"Death Of Capitalism" Don't tell China. Or India. Or Russia. Let's throw Brazil in there, too. EMR - have a pant-filling meltdown as often as you want but socialist systems have been a mass failure and capitalism continues to transform societies for the better and no one, not even communist China, is interested in going back to 5 year plan, command economy bullshit. Now some Guardian/BBC consuming nut will jump in here and rail against capitalism but it is indisputable that, as a practical matter, capitalism benefits far more people far more consistently than socialism. History has proven that to the satisfaction even of Red China and the former Soviet republics. The end is not near and capitalism is not expiring because some corrupt assholes sold securitized garbage.
Excellent Excellent Commentary All ....................................................................................... Capitalism is just starting..... The most recent example of utter failure regarding socialism is Venezuela... Even during a time of the utmost ease in revenue generation due to the fact that the major revenue generator is oil....Venezuelan economics have collapsed...the currency is down over 20%...interest rates above 15%.....the valuation of their most promising assets have fallen more than 50% because of the complete dismissal of capitalism to help form business valuations...Chavez has even just lopped of zeros from the currency to make it look stronger....Chavez style socialism is a failure...There are food shortages...etc...etc.. ....................................................................................... The internet has openned the window of opportunity for education....government...and many forms of work..... Internet voting has already started in Arizona... No doubt turn outs would be much higher.... No doubt voters would be better informed about their candidates...the list goes on and on...where does tax money really go...etc...etc...etc...this is common sense... The internet is creating incredible efficiencies... .............................................................................................. Education http://www.eric.ed.gov/ What household would not welcome the fact that they know that they are not going to have to come up with another $40,000 per year to provide their child with a decent education option...or join the local country club ...or fraternity ...to get the right contacts to get a job... What child wants to be in front of some teacher with a chalk board when they can go to school on their time...interact with the best professors in the world...have access to the best information in the world...and do it in a theatre type setting with multiple screens ..computers...and surround sound....the list goes on... Is a child more motivated if they actually like to go to school ? ................................................................................................ The New Capitalism http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=030010782X There is no true capitalism in any country ... However....this is where Chavez has got it wrong...The same productive assets in socialism simply do not create the money that stocks create on an electronic exchange in a capitalistic system...therefore witholding the funds that are so much needed by the population...why not tap these funds... When a person devotes a good portion of their time everyday...they deserve to own stock in their company....This is just common sense that one would want to be more productive when they have a piece of the action... Why should less than 1% of the people own and control over 50% of all the assets ? Why should a frat boy ceo get 10000 times the pay of one of his coworkers... .............................................................................................. Interest free nonobligatory money ...called stocks that trade on an electronic exchange...whole labels can be owned for a second or ten years via the internet for almost no cost for ownership name transfers...is the way to go...simply because of efficiency... However what needs to be added to the stockmarket railroad are all of the exhanges in unison....as well as the types of equities even being further diversified...whose monies can be allocated to even more types of businesses... It is rediculous for one to pay 30 cents in one country and $30 in another for 100 shares... The exchanges are becoming commoditied computer banks...and could be in any country... .............................................................................................. Look the country that wins the capitalist game is the government that forms an environment such that all of the stellar companies of the world will want to domicile on their domain... Look even the Vice President of the USA´s company has changed its domain to another country... .............................................................................................. Americans are tough....The US loves Football and Wars....you know.... get tough on oil... Ban it...ban every vehicle that burns it....let them stack up at the port authority...ship the metal to Mitsubishi...and birth out a big pile of electric cars.....FUCK OIL !!!!! Mandate electricity and solar...Just get it done... The Iraq war is all about 90 cents to $2.00 per barrel lifting costs... Spend the development money on solar and electricity... Ethanol produced on land...is a cruel inefficient hoax that if not stopped will cost the US another $400 billion in the next 4 years alone....Land is for food....Admit the mistake...and move on...why dig a deeper hole...? ...................................................................... Eliminate the IRS... Eliminate it....put in a consumption tax.... A consumption tax allows productive assets to be more fully valued and is more efficient...If the US will get ahead of the curve on this one...every stellar company will domicile in the US... Asset valuation alone answers this question.................. ................................................................................. Man...the US is still in its infancy....blow out the mistakes...and move on...If the US does not get this done...nobody else will... This is so easy....the list just gets longer and longer...
Will the internet elections be free? What are the costs of internet schooling? How many "best professors in the world" are there, how many pupils are there? Will the employees be allowed to sell their stocks and/or buy more stocks? How should salaries be determined?
Excelent post Libertad. A few questions. Regarding education: ERIC seems to be a very interesting concept for a modern online library, but it isn't much of an online classroom. If you happen to know of sites that offer a virtual classroom environment I'll appreciate any further info you can provide Regarding internet voting. An idea. With internet voting, the cost of voting becomes so small that in the long term, you could have direct democracy were people are able to vote on any law that's proposed. Or even make proposals to revoke laws already in effect. I know it's a long shot since the guys in power won't give it easily, but at least technology is making it possible for the first time.
Free elections are not determined by the system you use for voting. But rather by the system of laws that determines who gets to vote and who gets to run [amongst other things]. For example: Nowadays the voting system in Cuba is very similar to that of other countries with free elections.
Don't give up now, it's not over till it's over. Ron Paul is still in the race. Although a win is a long shot there is a possibility of gaining enough delegates to assert some influence at the convention. The system is clearly broke but it won't fix itself. I'm doing all I can while simultaneously working my plan B: Escape from America.
Excellent Commentary All... Education is a growth industry because of the internet... This is a long list..... Tomorrow´s classroom is virtually paperless... There will be insertions from people who are currently active in the workforce who are viewed as the best in their field...no theory..the real world... Classroom time and required interactions are logged... All electronic books are handily available...and low or no cost... Required taxation would be minimized because classrooms would go from large entites to smaller groups....ie why have and maintain a large office building...when it is not necessary.. Also the access to languages is unlimited...to be able to contact others is unlimited... The list goes on and on...but needless to say that students of tomorrow will be far better educated than the people of today.... When there are problems in the field....one knows to go to the internet for a solution.... It is incredible how the cost of education will drop like a stone...and how the quality of education will rise dramatically...which can be accessed by anyone who can get on line... People even ride donkeys today...to the local internet cafe... .................................................................................................. The internet world is a baby...and is just getting started... It will dramatically change the landscape... The list just does not stop... ...................................................................................................... Now what I am going to briefly discuss next.....are a few notes about valuation, leverage, and banking... For those of you who have a bond calculator....Just put in a straight 20 year bond....Let us assume the bond is at par...with a 4% coupon....Now change the rate from 2% to 6%...and note how the equity changes... Now think about the US economy as if it were a bond... Taxes ...legal costs...stupidity...all take away from the net interest on the bond...Every time legal or tax money is docked...productivity drops like a stone in thin air.... The majority of small businesses that make up the US...which in turn has created the best capitalistic machine on earth....need the cheapest capital available to them... I want to see regional collective pools that represent groups or zones much like franchising have access to new forms of equity pools which are non-obligatory non interest loans....and collectively be listed as stocks on an electronic exchange...whereby the transaction costs are basically nothing...This displaces a lot of banks....and when I last looked....there are a lot of very big banks in the US...thus the idea has merit....because if the whole everchanging mass is what has made the US what it is....this is a way to further the first economic thrust of their capitalistic fathers....This is taking it to the next level...and this is where wealth gets more evenly distributed... Man....the list gets longer and longer...It is just unbelievable where capitalism is going... I could write on the back of an envelope how the likes of a Chavez denigrates his own ideals...The man is just not educated but clearly has the will...If he could see what is coming ...he would change very quickly... ............................................................................................... It is of paramount interest for the US or any other government to go to a consumption only income tax....The most stellar companies of the world are going to list their shares wherever there is more legal ease and lower operating costs... Whoever starts the game....wins the game... Whoever holds on to the past...will go down in flames...
Don't be so hard on yourself. After all you gave your best effort to save capitalism. You voted for the Dubya. Sometimes, though, our best is just not good enough.