Lib â It is my opinion that all countries should adopt a capitalistic model that better distributes the wealth by share ownership....whose shares are liquid and trade on an electronic stock exchange.... A man/woman builds a company....spends their life doing so...then they deserve shares.... A more appropriate capitalistic model would put all countries on the same page.... Yes, and no. While it would be great if everyone could participate in an âownershipâ society, the reality is that plenty of folks arenât intellectually/emotionally capable of handling it, and we certainly havenât prepared them for it through the educational institutions. So, even if they were magically allowed to have some sort of distribution which gave them an equity stake, they would probably be forced to liquidate for economic issues or would be swindled out of their stake by some shark. There is a reason why 2% controls 80% - although I think we all agree that the greed of the 2% is insatiable, and really doesnât improve their lives any. Perhaps 40% should control 80%, with the 2% controlling 20%. It is almost as if we have undergone some sort of Darwinian selection for financial survival of the fittest, with an âeconomic manâ (borrowed from Fukuyama) the product & thus âThe end of Historyâ. One of the concerns that I have is that we seem to be spending greater and greater amounts of time adapting to this concept of âeconomic manâ where wealth accumulation is the be all and end all. While it certainly is a worthwhile and reasonable thing to do, what about the rest of western civilization? Are there no discoveries left to make, no philosophies left to explore, no polities left to develop? Is our society to become ossified and static, with no hope of upward mobility as the remaining .1% eventually legislates away (your beloved legal largesse) every opportunity to join their ranks? Seems like a grim future to me. Our society in adapting to âeconomic manâ may spend less and less time in other productive activities as they are valued less by society (hedge fund pay vs. research scientist pay), and in the end, does this really make our society better? Yes, it is a utility question and a value judgment, but I think we would all prefer not to live in a place where there was no medical care simply because everyone was a financial planner. Reductio ad absurdum. How would equity stakes in our current place prevent a return to Weimar era false economy where productive work ceased in favor of speculation? That, in my opinion, is to be avoided. Limitdown â TVA was another (so called Socialistic) model that has shaped the lives of the last 3 generations because of the bold (nationalistic) actions by the presidental authorities in behalf of the present and future of the American people, (Tenn Valley Authority).... ((for a short answer to the question of what was the TVA, and what did it do? see the documentary from your local PBS station (www.pbs.org), or search for it and get your copy) Seems to me that there are many folks in that area who are not so enamored of the monopolistic and heavy-handed TVA which largely controls that area. Jobs were nice, but they came with a real price tag. Much of that area remains depressed. Not sure that the TVA is a good example of how government âworksâ.
Excellent, Eloquant Commentary....As Usual ................................................................................... A capitalistic society rewards those who innovate....and taxes those who do not innovate.... Competition creates innovation.... What has happened in the US is that the value of innovations needs to be more evenly distributed to those that contribute towards the innovations.... Those that are not contributing towards innovations will hold the least equity.... However 2% 80% represents the result of monopolistic and oligopolistic regimes which further guard themselves by legal largesse.... Also small businesses stock is represented by bank stock who grabs all the paper stock for themselves....and does not have a special stock ownership program for business owners that actually make up the bank's portfolios.... Publicly held community banks with reasonable distribution would perhaps be a way for all people who work in communities to be given incentives to produce and make the overall community better for everyone....Also each economic community would want innovators to live amongst them....and would strive to educate their children...and all in turn would have a future....and would have something for their labor....as would their children.....For example....even if a laborer worked at several jobs in the community....they would still have incentives to contribute .... Obviously the bank does not represent all....but perhaps there could be township zone stocks that would be reflective of businesses within their zones....business zone stocks perhaps.... ...................................................................................................... Innovation would be rewarded as to its overall financial contribution....but even a laborer in the local restaurant would be rewarded to some degree for working in the neighborhood that created a proper environment as well.... ....................................................................................... The tax system for all countries really need to be changed to a sales tax only.... This is a very important point....Perhaps it is the sales tax whose value should be capitalized whose stock is held by those who live and work in the community.... Naturally each community would be competitive to each other ....and would try to attract innovators and good workers.... The people would truly own their country ....their government....and not the government owning them.... ........................................................................................ Legal largesse has to be eliminated all together as it has ruined productivity in the US....as well as many individual lives in a needless manner.... It is also legal largesse that stiffles competition and protects monopolistic and oligopolistic structures.....and big business in general.... You know well the list.....
This actually makes sense in a sick way. The inefficiencies introduced by nationalizing oil would finally kill the industry and allow alternatives to flourish. The oil industry is far too efficient today with an iron grip over politics and media. It's a finely tuned machine that expertly manipulates perception... to the point where we are in a war in Iraq to protect their contracts. I vote nationalize. Immediately.
There are more fossil fuel reserves in US territory, crude & natgas, to allow us to be self sufficient for many years...the threat of tapping these resources and producing domestically would return the market to reasonable levels. Its US politics that have restrained domestic production and led to the mess we see today.
what remains at risk is the viability of the US to continue as we have known it due to these special interests promoting their agenda, as they have over the last 8 years.... this is not a political discussion.... this is surpassing an economic discussion.... living the reality and seeing the abject fear, the dispare, the frustration and futility, the intended conclusion that no matter what is done, oil and fuel will continue to rise is some persons' sick manipulation (evidently quite a few sick persons)... drastic actions sufficient to wrestle "positive" control away from the manipulators and those terrorizing the American people and back to a reasonable pre-Bush II levels is being demanded by millions in this country each and every day! or simply just expect that things can continue down this extortionary path...
What is the "oil industry" by the way, which you say has an iron grip over politics and media? Exxon? Or, the Islamists and Communists who sit on top of 80% of the world's oil reserves? Let's hope we are in Iraq to help Exxon, because quite frankly, American oil companies have lost a lot of "pull" working out favorable deals as the global trend moves toward nationalizing oil fields, by the most dissagreable political systems and cultures.
when the refineries and delivery mechanisms (wheter lumped together in the term "oil companies" or not) conspire to run the production cycle for say, GASOLINE / DIESEL at less than 80% production and then decry limited supplies..... when the price at the pump continues to suffer (rise) through these artificial mechanisms of squeezes that "they" control..... when any commentator (paid in advance through so many methods other than traceable direct cash transfers) decry there's nothing that can be done, just expect even higher prices.... then short of shooting the messengers, all of them, or otherwise, then something is already brewing that even their influence in congress, the media or the trading floor will turn back.... The American People do not know then word "can't". Just ask the Brits who received them during WWII... this "can't do spirit" is not real.....
there are so many other discussions on these threads all saying the same thing, regarding the manipulation by the oil companies over the gasoline and fuel prices and availabilities..... regarding how they're guys in the Whitehouse have been completely complicit in their schemes against the American people... regarding how stupid they (these oil companies) want the average American to be, think and act, and just keep buying their extorted fuel products.... and they think there won't be some equal and larger reaction? uh, no one's that stupid, not domestically, uh, save for maybe (well, still have to show respect for the office, if not the office holder).... uh, the world continues to watch these events too...
Tuesday, June 3rd, testimony on Capital Hill on just how the oil companies, and the (heartless) speculators have and continue to benefit from the gaps in regulations that the Bush II Administration have perpetrated, just for these ends... Usage of Dubai,, Usage of the Enron loophole(s) in regulation,,, Usage of the "whatever happens" non-regulatory Bush II environment,,,, who cares what happens to the American people, just keep spinning the story of supply/demand, just keep spinning the news commentators on CNBC and other stations, just keep spinning the other false stories that nothing can be done, just accept it... -------- wow, what a backlash is building, hope it include prosecution for treason....
Stop *wasting* energy and prices will immediately come down. US population wastes $billions on monster vehicles, heating/cooling huge empty houses, commuting 1-2 hours to some job on their Ford 8 cyl. truck, 3 tv's on in the house, etc, etc. Cut out the waste, and prices become reasonable. After all, it was US government that wanted a "cheap" dollar so it would be good for exports. Well, you got a fucking cheap dollar, now shut the fuck up and deal with the consequences. People who borrow, borrow usually are fucked sooner or later and US has borrowed and borrowed. It's time to start paying it off with some serious work and save like other countries out there and not the bullshit kind of thievery done on Wall St. Much of US population have become a bunch of spoiled whiners. Time to complain/expect less and work/save more.