I’m Back!

The vacation was great, though I’ve lost track of current events somewhat. Fortunately, reading the bloggers on the left (that is, the left panel of this web page) and the links therein should catch me up nicely.

Special thanks to Kash for filling in during my absence. I think he did a great job, and based on the comments, so do my readers. I agree entirely that the rising interest rates are likely to be very problematic for the economy over the next several years. In particular, while consumer spending propped the economy up over the last few years business spending (investment) remained flat, in spite of low rates. Rising rates will only further delay the resurgence in that sector.

While I’m not planning to make this a team blog, I am inviting Kash to stick around as an occassional contributor (“Kash Friday” has a nice ring). He knows much more about international trade issues than I do, and that’s a good thing.

In other news, take a look at Voters Don’t Want Bush Re-Elected. The story reports that, based on Newsweek’s latest polls,

“…49 percent of registered voters would not back the president for a second term if the vote were held now. Forty-four percent would support Mr. Bush’s re-election. The poll marked the first time in a Newsweek survey that supporters of Mr. Bush were out-numbered by those who would not like to see him back remain in office.”

AB