Ezekiel Emanuel: Die At 75

[Polish_Silver]

What is expensive in switzerland?

I do too. I was on a business trip in Geneva in 2004 and thought that if I saved up enough money over the following years, I'd be able to return for a proper vacation. In light of what has happened to currency exchange rates since then, it doesn't seem likely that I'll ever be able to afford to vacation in Switzerland.

I travelled in Switzerland in 1991. At that time, food was expensive, both in restaurants and stores.
However, lodging was quite reasonable in a guest house. Never even considered hotels.

As for the fed and currency, remember Triffin causes the dollar to be OVER valued. If the dollar reflected our chronic trade deficits, it would be far weaker than it is now.

[Milton Kuo]

Re: What is expensive in switzerland?

I travelled in Switzerland in 1991. At that time, food was expensive, both in restaurants and stores.
However, lodging was quite reasonable in a guest house. Never even considered hotels.

As for the fed and currency, remember Triffin causes the dollar to be OVER valued. If the dollar reflected our chronic trade deficits, it would be far weaker than it is now.

When I went in 2004, everything was quite a bit more expensive than in the U.S. I had converted $300 cash into francs and was quite worried that I burned through $100 worth of francs in one day just on food and toiletries (airline lost my luggage.) Not being able to read, write, or speak any French also made things quite difficult.

How much worse can the dollar get? [Let's not talk about the morbid joke about a crashing stock at $1: "It's a screaming buy! How much more can it fall?!" "About another dollar."] I seem to recall Marc Faber saying that in the 1950s or 1960s when he was growing up in Switzerland, one U.S. dollar could buy five Swiss francs. For all intents and purposes, they're at par now.

[Polish_Silver]

Re: What is expensive in switzerland?

When I went in 2004, everything was quite a bit more expensive than in the U.S. I had converted $300 cash into francs and was quite worried that I burned through $100 worth of francs in one day just on food and toiletries (airline lost my luggage.) Not being able to read, write, or speak any French also made things quite difficult.

How much worse can the dollar get? [Let's not talk about the morbid joke about a crashing stock at $1: "It's a screaming buy! How much more can it fall?!" "About another dollar."] I seem to recall Marc Faber saying that in the 1950s or 1960s when he was growing up in Switzerland, one U.S. dollar could buy five Swiss francs. For all intents and purposes, they're at par now.

Switzerland has very low inflation. Have had for decades. It has been studied to death by economists.

I was very surprised that, by some measured, the YEN held value better than Francs. (until recently!)

[Polish_Silver]

Re: What is expensive in switzerland?

When I went in 2004, everything was quite a bit more expensive than in the U.S. I had converted $300 cash into francs and was quite worried that I burned through $100 worth of francs in one day just on food and toiletries (airline lost my luggage.) Not being able to read, write, or speak any French also made things quite difficult.

How much worse can the dollar get? [Let's not talk about the morbid joke about a crashing stock at $1: "It's a screaming buy! How much more can it fall?!" "About another dollar."] I seem to recall Marc Faber saying that in the 1950s or 1960s when he was growing up in Switzerland, one U.S. dollar could buy five Swiss francs. For all intents and purposes, they're at par now.

Switzerland has very low inflation. Have had for decades. It has been studied to death by economists.

I was very surprised that, by some measured, the YEN held value better than Francs. (until recently!)

[vt]

Re: What is expensive in switzerland?

60% of likely voters want repeal of Obamacare:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/...ed_808409.html

[astonas]

Re: What is expensive in switzerland?

60% of likely voters want repeal of Obamacare:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/...ed_808409.html

Yes, the question asked was a ridiculous one:

“Would you support or oppose repealing and replacing Obamacare with a conservative alternative that would save $1 trillion, reduce premiums, enhance access to doctors, and increase the number of people with private insurance by 6 million, but would cover 6 million fewer people overall because fewer people would be on Medicaid?” - See more at: http://2017project.org/2014/09/poll-.../#.VCw3HL7S7hL

If you asked likely voters if they all wanted a free car, with no negative consequences to them personally, they would vote for THAT too. The conservative alternative simply doesn't exist yet, except as a pie-in-the-sky proposal, with projections not checked the way the CBO does.

It is hard to imagine the numbers, especially the $1T savings with better care and lower premiums, surviving a rigorous analysis.

With a question phrased like that, the real surprise is that ONLY 59% of likely voters (60 was rounding up) would go for it.