The Bottom Line is Usually Below You

You hear it said most often in connection with businesses and budgets:The idea may be good, but you've got to look at the bottom line.

The world of business is proficient at coming up with pithy little adages that seem to justify whatever it is they want to do. "Business is business; the customer is always right; What's good for General Motors is good for the country."

But, if you're reading the bottom line, you'd better be attentive. It's not always what the bottom line shows that counts; sometimes it's what the bottom line doesn't show.

The Bottom Line is Usually Below You

Take polls; polls these days are very scientific. They are taken under precise mathematical formulas that take into account all of the variables, and, if the formula is faithfully followed, you come up with a margin of error of just a few percentage points.

Faithfully following the mathematical formula, however, is not always easy, and can be expensive. It takes purpose, skill and determination to put the numbers together without straying from the goal of achieving truly random numbers.

Even if the poll is successful, the correct interpretation of its results is essential. Often, the simple results of polls are widely misinterpreted, and can sometimes lead to disastrous consequences.

We're probably most familiar with political polls which find one candidate or another as the "favorite" in the upcoming election. But, while pollsters are usually careful to point out that the results merely show a single point of time, the public often takes the results to heart -- and may even be swayed to vote for the candidate who appears to be most popular.

Similarly, the consumer who looks at the "bottom line" when buying cheaper napkins, or an off-brand of ketchup may be led down the primrose path.

A restaurant owner, or chef, who uses inferior products to save "on the bottom line" is in the same soup.

Such decisions are usually, if not always, shortsighted.

When the napkins fail to do the job they're designed to do, and when the cheaper ketchup ruins a fine dinner, the so-called bottom line savings loses its luster.

And when the restaurant owner begins to see more and more empty tables, he may rethink that bottom line savings; unfortunately, he often doesn't like to admit his error and looks instead for a convenient scapegoat.

Offsetting the adages of business are the laws of finance and physics. For instance, the economic law of supply and demand that keeps our financial markets on an even keel, and the laws of physics that say for every action there is a corresponding and equal reaction -- and the old standby of the stock market: What goes up must come down.

The next time you're tempted to look at the bottom line, give the idea a second thought. Don't forget to take into account the subtle, but often critical, affects of any variation in the bottom line.

Take your eyes off the bottom line and look up and smell the roses. Don't take the low road, take the high road.

Lift your sights a little higher; you may find the bottom line is, as it should be, below you.

The Bottom Line is Usually Below You
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I am a retired newspaper reporter and editor having worked for The Hour newspaper of Norwalk, Conn., for 32 years. I am a 1964 graduate of New York University where I majored in journalism and minored in marketing under a public relations program. I served three years in USA Army in Public Information in Germany and Colorado, 1954-57. I currently hold the position of Adjutant with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Robert F. Garrison Post 3350 in East Rockaway, New York. I am a lifelong fan of Bing Crosby, the greatest singer of the 20th Century and an Oscar-winning movie actor.

I am a hubpages.com author who writes on a wide variety of topics, including politics, government, crime, transportation and entertainment. You will find my opinions and commentary on current events at my new Blog at this address: http://torpeyhour.blogspot.com/ For more of my work, please visit my Profile Page at the following address: http://hubpages.com/_wwft/profile/William+F.+Torpey

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Problems Facing American Economy

The US economy is the largest economy in the world, with one of the highest GDP per Capita. However, despite its position as the most powerful economy, it now faces many serious economic problems. Some of these are short term, but some of them reflect an underlying weakness.

National debt and Government Borrowing

Economics

Due to decades of government borrowing the US national debt is fast approaching ,000 billion, or more than 65% of GDP. The consequence of such high levels of national debt is to increase the cost of interest payments. It also limits the potential for future tax cuts and higher government spending. High levels of government borrowing can also lead to crowding out. Where government borrowing reduces private sector spending.

Problems Facing American Economy

Current Account deficit and External Debt

In the past 2 decades US economic growth has mostly been financed by high levels of consumer spending. This consumer spending has created an increase in imports that has not been met by a corresponding increase in exports. At its peak the US current account deficit reached 7% of GDP. This current account deficit was financed by foreigners buying US securities. It means that most of the US external debt is held by Chinese, Japanese and other investors. A current account deficit has contributed to the declining dollar and remains a constraint on economic growth

Housing Market

It is estimated US house prices have fallen by 10% in the past 12 months. Although there are many different ways to measure house price statistics, most people will agree that US house prices are falling. There is a combination of oversupply and falling demand due to uncertainty about the future of the housing market. Declining house prices can be a powerful disincentive for consumer spending. As house prices fall, consumers see their wealth decline leading to lower economic growth. It is feared that falling house prices could alone tip the economy into recession.

Low savings Ratio

The low savings ratio is linked to the current account deficit. It is a result of consumer led growth. It is also a result of increased personal borrowing levels. It is suggested that the economic growth has been based on an unsustainable footing. It means that the American consumer is susceptible to any rise in interest rates.

Rise in Commodity prices

Despite a slowdown in the US economy, we have seen a rise in cost push inflation. In particular rising prices of oil, wheat and soybeans have created problems for the US economy. It could lead to a situation of stagflation - rising prices and falling growth.

Updated: more in depth analysis of the problems facing the US economy.

Problems Facing American Economy

Richard Pettinger studied Politics and Economics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. He now works as an economics teacher in Oxford. He enjoys writing essays on Economic and he edits a blog on Economics - Economic Help. http://www.economicshelp.org/blog

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