Consumer Debt, Corporate Profits and Stock Market Value – from 1950 to Present Day

Consumer Debt, Corporate Profits and Stock Market Value – from 1950 to Present Day

Martin Squibbs

May 11, 2014

martin squibbs
Before the 2008 financial shock and stock market crash, our speaker, Martin Squibbs (Humanist Community member and leader) had little knowledge or understanding of our monetary, financial and investment systems. Since then, he has tried to learn about these areas as best he can. During this process, he discovered that consumer debt growth (considering households and government as consumers) can contribute directly, with some delay, to corporate profits and so to stock market value. After analyzing the USA ‘s macro economic history from 1950 to the present day, he concluded this has very likely been the case in the USA to a significant degree since 1980. Thus, he suspects, as we reduce our unsustainable levels of consumer debt growth, it is likely that corporate profits, earnings, and stock market value will be substantially reduced.
 
Click here for a PDF of Martin’s Presentation
 

Big Money Out of Politics

Big Money Out of Politics

Richard Hobbs

May 04, 2014

Move To Amend Santa Clara County (MTA SCC, see http://scc-mta.org/) is currently gathering signatures for a November 2014 county ballot initiative in support of a 28th Amendment to the US Constitution. By eliminating corporate personhood and money as political speech as affirmed by the US Supreme Court in Citizens United as well as predecessor and progeny precedent decisions, Move To Amend hopes to Build Democracy and End Corporate Rule (BDECR), the name of its Political Action Committee. Without campaign finance reform, we will never get any serious reforms in the U.S. Richard Hobbs (the moderator of MTA SCC and BDECR, an immigration attorney, former director of the Office of Human Relations of Santa Clara County, and currently Executive Director of Human Agenda) will present.

Humanist Community Forum (2014-05-04): Big Money Out of Politics (Richard Hobbs) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.