Wait – plug in/portable solar panels are illegal? What’s a renter to do?

@whowasthatmaskedman whenever i see a monopoly i assume the government is "on their side".

that includes:

1 - electricity
2 - municipal water supplies
3 - airport management
4 - port authority/shipping
5 - rail service - both Amtrak and Conrail (cargo)
6 - defense contractors

@SusanInFlorida And in most cases you are correct.. I admit it is a conundrum..But first you have to install a new idea. That government is there not to be the most efficient.. But the most effective..And thats for the benefit of both the people and the corporations..Forget the Chinese politics right now. Look at the economic results. The government does the things that clear the field and prepare it for everyone. The roads, the Utilities. The public transport and the health and education services. And they are subsidized, to make sure people can afford them.. Is that a great idea? Maybe not. But it produces better results for more people than the alternative. Now Industry moves in and starts building cars, microwaves, apple phones and widgets..And because the infrastructure is all over, they can choose the best place, without a tax break..And the people can easily move close to the job and know there are schools and hospital etc. It is more effective
. Its really not too removed from the industrial revolution "New Town" idea in Britain. Where an enlightened Mill owner built a town with schools and hospitals and churchs close by his mill, to get and hold good workers..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman the government should only do things the public agrees are necessary. i doubt if you could get a majority of voters to agree on any of the following:

1 - invading greenland

2 - subsidizing AI data centers with purpose built electric plants, panels, and turbines

3 - giving wealthy and upper middle class tax breaks on EVs paid for by taxes on everyone else

4 - fed funds tripling, and driving mortgage rates to 7%

5 - a national debt of $37 trillion

6 - 800+ US military bases around the world

@SusanInFlorida I am with you on every one of those, except interest rates. In fact, in most cases the government should do the opposite.. Interest rates is the lever the Fed has on the economy.. And your options are simply high interest rates now, or high inflation in 6 to 12 months that will spiral. You choose...😷

@whowasthatmaskedman i'm not sure i want politicians in DC to have a ";lever" on the economy. this is the gang that created $38 trillion in national debt.

besides, where in the constitution does it say we can have government agencies (like the Fed) which don't answer to ANY branch of government - white house, congress, or the supreme court?

@SusanInFlorida Thank You!! And that is why We (and America) have an independent Reserve bank..Powell gets to steer the ship according to where he knows it is safe. The aim being to hold inflation between 2 to 3% and keep employment as high as practical. Its a tightrope act.. And once Powell is gone in may, a Trump toady will take over and drop rates and its all over by christmas..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman how did inflation reach 11% under Biden? who was steering the ship? Did powell take potty break for a year or so?

@SusanInFlorida OK. Lets start by say "Trump bad" does not equal "Biden good".Then lets move to, "America has been living on borrowed money for decades.." And the last President to even TRY to do anything about it was Clinton. And he screwed it up.. But thats just background..
So. Biden.. We had this thing called Covid if you remember. This hoax from China that Trump ignored in his first term. Not Trumps fault.. It hit the world.. So the wheels fell off global trade, consumption, construction, tourism.. Pretty much everything..And to stop people starving or rioting in the streets, just about every economy printed money, which was the right thing to do. But here is the thing. America was already printing money to stave off a recession it really should have let happen, but it was politically unwise. And therefore, to get the same measure of relief from Covid, the USA had to print even more money than anyone else. The Catch 22 being that America already had no way of repaying the debt from that extra money printing. Some other nations, including my own also are taking their time in repaying this money. But US dept is way out of control now..Thats the cause and effect..
So how did America get the 11%? The fed kept interest rates low, judging that jobs ane spending were immediately more important than controlling inflation..And thats what the Fed are supposed to do. Biden had no say. Plus the economy and particualrly inflation have a lag of six to eighteen months to feeding the system. The same situation is occurring right now..Inflation is showing signs of rising and the Fed is showing signs it might raise rates, to control inflation. But that will hurt jobs,a and businss. (And raise the cost to America of servicing all that debt) But it seems Trump will replace the Fed head with a "yes" man come may and lower official rates, which will allow inflation to rise unchecked. But with that lag I mentioned..I doubt it will bother Trump, who runs on other peoples money anyway.. But watch prices rise, while incomes dont and rents rise as well..
So I guess Bidens inflation is really Americas inflation, All any President can do is act responsibly and let the Fed do its thing..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman the fed manipulates interest rates depending on the election cycle.

in years of presidential elections the fed usually REDUCES rates to provide assistance at the polls to the incumbernt.

2024 was an anomaly in that regard. Rates were increased dramatically. But inflation was a huge factor, and inflation had been driven by irresponsible deficit spending on covid items and related government shutdowns.

the economic calculus from the fed probably was the Trump was so weakened by lawsuits and outrageous rhetoric that he would never be elected a second time.

and then Biden failed the debate test, and his replacement Kamala failed the intelligence test.

@SusanInFlorida Sorry. Your opening statement is a terminological Inexactitude. And even if it were true, think it through. Half the board of the FED are former directors of Goldman Sachs. If they were to hold opinions based on their politics, exactly who do you think they would favour.?
And please. Dont get me started on the intelligence in the White House. You arent going to win that one, no matter how long we arm wrestle..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman you attribute a view to me which i NEVER made. I don't assert that Fed board governors - whether from Goldman Sachs or Harvard or any other place - are basing their rate decisions based on political affiliation.

i'm pointing out that the long term pattern of fed rate actions is to serve up rate cuts in a presidential election year. no matter which party controls the white house going into the election.

@SusanInFlorida I certainly did not wish to put words in your mouth. I did express the opinion as a hypothetical. "IF" ex directors of Goldman Sachs were to be swayed, which way do you think ex Wall st bankers would lean? To the Left or Right..😷