Global Economy

  • Started
  • Last post
  • 48 Responses
  • TheBlueOne0

    What's different this time around is the speed of wealth transfers from anywhere to anywhere globally beyond the reach of any single nation state and the utter lack of mobility of labor. Capitalism is all mere speculation now and nothing to do with producing products of value. But go ahead and defend it if you must, but if you're not playing with speculators money then you really aren't in the system. A lesson all these tea party peeps in the US don't seem to grasp.

    • and the political power that stateless money now has in each country. Finance is literally out of control and wrapping us..mikotondria3
    • ..all up within it's self-perpetuating tentacles. Politics was designed to buffer the endless power of the rich, and...mikotondria3
    • ..now that buffer has gone, and money has starting making the rules about how we behave toward each other and it.mikotondria3
    • Politics wasnt designed to buffer rich. Speakign of a republic at least. it was designed to protect individual rightsdeathboy
    • rights.deathboy
    • you are oblivious to the concept of structural violence, aren't you deathboy. Read some classic Huntington and Tedd Gurr for example.TheBlueOne
    • I however don't believe politics is "designed" it's biologically innate. We're primates. Social positioning is what we doTheBlueOne
    • political systems are merely tools, and it's silly to pledge loyalty to one over another...TheBlueOne
    • ..it's all context and end-state target dependentTheBlueOne
    • There's nothing inherently better or worse between capitalism, socialism, etc...TheBlueOne
    • depends on the aims of a given society in relation to it's neighbors and own internal idealsTheBlueOne
  • georgesIII0

    don't worry your congress and senate will save you by making laws to tax the banks!!
    ....there are 237 millionaires serving in Congress, according to 2008 figures. ...
    - oooh shit

    ...The richest member of Congress is Republican California Rep. Darrell Issa, whose net worth is estimated to be in excess of $250 million. He's followed by four Democrats: California's Jane Harman (approx. $245 million), Wisconsin's Herb Kohl (approx. $215 million), Virginia's Mark Warner (approx. $210 million) and Massachusetts' John Kerry (approx. $209 million). ....

    - it will trickle down no worries

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-5035…

  • Miesfan0

    How Much Would It Cost To Buy Congress Back From Special Interests? (June 30, 2011) by Charles Hugh Smith.
    Here's a thought: let's buy our Congress back from the special interests who now own it.
    We all know special interests own the U.S. Congress and the Federal machinery of governance (i.e. regulatory capture). How much would it cost the American citizenry to buy back their Congress? The goal in buying our Congress back from the banking cartel et al. would not be to compete with the special interests for congressional favors--it would be to elect a Congress which would eradicate their power and influence altogether.

    A tall order, perhaps, but certainly not impossible, if we're willing to spend the money to not just match special interest contributions to campaigns but steamroll them.

    A seat in the U.S. Senate is a pricey little lever of power, so we better be ready to spend $50 million per seat. Seats in smaller states will be less, but seats in the big states will cost more, but this is a pretty good average.

    That's $5 billion to buy the Senate. ->
    http://www.oftwominds.com/blogju…

  • deathboy0

    I wonder if there has ever been a study done on wealth disparity and power of government. Disparity is a natural state but it does seem a bit perverse these days. I blame the ones in power and those officials that lack all integrity and continue to use there personal greed to over extend their power through majority rule with elections by applying their own wealth distribution models that garner their votes. Oh and of course the mobs integrity in allowing such things by accpeting the handouts and choosing their own justification that it is ok to steal from the rich becuase theyre stealing from us by buying gov, continuing this endless charade. The mob is so dumb witted that it doesnt understand it holds much more power than money. If it really understood. However theyre so punch drunk with right vs left, rich vs poor, all they can do is play the game that fucks them and everyone else. Really need to stop following judas cow and get some individual thought. See things from multiple perspectives and not solely the ones the tv tells you to look at based on your ID/beliefs. Have u ever noticed the politicians never explain and say come to your own conclusion on this info or question it. All they do is lead with massive hyperbole and party rhetoric.

    And what is more crazy is if party rhetoric followed a philosophy it would make more sense. But both hedge the bets by mixing and ignoring philosophy of each party. Liberals are for individual decisions liek gay marriage and abortion. Hell liberal is derived from the word freedom, which can only be obtained individually. And yet all there social platform is based on collectivism. Conservatives spout belief in free markets, freedom and constitutional ways, yet are highly religious, generally speaking, and try to block people individuals rights that go against their belief structure. And their belief structure is is mainly collectivism based on popular religion. Theyre one in the same. dumb fucking power mongering cocksuckers. Both dont want you to think or question with rational thought. They just want u too choose a side. Either way they win. The politics is just smoke screen for the real show. The individual deals and rules being made and the game being played to keep the smart on both sides in the money. Dont vote, just start to read more. Get some non gov sponsored edu and rhetoric in your system. Read about what u dont like. Assimilate it and think about it. U dont have to have an opinion or need to decide if you dont understand. You dont need to choose a side. Just read and think and learn first. Dont accept things peopel say with a degree or position. That has nothing to do with truth. Perhaps theyre right, but find it out on your own and through your own merit.

    That is the captain wow rule of thumb that no one seems to use since its so much easier being spoon fed these days. Fuck there is another rule. If its so goddamn easy u best question it. Or the saying if a deal is too good to be true its probably not a good deal. Shits organic and for everything gained u gotta give something.

    • This is what drives me nuts about you. Even your first sentence...TheBlueOne
    • "e has ever been a study done on wealth disparity and power of government. "TheBlueOne
    • Seriously? Jesus brother..you run your mouth with zero researchTheBlueOne
    • Having an MA in the field I can tell you their a huge huge body of work out there about it in the modern eraTheBlueOne
    • besides WTF do you think Adam Smith, Riccardo and Marx were writing about?TheBlueOne
    • You talk so much garbage and zero education. And learn to use fucking capital lettersTheBlueOne
    • I hate this fucking thread and you mouthbreathersTheBlueOne
    • And why do you start out with "Disparity is a natural state". That's quite an assumption...TheBlueOne
    • ...what are you basing that on other than your feelings. Data please.TheBlueOne
    • Your entire first paragraph is a bunch of baseless commentary and strawmenTheBlueOne
    • probably a study. but also probably not. i looked and couldnt find anything.deathboy
    • disparity is natural. from talent, to looks, wealth, to sea and desert. if everythign was at a balance nothign would movedeathboy
    • And the rest was me ranting on what i know and the hypocrisy thats ridiculous.deathboy
    • that bugs you well deal with it where was my strawmen by the way?deathboy
    • If you had somethign to bug me it would be how u say soemthig is worng without explanation. no examples. how am i suppose to verify your claimdeathboy
    • am i suppose to verify your claim? do u expect me to take you serious if u just naysay?deathboy
    • but eh if not your a funny little guy with a bad temper and daddy issues or soemthing.deathboy
  • kingkong0

    read this:

    An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, generally referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith. First published in 1776, it is a reflection on economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and argues that free market economies are more productive and beneficial to their societies. The book is a seminal work in classical economics.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The…

    • <-this is a startTheBlueOne
    • 1776. not what im looking for. More a direct study maybe 10 years old. that covers all types of economysdeathboy
    • from village to city, in all kids of nations with different social structures and beliefsdeathboy
    • then try to quanitfy a government level of power/the wealth disparity/ education/ and maybe some social notesdeathboy
    • see if disparity is higher in authoritive governments, if its more spread out in smaller governements. complete objectivity and datadeathboy
    • objective data and numbers. I dont know if soemthign of that size and with real objectivity existsdeathboy
    • and i already agree a lot with what i know of adam smith.deathboy
  • raf0

    Gold trading is now banned. In Vietnam.
    Meanwhile in the US... http://www.100forexbrokers.com/g…

  • TheBlueOne0

    @deathboy You seem disgusted by the modern "left - right" axis, yet you continue to frame your posts in that paradigm. DO some research brother. Start at the beginning of classical economics - After reading Adam Smith please move on to Ricardo:

    Then:

    Then move on to:

    i would also suggest Polyani for a take outside the usual modern capitalist/socialism clusterfuck:

    Also some Hayek and Karl Popper is probably in order. Samuel Huntington's earlier work as well. I would also spend some time reading scholarly works on the Iranian revolution, some of the latin American revolutions of the mid 20th century. Also read up on the Italian fascists of the early 20th so you can see the intellectual origins of that third mix in the 20th century idealism blowout.

    • its funny i find sometimes a great notion so much better than all those books.deathboy
    • these books just arent that good. i liek hayek since he's against controlling marketsdeathboy
    • or at least thats my impression.deathboy
    • i frame them so not to get into the your left youre right. tke them out by identificationdeathboy
  • JSK0

    "JSK, gold not a hedge? Because it's at a high? What about paper gold?...Swiss Francs??"

    Swiss francs is sliding today as appetite for risk is gaining and yes it has been treated as hedge. Gold and slv have been for a while as a speculative commodities for a while. Note the rise is INDU / SP500 and rise in commodities. If it was a hedge, it would be going in opposite direction. There is a tipping point where divergence happen. Lately, there is a divergence as more investors are getting confident about the market.

    If you want to have hedge and have ability to move your capital, I would suggest looking in to inverse derivatives or treasury ETFs to balance things out.

    • Cheers for the tips...financial education needed...SteveZissou
    • careful with inverse derivatives, you can get burned very quickly but make a lot at the same time.JSK
  • JSK0

    I always find it funny that people who criticize capitalism or market dynamics or transfer of wealth are people who live in the capitalistic society. They have the luxury to complain about such topic. Western ideals and notions tends to provide the speculative idea that there is a disparity among others as it is compared to their own means.

    Indeed, disparity is a natural state but it is not unjust. Note that market changes the transfer of wealth regardless of manipulative state. China, who has entered the capitalistic momentum, has taken more prominent role in global economy. If you believe that capitalism and notion of market forces are not justified, this is a clear example. If you would have asked someone 25 years ago that China would be global economic power, no one would have believed you.

    Capitalism has a natural order.

    It is in our nature to be competitive and create class system. While some are defined, others are created through wealth or other means. Survival of the fittest or smartest will prevail regardless. This natural order fits well with capitalistic society.

    • why doesnt blueman hate u?deathboy
    • They're both members of a clandestine brotherhood, conspiring together and stuff.raf
  • jadrian_uk0

    "and argues that free market economies are more productive and beneficial to their societies"

    I wont read that book, that statement is pure fascism.

    • How is that fascism?JSK
    • see how many people are in misery because of uncontrolled free market economies? that's fascismjadrian_uk
    • Our market is controlled. It is not free market. Existence of SEC, central bank makes it not free.JSK
  • 74LEO0

    Fred Goldstein: http://www.lowwagecapitalism.com…
    Marxist / WW member and Leon Trotsky historian.

    A good read as it gives a current breakdown of capitalism and the working class in this plutocracy called america.

  • numbers0

    If you take a closer look at capitalist vs socialist or communist you will see there is not as much difference as you might think. In both cases you have a handful of large organizations that dominate each industry. Whats the real difference between a state controlled Chinese bank and Bank of America or JP Morgan? Both are run by elitists with close ties to government, both have oligarchy type control within their industry. And most industries in the U.S. work this way, dominated by a handful of huge corporations.

    Sure we have more small businesses and more innovation that countries like China, but how helpful has that been to the overall growth of the economy over the past 20 years? If a capitalist system was dramatically better, wouldn't we be leaving countries like China and Brazil in the dust? How did the Soviet Union successfully compete with us with almost half a century?

    At the end of the day, a lot of ideology are just like slogans to rally the team. The success of an economy has more to do with resources, workforce, as well as political and military power.

  • JSK0

    People always forget that all of these large businesses started out a small businesses.

    If you are rich, you are a selfish jerk. If you are poor, you are a lazy dumbass.

    You just can't win.

  • numbers0

    The Chinese approach could be viewed as the future because they have advanced beyond the ideological argument of capitalism vs communism

    Meanwhile in America, people still wave their little American flags talking about how capitalism is the best ever.

    • Americans think its the work of FREEDOM. Not capitalism.JSK
    • they are asleep. the unemployed, poor and minorities need to be woken up!74LEO
  • drgs0

    A nation's wealth = natural resources, free information and people who can navigate in it (education)

    Everything else incl. political systems is secondary

    • I used to believe education mattered until I saw Sorbonne students fighting for a communist regime.raf
    • Sometimes the more educated, the more ignorant and clueless.raf
    • in early 2030's, when technological singularity is estimated to take place, communism is inevitabledrgs
  • drgs0

    Adam smith belongs in a museum together with bloodletting, gramophones, video casettes and phlogiston theory

    • Bloodletting is known to lower the risk of heart attack.
      Donate blood, live longer, makes karmic sense.
      raf
  • d_rek0

    I'm going to start investing my money into the Mattress Fund(tm).

    The global economy is the pits!

  • zaq0

    one more time, buy bitcoins

  • deathboy0

    hey blueman

    I wasnt ranting about economics or anything specifically direct. I was covering large ground and the main thing that got me to rant was a lot of the views on wealth disparity and the vibe that its bad for no specific reason. That its merely a talking point to gain power by the people slinging the drivel. That ppl need to look past it and analyze who says what and their motivations. The philosophy guiding such actions and ultimate goals. If you want to know more where i was coming from i think the closest thing that could describe my state of mind would be this excerpt.

    http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-an…

    But it was jsut a rant in no way a research or academic paper that had a clear argument with some sort of proof. Just a before bedtime rant that i get personal pleasure from by thinking about and analyzing things and to check my owns thoughts. And i know i dont explain things well. Im not really concerned with that since im not trying to get someone to agree. Why would i since i dont know the audience or have any reason to care. Its just a personal exercise, a soap box for one. But hey if u know of any other good books along these lines let me know. Something more like neil postman for the essay kind of stuff.

  • utopian0

    A must read... even for you Teabaggers out there,
    and you know who you are...

    http://www.amazon.com/Post-Ameri…

    • personally im like meh looking at the synopsis. Not saying in has no merit but not sure if its what im looking for, for a good read that has good bang for time.deathboy
    • bang for time spent. I would be more enticed if it had a narrative to test against.deathboy
    • guess i like more rudimentary stuff. i did enjoy the the big short. Well still enjoying it. it has a feel of more substancedeathboy
    • Stuck in a rough spot. cant explain instincts that say not worth it before reading. and i knwo how it sounds, but i trust my instinctsdeathboy
    • my instincts and just think its a repeat of what i already know. very ignorant of me i know, but it is what it isdeathboy
    • Here's a question. Utopian what did you find of value taken from it that make sit worthwhile?deathboy
    • and of course im self centric and it being a post following mine i assumed u may be calling me addressing me butdeathboy
    • your teabagger terminology doesnt generalize me that well. Since i dont think any collective is worth shit. but thx anywaysdeathboy