Interest Rates

[TOM4CWB]

C.P.;

The world today vs. 500; then 200 years ago... zeros have simply been added... inflation of currency occured/s... the system keeps going... as long as folks decide to continue to use it.

Is there a better alternative?

Not one we know of!

[grassfarmer]

I can say with a fair degree of confidence that the guys implementing these programs in AB follow the posts on Agriville relating to AFSC/CAIS/agstability. That became apparent to me during a phone call I made to them after posting a rant on here about poor service/useless programs.
'nuff said.

[kato]

Perhaps they should be reading them.

It's a good way to find out what the regular "farmer on the street" is dealing with. The best truths are overheard in the coffee shop, where real people say what they really think. It's also a good way to hear the opinions of people who are not representing organizations that are afraid to step on a toe for fear they will be shut out.

Maybe it could possibly lead to someone in charge taking charge and implementing some constructive improvements.

Anybody out there listening??????

It's time to make better use of resources than digging in the archives. If the programs were set up correctly, the only mistakes that would be made would be the odd entry typo. It's time to set up programs that do not need years of review to make sure they've been applied correctly. I wonder how much it cost to find the $600 we apparently owe from a program that we never did figure out how it worked ourselves. I bet it was more than $600.

[parsley]

New Zealand got to the point where no one would loan them money some few decades ago.

So they sat back and priortized what was important, reduced wages, changed governments. They cut back. Balanced books. Traded goods and services. A Union's value of exacting bloated pensions and super wages became of no value. There was no money. Citizens had to haul out some of their own garbage. Self-appointed government aristocracy transformed into ordinary citizens working FOR ordinary citizens.

The most important part of rebuilding was the change in mindset.

In North America today, the public service exacts proportionately way more money in wages, than the private sector. Unions demanding all the pensions and wages, and job-position creations are making the workforce economically unviable.

Case in point in Saskatchewan is the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, (and rural taxpayers'money) The creation of Assistants to the Assistants to the School Superintendent positions is embarrassingly comic. Each positions could be eliminated today, without any ill effect on the quality of education to children.

What has that got to do with marketing on AV?

Every government union employee shuffling into an elevator, or weighing CWB wheat at port in Vancouver, is overpaid, gets way too many benefits, gets too much pension, and is a liability farmers cannot afford.

Canada keeps borrowing money to maintain a lifestyle we cannot afford. And interest rates will rise. And farmers pick up too much of the cost.

And marketing costs are unsustainable because they become greater than the value of the raw product.

Pars

[TOM4CWB]

Pars;

You totally missed the point.

THe US/EU set the rules... and play the game. Everyone else follows.

That should be self evident. You may not like my answer... that does not change reality!

[parsley]

Tom,
cott said there was no solution. I merely pointed to NZ's solution. It was their ONLY remaining option.

You believe the USA can fix themselvelves by merely printing money. So do many. Perhaps you are right. IMHO, printing $$ will merely delay the problem. There has to be citizen confidence in the US$. The lack of faith in the dollar grows worldwide. The dollar must be valued, instead of re-evaluated.

Government jobs paying themselves unsustainable wages, benefits and pensions is a part of their systemic problem. Union led. LIVING BEYOND THEIR MEANS has been INSTITUTIONALIZED.

The solution lies within themselves. They need an economic overhaul Their citizens need to haul out their own garbage for awhile. Pars

[Kathy]

Kato, if in 2003 you happened to pay "income tax",
note that the $600 dollars was part of your "taxable
income", and if they want All the 600 back, they are
stupid... as you have paid at least 25% taxes on this
amount. When they say they aren't charging you
interest, think again. So give them back $450.00
and tell them you paid the other $150 already as
taxes.

Best way to beat this insanity, is to not partake in it.
We had friends encouraging us to sign up for the
Alberta Pasture Recovery Initiative, they said they
didn't have any problems with it. But I do.

The paperwork states that you are in compliance
with all government rules and regs; you must also
list your "premise ID" number (aka accepting it as a
representation of your farm). I do not accept any
premise ID number as a representation of my ranch!
The only comparison I can think of that will make
people wake up to what a "premise ID" means to me
is: it is just like the number tatoo-ed on the Jews
forearm by the Nazis in their concentration camps.
It is the number which the "powers that be" use to
identify their "serfs". IBM developed the German's
computer system too.

Premise ID is an unnecessary number that is being
implemented to replace your "land titles certificate".
If you are required to have it? then it is a "license" to
exist in this business. The very fact that the Alberta
government has issued numbers to all the livestock
owners (that they are aware of), demonstrates that
their is NO NEED for me (the rancher) to apply for
the number - the government is tracking us by our
numbers anyways. Our business numbers, quota
numbers, RFID numbers, health-care numbers, SIN
numbers, drivers license numbers, credit card
number, phone numbers......it goes on and on. I
think that the traceability program is more about
tracking "us" then our animals.

We won't be participating in the Pasture Recovery
program. Alberta Agriculture and the federal
Agriculture departments should be scrapped.

Kato, aren't you glad you only owe them $450 and
not a lot more. I know some who received big
over-payments and saw it for what it was; they
never cashed the cheque, and yes, a couple years
later the government came back and said pay it
back dear. They just gave them the un-cashed
government cheque.

There is no "limitation" on the time that can expire
before they return to get their "self-determined"
over-payments.

[kato]

And yet there is a limit to how far back you can go and request an adjustment on your income tax.

Funny how that works eh??

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

Was reading through my 'Investor' news letters... FYI.:

"In 1995, the Bank of Japan did the unthinkable… and cut interest rates below 1%. Today, 16 years later, Japanese interest rates are STILL below 1%.

In the early 1990s, Japan was struggling to recover from an extraordinary real estate bubble (like we are today). Residential real estate prices there peaked in 1991.

The Japanese government threw everything it could at the problem – it cut interest rates to zero and it went crazy borrowing and spending to try to keep the economy afloat.

We are doing those same things today in the U.S.

You could easily argue these things didn't work in Japan… Today – two decades later – Japanese real estate prices and stock prices are still well below their peak.

Meanwhile, with interest rates below 1% for all this time, retirees in Japan earn next-to-no money on their savings. And the massive government debt is still there – it still has to be paid back, somehow.

Japan's government debt is now at a crushing level… near 200% of the economy (GDP). That's the highest in the world, except for basket case Zimbabwe.

The U.S. isn't nearly in Japan's kind of trouble… yet. But the U.S. is heading down the same road. The Congressional Budget Office forecasts government debt will hit 180% of GDP by 2035.

So could interest rates in the U.S. stay below 1% for 16 years? Absolutely.

In the U.S., rates went below 1% back in 2008. It is now 2010. And there is nothing on the horizon that suggests rates will be going up.

The economy is not recovering as much as hoped. Interest rates will stay at record low levels until the economy shows signs of coming back to life and inflation starts to appear. We're not seeing those signs yet.

What can you do? How can you earn income in a zero-percent world? Even on a million dollars, zero percent interest is still zero dollars in income."

[riders2010]

I know a number of people that have received this same type of error bill from 2003, some from 2005 so now all the margins change for every year after that 2003 and 2005 is used in calculation. Can you imagine the cost in administration to do all of this the paper etc.? Just wait until the rush starts next summer to do 2010, isn't that absurd 2010 will not be done until 2011 you'll be overpaid and then pay it back in 2018!!!!

[kato]

It's a sign of poor program design when there are so many adjustments. You don't see this in the income tax department. Ever. All these programs seem to be very open to interpretation when it comes to what does and does not qualify, and what the rules really mean. I've phoned a few times with questions, and have yet to find two people give me the same answer.

The last lady I spoke to sounded even more frustrated than I did, if you can believe that. I think moral in these departments must be in the pits. I don't think those people working on all these applications are getting straight answers and directions themselves.

But at least they're getting paychecks.

[parsley]

Tom,

Don't watch this until after your breakfast has settled or you'll suffer from indigestion all day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQqVtDU6nEA

Pars

[parsley]

"So could interest rates in the U.S. stay below 1% for 16 years? Absolutely"

Delaying the inevitable.Right? The debt didn't disappear. Nor the growing deficit.

And if you have $274M tucked away,(I'd halve that number in referring to your situation, Tom), would you keep it in the USA or would you move your cash to greener interest fields?

That's my point. Citizens with money will exit because they can.

The poor-captive citizens, will be the ones who pay. Enslaved.

So much for a propsperous USA.

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

Since I am on the other side.... interest income is not a concern.

Land is still the best long term investment... make a living and be happy! All we can hope for in any event!

If no cash... no worry!

[wd40]

Here's the plan for AFSC - you have the right to ask for an "audit". That will put them in a "tail spin" for at least a couple of years. Every time they do one they come up with different numbers. Go figure.