brianr - Business

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I am willing to patronize local retailers if their prices are higher than those at large chains. If they're friendly I definitely go out of my way.

Cleanliness is the most important accommodation factor when traveling as a tourist. At the very least the place has to be clean. Then, let's talk price and filter out by location.

High-speed rail should be the top priority in President Obama's transportation agenda. Start laying and rebuilding the tracks!

Starbucks should not serve wine and beer. Instant coffee now wine and beer? Does Starbucks know who they are?

The U.S. unemployment rate will reach double digits in 2009. Awful. We're at 9.8%. This is going to be close.

Lehman Brothers should have been bailed out by the federal government.

Capitalism is the most effective economic system.

I prefer to live in an urban area. I'm young and hip.

Ben Bernanke should be reappointed as Federal Reserve Chairman in 2010. In the words of our great prophet, George W. Bush, "stay the course."

I prefer wine to beer and liquor. Wine snob here.

General Motors (GM) will become a successful company again.

I do not smoke cigarettes.

The federal government's financial bailout package will help stabilize the U.S. economy. Already has.

Debit cards are my preferred method of payment.

Congress should have passed the $787 billion stimulus bill. Economic contraction is slowing down. If you take out the Recovery Acts' contribution last quarter the economy would have sank at the same rate it did the previous three and only a small percentage of the stimulus has been spent thus far. There was a solid mix of tax cuts and infrastructure spending in this bill. There's also unprecedented transparency...go to recovery.gov. I would have argued for more infrastructure and green spending though.

Executives of publicly traded companies should be required to disclose health conditions to shareholders. Steve Jobs is fine - whoops he had a liver transplant two months ago. Give me a break @Apple, why would I invest in a company I can't trust? If the CEO of a publicly traded company has health problems that can harm their ability to manage the company then it should be required the company disclose this information.

Bed & Breakfasts offer tourists the best opportunity to experience the local lifestyle.

The Segway PUMA will not achieve commercial success. Absolutely not. Looks like a very poor, desperate and awkward move by GM.

Microsoft retail stores will not effectively compete with Apple. What consumer products are they going to sell in these stores that would make it attractive for consumers to keep going back?

The Obama Administration's handling of the auto bailout has been satisfactory. Remember that President Bush started this by giving the auto industry billions without asking for anything in return. At least Obama has linked aid with accountability. Since the government has decided it must do whatever it takes to save the American auto industry I think getting rid of Wagoner was a good step and a strong message.

It was appropriate for the Obama Administration to force GM's CEO Rick Wagoner to resign.

The U.S. dollar should not be the world's reserve currency.

Congress should grant the Treasury Department authority to take over non-bank financial institutions that pose a systemic risk. Could have prevented this AIG madness but Congress should also regulate the industry so these "too big to fail" firms can't exist going forward.

Congress should not tax AIG bonuses.

Mark-to-market accounting should be suspended.

AIG should have been bailed out by the federal government.

The U.S. government should try to recoup AIG bonuses. I expect nothing less from AIG so my real anger is directed at those who created the TARP fund, which allowed bailout money to flow with no strings attached. It's another instance where I picture George W. Bush saying "You're welcome America!"

The Bush Administration is more responsible than the Obama Administration for the U.S. stock market decline in 2009. Bush oversaw the Dow plummet from 14,000 to 8,000. There are many reasons why that bleeding was not going to suddenly come to a halt when Obama took office. Referring to the stock market slide in 2009 as the "Obama Bear Market" is deranged at best.

Governors should not reject federal assistance allocated in the stimulus package. Playing politics when people are losing their jobs is not fair. I think the Republican Party will pay a price for this nonsense.

The Dow will not go below 6,000 in 2009. I'm optimistic. I'm telling myself to be optimistic.

Recessions are necessary for sustained economic growth. You can't grow forever. Corrections can be a good thing.

The U.S. government should have given AIG more money. Sadly, we've allowed a situation where companies have become "too big to fail."

The U.S. economic recovery package will lead to GDP growth. It will lead to growth but only when you include it with TARP 2.0 and the Housing Plan, the other two major facets of the Obama Administration's economic plan. And it's not partisan to say we now have a more competent administration in office to efficiently implement these plans.

The Glass-Steagall Act should be reinstated.

Congress should not implement a payroll tax holiday in light of the recession. Why starve the government of paying for things with much higher stimulative value? It would cut off funding for Medicare and social security for a little while too. Also, what about the millions and millions more who aren't going to be on a payroll?

Governments should nationalize insolvent banks in response to the financial crisis. How can any stimulus plan be effective if banks aren't lending? Take over the banks, clean up all the toxic assets and then reprivatize them. It's that easy! Heh. Seriously, what's the alternative?

Pepsi's new logo is worse. I think the new can is slick, the blue and the pepsi font, but the logo is hard on the eyes with that strange lip in the circle. Ugh.

Corporations/Financial Institutions should have the highest priority for the remaining $350 billion spent in financial bailout funds. Need to find a way to get credit flowing again. The Economic Recovery Package includes assistance for housing, state and local governments and small businesses.

Facebook is not worth the $15 billion valuation implied by Microsoft's investment.

The recession is an indicator that government regulation has a positive impact on the economy.