tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post116870281499262385..comments2024-03-28T06:32:24.557-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: Iraq - It's all about the MoneyDeuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168735485827908992007-01-13T19:44:00.000-05:002007-01-13T19:44:00.000-05:00Bobalharb, same thing happened in Bremerton, Washi...Bobalharb, same thing happened in Bremerton, Washington years ago, so they invented the entire city of Silverdale outside the city limits, that's where the mall went, and all the military business from Subase Bangor, and downtown Bremerton withered on the vine and became a ghost town.Teresitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05528002521904908827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168735390713665612007-01-13T19:43:00.000-05:002007-01-13T19:43:00.000-05:00Moscow v. Wal-MartWhat a beautiful thing.Moscow v. Wal-Mart<BR/><BR/>What a beautiful thing.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168732149155535422007-01-13T18:49:00.000-05:002007-01-13T18:49:00.000-05:00While looking for some info, I found this, quite p...While looking for some info, I found this, quite possibly the best news to come out of Mexico.<BR/><BR/><I>The Finance Ministry has given final approval for the bank, said Wal-Mart de México on Wednesday. The bank would begin operating during the second half of 2007. Julio Gómez MartÃnez, the former chief executive of Bank One in Mexico, will lead the independent unit, to be called Banco Wal-Mart de México Adelante.<BR/><BR/><BR/>One possible reason for the different receptions in the United States and Mexico is that, by most estimates, as many as 80 percent of Mexicans do not have bank accounts. Because Wal-Mart plans to offer such accounts, local groups apparently had difficulty trying to stir up public outrage.<BR/><BR/>Working-class Mexicans have been largely shut out of traditional banks by high fees, minimum balance requirements and intimidating paperwork. Community banks barely exist.<BR/><BR/>In this venture, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, still might be the little guy, at least for now. Among Wal-Mart's competitors in the banking business are global banks like Citigroup and HSBC, which have made almost no effort to attract the vast bulk of working- class Mexicans.<BR/><BR/>The authorities, beginning with the governor of the Mexican central bank, Guillermo Ortiz, have blessed the entry of retailers into banking as a way to reach people without accounts.<BR/><BR/>In its statement last week announcing that Wal-Mart, along with four other banks, had received preliminary approval, the Finance Ministry said that it expected the new banks to create more competition and serve markets that the country's five dominant banks ignore. ...<BR/>...<BR/>The reaction in Mexico has been the opposite.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer in Mexico and is the largest private employer, with more than 135,000 workers. It has 872 stores, including 502 supermarkets and hypermarkets, along with a national restaurant chain and about 60 small department stores. Wal-Mart continues to grow - in October alone, it opened eight stores and four restaurants - and Wall Street analysts expect sales of as high as $18 billion in Mexico this year. ...<BR/>...<BR/>The Wal-Mart bank will start modestly with an initial investment of $25 million, offering bare-bones savings accounts and simple personal and consumer loans, Argüelles said. <B>The bank could also lend money to Wal-Mart's small suppliers and to business owners who shop at Wal-Mart's Sam's clubs, a discount warehouse store, he said. But it might take as a long as five years for the bank to start making mortgage loans, he said.</B><BR/><BR/>"We are a low-cost company. We will look for a very austere bank that is very focused on the customer," he said.<BR/><BR/>MarÃa de Jesús MartÃnez may take a little persuasion. A domestic worker, MartÃnez was shopping at a busy Wal- Mart-owned store one Sunday evening.<B> About nine years ago, she put the equivalent of about $80 into a Mexican bank.<BR/><BR/>When she went to withdraw it, only $23 was left, the rest eaten up by commissions.</B> "It just took away all my interest," she said.<BR/><BR/>Nobody in the family of eight has a bank account. Her daughter, Mariana Hernández, a student, offered only grudging interest.<BR/><BR/>"It might be an alternative," she said. "We would have to see how they manage it." </I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168730726189163042007-01-13T18:25:00.001-05:002007-01-13T18:25:00.001-05:00Not the finished products, rufus.At least not in t...Not the finished products, rufus.<BR/>At least not in the border regions, like Phoenix or LA.<BR/>We have our own tortilla manufacturers. If there is a need for more tortillas in Detroit, they are not being shipped up from Sonora.<BR/><BR/>The corn is being exported to Mexico and consumed there, not processed there and imported to the US as finished product.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168730470237360702007-01-13T18:21:00.000-05:002007-01-13T18:21:00.000-05:00The Oil companies then have record profits.They do...The Oil companies then have record profits.<BR/>They do not maintain the pricing, only passing on the increased costs of the oil. Oh no, they use their established margin percentages, on the higher priced raw materials. Making more money than ever.<BR/>Believe me, Mexican food processors are no different.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168730049679341192007-01-13T18:14:00.000-05:002007-01-13T18:14:00.000-05:00The price of a barrel of oil goes from $25 per bar...The price of a barrel of oil goes from $25 per barrel & $1.25 per gallon of gas<BR/><BR/>to $50 per barrel, gas is 2.50 per gallon.<BR/>At $75, gas is 3.75 per gallon.<BR/><BR/>Seems that way to me. <BR/>Markups on processing are based on the cost of the product. Especially as shortages are introduced to the market.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168729766247281332007-01-13T18:09:00.000-05:002007-01-13T18:09:00.000-05:00You have an understanding of the Mexican economy t...You have an understanding of the Mexican economy that is not based in it's reality, rufus.<BR/><BR/>It is not nearly as fluid or adaptive as the economy in the US. Credit markets and such are much more difficult to access, for the small business man.<BR/>Local monopolies are not unheard of, especially in food staple production. Expansion is very difficult and often discouraged by the Government, which is often controlled by the established monied interests.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168729305302081002007-01-13T18:01:00.000-05:002007-01-13T18:01:00.000-05:00On second thought, a keystoned product could easil...On second thought, a keystoned product could easily have a quadupling in price if the core product price doubles.<BR/><BR/>I buy for 4 cents & sell for 8.<BR/>If my cost raises to 7 cents, sale price increases to 14 cents.<BR/>It just takes two or three keystoned steps to quaduple the price.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168728971494792002007-01-13T17:56:00.000-05:002007-01-13T17:56:00.000-05:00So, the price of corn in the US has almost doubled...So, the price of corn in the US has almost doubled. That could easily amount to a major price increase in the finished product. 400% could be a bit high, but a doubling or more is easy to see.<BR/><BR/>Revolution and increased migration, both are already in the cards. The existing trends will excelerate. The Federales have taken over Tijuana, disarming the local police. Nuevo Larado will, most likely, be next. Whether that will change things along the frontier, who knows.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168726980765857152007-01-13T17:23:00.000-05:002007-01-13T17:23:00.000-05:00And the fight would continue, there, if we were to...And the fight would continue, there, if we were to out of the way.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168726853014374832007-01-13T17:20:00.000-05:002007-01-13T17:20:00.000-05:00Oh, we may catch them first, rufus.But not in Afgh...Oh, we may catch them first, rufus.<BR/>But not in Afghanistan or Iraq.<BR/><BR/>All the latest terror ops have originated either in North Africa (Madrid) or Pakistan (London, twice).<BR/>Bill Roggio details how Pakistan is still out of control.<BR/><BR/>To my knowledge none of the aQ Operations against the West ever originated in Iraq. <BR/>The Fat Man wants to control Iraq, if he must fight US to do so, he will. But his Goal is not to fight US, it is to gain Iraq. If we were to get out of his way, he would not migrate here, but continue the fight, there.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168725748655399682007-01-13T17:02:00.000-05:002007-01-13T17:02:00.000-05:00I agree, trish, that the Iraqi will not be followi...I agree, trish, that the Iraqi will not be following US home.<BR/><BR/>They did not need to follow US to the WTC, they found it without our assistance.<BR/><BR/>When the Enemy wishes to find the US, again, our forward deployeed troops will not matter. The US troops deployed in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Eygpt and Germany did not stop them the last time. It was from Germany, where the US maintained a large military footprint, that aQ staged it's most successful raid. <BR/><BR/>US troops being in Afghanistan and Iraq will not stop the Mohammedans from attacking in LA, next time.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168724649471325982007-01-13T16:44:00.000-05:002007-01-13T16:44:00.000-05:00DR,;-)By Jove, you've got it. (Nothing new, hey?)DR,<BR/><BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/>By Jove, you've got it. (Nothing new, hey?)allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168724534799735252007-01-13T16:42:00.000-05:002007-01-13T16:42:00.000-05:00Yes, I know, surrender will be accepted if offered...Yes, I know, surrender will be accepted if offered. However, C-130 interdiction does reduce considerablly the number of those able to step forward and surrender.<BR/><BR/>Smash and sift, a la Berlin '45.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168724472892612992007-01-13T16:41:00.000-05:002007-01-13T16:41:00.000-05:00That the Iraqi Army does not meet US Standards, of...That the Iraqi Army does not meet US Standards, of that I have no doubt. That they would roll over and allow the Sunni Insurgency to take over, I doubt, also.<BR/><BR/>The Iraqi Army is mainly Shia and Kurd, with a few token Sunni tagging along. At least that is the impression given.<BR/><BR/>So if the IA does break down along sectarian lines, the majority of the Army will still ride with the Shia. <BR/>Unless the Guardian piece was totally fabricated, it seems clear that the Sunni are at least outgunned, if not out Generaled.<BR/><BR/>So how could they retake the Country?<BR/><BR/>As to the capability of soldiers, as judged by other soldiers. When I was a young Combat Engineer, in the Canal Zone, the US Army would send their best to Fort Sherman for us to train, in the jungle. <BR/>The First of the Worst, the Almost Airborne and a whole host of others went through the turnstile. None passed our local competency tests, though all went home "qualified".<BR/>All were and still are considered the finest fighting force in the World. Fancy that.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168724165649805002007-01-13T16:36:00.000-05:002007-01-13T16:36:00.000-05:00Trish,Like you, I have had opportunity to speak to...Trish,<BR/><BR/>Like you, I have had opportunity to speak to people who have had the pleasure of working with our Iraq friends. Without so much as the shadow of doubt, the consensus is uniform: if after 1400 years as a historically definable culture, these folks cannot function sanely, remediation now is impossible.<BR/><BR/> My question: why are we trying to recreate these marginal, medieval thinkers to our image? Yes, let’s surge. Yes, let’s say to the Iraqi government, we are here in force if you need us, but the fight is yours; get on with it. And, by all means, STFU and stay out of the way. If CNN and the AP have any questions, every puff-n-stuff star studded flag officer will remain mute on penalty of instant retirement. Instead, some perky, female O-3 will direct the media to Mr. Maliki, the democratically elected head of state. <BR/><BR/>We should use our assets where we can gain something, for example, interdicting contraband and personnel at the borders. Oh, and arrests will be rare.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168723027565638742007-01-13T16:17:00.000-05:002007-01-13T16:17:00.000-05:00rufus,Why can't you understand that Katrina was th...rufus,<BR/><BR/>Why can't you understand that Katrina was the worst natural disaster since the Great Flood? And it was all Bush's fault.<BR/><BR/>Seriously, how do you dissuade morons capable of believing such crap? Well, you can't. You just have to outlive them.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168722714582601132007-01-13T16:11:00.000-05:002007-01-13T16:11:00.000-05:00General (designate) Petraeus is the most powerful ...General (designate) Petraeus is the most powerful man in TWAT at the moment. We will soon enough learn his metal. If he is a hard charger, as publicized, look for all Hell to break loose if State starts its usual interference. A word from Petraeus could bring down the government of Mr. Bush. Let us pray that the General is a gunslinger and a wunderkind and that the President has the good sense to get on with the dirty work ahead.<BR/><BR/>DR, I agree that the US effort will end with a Shi’a dominated government. If we play our cards right, we might end with one more nationalistic and pro-American than that of either al-Sadr or Maliki.<BR/><BR/>If the report Deuce has linked is accurate, Sunni leadership sees the handwriting on the wall: their time has come and gone. Whether they will act rationally is another matter entirely. Should they be convinced to join the government, their presence would act to foil Iranian designs. What shallow, bigoted louts they have been.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168721123395087582007-01-13T15:45:00.000-05:002007-01-13T15:45:00.000-05:00Which is why they have to act, sooner rather than ...Which is why they have to act, sooner rather than later.<BR/><BR/>Their window of US vulnerability will not be open forever. They must strike before it does, or admit defeat.<BR/><BR/>I have never been concerned with the "Final Outcome" only the costs of getting there.<BR/>The butchers bill escalates with each passing daydesert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168720587008372932007-01-13T15:36:00.001-05:002007-01-13T15:36:00.001-05:00The Guaardian piece and other that I have read, so...The Guaardian piece and other that I have read, some quoting US Generals, have indicated the Shia militia activity is reactionary, not proactive. <BR/><BR/>Mr al-Sadr has a terrible PR man, while the SCIRI's Badr Brigade commander, Mr al-Hakim, visitor to the White House and host to Iranian agents, plays a more conservative PR game. He stays out of the limelight, when he can. But both men are just opposite sides of the same coin.<BR/><BR/>The Shia, represented by both Mr al-Hakim and al-Sadr, are Iraq. Mr Maliki is their creature, not ours.<BR/>That reality will not change, even if a new Prime Minister was installed. <BR/><BR/>Neither coups nor new elections will dissuade the Shia majority that now is their time. There are no guarentees that the Iraqi will admend their Constitution to suit US or the Sunni, and that's a fact.<BR/><BR/>Any more than the Congress could be guarenteed to ratify the Kyoto Accords or the League of Nations Treaty. Democratic Republics are like that.<BR/><BR/>The most telling part of today's reality is the US Government publicly agrees with the Fat Man. We steadfastly stand on the fact that if we left the Sunni Insurgents would regain control of Iraq. That the Army we have spent 42 months standing up, is worthless and would fall to the Insurgents in no time.<BR/><BR/><B>I find that hard to believe.</B><BR/><BR/>I find it easier to believe that the US Military parrots it's own party line of our Allies ineptitude.<BR/>The Guardian story describes the Shia, both the Iraqi Security Forces and the militias, as being at least as capable as the Sunni. <BR/>Or the Sunni would not want US protection from the Shia, where the two groups coexist.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168719503132190252007-01-13T15:18:00.000-05:002007-01-13T15:18:00.000-05:00I'm willing to give "King George" one more chance....I'm willing to give "King George" one more chance. Whit says he's no conservative. Whit's absolutely correct. But, we can work on his domestic missteps, hopefully kicking him in the "right" direction.<BR/><BR/>It's extremely important, though, that he wins in Iraq. We'll see if the new "ROE" are truly what he claims.<BR/><BR/>We'll know by summer...Tigerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04957481158914778546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168718908866587142007-01-13T15:08:00.000-05:002007-01-13T15:08:00.000-05:00teresita,re: Well they didn't have juice in 632 AD...teresita,<BR/><BR/>re: Well they didn't have juice in 632 AD. <BR/><BR/>But, what about the children? He said breathlessly.<BR/><BR/>;-)allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168718539279330592007-01-13T15:02:00.000-05:002007-01-13T15:02:00.000-05:00DR,If as Mark Steyn writes, demographics are desti...DR,<BR/><BR/>If as Mark Steyn writes, demographics are destiny, then, the Sunni had better get used to minority status. This is Westhawk's view as well. Those Sunni able are voting with their feet, further validating Steyn and Westhawk. If the Sunni can be broken militarily, to the satisfaction of the American public, the surge will buy time during which to consider breaking al-Sadr and company as well. Something tells me that Maliki will sing our praises during the coming months, until we turn on his sponsors. By then, the Iranian/Syrian block might have overstepped their means.<BR/><BR/>Granted, it is dicey, but the Muslims do have a knack for missing opportunities, as the current Sunni diaspora demonstrates. Westhawk, among others, reckoned the obstinacy suicidal. I agree.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168717340736239142007-01-13T14:42:00.000-05:002007-01-13T14:42:00.000-05:00rufus,re: not on CNNOnly American snuff films meet...rufus,<BR/><BR/>re: not on CNN<BR/><BR/>Only American snuff films meet the standards of Judy and Wolf. How are the ratings holding up?allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1168717034656813702007-01-13T14:37:00.000-05:002007-01-13T14:37:00.000-05:00They may try to discard their aQ links, but there ...They may try to discard their aQ links, but there seems no Sunni desire to submit to a Shia dominated Federal Government.<BR/><BR/>The Sunni will give US a pass, if we protect them from the Shia authority.<BR/><BR/>The only hope is to dissuade the Sunni Insurgents, in the next 120 to 180 days, from attacking anyone.<BR/>The Fat Man will not oblige.<BR/>The 80% Solution is the answer, but it will be extremely bloody in the short term. <BR/>One side or the other will have to admit defeat, before the country can stabilize. Before either side admits defeat, they will have to be physically defeated. <BR/><BR/>The idea that we could bypass that part of the Program, and move to the End Game, before the War was over, is ill concieved, at best.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.com