"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"What, me worry?" -- Alfred E. Neuman
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." -- Pogo
"Let's get together and feel all right." -- Bob Marley
It's called Black Friday because this is the time of year when retailers hope and expect that holiday sales will put their year-end accounting books in the black -- that is, show a profit.
Whether that happens this year won't be known for another few weeks, until the books are closed for the year. Meanwhile, there are larger issues to consider, specifically whether the economy as a whole -- both national and world -- will accelerate its upward trend.
Yes, there have been signs of hope, but there have also been signs that the recovery is slowing.
U.S. Gross Domestic Product, for example, is expected to show a growth pace of just 1.7 percent in the final three months of the year, down from 2.2 percent in the third quarter. GDP growth in Canada is also slowing, to a rate of just 1.7 percent for the year, compared to 2.2 percent in 2012. And the economy in Mexico is operating "well below capacity," according to a report from the International Monetary Fund. GDP growth in America's southern neighbor is likely to slow to 1.2 percent for the year, down from 3.6 percent last year. And while economic fundamentals in Mexico are "very strong," the IMF said, there are "downside risks" from "unsettled external conditions."
In Europe, the unemployment rate is still above 12 percent, and twice that in the more beleaguered members of the European Union.
Statistics Canada, the official government agency, reported that the unemployment rate nationally is holding at 6.9 percent. That's lower than the U.S. rate of 7.3 percent and the 7.6 percent in Britain. In Germany, one of the few European countries still prospering, the unemployment rate in November was unchanged at 6.5 percent. And in Mexico, the rate dropped to 5.01 percent in October, from 5.29 percent in September.
So things may be looking almost good in Mexico, but outside influences may deflect progress.
So should Americans worry? It's true that the U.S. economy, as measured by GDP, the total value of all goods and services produced in America, at $16 trillion is four times as much as the economies of Canada and Mexico combined.
But bigger doesn't always mean better. And if the U.S. giant stumbles, it can knock down its northern and southern neighbors. Moreover, if production in America loses export markets in Europe, that can exacerbate conditions here.
The reverse also applies. If Americans cut back on import purchases, European as well as Canadian and Mexican economies will suffer.
No nation can shut its borders to outside business partners. That's been tried before, most notably during the Great Depression, when the Smoot-Hawley tariff act closed America to foreign sellers in an effort to shore up troubled domestic producers.
It led to a world disaster, as other nations retaliated with high import taxes on American goods.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Housing Barometer
The crystal ball is cloudy.
As confidence goes, so goes the economy.
You can't buy a house if you don't have a job.
Some say the housing market is a barometer for the overall economy. If so, consider these numbers:
Building permits issued for single family homes are flat, as are housing starts, according to the Census Bureau, which tracks such things. Housing starts for privately owned homes were also flat, the bureau said.
And sales of existing homes dropped in October, as rising mortgage rates dragged the sales momentum.
Meanwhile, the median age of first marriages for men is 29, and for women 26. In 1970, it was 23 for men and 21 for women. It follows, then, that if folks wait longer to marry, they wait longer to invest in a home. And 76 percent of parents with children under 18 are married, according to a Census Bureau report. Only 8 percent cohabit, the survey said. So much for marriage as a disappearing institution.
On top of all this, consumer confidence continued to fall. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index, which decreased sharply in October, declined again in November.
As for expectations, the board said its survey showed yet another drop in November. Some 12.7 percent of those surveyed anticipated more jobs in the months ahead, down from 16 percent.
In August, construction began on 883,000 houses, down 0.9 percent from July.
For the month of October, builders took out a total of 1 million permits for housing units, up 6.2 percent from the month before and up 14 percent from a year ago. That's good for the industry overall, but permits for single family homes in October were at a rate of 620,000, barely above the September figure of 615,000, according to Census data.
Separately, the National Association of Realtors reported that contracts for sales of existing homes dipped by 0.6 percent in October, following a 4.6 percent drop in September. Moreover, contracts to buy existing homes were down five months in a row in October, a low for the year.
Mortgage rates, meanwhile, are up, meaning hopeful buyers must shell out more in monthly payments. The average rate for a 30-year loan is now about 4.4 percent, nearly a full point above last year, according to industry surveys. And the Mortgage Bankers Association reported loan applications were down 2.3 percent last week from the week before.
Combine all this with job figures, and it does not yield a rosy picture for the future. Unemployment nationwide is still high -- 7.3 percent in October, roughly where it's been since summer, according to official government statistics. Moreover, the number of people out of work has changed little -- 11.3 million.
Likewise, the number of long-term unemployed people, those working part-time because they can't find full-time work, and the number of discouraged workers -- all those numbers have changed little from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
As confidence goes, so goes the economy.
You can't buy a house if you don't have a job.
Some say the housing market is a barometer for the overall economy. If so, consider these numbers:
Building permits issued for single family homes are flat, as are housing starts, according to the Census Bureau, which tracks such things. Housing starts for privately owned homes were also flat, the bureau said.
And sales of existing homes dropped in October, as rising mortgage rates dragged the sales momentum.
Meanwhile, the median age of first marriages for men is 29, and for women 26. In 1970, it was 23 for men and 21 for women. It follows, then, that if folks wait longer to marry, they wait longer to invest in a home. And 76 percent of parents with children under 18 are married, according to a Census Bureau report. Only 8 percent cohabit, the survey said. So much for marriage as a disappearing institution.
On top of all this, consumer confidence continued to fall. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index, which decreased sharply in October, declined again in November.
As for expectations, the board said its survey showed yet another drop in November. Some 12.7 percent of those surveyed anticipated more jobs in the months ahead, down from 16 percent.
In August, construction began on 883,000 houses, down 0.9 percent from July.
For the month of October, builders took out a total of 1 million permits for housing units, up 6.2 percent from the month before and up 14 percent from a year ago. That's good for the industry overall, but permits for single family homes in October were at a rate of 620,000, barely above the September figure of 615,000, according to Census data.
Separately, the National Association of Realtors reported that contracts for sales of existing homes dipped by 0.6 percent in October, following a 4.6 percent drop in September. Moreover, contracts to buy existing homes were down five months in a row in October, a low for the year.
Mortgage rates, meanwhile, are up, meaning hopeful buyers must shell out more in monthly payments. The average rate for a 30-year loan is now about 4.4 percent, nearly a full point above last year, according to industry surveys. And the Mortgage Bankers Association reported loan applications were down 2.3 percent last week from the week before.
Combine all this with job figures, and it does not yield a rosy picture for the future. Unemployment nationwide is still high -- 7.3 percent in October, roughly where it's been since summer, according to official government statistics. Moreover, the number of people out of work has changed little -- 11.3 million.
Likewise, the number of long-term unemployed people, those working part-time because they can't find full-time work, and the number of discouraged workers -- all those numbers have changed little from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
FEMA Fever 2
Sent a copy of the FEMA Fever posting to our local Congressman, asking for comment. Here's part of his reply:
"Thank you for contacting your Congressional office. Understanding your ideas and concerns is important to me, as it helps me to better represent you and the Eighth District of Pennsylvania.
"In the meantime, I encourage you to take my short online survey at http://fitzpatrick.house.gov/survey and let me know what issues are important to you."
Sincerely,
Mike Fitzpatrick
Member of Congress
Funny, it seems I just did that, with comments and questions on an issue of importance.
Anyway, here's the reply to Mr. Fitzpatrick:
Thanks for your computer-generated non-response response. The point, however, is to get your reaction to the idea that 96 percent of the FEMA proposed funding will go to salaries and expenses, as well as the large amount of money going to repair church-related structures. The bill, HR 3300, was proposed by your Pennsylvania Republican colleague, Bill Shuster of the 9th District, in the Altoona area.
What's going on?
"Thank you for contacting your Congressional office. Understanding your ideas and concerns is important to me, as it helps me to better represent you and the Eighth District of Pennsylvania.
"In the meantime, I encourage you to take my short online survey at http://fitzpatrick.house.gov/survey and let me know what issues are important to you."
Sincerely,
Mike Fitzpatrick
Member of Congress
Funny, it seems I just did that, with comments and questions on an issue of importance.
Anyway, here's the reply to Mr. Fitzpatrick:
Thanks for your computer-generated non-response response. The point, however, is to get your reaction to the idea that 96 percent of the FEMA proposed funding will go to salaries and expenses, as well as the large amount of money going to repair church-related structures. The bill, HR 3300, was proposed by your Pennsylvania Republican colleague, Bill Shuster of the 9th District, in the Altoona area.
What's going on?
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
FEMA Fever
Nice work if you can get it.
Consider these numbers: The House of Representatives wants to give $3.1 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over the next four years, with an estimated $2.9 billion going to salaries and expenses, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
Elementary arithmetic puts that at almost 96 percent.
The rest of the money would go to urban search and rescue operations, assistance grants, and "grants to repair structures primarily used for religious purposes."
More basic arithmetic: Of the $110 million for search and rescue operations, that's less than 3 percent. Some $6 million for assistance grants (whatever they are) comes to about 0.2 percent. And another $82 million (about 2 percent) would help repair religious structures.
All numbers are rounded, and the percentages don't add up to exactly 100, but given FEMA's past performance record, how come almost all the money is budgeted for salaries and expenses, and help for the needy is near zero?
Certainly search and rescue operations are essential, but that segment would get only about 3 percent of the four-year budget estimate. And $110 million divided by four equals $27 million a year. How far will that go in helping victims of Midwest tornadoes? And $6 million in assistance grants over four years means less than $1 million a year.
As for $82 million to religious-related structure repairs, that's another issue. One wonders why that segment would get more than 10 times as much help as would go to help people generally. In fairness, it must be said that many of these structures do provide shelter in time of disaster. But so do schools, which are built and maintained by local governments and private, non-sectarian education organizations. There is no mention of aid for these groups in the CBO analysis.
And for all the noise among Republicans and conservatives, who dominate the House, calling for spending cuts, eliminating what they call waste, and reducing staff, why is 96 percent of the proposed FEMA budget going to salaries and expenses? Is this justified, remembering FEMA's performance record?
For those who want a source to confirm all the above, go to the CBO web site and check out the report on H.R. 3300, FEMA Reauthorization Act of 2013, as called for by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The CBO cost estimate was posted by CBO November 19.
Consider these numbers: The House of Representatives wants to give $3.1 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over the next four years, with an estimated $2.9 billion going to salaries and expenses, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
Elementary arithmetic puts that at almost 96 percent.
The rest of the money would go to urban search and rescue operations, assistance grants, and "grants to repair structures primarily used for religious purposes."
More basic arithmetic: Of the $110 million for search and rescue operations, that's less than 3 percent. Some $6 million for assistance grants (whatever they are) comes to about 0.2 percent. And another $82 million (about 2 percent) would help repair religious structures.
All numbers are rounded, and the percentages don't add up to exactly 100, but given FEMA's past performance record, how come almost all the money is budgeted for salaries and expenses, and help for the needy is near zero?
Certainly search and rescue operations are essential, but that segment would get only about 3 percent of the four-year budget estimate. And $110 million divided by four equals $27 million a year. How far will that go in helping victims of Midwest tornadoes? And $6 million in assistance grants over four years means less than $1 million a year.
As for $82 million to religious-related structure repairs, that's another issue. One wonders why that segment would get more than 10 times as much help as would go to help people generally. In fairness, it must be said that many of these structures do provide shelter in time of disaster. But so do schools, which are built and maintained by local governments and private, non-sectarian education organizations. There is no mention of aid for these groups in the CBO analysis.
And for all the noise among Republicans and conservatives, who dominate the House, calling for spending cuts, eliminating what they call waste, and reducing staff, why is 96 percent of the proposed FEMA budget going to salaries and expenses? Is this justified, remembering FEMA's performance record?
For those who want a source to confirm all the above, go to the CBO web site and check out the report on H.R. 3300, FEMA Reauthorization Act of 2013, as called for by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The CBO cost estimate was posted by CBO November 19.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Sound Bytes
"Since brevity is the soul of wit ... I will be brief." -- Shakespeare
We all treasure one-liners, zingers, sound bytes and Henny Youngman jokes (who?) and the digital generation has grown up with texting and Tweets, with its limit of 140 characters.
But for all the brevity, few tap into the soul of wit.
In the Great American Fallacy, bigger equals better, and longer is perceived as more important. Those in the public eye try to master the art of the sound byte, calculating that a wordiness of 20 seconds or less will get them national media exposure.
For all that, however, sound byte news clips often have little real meaning.
If you sound like you know what you're talking about, people will assume you do.
Bluster and bloviation are no substitute for the Three C's: Clear, concise and complete.
Shakespeare, like many good writers, created what are now known as sound bytes. But unlike many in this digital age, he wrote for meaning. Sound and fury, he pointed out, often signify nothing, and are merely tales told by idiots.
Some few know that a few well chosen words can have more impact than a lengthy bombast.
Today being the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, it is "altogether fitting and proper," in his phrase, that we consider examples of historic and meaningful sound bytes.
Lincoln was not the featured speaker at Gettysburg on 19 November 1863. That role went to one of the best known orators in the country at the time, Edward Everett. Going to hear long speeches by famous people was major source of entertainment at the time. Everett, for example, spoke for some two hours, and he was followed by President Lincoln, who took less than five minutes to deliver his remarks totalling 272 words. Yet those 272 words are remembered and cherished today, while Everett's oration is a footnote in history books.
Great speakers of the 20th Century include Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Consider these phrases: "Their finest hour" (Churchill); "A date which will live in infamy" (Roosevelt); "Ask not what your country can do for you" (Kennedy); "I have a dream") King.
They all, like great poets, knew the power of words, and they knew that distilling power into palatable bites made for a long life in memory.
We all treasure one-liners, zingers, sound bytes and Henny Youngman jokes (who?) and the digital generation has grown up with texting and Tweets, with its limit of 140 characters.
But for all the brevity, few tap into the soul of wit.
In the Great American Fallacy, bigger equals better, and longer is perceived as more important. Those in the public eye try to master the art of the sound byte, calculating that a wordiness of 20 seconds or less will get them national media exposure.
For all that, however, sound byte news clips often have little real meaning.
If you sound like you know what you're talking about, people will assume you do.
Bluster and bloviation are no substitute for the Three C's: Clear, concise and complete.
Shakespeare, like many good writers, created what are now known as sound bytes. But unlike many in this digital age, he wrote for meaning. Sound and fury, he pointed out, often signify nothing, and are merely tales told by idiots.
Some few know that a few well chosen words can have more impact than a lengthy bombast.
Today being the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, it is "altogether fitting and proper," in his phrase, that we consider examples of historic and meaningful sound bytes.
Lincoln was not the featured speaker at Gettysburg on 19 November 1863. That role went to one of the best known orators in the country at the time, Edward Everett. Going to hear long speeches by famous people was major source of entertainment at the time. Everett, for example, spoke for some two hours, and he was followed by President Lincoln, who took less than five minutes to deliver his remarks totalling 272 words. Yet those 272 words are remembered and cherished today, while Everett's oration is a footnote in history books.
Great speakers of the 20th Century include Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Consider these phrases: "Their finest hour" (Churchill); "A date which will live in infamy" (Roosevelt); "Ask not what your country can do for you" (Kennedy); "I have a dream") King.
They all, like great poets, knew the power of words, and they knew that distilling power into palatable bites made for a long life in memory.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Goldilocks Inflation
Prices rise to absorb the amount of money available. Ask any tourist.
Inflation is bad, right? When prices rise, that's a bad thing, right? And when prices fall (deflation) that's a good thing, right?
Well, maybe.
When prices rise too far, too fast, that's called runaway inflation, and that can break many family and national budgets.
When prices plummet during serious deflation, that's a symptom of economic depression, and nobody wants that.
So which is it? When inflation slows down and shows signs of going negative -- to deflation status -- it could mean an economy is heading for trouble. On the whole, then, it's probably better to have a little inflation, to show that the economy is healthy and growing, but not so fast as to put some folks in the poorhouse.
In other words, not too slow or not too fast, but just right -- a Goldilocks inflation.
But how slow is too slow, and how fast is too fast, and how much is just right? As the king said, "Is a puzzlement."
In America, the Federal Reserve Board has taken on the job of monitoring the money supply, and thus controlling overall prices. The Fed's target rate of inflation is about 2 percent. But over the past year, it's been closer to 1 percent, and that's why the Fed has been pumping more money into the economy, increasing the money supply and thereby supporting inflation and growth. Prices rise to absorb the amount of money available.
However, the U.S. economy has not yet fully recovered from the Great Recession of the last decade, despite monetary stimulus by the Fed and fiscal stimulus by the Administration.
And in Europe, the inflation rate is declining, a sign of trouble ahead. In October, inflation throughout the nations that use the euro as a common currency was annualized at 0.7 percent, down from 1.1 percent in September. A year ago, it was 2.5 percent. For all EU nations, the rate was 0.9 percent in October, down from 1.3 percent in September. A year ago, the annual inflation rate was 2.6 percent.
Four nations recorded negative rates (declining prices), according to Eurostat, the statistics agency of the EU, and three were flat. The lowest annual rates were in Greece ( -1.9 percent), Bulgaria ( -1.1 percent), and Cyprus ( - 0.5 percent). Rates in Ireland, Spain and Latvia were flat, and the highest inflation rates for October were in the United Kingdom and Estonia, both at 2.2 percent, Eurostat said.
What does this mean? Match it with overall growth, as measured by GDP, a calculation of the value of all goods and services produced in an economic area. In the euro area, GDP was up by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, and throughout the EU by 0.2 percent. And the U.S. growth rate wasn't much better. Eurostat reported that U.S. growth was 0.7 percent from the second quarter, and 1.6 percent from a year ago, while the U.S. Commerce Department claimed a growth rate of 2.8 percent in seasonally adjusted annualized data (whatever that means), but experts are now forecasting that GDP growth for the final three months of this year will fade to 1.9 percent.
In Japan, meanwhile, the third-largest world economy, GDP growth slowed to 0.5 percent in the July-September period, down from a 0.9 percent pace in the second quarter.
And in China, the world's second largest economy, things are still booming, with a 2.2 percent jump in the third quarter from 1.8 percent in the second quarter. However, on a yearly basis, that's down -- to 7.4 percent from 7.6 percent in the second quarter and 8.1 percent in the first three months of the year.
All things considered, though, that's too fast to last, government leaders in China are looking to modify their economic strategies even more. For a long time, Chinese officials have been incorporating capitalist ideas and practices into a communist economic strategy, and that's continuing.
Worldwide, then, government officials are looking for a Goldilocks economy, influenced by monetary policy and inflation -- not too slow, and not too fast, but just right.
Inflation is bad, right? When prices rise, that's a bad thing, right? And when prices fall (deflation) that's a good thing, right?
Well, maybe.
When prices rise too far, too fast, that's called runaway inflation, and that can break many family and national budgets.
When prices plummet during serious deflation, that's a symptom of economic depression, and nobody wants that.
So which is it? When inflation slows down and shows signs of going negative -- to deflation status -- it could mean an economy is heading for trouble. On the whole, then, it's probably better to have a little inflation, to show that the economy is healthy and growing, but not so fast as to put some folks in the poorhouse.
In other words, not too slow or not too fast, but just right -- a Goldilocks inflation.
But how slow is too slow, and how fast is too fast, and how much is just right? As the king said, "Is a puzzlement."
In America, the Federal Reserve Board has taken on the job of monitoring the money supply, and thus controlling overall prices. The Fed's target rate of inflation is about 2 percent. But over the past year, it's been closer to 1 percent, and that's why the Fed has been pumping more money into the economy, increasing the money supply and thereby supporting inflation and growth. Prices rise to absorb the amount of money available.
However, the U.S. economy has not yet fully recovered from the Great Recession of the last decade, despite monetary stimulus by the Fed and fiscal stimulus by the Administration.
And in Europe, the inflation rate is declining, a sign of trouble ahead. In October, inflation throughout the nations that use the euro as a common currency was annualized at 0.7 percent, down from 1.1 percent in September. A year ago, it was 2.5 percent. For all EU nations, the rate was 0.9 percent in October, down from 1.3 percent in September. A year ago, the annual inflation rate was 2.6 percent.
Four nations recorded negative rates (declining prices), according to Eurostat, the statistics agency of the EU, and three were flat. The lowest annual rates were in Greece ( -1.9 percent), Bulgaria ( -1.1 percent), and Cyprus ( - 0.5 percent). Rates in Ireland, Spain and Latvia were flat, and the highest inflation rates for October were in the United Kingdom and Estonia, both at 2.2 percent, Eurostat said.
What does this mean? Match it with overall growth, as measured by GDP, a calculation of the value of all goods and services produced in an economic area. In the euro area, GDP was up by just 0.1 percent in the third quarter, and throughout the EU by 0.2 percent. And the U.S. growth rate wasn't much better. Eurostat reported that U.S. growth was 0.7 percent from the second quarter, and 1.6 percent from a year ago, while the U.S. Commerce Department claimed a growth rate of 2.8 percent in seasonally adjusted annualized data (whatever that means), but experts are now forecasting that GDP growth for the final three months of this year will fade to 1.9 percent.
In Japan, meanwhile, the third-largest world economy, GDP growth slowed to 0.5 percent in the July-September period, down from a 0.9 percent pace in the second quarter.
And in China, the world's second largest economy, things are still booming, with a 2.2 percent jump in the third quarter from 1.8 percent in the second quarter. However, on a yearly basis, that's down -- to 7.4 percent from 7.6 percent in the second quarter and 8.1 percent in the first three months of the year.
All things considered, though, that's too fast to last, government leaders in China are looking to modify their economic strategies even more. For a long time, Chinese officials have been incorporating capitalist ideas and practices into a communist economic strategy, and that's continuing.
Worldwide, then, government officials are looking for a Goldilocks economy, influenced by monetary policy and inflation -- not too slow, and not too fast, but just right.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Privacy
There is no privacy on the Internet.
Regardless of many claims of ostensibly secure computer programs, your system can be hacked into. More to the point, however, is the idea that social media platforms have the right to use whatever you post in advertising for other products and services.
To their credit, at least, the Facebook folks are up front about it: Anything and everything you put on your page becomes their property, and in signing up you give them permission to reuse a comment about a fine dinner you had at a certain restaurant in ads posted elsewhere touting that restaurant. Along with your name and photo.
They've been under pressure from government and privacy advocates to limit that practice, but it remains that in signing up you agree to let them reuse your comments.
Problem: You don't get compensation for the use of your name, image and comment in advertising. In addition, the FB computers don't recognize sarcasm. So when you post a snide comment that there certainly is a choice when considering a political candidate for office, in your profile or in ads comes the notation, "John likes X." No, I don't.
So, what to do? One choice is to drop out. That's not always a good choice, since you lose contact with your friends and family.
A second choice is to accept that your recommendations will be used in advertising, whether you approve or not.
A third is, never post recommendations. Unless, of course, you like Editor's Revenge.
Finally, remember the editor's advice to politicians, and a guiding principle of Editor's Revenge: If you don't want to see it in print, don't say it.
Regardless of many claims of ostensibly secure computer programs, your system can be hacked into. More to the point, however, is the idea that social media platforms have the right to use whatever you post in advertising for other products and services.
To their credit, at least, the Facebook folks are up front about it: Anything and everything you put on your page becomes their property, and in signing up you give them permission to reuse a comment about a fine dinner you had at a certain restaurant in ads posted elsewhere touting that restaurant. Along with your name and photo.
They've been under pressure from government and privacy advocates to limit that practice, but it remains that in signing up you agree to let them reuse your comments.
Problem: You don't get compensation for the use of your name, image and comment in advertising. In addition, the FB computers don't recognize sarcasm. So when you post a snide comment that there certainly is a choice when considering a political candidate for office, in your profile or in ads comes the notation, "John likes X." No, I don't.
So, what to do? One choice is to drop out. That's not always a good choice, since you lose contact with your friends and family.
A second choice is to accept that your recommendations will be used in advertising, whether you approve or not.
A third is, never post recommendations. Unless, of course, you like Editor's Revenge.
Finally, remember the editor's advice to politicians, and a guiding principle of Editor's Revenge: If you don't want to see it in print, don't say it.
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