You left us with a enticing tidbit, ”Is capitalism good for the Common Good?” My answer which I acknowledge may not be so popular is “Absolutely Not!!” It is capitalism, greed without boundaries, that is happy to have our democracy devolve into a “demonocracy.”
Corporate capitalism thrives under authoritarianism partially because the authoritarian government gets elected and stays elected with the financial support of the capitalists. They are not only the beneficiaries of false populism, with their control of the media they stoke it and the lies behind it at every turn.
Capitalism benefits those with unlimited capital. How wealthy does Elon Musk need to be to feel satisfied? His hunger for wealth is insatiable. The same is true for Harlan Crow and the Koch Klatch. Capitalism has become greed unbounded and it is not possible to put it back into a cage where it will do no harm. Capitalism and the wealth inequality it breeds is a cancer on the society.
Capitalism through Walmart and Amazon has put the small main street entrepreneurs out of business. Many small town business districts have more vacant stores than occupied so the smaller businesses that the growth of the middle class depended on, are gone.
Capitalism will fall because it is eating away at its own base, the consumers. They can only suck so much money out of circulation until we, the consumers capitalism depends on, lose our purchasing power that they depend upon.
In short, capitalism is anathema to the Common Good. We must come up with a better solution for out economic vibrancy and put purchasing power back into the hands of the middle and lower class.
Despite losing a Senate seat, the Democrats at least will not have to deal with one Senator (another assuming Gallegos wins) holding the party hostage. Forget Manchin and focus on winning elsewhere!
Manchin knows he was not reelectable. He loves money - his yacht on the Potomac is just the tip of a tidy little fortune. His daughter is the CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in America and it is - just by pure coincidence of course - in West Virginia. His wife rolls lots of money on Wall Street. He owns many homes and other properties in the State, etc. He has money and property fantastically beyond anything a former Governor and US Senator possibly could have ‘earned’. Nothing like getting a national campaign fortune put together - in case he just happens to possibly, maybe turn his multi state tourism in to a run for the White House. All of this will bring out his alleged status as a devout Samaritan... Spare me. This guy is a thug - a crook. And any suggestion that he’s a centrist is sickening. He epitomizes all that is Good ol’ Boy southern politics. If the money was good enough he’d be Trump’s Vice President for god sake.
A loss if a senate seat but hopefully another will fall the democrats way. The bigger problem now is Johnson. Default. Ukraine. They are immediately in need of solving.
Joe Minchin is lazy and will not do anything except make more money on the speakers circuit. Oh he will thump his chest, spew lies about Biden, but in the end he is nothing more than a troll trying to be relevant
Thank you Bob and Heather, for another fact filled coffee klatch, thank you also for not mentioning the expectedly, dreary results from Mississippi. I do have a question on the probable Christmas season partial shutdown of the Federal Government (which I think is going to anger more of us than the magats think) Which Federal Agencies are likely to be shut down. And, second, when the last "Christmas Season" shut down occurred (under Trump) 12-22-2018 to 01-25-2019 arrangements were made for Federal employees to get limited funding through a few banks; will this be arranged again?
Nov 13, 2023·edited Nov 13, 2023Liked by Heather Lofthouse
Insightful and thought-provoking as usual, and I can't wait to see the common good and capitalism series. However, the phrase "gay lifestyle" always sets my teeth on edge. It is not my lifestyle, it is my life and my identity.
Joe Manchin is barely known outside of W. Virginia. His family has run the state for years. The name is known by W. Virginians only and people who follow politics. That is a small percentage of the public. Again the news outlets blow this out of proportions for bait click. They didn't spend this much ink over the retirement of Ken Buck. How it would upset the balance in 2024 election. 5 Republicans have announced they are not running in 2023. Mitt Romney announcement of retirement did not predict a loss of the senate to Dem's why would this one seat mean a loss to Dem's? The media really needs to stop being so over dramatic.
Good blacksmithing coal is bituminous with good coking properties and low clinker. 5 years ago we could get it for $ 550 a ton. My price was delivered so that a big cost too. That price is in 50 pound bags that adds a lot of cost. Many of the mines with this grade of coal have closed and its use for blacksmithing will come to an end. We have propane and now are seeing induction which works fine except the equipment is expensive. (Industrial use of induction heating for aluminum extrusion is now the industry standard. )
I also know a few local blacksmiths who use charcoal that they make themselves from hardwood scraps. Charcoal was used for centuries and is a very clean fuel. It was used until the late 1700's for iron making and the south used charcoal through the civil war for iron production near Birmingham.
Too early to predict. The best thing for all of us is that he retires into oblivion; he is a sleazeball.
You left us with a enticing tidbit, ”Is capitalism good for the Common Good?” My answer which I acknowledge may not be so popular is “Absolutely Not!!” It is capitalism, greed without boundaries, that is happy to have our democracy devolve into a “demonocracy.”
Corporate capitalism thrives under authoritarianism partially because the authoritarian government gets elected and stays elected with the financial support of the capitalists. They are not only the beneficiaries of false populism, with their control of the media they stoke it and the lies behind it at every turn.
Capitalism benefits those with unlimited capital. How wealthy does Elon Musk need to be to feel satisfied? His hunger for wealth is insatiable. The same is true for Harlan Crow and the Koch Klatch. Capitalism has become greed unbounded and it is not possible to put it back into a cage where it will do no harm. Capitalism and the wealth inequality it breeds is a cancer on the society.
Capitalism through Walmart and Amazon has put the small main street entrepreneurs out of business. Many small town business districts have more vacant stores than occupied so the smaller businesses that the growth of the middle class depended on, are gone.
Capitalism will fall because it is eating away at its own base, the consumers. They can only suck so much money out of circulation until we, the consumers capitalism depends on, lose our purchasing power that they depend upon.
In short, capitalism is anathema to the Common Good. We must come up with a better solution for out economic vibrancy and put purchasing power back into the hands of the middle and lower class.
Despite losing a Senate seat, the Democrats at least will not have to deal with one Senator (another assuming Gallegos wins) holding the party hostage. Forget Manchin and focus on winning elsewhere!
Manchin knows he was not reelectable. He loves money - his yacht on the Potomac is just the tip of a tidy little fortune. His daughter is the CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in America and it is - just by pure coincidence of course - in West Virginia. His wife rolls lots of money on Wall Street. He owns many homes and other properties in the State, etc. He has money and property fantastically beyond anything a former Governor and US Senator possibly could have ‘earned’. Nothing like getting a national campaign fortune put together - in case he just happens to possibly, maybe turn his multi state tourism in to a run for the White House. All of this will bring out his alleged status as a devout Samaritan... Spare me. This guy is a thug - a crook. And any suggestion that he’s a centrist is sickening. He epitomizes all that is Good ol’ Boy southern politics. If the money was good enough he’d be Trump’s Vice President for god sake.
A loss if a senate seat but hopefully another will fall the democrats way. The bigger problem now is Johnson. Default. Ukraine. They are immediately in need of solving.
Joe Minchin is lazy and will not do anything except make more money on the speakers circuit. Oh he will thump his chest, spew lies about Biden, but in the end he is nothing more than a troll trying to be relevant
Coal.
Thank you Bob and Heather, for another fact filled coffee klatch, thank you also for not mentioning the expectedly, dreary results from Mississippi. I do have a question on the probable Christmas season partial shutdown of the Federal Government (which I think is going to anger more of us than the magats think) Which Federal Agencies are likely to be shut down. And, second, when the last "Christmas Season" shut down occurred (under Trump) 12-22-2018 to 01-25-2019 arrangements were made for Federal employees to get limited funding through a few banks; will this be arranged again?
Perhaps the folks of WVa will finally get a representative that cares about them rather than enriching himself 😔
Insightful and thought-provoking as usual, and I can't wait to see the common good and capitalism series. However, the phrase "gay lifestyle" always sets my teeth on edge. It is not my lifestyle, it is my life and my identity.
Great show.
The most backward state in the union represented by a carbon centrict millionaire. What could go wrong. A true life hunger games.
Joe Manchin is barely known outside of W. Virginia. His family has run the state for years. The name is known by W. Virginians only and people who follow politics. That is a small percentage of the public. Again the news outlets blow this out of proportions for bait click. They didn't spend this much ink over the retirement of Ken Buck. How it would upset the balance in 2024 election. 5 Republicans have announced they are not running in 2023. Mitt Romney announcement of retirement did not predict a loss of the senate to Dem's why would this one seat mean a loss to Dem's? The media really needs to stop being so over dramatic.
All of the above
Trump will lose again in 2024!
Good blacksmithing coal is bituminous with good coking properties and low clinker. 5 years ago we could get it for $ 550 a ton. My price was delivered so that a big cost too. That price is in 50 pound bags that adds a lot of cost. Many of the mines with this grade of coal have closed and its use for blacksmithing will come to an end. We have propane and now are seeing induction which works fine except the equipment is expensive. (Industrial use of induction heating for aluminum extrusion is now the industry standard. )
I also know a few local blacksmiths who use charcoal that they make themselves from hardwood scraps. Charcoal was used for centuries and is a very clean fuel. It was used until the late 1700's for iron making and the south used charcoal through the civil war for iron production near Birmingham.