"We have become a nation of whiners" - everybody complaining about the economy is just a whiny brat!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Republican presidential candidate John McCain's top economic adviser ... Phil Gramm, a former Texas senator who is now vice chairman of UBS, the giant Swiss bank, said he expects Mr. McCain to inherit a sluggish economy if he wins the presidency, weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners," he said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

"We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today," he said. "We have benefited greatly" from the globalization of the economy in the last 30 years.

...

"Misery sells newspapers," Mr. Gramm said. "Thank God the economy is not as bad as you read in the newspaper every day."

http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jul/09/...ntal-recession/

[Dan J 277]

Republican presidential candidate John McCain's top economic adviser ... Phil Gramm, a former Texas senator who is now vice chairman of UBS, the giant Swiss bank, said he expects Mr. McCain to inherit a sluggish economy if he wins the presidency, weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners," he said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

"We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today," he said. "We have benefited greatly" from the globalization of the economy in the last 30 years.

...

"Misery sells newspapers," Mr. Gramm said. "Thank God the economy is not as bad as you read in the newspaper every day."

http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jul/09/...ntal-recession/

Some people don't quite get the concept that economic growth that mostly benefits the rich, isn't that good for most of the country.

Prices have risen for everything from food to fuel to health insurance. But salaries have remained more or less stagnant. Most people are not shareholders in multinational corporations.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

yeah, stop it already...it's bad for the complexion.

[almaty 19]

UBS, Enron, and Former Senator Phil Gramm

While former US Senator Phil Gramm's wife, Wendy Gramm was a member of Enron's audit committee, and also serving on the company's of the Board of Directors, UBS was a consultant for the State of California in 2002 to help fix the State's energy crisis.

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) wanted Governor Gray Davis to fire UBS, saying the company had a conflict of interest since they represented both the State of California and Enron.- Read Article

Senator Gramm defended Enron, and basically told California that the state's energy problems were of their own making.

Shortly after, Enron went bankrupt, and Gramm resigned taking a job with UBS Warburg as a Vice President.

After Enron went bankrupt, UBS Warburg bought Enron's energy trading operations. UBS PaineWebber which is a subsidiary of UBS Warburg, was in charge of Enron's employee stock option program.

In Houston, a former UBS PaineWebber broker, Chung Wu was fired after he advised his clients to sell their Enron stock when it was trading around $36.- Read Article

You remember the U and US, UBS slogan. Who do they mean by US?

You can make up your own mind, but this whole situation goes much deeper than just Ken Lay, and Jeff Skilling.

[Peikko 1,575]

Yes, you whiners, take responsibility for yourselves for a change and do something about the price of gas/food/housing - well, maybe not housing as that isn't rising - but all the other stuff that's going up.