More on Coporate Profit
I have often heard arguments that the American people have been bamboozled into believing that Iraq was involved in 9/11. Mostly liberals use this argument as way of showing how the right has perpuated such lies to trick the country into going to war.
This editoral, via instapundit, shows another myth that has tricked the american people.
One regular survey of Americans found that the majority believes the average corporate profit is between 30 percent and 40 percent of sales, while the real figure is closer to 4 percent.
If the right is guilty of perpetuating a lie about the connection between Iraq and 9/11 then the left is guilty of perpetuating a lie about coporate profits.
May 1st, 2006 at 9:28 am
Of course the left does it’s best to make people believe what it wants in the same way the right does. And if you show me the quote from the guy whotold americans that corporate profits are 40% of sales, I’d happily join you in denoncing him. What I don’t understand is why you won’t join in my outrage when you hear that “A New York Times/CBS poll this week shows that 45 percent of Americans believe Mr. Hussein was “personally involved” in Sept. 11″ and instead try to defend the administration’s actions.
Also, completely unrelated, I wonder whether most people’s assumptions about what is meant by ‘profit’ is the same definiteion being used by the 4% figure… alot of statistics are always offered to show how ’stupid’ the american public is, but they’re ussually just a demonstration of how easy it is to lie with statistics.
May 1st, 2006 at 10:20 am
My outrage is commensurate with my percieved reliablity of those sponsoring the survey.
This is unrelated too. I wonder how much variation there is on the meaning of ‘personally involved’ in that survey?
May 2nd, 2006 at 6:27 am
That’s funny since your original source didn’t even cite where the 4% figure came from. ALso I didn’t realize our debates in hte past had stemmed from the fact that you didn’t believe the 45% statistic. But if the 45% statistic were correct you’d be as outraged at the bush administration for misleading the american people on that as you are at the liberals for misleading the american public about corporate profits?
May 4th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
What the hell’s a “Cop-o-rate”? Some kind of citizen review for police departments?
May 5th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
Profit, pro’fit’ Any advantage, benefit or gain: pecuniary gain.- To benefit: to advance - vi. To derive profit: to improve: to be made better or wiser.
So many ways to define “profit”. What is the background on the survey administrators.
Each market has a different set of problems to overcome in marketing it’s products. So should a market that is hard to sell get more profit for it products than one that is easy to sell. Should a product that is perishable get a larger profit, etc.
Depending on what market you are talking about and how you figure production costs I have heard of everything from a penny on the dollar to 90% + profit ( anti-gambling figures for Casinos).
Every one knows that it was our northern border that was used by the terrorist of 911 to enter our country so whats all this talk about a fence to protect us from the south. Some say it’s just politics. I think it’s a plan to make it harder for products produced in southern countries to be marketed in America so that right
wing cop-o-rate-shauns can get higher profits. Something us middle of the roaders would never due.
May 6th, 2006 at 7:28 am
In a properly running free market profit is the excess value above and beyond the cost of producing the item that consumers are willing to pay to acquire that item.
In other words profit is set by the market and not by anyone person.
May 6th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
What if it is not proper?
May 7th, 2006 at 7:53 am
You mean when laboor unions control the supply of the labor and force companies to pay inflated prices for their labor? Thats when you get a strong president like Reagan to bust up those unions to restore the market to the proper level.
May 7th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
And the difference between many (union-forced) controling the mkt and a few(corp-oil not inflating prices) is what….the terrible need of 3 people to have 60 billion( doesn’t seem Like that much now that they are thinking of raising the minimum up to 5.52 every hr. that’s probably why the ceo of shell only got 300 million retirement bonus- somebody tell me if that was more or less than Mexico gross national product last year. )- but you saved 22 pennies on your last purchase and were paid 3-times less as much with inflation adjustment to your income.
Seems so easy to distort info in our Free Press if you have the power or will (money-I mean republican free speech) to do it. Thank nixon for teaching those folks who used to chant “power to the people” that you are only a tool for the money people( Nixon was a #1 tool). I can’t but wonder what happen to the short work weeks and high pay we were told would be happening because of shortage of workers when baby boomers started retiring.
PS.. Watched today Meet the press and was taught that myth that the bigger the vehicle the safer it is, again…by a group of folks supposed to be highly intelligent (always wondered how to measured that. Is money the only ruler)..That must be why all those stock car racers walk away from those high speed crashes with concrete abutments on race tracks after hitting them at 170 to 240 mph with their cars that probably weight 25% less that a stock 4-door sedan.
Now I know why I should trade my beloved fiero in for a poor handling SUV that can’t get out of it’s own way or pass a petroleum station /without rolling over, so I can carry 2 to 9-people pull a boat or some other important thing twice each year. Don’t forget many of those endangered gallons of gas are needed to propell these metal cans to rollover velocity (about 30mph).To bad the saudia prince won’t let us know/survey his wells, Oh shoot he says we are running out and wall street is making money everytime they tell us we are running out. ..must be running out. Maybe more wells -that working well.
Always remember that my Fiero was the 2nd safest car produced in 1987 and if it is not the smallest car it is close to it, and the Safest car was not a Cadillac Sedan De Ville, Chrysler New Yorker, Mercedes Benz or Lincoln Continental.
Once again that free press has delivered the common truth for free ( No Free ads?). Makes me wonder just who/what do you believe?