The big banks and Wall Street backed Obama.
On Sep 8, 7:45 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > The amount of money paid to bankers by themselves over the last five > years is $2.2 trillion. Now wouldn't that be a handy sum to pay down > the deficit? When Tea Party smucks talk about tax they don't include > anything like this. This is payment for making losses, running at > 2.2. trillion divided by 300 million per US citizen. > About $733 per capita. This just on what they claim as earnings from > loss making we have to cover. $146 per person a year. > > The $2.2 trillion is publicly quoted. I feel I must have the sum > wrong. Incidentally, the banksters are lobbying for a law to keep > their earnings secret. Have I got the noughts wrong? I'm assuming a > billion at a thousand million, and a trillion at a thousand billion. > > 2.2 divided by three is about .733. A billion is 10 to the power of > 6. A trillion is 10 to the power of 9. So the sum is .733 times a > 1000. > > In the UK this would be a fifth of my local taxes per year (I don't > have the bankster figures for the UK).- this pays for a load of > policing, education, waste collection, road work and so on, though > would pay for only 3 nights in the pub a year. I have no idea what I > get back for this bankster tax - and it seems as though this is just > a system I don't use much and a pile of their debts. > > The real sum could be spreadsheeted to demonstrate whether bankstering > actually provides me with a net gain or loss and we should have such a > spreadsheet available for public scrutiny. I can say, qua economist, > that this is a complex task, but doable. Getting the real amounts of > bonus and losses tp put in remains difficult - but we should be able > to assess the rich as a tax on the rest of us. > > I only drop the above 'sum' in as an exemplar - the proper equation > would be complicated - but that bit would be easier than getting the > simple amounts that should be available to work with. The spreadsheet > could be built without the figures and in a democracy we should have > this. > > On Sep 8, 12:03 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Brilliant little video Gabby. These days it looks like a descriptor > > of what's happened to us all. > > > One thing going on amongst the trillions is a variation on old > > insurance rackets in which the insurer is nowhere to be found when a > > claim is put in. This involves packaging an selling dud investments > > that will fail and placing insurance several times over on the > > failure. In the old days one might buy some expensive cargo, put that > > in a sound ship but claim it went in one lacking tar that gets sunk > > with all hands, thus getting the insurance and profit on the real > > journey. If one thinks of carousel fraud where villains get paid by > > tax authorities it's hard to believe banks have much clue on > > security. The question is where all the toxic assets end up and what > > they total up to. AIG was an obvious answer, but we seem unwilling to > > investigate the full nature of the scam/s. > > > On Sep 5, 5:08 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > “…John Maynard Keynes said of it: "In my opinion it is a grand > > > book...Morally and philosophically I find myself in agreement with > > > virtually the whole of it: and not only in agreement with it, but in > > > deeply moved agreement." Having said that, Keynes did not think > > > Hayek's philosophy was of practical use; this was explained later in > > > the same letter, through the following comment: "What we need > > > therefore, in my opinion, is not a change in our economic programmes, > > > which would only lead in practice to disillusion with the results of > > > your philosophy; but perhaps even the contrary, namely, an enlargement > > > of them. Your greatest danger is the probable practical failure of the > > > application of your philosophy in the United States." George Orwell > > > responded with both praise and criticism, stating, "in the negative > > > part of Professor Hayek's thesis there is a great deal of truth. It > > > cannot be said too often — at any rate, it is not being said nearly > > > often enough — that collectivism is not inherently democratic, but, on > > > the contrary, gives to a tyrannical minority such powers as the > > > Spanish Inquisitors never dreamt of." Yet he also warned, "[A] return > > > to 'free' competition means for the great mass of people a tyranny > > > probably worse, because more irresponsible, than that of the state." > > > …” > > > -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom#Contemporary_commentary > > > “…In his review (collected in The Present as History, 1953) Marxist > > > economist Paul Sweezy joked that Hayek would have you believe that if > > > there was an over-production of baby carriages, the central planners > > > would then order the population to have more babies instead of simply > > > warehousing the temporary excess of carriages and decreasing > > > production for next year. The cybernetic arguments of Stafford Beer in > > > his 1974 CBC Massey Lectures, Designing Freedom—that intelligent > > > adaptive planning can increase freedom—are of interest in this regard, > > > as is the technical work of Herbert Simon and Albert Ando on the > > > dynamics of hierarchical nearly decomposable systems in economics— > > > namely, that everything in such a system is not tightly coupled to > > > everything else.…” > > > “…More recently, Hayek's support of free market institutions has been > > > challenged on a new front: the free market economy that he advocated > > > is designed for an infinite planet, says Eric Zencey in "The Other > > > Road to Serfdom," and when it runs into physical limits (as any > > > growing system must), the result is a need for centralized planning to > > > mediate the problematic interface of economy and nature. "Planning is > > > planning, whether it's done to minimize poverty and injustice, as > > > socialists were advocating then, or to preserve the minimum flow of > > > ecosystem services that civilization requires, as we are finding > > > increasingly necessary today."..." > > > -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom#Criticism > > > > More. > > > -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom#Libertarian.2FConser... > > > > It is refreshing to see propaganda in such a nice and assimilatable > > > package! Cartoons can give us a world which appears to be reality > > > without any of the restraints > > > thereof.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nEgjwfX6s8http://www.youtube.com/watc... > > > > Yes, any particular ideology one wishes to espouse can be put to film > > > and promulgated. And this is a serious topic. In any analysis some set > > > of assumptions are made. Here, one might make human life a need and > > > place it high on the list of that which must remain. In fact, most do… > > > since the analysis is being done by a human being and thus one who is > > > alive. Even though Lee may disagree, yes, most place life as being > > > sacrosanct. Beyond that, how to retain life is based upon personal > > > experiences and passions. So, any such ideology will be founded upon > > > such subjectivity. How else could it be? The obverse would be a sort > > > of cult of death with the goal of eradicating all life. > > > > So, what we are left with is a dialectic. And, as much as I too tend > > > to lean towards one side or the other, such ideologies don’t seem to > > > be the ‘answer’ do they? > > > > On Sep 5, 4:46 am, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkz9AQhQFNY > > > > > On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 4:27 AM, ornamentalmind > > > > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > Neil mentioned insurance... something that is as close to the > > > > > protection racket as possible. > > > > > > Here in the States, we have many examples but one who stands out is > > > > > William McGuire. His stock option of over a billion dollars (yes, > > > > > billion with a 'b'), shows what happens when people who purchase > > > > > insurance end up not getting anything for their money. That and the > > > > > over 30% stock profits show what a sham the private sector is when it > > > > > comes to the health racket. Many countries have laws denying any > > > > > profit for such situations. Here, such crimes are seen as 'good'...a > > > > > shining example of capitalism. Talk about serfdom! > > > > > >http://www.startribune.com/business/11093081.html > > > > >http://www.forbes.com/static/pvp2005/LIRRI3M.html > > > > > >http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1848501_18... > > > > > > On Sep 4, 2:11 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > I'm fairy convinced on a politburo of the rich -a kind of shadow big > > > > > > government. I like it no more than any other big government. I > > > > > > don't > > > > > > think the threat is 'socialism' but rather serfdom. I regard > > > > > > anything > > > > > > I have to pay to retailing or excess profit as tax and anything I > > > > > > have > > > > > > to pay to capital based on accumulated wealth as a toll. I'm not > > > > > > concerned whether the government or private sector taxes me, but my > > > > > > control over it. For instance, I regard anything beyond a basic > > > > > > haircut as a tax, but can easily avoid anything other than a short > > > > > > back and sides. > > > > > > > If we lived in a commune, those of us getting home with sore backs > > > > > > after a day of toil might well object to other members who claimed > > > > > > their job was to sit around all day playing Monopoly. This is much > > > > > > how I regard the banksters - beyond the primitive stuff we need. > > > > > > The > > > > > > trillions swilling about that Orn raises represent a form of > > > > > > Monopoly > > > > > > played with our currency. > > > > > > > Around the West you can see that wages have ceased to rise and debt > > > > > > increasing since around 1965 - the previous examples are in gold > > > > > > rushes and the Depression. China is no different in the last 20 > > > > > > years. The figures > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
