They will have a hard time raising that rent. Only cash will be worth stealing.Originally Posted by Kepi
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They will have a hard time raising that rent. Only cash will be worth stealing.
Nexium just went over the counter. It's an IT staple. Used to run $200 for a months supply.
As I said, the only option I see is for us to get politically conscious and vote the Obstacles out of office.
Woah, I didn't say dump the capitalist model, I said dump the free market model. The typical trickle-down philosophy of Reaganomics and the Tea Party. You know the difference.
The 2020s beckon! But no beer for me; I'll have to drink Odwalla juice.We just had a major disruptor in 2008, and the capitalist are doing even better now than before. Getting human beings to vote in their own self interest seems simple enough, but that isn't happening either. Demographics seem to favor a change, but not soon.
Have a beer. You'll need it, and it will fill some of the wait time.
Yes indeed; that's the Republican lure for we suckers.
In 2008 lots of folks were predicting raised rents. It didn't happen. So where did the people go amidst the foreclosures? Well, some became homeless, this is true. But not as many as one would think. So if there wasn't a mass increase in homelessness and there wasn't a mass increase in crime and there wasn't a mass increase in demand for rental properties, where did all these people go? Where are they all still?
Well, most likely, they teamed up with other family members. They started living in basements and crashing on couches, etc.
Eric, you rally nailed this one down good. When the modern technology most of us now worship at the feet of was in its infancy it was widely predicted that by the year 2000 the average work week would be around 30 hours and the rest would be leisure time. Yet by the time we approached the year 2000 it seemed as though about half were working 50+ hours per week, and a significant portion of the rest were unemployed or serverely underemployed. But what is the connection between the new technology and bosses making so many work longer hours, other than the fact that they can number crunch and set standards which in many cases only the superhuman can achieve, alias the electronic sweatshop? And why do you feel that we have not banded together as yet to achieve the needed reforms? And do you feel the foot-dragging will continue through the balance of this decade, per your reference to the 2020's as a time of action?
Thad Cochran's opponent in Mississippi is running on cutting government spending in his own state, and cutting taxes even further. If that wins, then the circle is squared.
BTW, Mississippi gets 3 Federal dollars in spending for every single tax dollar it sends to the Feds.
Marx: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Lennon: You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.
People are essentially law abiding. As long as they can cope, they will. Eventually, that won't be possible, and survival instincts will kick-in.
Marx: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Lennon: You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.
The free market is a trade issue. Trickle-down is a capital v. labor issue.
OK, if that gets you to the finish line.
Marx: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Lennon: You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.
Exactly, but this is not and cannot be a final solution. If it is, then we'll be seeing a decline in the birthrate too.
BTW, this is the old Soviet solution. Note how well it served them.
Marx: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Lennon: You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.
We're already seeing a decline in birth rate. World population is set to decline by the next 2 or 3T... We're pivoting from the point where growth couldn't be suppressed into a time where expansion and growth are not possible, especially in the long term. It's not about fine tuning or fixing manageable problems. It's time to circle the wagons and preparing to weather a very long, slow world wide decline.
Crash course in Mississippi politics and who is who in this particular triad competing for the senate seat available for grabs
Thad Cochran: Incumbent since 1978, he is 76 years old. Very soft spoken, well respected man. My grandmother was active in the same social circles as him and his lovely wife. To say I hold great admiration for him is an understatement, when my grandmother passed away he sent flowers to us and a sympathy card that he wrote. I have always cast my vote for him since I got old enough to vote in 1993. That is until this year.
Mr. Cochran has not been himself or came home to Mississippi in a good number of years. The general thoughts are that he wants to retire, and plans to do so whether elected or not. If he retires after being elected, the heir apparent to be appointed by our governor is Haley Barbour. You do not want that to happen and most of us here do not either. It's a shell game this election cycle and him running. Other things trouble a good many of us, Mr. Cochran, by all accounts is in early stage dementia. And his health is declining. He is, after all, 76 years old.
Chris McDaniel, the GOP/Tea party challenger that is now in a runoff against Mr. Cochran is 41 years old. A gen X, that has young kids and a wife. Family man, that just finished paying off massive student loans. Grew up rather poor in a blue collar family. He wants this. Badly. Has fire and charisma a plenty and very well respected in his own right. Been a lot of smear campaigning going on, after all, he's trying to gain a seat that has been sort of picked out for Haley Barbour.
He got my vote on June 3rd and will get it again on June 24.
The 3rd member is Travis Childers, Democrat. Relatively young, politician wise. Back woods whispers about his family and beliefs circle widely here in Mississippi. Folks that are from his hometown swear his family has Klan connections. Deep connections. He cleans up nice and his family has friends that own parts of a lot of news outlets here. Last time that particular dirty secret tried to come out, the newspaper got bought out before it could.
He is not someone you want in the senate.
As much respect as I hold for Mr. Cochran personally, I can not vote based on that I have to vote based on what should be happening for our state. Mr. McDaniel is the better choice all around. That issue of how much we get in federal dollars does not sit well with a good number of us. Mr. McDaniel intends to change that. We shall see, but either way I believe it is wrong to exploit Mr. Cochran for dirty good old boy network politics, it is wrong to exploit someone with dementia. So, on June 24th I will vote for Mr. McDaniel and again in November
Last edited by Danilynn; 06-05-2014 at 10:35 AM.
Both are both. "Free market" is an ideology, a philosophy, and it is that which needs to be dumped; not capitalism per se. Trickle-down is the same thing. The ideology says: lower taxes and government regulations on the rich and the big capitalist employers (IOW "stop taking away their freedom"), and these liberated "job creaters" will amass profit and thereby create jobs, and thus the good fortune of these job creaters will trickle down to the rest of us.
But it doesn't work; it has created a declining economy and mushrooming inequality and poverty. Demand from consumers creates jobs, not giving breaks to the wealthy. Regulations, support programs and taxes are needed to make sure the powerful don't hog all the benefits from increased productivity. We need to ditch the free market ideology so this can happen and the middle class can grow again.
Yes indeed; beer will just slow me down. And a beer belly won't help eitherOK, if that gets you to the finish line.2020s, here we come!
And it's a necessary and good thing. And we can weather the decline by ditching the free market ideology, so that fewer workers working shorter hours get paid more as productivity increases. This is a partisan issue, blue vs. red; it is THE partisan issue.
Unquestioned beliefs; worship of Reagan, tribal politics, etc.
Probably so. It would be nice if we can start making some changes before then; that would depend on throwing as many Republicans out on their ear as possible, and people in more states ditching gerrymandering.And do you feel the foot-dragging will continue through the balance of this decade, per your reference to the 2020's as a time of action?
Awesome, it looks like he might have a semi-regular gig with Forbes. His archive has been bookmarked!
This is really an excellent point that needs to be fleshed out more in research and the media. I think it's stated that the average hours worked for Americans is somewhere around 34, but that average is meaningless when the workforce is both top heavy and bottom heavy. Something needs to be done to make that 34 hours actually mean something, though what that is may be a challenge.
Isn't politics wonderful? I have a friend that went to high school with Hillary Clinton. (I actually live only about 15 minutes from that school.) He's kind of irritated by her now because every time a story about her that he KNOWS to be true (because he was there) comes out, Hillary's high school friends go to the press and deny it. Guess who the press believes. So, other folks that my friend knew and were his fiends in high school get called out as liars (or ignored completely) when in fact they were telling the truth.
Except that poverty induced reductions in birth rates tend to compound. This isn't wagon-circling. It's actually a form of passive-aggressive behavior.
Marx: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Lennon: You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.
Well, if the only choice is between a guy who thinks that crushing poverty is a step forward and one who's wispered to be dirty, I'll have to try the potentially dirty guy. FWIW, there is a nascient movement in the north to cut subidies to the south and midwest. Northerners make the argument that they pay the bills for eveyone, but the rules are determined by the takers (don't look at me - Mitt Romney started this taker-maker nonsense).
So, be careful what you wish for.
Marx: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Lennon: You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.
The ruling elites will get all the money, after which cash will be meaningless. Then they will compel what remains of the middle class to sell out what they have cheaply just to survive. Securities, real estate, antiques, collectibles...
Economic exploitation is itself theft. In the end there will be no incentive but to avoid the stings of hunger and the lash, as has always been the case under slavery and serfdom.
The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime" (or) even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered... in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by (those) who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern."
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
No, just dump the hyper-capitalist model of trusts and cartels. Capitalists behave better when they are unable to buy politicians and fund right-wing front groups. If we must choose between a market free to wreak any ruin upon people or a People free to reject raw deals, then we need go with the latter.
The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime" (or) even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered... in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by (those) who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern."
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
The generation/turning aspect of Neil's latest Forbes piece doesn't show up until near the end, so I'm only going to post that bit here:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe...herefore-i-am/
Google Knows Me, Therefore I Am
Google defends its unfettered right to author our digital identities under the cherished American ideal of free speech. But Google’s liberty conflicts with another time-honored “Jacksonian” ideal going back at least two centuries: the right of self-made individuals to move on and remake themselves. Under Google’s omniscient eye, we can no longer leave our pasts behind. The result is a society left walking on eggshells.
Media stories about Internet privacy have long focused on people worrying about totally private information inadvertently becoming public. But the arrangement and presentation of public data by search engines may actually be a more universal, day-to-day concern for Americans today. This is especially true for Millennials and Homelanders, whose extensive Web histories will be fair game for anyone who knows their name. These younger generations will never know what it’s like to walk into a new school, college, town, or job and create a fresh reputation for themselves.
We can see this playing out in the growing number of individuals trying to reclaim some control over their Internet identities. Young people are becoming more mindful of “best presentation practices” on social networks—and flipping the privacy controls on more often. They are also using more anonymous or ephemeral services to communicate. Businesses like Reputation Defender promise to clean up search results for a fee. Meanwhile, legal scholars like Harvard’s Jonathan Zittrain have spoken out in support of “reputation bankruptcy,” an idea that would allow people to purge certain categories of information (like credit scores or Facebook likes) every decade or so.
Over the next decade, this rising tide of reputational anxiety will compel Google (and other standard Internet utilities) to submit to rules and appeals procedures that reflect a public consensus on fairness. If necessary, the FCC or Congress will create rules or laws to make it happen.
Further into the future, it’s harder to speculate. Some say that in a world where everyone’s worst moment is always a click away, social norms will relax; the public will no longer consider a drunken teenage photo a scarlet letter. Others think that people will ultimately grow more wary about what ends up online, resulting in a blander Web where every statement is pre-vetted. The latter direction is probably closer to the truth. By the time the first Millennials are hitting midlife and Homelanders are coming of age, caution will be the watchword. Instead, it will be the youth generation after Homelanders (whom I’ve already predicted will foment a values revolution) who will likely demand an end to the Orwellian high-tech reign of public opinion. They will clamor for, and win, the right to self-define once again.Indeed, I quite agree that the Next Prophets are going to have a field day bashing this type of values regime.
Doesn't matter. I'm not promoting the behavior, I'm pointing out that it's happening, that we can't really stop it, and that solutions have to fit this situation. We have now, where we have a major labor problem, we don't need people to work, but we need them to consume. We have the future, probably best the 4T/1T border, where every first world nation in the economic core save the US will be in population decline, and therefore will not be able to continue consumption. Then you have the far future, near the 2T-3T border where the world population is projected to decline. Meaning overall world consumption declines. All proposed solutions absolutely must land within this frame work. They have to allow us to keep things going while dealing with the fact that we are, in fact, in a time of social twilight, without creating an existential crisis in the process. Creating meaningless work creates existential crisis.
