There is hardly anything more important to thriving functioning capitalism than productivity, and sharing the fruits of productivity. It is notable that productivity among U.S. workers actually skyrocketed over the last decade and a half, but real wages have flattened or declined. Where did the surpluses go? To parasitic financializers who have seen their share over all corporate profits grow from 10% to over 45% in recent decades. After costing trillions and wiping out the world economy, what asset, good, or service do big banks produce that has genuine public worth?
• “Expert advice”, in which brokers intentionally sell junk to consumers, as shown in investment bank emails? • “Financial services”, which turn out to be so laden with hidden fees and loosened/fabricated credit qualifications that the lendee is worse off? • Allegiances that concentrate financial wealth the top 0.1% of the population, causing the vast majority of the world to get poorer? If anything, citizens would stand to gain more by paying big banks to close their doors. Big banks have largely stopped lending to businesses or individuals because that’s not profitable enough and because they need to retain capital to reduce their exposure due to their own foolish overleveraging. This depresses community and small business entrepreneurship and productivity. Bottom line: Big banks’ “services” take far more in costs than they provide in benefits. Much would be gained, and little lost, if they were allowed to fail or were decommissioned outright for their criminal behavior. The bail outs could have been given to individuals and families instead of the banks - we would probably have been looking at $120,000 a family. It's not the roar of the crowd rigsy - we might call that socially approved epistemic authority. It's about forming decent culture and that we are less individual than we are made to think. Ask people if they have a figure on what the TARP and the rest have cost each one of us - you'll generally come up dry. If people struggle even with basics like this what chance complex schemes of internal training? On 13 Nov, 19:28, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > The US has lots of problems it does not want to admit to.. There is one > extremely dangerous quake off the northwest coast .. that will happen > more sooner than later. > Allan > > Matrix ** th3 beginning light > On Nov 13, 2012 1:59 PM, "rigsy03" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > You seem to see morality as a group thing rather than an individual > > struggle between good and evil- which is a religious/spiritual matter. > > As for individualism, it is a necessary tension against "the roar of > > the crowd". There are too many examples to list. > > > On Nov 12, 9:49 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Even one person one vote isn't it on its own. Majorities are > > > manipulable and often wrong. If you look at an issue like abortion - > > > which I think should be available and also avoided by better sexual > > > practice - there might be a majority against for all sorts of > > > superstitious reasons. The US relies on Roe v Wade rather than > > > statute. For all the romanticism of Irish republicanism, they leave a > > > young, raped girl to 'her fate'. I believe there comes a time when we > > > should have help to slip from the mortal coil but one can immediately > > > see problems. Molly talks of embracing pardoxes - but much of the > > > difficulty concerns cultural ideologies based in the manipulation of > > > ignorance. Any half-wit should be able to grasp that the treatment of > > > wages as a cost to be hammered down is inconsistent with a developed > > > economy and genuinely available opportunity for most. Yet our > > > politics treats the dominant ideology of a race to the bottom on wages > > > as as taken as read as any Soviet claptrap. Worker unions are to be > > > detested, yet managers, owners and professionals are more unionised > > > than any set of mine workers in history. > > > > Science more or less accepts we are good and evil and that the unit > > > that promotes good behaviour is the social. Virtue ethics arise in > > > writing within an unchallenged slave economy - I don't want to be > > > 'pure' and live off the backs of others (though inevitably as I grow > > > creaky I do). I'm sick of phrases like 'flexible employment' that > > > mean a return of 'you, you and not you' casual labour and managerial > > > abuse in a unitary framework of the employment relationship. > > > Disgusted would be a more accurate term - much morality comes with > > > that feeling (scientifically). > > > > The story of what is happening in America and the imposition of > > > 'individualist' ideology (a bad joke when one looks at the lack of it > > > in American Football) has been long told. When are we individual and > > > when are we selfish prats? You look very individual when you step the > > > big forward, stiff the sweeper, dummy the fullback and dive over the > > > line. Try doing that without the guy who gave the precision pass, the > > > guys running interference and all the attrition that knackered the big > > > forward giving you the edge. > > > > My grandson has just had a small knee operation free at point of > > > delivery. The hospital had a room with Xbox (all donated). We get > > > some stuff right. Must go to collect him. > > > > On 12 Nov, 09:20, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I think it is it should be one person one vote,, and the corporate > > > > wallet closed completely and with a maximum amount that can be > > > > donated (nation wide ) with no exception,, > > > > > effectively the excessively rich and companies and the companies.. > > > > The super pacs need to be forced to revel all donors and the amount > > > > they donated.. and that is a minimum these organizations should be > > > > totally removed. the Pacs as a republican invention and they need to > > > > be brought into control. > > > > > the US has created a political money quagmire.. > > > > Allan > > > > > On Mon, Nov 12, 2012 at 4:48 AM, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > It's back to humane values and sensible choices, perhaps. We don't > > > > > have to buy into the cultural or commercial hoopla. I will think more > > > > > about this. > > > > > > On Nov 11, 2:45 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> You are right rigsy - but we have to get somewhere beyond. What is > > it > > > > >> in our arguments, sentiments and the rest that hold us back? And > > may > > > > >> be very wrong? > > > > > >> Allan is right we could vote better with our wallets. We could, for > > > > >> instance, all bank with mutuals and have more local economies > > > > >> (Andrew). Problems are as Andrew says when the wallet is empty and > > > > >> also that we already have 'one dollar one vote'. > > > > > >> I doubt the academic-legal-commercial argument as argument at all. > > We > > > > >> have a paedophile scandal in the UK - but even the media reporting > > it > > > > >> has forgotten it reported such a generation ago (the key > > documentaries > > > > >> were called 'Cathy Come Home'.and 'Johnny Go Home') and misses the > > > > >> point that they key point is what evidence we can believe when false > > > > >> accusations are so easy to make and make life very difficult for > > real > > > > >> victims. Our public inquiry systems are proving increasingly > > > > >> untrustworthy. When one teaches critical reasoning it quickly > > becomes > > > > >> clear most people are no good at it. I'm quite sure our mainstream > > > > >> media has almost no clue and that many lawyers, judges and > > politicians > > > > >> would fail standard tests. But surely the route here cannot be to > > > > >> elite groups of philosopher kings - but should be towards properly > > > > >> available facts - leaving us with problems about who controls that > > > > >> production. 'The rich', whoever they are, already do this. > > > > > >> On 11 Nov, 11:33, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > Matriarchies are what started the problems and from history they > > tend > > > > >> > to love war.. > > > > >> > they are not a solution.. > > > > >> > Allan > > > > > >> > On Sun, Nov 11, 2012 at 10:49 AM, rigsy03 <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > >> > > I think that matriarchies are back in style- in all races and > > nations- > > > > >> > > and think it will be just as suffocating as the patriarchy. > > > > > >> > > On Nov 11, 1:39 am, andrew vecsey <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > >> > >> Voting with your wallet could be an effective way to change > > things and put > > > > >> > >> the wealthy exploiters out of business. Buying cheap products > > is more > > > > >> > >> expensive in the long term anyways. Buying food from local > > markets is also > > > > >> > >> healthier. As long as we all play the game, the game will keep > > playing > > > > >> > >> until every business becomes a monopoly and globalization will > > take over > > > > >> > >> our wallets. Once our wallets are gone, we are really screwed > > and will have > > > > >> > >> no other choice than to play robin hood. So much for free > > markets. > > > > > >> > >> On Sunday, November 11, 2012 12:41:52 AM UTC+1, archytas wrote: > > > > > >> > >> > We lack simple explanation that isn't crass Allan. I have > > little > > > > >> > >> > doubt the rich have stolen the wealth they have and it > > should be taken > > > > >> > >> > from them - but how do we do this without it ending up with > > big > > > > >> > >> > government that doesn't work any better? I think we are > > tranced by a > > > > >> > >> > work ethic that really makes no sense. We need facts on > > just how much > > > > >> > >> > work needs to be done and how we might organise that. > > Simples! Yet > > > > >> > >> > no answer because we don't understand the 'trancing'. > > > > > >> > >> > On 10 Nov, 07:15, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> > >> > > From what I see is the answer lies in manufacturing. And > > crazy things > > > > >> > >> > like > > > > >> > >> > > 50% less sales tax on products that are produced in the > > country origin, > > > > >> > >> > > that includes good thru all industrial products. > > > > > >> > >> > > Better tax collection on all international corporations > > and stock or > > > > >> > >> > money > > > > >> > >> > > sent out of the country. > > > > > >> > >> > > In the US all corporation papers say they agree to abide > > by all the laws > > > > >> > >> > > and if they don't they lose all corporate rights and > > privileges. This > > > > >> > >> > > needs to be enforced and you will see major changes in > > business. You > > > > >> > >> > have > > > > >> > >> > > to remember tax evasion is against the law. > > > > >> > >> > > Allan > > > > > >> > >> > > Air gunner full of hot air ready to release it quickly > > > > >> > >> > > On Nov 10, 2012 2:04 AM, "archytas" <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > >> > >> > > > The weird thing is that we are being told all sorts of > > stuff can't be > > > > >> > >> > > > 'afforded' - yet productivity is up by factors of ten > > since we did > > > > >> > >> > > > decent things like national health services - we should > > be able to > > > > >> > >> > > > afford loads more. In the UK we were told the answer > > was US > > > > >> > >> > > > management, then Japanese - German stuff had too much > > industrial > > > > >> > >> > > > democracy for our business ethos. Even the IMF has > > realised austerity > > > > >> > >> > > > is a crock. We're in the grips of something else. Debt > > is the > > > > >> > >> > > > obvious answer -but we have to address our attitudes > > towards it. Its > > > > >> > >> > > > owned by robber barons and all link between work and > > reward has really > > > > >> > >> > > > gone. > > > > > >> > >> > > > On 9 Nov, 21:59, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> > >> > > > > I totally agree with you management is based on > > rot..but from what I > > > > >> > >> > > > > have been reading it is the same problem from eons > > ago,, unchanged > > > > >> > >> > > > > what does it take to get management that is interested > > in the > > ... > > read more » --
