fear that they were being followed and had to "escape" to safety. Another example of a major crisis affecting the economy was shown in the airline industry after 9/11. Sure, in all honestly I would predict that near all if not 100% of the flights following 9/11 would be safe, but nobody (including I) was willing to take that risk and fly right away. The incident caused major airline companies to shut down having a huge effect on our economy. The economic effects on a flu pandemic would have a major effect on our society.

Baby Boomers!!

This article discusses the possible outcomes of the baby boomer generation on our economy as time progresses. The persons above the age of 64 is expected to double by the year 2050 (rising from about 20% now to about 41% in 2050). What does this mean for our economy? Well for starters, it means that unemployment should be extremely low because of the great demand of workers in the workforce with so many retired. It also means that high wages could be expected as a result of the demand for workers. At the same time however, this means that taxes will be relatively high for those in the workforce. As was mentioned in class, one of the main ways elderly will survive in the years to come will be through taxes that the younger generations are paying when they enter the workforce. This impact on the workforce can be viewed as a good or bad thing depending on where you plan on standing in the economy. If you have a job that is already in high demand and do not look forward to helping those "old people" out when you get in the workforce, then you would probably view this as a bad thing. One other thing to consider is the smaller changes this move will have on our economy. For example, the demand for assisted living and nursing homes will rise as the demand for the large suburban homes will be likely to fall. The baby boomers reaching retirement will have an impact on us all.

'Day Without Immigrants' picks up steam

A day without an immigrant is upon us and many business and school are feeling the impact. Thousands of illegal immigrants have gathered at Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, and Homestead (FL) to protest the new the bill that is about to be passed. Jeff Salsbery is one business own that is not happy about the protests going on. He lost thousands of dollars today because 25 Latino workers didn’t show up for their jobs today, during their busiest month. Salsbery is not the only business owner feeling today protests in his pocket, Tyson Foods shut down 5 of 9 beef plants and 4 or 6 pork plants. Perdue farms also shut down 8 of its 14 plants. Retuters a business owner in Salinas, California, said that if the companies ask for immigration papers no one is going to be able to work. Illegal immigrants make up 4.9 percent of the labor force in America (7.2 million). Schools all over the country were noticing an abnormally high absentee rate today. Even people in Mexico City were supporting the protest by boycotting American goods.

Illegal immigrants think they have a bigger impact on American then what they actually have. As today proves some American business were affect by the protest, but a vast majority were not. We need to look at the jobs that these people held. No where in the article did it state that they held high positions that could not be easily replaced. If you don’t pay taxes then you shouldn’t be in this country and the government should not have your interest in mind. We are paying for their kids (most don’t speak English) to go to our schools with our children, ultimately holding our kids back because of language issues. Over the weekend my family had barns come out and fertilize our lawn. A man come up to the door and said that he was lost. He then proceed to ask questions that I couldn’t understand. I stood there for 20 minutes before looking at his paper to figure out which house should be fertilized (we own two). When I said the house across the street he didn’t understand me until I pointed it to him. When I told my dad about what happened he said next time not to answer to down because they always do our house (we don’t have Barn’s fertilize our own home). I know a vast majority of immigrants come here to seek better opportunities for their families but at what cost is it to our society? The government is responsible for people who pay their taxes. I think we should sign the bill into law, making it tougher for illegal immigrants to stay in and enter our county.

Microsoft vs. Google:Round 1

Microsoft and anti-trust laws are once again being mentioned in the same sentence. Microsoft’s new browser, Internet Explorer 7, was recently released as a test download. Google is claiming that the new browser creates an unfair advantage for Microsoft. In the new browser, there is a search box in the upper-right corner that is typically set up to send users to Microsoft’s MSN search site. The search sites are important because of the increasing market for advertisements that appear next to search results. Microsoft has been accused by Google of creating an unfair advantage. Microsoft will release the final version of IE 7 this summer, packaged together with the new Windows Vista.

In determining an end in this case, I believe that it is important for officials to attempt to calculate the implicit costs and revenues that Microsoft will make as a result of the new search window. How many advertisements will MSN now receive? Will the new browser create an overwhelming advantage for Microsoft in the search engine sector?

Personal spending, inflation jump

Consumers in the United States have been spending more, 0.6 percent, but inflation is on the rise. Personal income also rose . So what does all of this mean? Well in my opinion it seems that as people get more money they are more inclined to spend it regardless of inflated prices (e.g. gasoline). I'm not sure how far this theory would go but in the short term it seems to be what has happened. I'm not sure if this is a sign of an economic rebound or not, but if personal consumer spending is up, there may be more of a demand for workers over the summer. So some of us might have a better chance at a summer job!

Day labor -- not a niche market anymore

I noticed there was a post on immigration and I decided to expannd upon it. This article shows that the biggest employers of illegal immigrants is the general American public. People seeking day labor to move furniture, contruction, or landscaping simply drive down to the local Home Depot and pick up some of these guys. So what's the problem? Cheap skilled labor at a fraction of the cost and the consumer wins right? Well not in every case, some business owners are saying they're losing customers because they can't compete with the prices of illegal immigrants willing to work for so little. So the problem we face is, this: Should they crack down on day labor (restricting the market) or let the other companies compete? The day laborers are definately cheaper but lack things like insurance and guarantees. On the other hand, people still get shady deals from contractors while still paying much more.