Yes, I read it. I liked it. I think that more than anything, what I can say that may be relevant here as far as my personal thoughts go, is that I am a huge supporter of money. I know, shocking right? ;-) I just happen to also support basic equality of wealth distribution as much as equality of opportunity to build and accumulate wealth.
I think that more than anything what interested me about the article was the things that I don't completely comprehend, meanings like corporatism and crony capitalism and the historical situations of countries where different political systems eventuated.
Ummmm, I think that also really interesting, relating to Stu's OP, is the blurry line between how much government interference is necessary to make the deregulated market function "properly", and the quantity of taxation that is required to ensure this functioning. It seems really unclear.
Sorry... just a couple of thoughts... probably more later x
@Skarekrow I think it's an excellent article because of how well illustrates the disparity between the ideal and the reality.
Which was the point that you and
@brightmoon have made, that the whole interaction earlier in this thread was just dumb as shit.
I have made some okay money in my life, better than some, not as much as others...there is nothing wrong with making money if you are aware of the system and the trade off’s for your time and expertise in exchange for a ticket, basically, that you can trade for goods and services.
Sure, money can free up your ability to travel, live comfortably, etc. there is nothing wrong with that, or wanting the freedom it buys, which is really what people are ultimately after.
We have some very serious issues within our government in regards to privatization and the amount of lobbying that is permitted.
This should first be regulated...which it isn’t...crony capitalism, I’ll push this legislature to take Indian Tribal Lands and give it to the mining industry in exchange for huge reelection $$$’s...I guess you could call it Corporatism when the corporations lawyers and lobbyists quite literally write the legislation themselves and pass it onto Congressperson so-and-so (John McCain stole their land btw).
We have weaker banking oversight and regulation than we did before the collapse of Wall St. and banks that were “too big to fail” even larger than they were....not a single banker went to jail...in fact most got bonuses.
The American taxpayer was on the hook for that, and we had legislation stating that that was not acceptable to the voters...not anymore, we are back on the hook if Wall St. bottoms out.
No huge corporation in the US pays what it should in taxes...I bet not a single damn one....you see, they have access to all kinds of tax breaks and write-offs in the tax code that only a lobbyist can whore up for you...that isn’t even counting the Trillions of dollars in offshore bank accounts across the planet. Some bullshit LLC is all you need...but then there are countries advertising for corporate headquarters to “move there”, like Ireland to effectively pay way less in taxes.
Not just that they don’t pay taxes...but many actually get the money (even with millions in profits) from our taxpaying, hardworking, working/middle class shmuck’s collected taxes,...the ones that pay taxes every year as they live paycheck to paycheck, the same taxes that have very few write-offs for the average person.
Trump laughed about that in the debate when asked about his taxes...saying that not paying his fair share of taxes didn’t make him a giant douche, but as he put it “Smart.”.
If he is “smart” the what are the rest of the people who pay what they should because they firstly - have to...but secondly know that it provides social services (which is in the category of Socialist ways and means), like the police, the fire dept., roads and bridges, clean water, clean air, education for our youth, etc., etc....I guess everyone else is just stupid for contributing to society.
In my view the US has definitely moved into some form of Corporatocracy, with unlimited amount of money allowed to be given with no check and balances into our political system has crashed the server.
Those that thought Trump would “drain the swamp” in government didn’t know he was actually talking about minorities and the poor.
Now, with his obvious attempt so it seems to try and cover up any Russian ties investigation, we have a President that won without the popular vote, based on Republican “Operation Red Map” where they have redistricted and gerrymandered the votes to always favor their side unless it’s a consensus vote, all while passing local legislation to suppress and make voting of minorities and the poor more difficult to do.
If any “millions of fraudulent votes” were cast as Trump claims, it was most likely in his favor.
So I don’t think we are a “Democracy” anymore...we are not even Capitalists, we have gone back to a system of Serfdom imho.
However, it is also imho going to explode in their faces and push everything way back to left leaning ideals...such as the call for Universal healthcare.
I guess we shall see...if either the Trump budget or the “healthcare” bill that kicks 24 million + (8 million children) while giving millions of dollars in tax breaks to the very rich such as Trump himself who would write off $2 million +...if either passes in their current or similar form, expect to see some shit go down. I mean - who defunds public libraries for fucks sake? Might as well have book burnings of “questionable” material.
So I don’t know what the hell we are right now...but it ain’t democracy, it's not a Republic, we have some aspects of both, as well as social programs that have Socialist beginnings. People here have been brainwashed to equate the word “Socialism” with Russia and the cold war, it’s bad.
So, even though we have many social programs that our taxes fund, we still cannot admit that there are aspects of Socialism in our society that everyone enjoys and probably would be upset if they went away.
But we also have an out of control market...they are back to selling junk bonds, or bogus shit like Wells Fargo opening millions of accounts in people’s names unbeknownst to them.
We have the most imprisoned population in the world....so this “land of the free” shit is just hyperbole.
And if you literally are not in prison, then you are in the way our working class workers are treated.
No sick days, no vacation, no maternity leave, no insurance, must work overtime or be fired in some cases...but none of those things are guaranteed...some places offer them if you are lucky...but even now...our new administration signed a law that would let employers “pay” you in time off instead of the time and a half they are required to pay before.
How is that helping the workers of the US?
All that Trump has done, is for the benefit of the the very rich and the corporations of this country...he is a real-estate salesman with a rich Daddy, and he sold a bunch of BS to a bunch of people who though they were getting healthcare for all, draining of the swamp, etc. etc.
Now he fired the FBI director who is investigating his Russian ties?
What will be the straw that will break the camel’s back on this?
Jesus.
Another interesting fact to consider is the connection between economic systems like capitalism and socialism and political systems like democracy and authoritarianism.
Capitalism does not depend on democratic structures for its survival, in fact it predates most our democratic institutions and does in fact work very well under authoritarian rule. China is a perfect example of this. Russia is another. Because capitalism has coexisted with democratic institutions many people assume this to be the "natural order" but it really isn't true.
Socialism conversely can and is practiced under democratic political systems, the most commonly cited examples are the Nordic countries like Sweden and Denmark. Because Communism was practiced under authoritarianism many people assume that socialism is the same which also is not true.
Exactly the point I was trying to make, but reading is for suckers I guess.
Spot on.
