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Hello,

Blogs are a familiar feature on the internet - where users post content in an accumulating manner, with comments, and search options, etc. They facilitate expression and exploration, and via attached comments, also debate and synthesis.


Reading and
Navigating Blogs

Our blogs are quite powerful. Each writer can post, as is typically the case. Sustainers who have the option can also post, however. All Blogs appear in the blog system, and sometimes also in content boxes the top page of ZNet - and always via the left menu of the top page - and can be found via searches, etc.

Commenting on blogs follows the blogs, attached at the bottom, and blog comments, like all others, are also visible in many places that show comments including in the forum system. In addition, the entire blog system gathers content for everyone - but one can look at the accumulating content in many ways.

  • For example one can look at one writer's efforts - so one is seeing what is effectively a blog system for that one writer, or Sustainer.
  • One can also look at the content by topic, seeing blogs that are tagged as being about a certain topic - or place, as well. Thus, when doing that, it is a blog system about a topic, or a place, with many contributors.
  • One can look at only writer blogs, or only sustainer blogs, as well.
  • One can look at blogs for particular Groups, too.

All this is easily done using the left menu. Searches allow even more variables and refinements.


Creating Blog Posts

If you are a Sustainer with permission, and are logged in, you will see a link in the left menu for you to post a blog - and you can use that to post one, and then tag it various ways (such as with a topic or place, or a group tag), and once you do, it is in the system with you as the author.

You can also use the console button to the left to post a blog - anytime and from anywhere in the site, as long as you are logged in.

Meanwhile, enjoy the blogs - and, by the way, if you are a Free Member or a Sustainer with a ZSpace page, of course you can put one or more content boxes on it, pulling blog links of any sort you may want to filter for, for example, by you or by your friends or by others - and by topic, about places, for groups, etc.

Blogs

583275

Joe Emersberger's Blog

Web Address: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/joeemersberger
Bio: Joe Emersberger was born in 1966 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada where he currently lives and works. He is an engineer and a  member of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union. (More)

All Emersberger Blogs

Why it should matter to Leftists that (X-M) = (S-I)+(T-G)

By Joe Emersberger at Jan 12, 2013


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Dean Baker is an indispensable source for anyone who wants to understand how the economy works.

His recent blog post explains why any country that has a trade deficit must have a budget deficit or negative public savings or both.  Baker bluntly says 

"If you don't eat, drink and sleep these identities, then you do not understand the economy, end of story. Identities are by definition true, there is no way around them."

Using basic definitions and a little algebra Baker shows here that

(X-M) = (S-I) + (T-G) 

X-M is exports minus imports, or the trade surplus,
S-I is private saving minus private investment,
T-G is taxes minus government spending, or the budget surplus

If (X-M) is negative (a trade deficit exists) then (T-G) must be negative (a budget deficit exists) OR (S-I) is negative (the savings rate is very low) OR both. 

Neoliberals routinely scoff at any practical ideas for bringing down trade dificits by shrieking "protectionism" or "inflation", but also rail against budget deficits and blast people for not saving. In other words, they are ignorant of  accounting identities. Fortunately for them, the corporate media is a de-meritocracy.





Andrew_rex

By James, Andrew at Mar 28, 2013 16:44 PM

Rather simple but often (probably) unknown by many, unware of how economics work

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