Subject:
Bronner Speaks In Tuscaloosa..
Dr. David Bronner, CEO of the Alabama Retirement Systems,
the 43rd largest investment fund in America , spoke at Rotary Club here
yesterday. He is one of the most respected fund controllers in the United States
today by his peers.
Bronner had
the following to say:
1) Next
month, July, California hits the wall financially, that will send a ripple
effect across the US economy, AND over the next two years one state after the
other will fall to it's knees financially as the federal government stimulus
package ends by 2011. It has helped various states at different levels
comparative to their economic condition. He says the stimulus package is what's
been keeping the states alive for now...except for California which was in such
terrible shape the stimulus package wasn't enough to really help them. "They go
first." He said Alabama would hit the wall in February of 2011, late in
the game as Alabama is in better shape than other states. Bronner says
Alabama might dodge the bullet if the economy revives enough by then. But, he
doesn't really think things will improve enough by then to avoid a crisis..."It
will be the largest economic crisis in the history of the State of Alabama"
Bronner says Alabama will experience such significant shortfalls by 2011 that
taxes will have to be raised substantially to avoid collapse...probably on
property. And that practically all states will face a similar fate.
2) Within 120 to 150 days from now the commercial real
estate market nationally begins to collapse as stores, malls, and shopping
strips, and industrial plants have enough closures (store and plant) and loss of
rental revenue to make them unable to pay their mortgages. They will start going
into foreclosure unable to pay their mortgages in a significant way at that time
creating a second wave of economic disaster starting three to four months from
now.
3) Unless oil stays above $70 a barrel
Russian and Mexican economics will begin to unravel as countries
("socio-economic collapse") economies require that much from oil to have an
adequate revenue stream to feed their people and economies. AND, the only other
big revenue stream for Mexico is illegal drugs sold in the US...so their economy
will intensify their focus on selling drugs in America as a result in order to
survive if oil doesn't stay above $70...he said $90 would be better for them.
4) The US economy (according to Bronner) is
today like a patient in the emergency room in the process of having a heart
attack. He said people tend to think of it as being in the hospital for cancer
or chronic disease. Without the huge Bush stimulus, and then the huge Obama
stimulus, the economy would have already flat lined...(i.e. we'd be experiencing
a Great Depression style economic collapse heading toward 25% unemployment or so
as the tumble would have continued and intensified at an increasing rate, with
the stock market hitting around 2,000) Bronner said the depth of the crisis was
greater than ANYONE realized and agrees today, after learning the extent of the
crisis, that the federal government simply had to start "shoveling" money at it
to prevent a true and complete collapse of our economy. He said he, at first,
was mad at this shoveling of money until he learned the truth about the amount
of money necessary to prevent a total collapse which he believes would have
happened.
5) Inflation
will not arrive for 3 to 5 years as the economy is in a deflationary stage due
to the economic plummet...and will not experience inflation until people start
"buying things" again, and that's going to take a while! He also believes 3 to 5
years is probably the term until true economic recovery establishes in the US
and world economy.
6) China must
start selling their products to people in their own country and paying their
workers enough to buy them. This would increase their products prices, reducing
their exports (and "besides they will lose interest in having more US dollars
anyway") and enabling other countries (US) to compete with them.
7) The greatest threat to the US economy is one of around 9
world events that could heap misery on top of misfortune at exactly the wrong
time. A nuclear incident with N Korea, a plague, Israel attacking Iran (oil
shock), or such could still throw the US economy into a Great Depression style
situation. He said the greatest risk of this is anytime from now until the world
economy gets somewhat back on it's feet...in 3 to 5 years.
I thought you might find what Bronner had to say
interesting. You may or may not believe it. But, at least it's from a credible
and intelligent source.