Oil, land, and water.....The privatizing of WATER is its own terror.
Where will all of this insanity end? Mother Nature always bats last.
When the Musks and the MBSs and the Trumps and the Putins of this world control all of that, we will all learn what it is like to be a peon, a slave, a beggar, and we will wait for Mother Nature's turn at bat. We will wonder how it all ever came to this....How did sane, competent humans hand over power and hope to sadistic sociopaths, and why.
Please don't give up. That's exactly what MAGA choreographers want you to do. We have to keep massaging this fragile experiment in democracy towards the heart.
You know what drains me most of all? The chaotic conditions that are hallmarks of a failing democracy It's not voter turnout as such but the slim margin by which a candidate or issue prevails. Joe Biden did not "handily" win the presidency. After 4 years of drumpf there should have been a much wider gap. I am a 70 y.o. who found her politics during high school when the Vietnam atrocities were our nightly news. I was horrified then and remain horrified to this day at how things only get more dire.
I'm almost 69 so I'm right there with you. It is inconceivable that anyone with more that two interacting neurons between their ears would vote for someone like Trump. I honestly don't know what anyone sees in him or why they would want the world that Project 2025 is planning for. The primary problems that Trumpism is a symptom of are deeply rooted, indeed. The only solution that I can see is the continued personal and spiritual growth and evolution of as many individuals as possible. See Ken Wilber's Integral Theory, if you haven't already come across it.
I have to be registered for a party in order to vote in the primaries (when we actually have a choice). Trouble is by the time it gets to my state's turn, it is almost always already decided, & nearly always not the candidate of my choice.
It was people who voted this way, in the past, that allowed George Bush to be elected! I wish Biden had announced he would be a one term President so we could have a younger candidate who would relate to the younger voter.
Hate the “duolpoly”? Work local elections, recruit viable candidates, help them win primaries. But once the contest is set, don’t be a last minute spoiler and facilitate presidents like GW Bush and DJT.
I can see your point about being desperate. In this country, we move back and forth between ideologies, and we are out at the FAR FAR right... in fact, in my opinion, we've moved into insanity, but that also is the hallmark of times like this. I do not agree with every democratic position, but blue politicians can be encouraged to move left and to better positions. At this point, Republicans will only move further to the right, and god knows... we're WAY too far right as it is... So, "vote blue" it is I think...
Many will write in someone else for president, such as Jon Stewart and Tom Hanks because we are funding the genocide while N walks all over us. He has openly stated that the US will do what he says.
This money we give Israel should be put to use here. Our problems are many; we should not be Israel's bank & trick monkey.
Mother Nature is already having her revenge.Floods, droughts,.drastically changing climate movements leading to famines in many areas of the world and destruction of crops through unseasonable weather whether too hot on too cold.
People asked the same thing about Hitler. It’s gradual repetition of the same propaganda day after day. When we have the Supreme Court deciding if Trump is a criminal it’s a very sad day.
Even the mere fact that the Supreme Court is considering "executive immunity" aka "perpetual license to do whatever the king wants, whenever the king wants, and, by the way, we now have a king" whether it's for purposes of delay to kowtow to the wannabe king or for purposes of one fell swoop declaring the king's coup a success, it is an extremely shocking event.
Sad fact of life, you can buy anyone. Everyone is for sale, and it doesn't have to be aprice more than needed to buy food, clothing and roof over the head.
Look at all the miners with black lung disease, the people that live next to refineries in cancer alley that won't move, but complain about cancer.
The housewives of Love Canal, stayed put until they got the government to buy their homes. The two or three that led the campaign are real hero's, but the point is that money can buy anyone. Think of how many work for a rotten boss and industry,put up with crap, abuse, underpayment because they need a job.
The migration of wealth from worker to oligarch has been orchestrated as “fiduciary responsibility” {balderdash!} since it was elevated to “gospel” in the Reagan era.
“Capitalism” is not just one thing. There’s “unfettered capitalism” that proceeds with few if any rules, primarily aimed at maximizing returns for the owner class with little flowing to the makers in labor. Unfettered capitalism eats up all in its path. There’s “vulture capitalism” that looks for the weak and gobbles it up. And there’s the real possibility of well-regulated capitalism that works for people who start businesses, AND for people who work for them, AND forthe societies in which they function. Capitalism and being able to start and own a business can be a wonderful system, if the rules under which it functions are in place to prevent predation and toxic exploitation. We have to remember why we even HAVE an economic system, and it is NOT to make someone rich. We have an economy to make it possible to live on a small planet with billions of people and facilitate getting needed resources to those people without total chaos and violence.
Pat - I completely agree with your analysis. For me, I think any commodity or business based on extraction of resources needs to be heavily regulated, even nationalized. Currently, our gov't, on our behalf, subsidizes resource extraction. (the mining act, for example). I always go back to the origins of capitalism, when colonial powers-to-be sent out ships to explore for resources. The mindset that it was there for the taking without regard for who lived there continues to this day. this morning i picked up a dole banana to see a sticker "celebrating" 125 years of bananas. i was repulsed at the idea of celebrating 125 years of colonial raping of central and south america for land, resources, labor. the direct consequence of this has been murder, theft of land, destablization of peaceful societies, and ultimately, migrating of dispossessed and oppressed peoples to our borders, looking for the possibility of better lives for their children.
Also, there is a phrase -external costs - that speaks to the costs of extraction, production, transportation, consumption. At this time, costs of environmental degradation and cleanup, for example, are borne by society at large. It generally falls disportionately on those least able to afford it.
So yes, unfettered capitalism is an abomination for people and the earth that supports us.
It is, Paul. There was a time when we expected a fine “return” for the privilege of extracting the natural resources of our country {we can have a conversation about whether all the extraction was ever a good idea at all, but this is about getting compensated …}. Now, I see us “subsidizing” the companies that do the extracting, instead of charging them for the privilege.
Are we still demanding a payment for the privilege of raping our environment? Or are we allowing it, because it creates “jobs”?
I have not kept up with the changes in those rules and regs, so I don’t know if we still get a return for the drilling and logging and water extraction, etc., that goes on big time …
Pat, short answer is, No there has never been even an attempt to estimate what a fair return or "compensation" for any given natural resource extraction eg by a Chevron, or any given pollution event might be -- polluter lobbyists made sure of that rather easily because there was no sufficiently powerful opposing lobby around to advocate for natural resource damages. Compare compensatory damages in tort and contracts litigation: there it is common simply because there is an advocate, the plaintiff Bar which benefits immensely.
Mmmmm, many years ago, a guy managed to get himself a tidy sum of money by toting up how much an energy company owed the people in unpaid fees for pumping oil out of the ground. When such fees were collected, the guy who found and went after them got what amounts to a ‘finder’s fee” share.
I wonder if those fees are still in force, and are we collecting them. I really have not stayed on top of things like that … Hmmmm. Now, I gotta go check it out… Hmmmm.
"And there’s the real possibility of well-regulated capitalism that works for people who start businesses, AND for people who work for them, AND for the societies in which they function."
Thanks. I think well-regulated capitalism is the BEST way to structure an economy that allows for a human desire to “own” an enterprise we create AND protects against egregious exploitation of those who do not own. We all need to have at least SOME “ownership” over our labor, don’t we? And a just society would ensure a fair return for that labor when it’s put in the service of someone else. Employee-owned companies can certainly be part of that mix, too, but no one should think that ANY economic model will banish the risk of unfair exploitation. Every project needs an eye on “the big picture,” a measure of oversight and management. That means someone with some expertise or skill is going to rise up to call the shots. That person gains power. Power can corrupt. Check out just about EVERY so-called “communist” country that evolves a strong-man in charge and exploitation for everybody else. I truly think capitalism CAN work, with good rules and the right of the people to know what’s going on. Hmmm, sounds like a well-regulated {read “constitutionally sound”} democracy to me.
Without regulation of wealth to avoid gross Inequality: we get corruption: all the way to the Supreme court, that is a threat to our Democratic Republic! Our communications, including not just media, but education systems, our food production , safety inspections, health care virtually everything that affects the quality of our lives and environment.
For sure, Laurie. I believe it is possible to have a badly written regulation and want to fix it, but when I hear the Rs talk about how they’ve dumped regulations in bulk and plan to dump even more, I think about the doors falling off airplanes, babyfood adulterated with plastic, and rivers so polluted they catch on fire. “Regulation” is a good word and a good idea in a world of 8 billion people who need some guidelines and areas of agreement to be able to live on Earth. For the luvva pete!
Yes, They reap what they sow, and only a Sociopath would not care if they harm the environment, or burn out their workers with poor working conditions, pay , bad hours, and little respect. If workers qualify for public assistance, the CEO and shareholders don't deserve any bonuses, that's for sure!
I keep hearing the words of Jair Bolsonaro saying that, under his administration, Brazil would do whatever it wanted with the Amazon rainforest. He said the region belonged to Brazil and not the world, so the world could basically go pound sand if he wanted to cut down trees. As if his country were somehow under a bubble, as if the substance of our plant were not continuous and interrelated….
Within this country, we now have states claiming that any federal controls over their use of natural resource is “colonialism,” as though the land and water and air in their state were not absolutely contiguous with the land and air and water all over the country {and indeed the world}. AND, as though the fifty states in the US were somehow suddenly sovereign and not part of a United bunch.
I do like the idea of “private property,” actually, but every idea needs to be seen in light of how it relates to reality, and some constraints {“regulations”} need to be accepted on “my property,” in light of reality.
Then, you need a decent set of overall rules {ummm, a constitution?} that we all respect and pretty much agree on, to make it work. Oy, vey. Listening to Justice Breyer on NPR yesterday talking about “contextualism,” and literal reading, and functionalism, and evolving civilizations, and how the SCOTUS interprets our constitution these days! Wow.
These issues all circle around and come back to influence each other. We live in a system. Some, like DJT and the Oligarchs behind him, want to blow up the system.
Sadly, a system can be, like Jenga game, brought down by the disruption of just one or two elements, if they are the right elements…
Pat ; after watching the news on MSNBC today, I was heartened by the fact that "fake electors have been indicted in Arizona, finally, and evidence that tRump aides Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Hope Hicks, along with Kenneth Chesboro and Mark Meadows were in on it ,too. Then, as I kept watching recorded recent shows, I saw on 'Deadline Whitehouse" that The Supreme Court mostly Male conservatives, shut the liberal women down when they tried to discuss tRump and his presidency and Jan 6th. instead, the "conservatives" were talking about the future, and using the "Contextualism" and BS vague ideas , avoiding the facts. They are clearly extremely partisan and working for trump, and his enablers in Russia, and the Billionaire world! They actually are not going to decide the immunity question before the election. They want to ruminate about these off the wall theories, which will take a lot of time, even though there are facts coming out, and we may even see a conviction! This could very well be our last vote!
I seriously, seriously hope it is not our last, but that is the danger ... NPR had Justice Breyer talking about the atavistic and irrational interpretation of our constitution as the literal language was “understood” by the framers. He talked about their intention and the qualities of freedom they meant to protect, not the literal meaning of words that don’t even describe specific aspects of our current world - but concepts and ideas, those remain. He was excellent. But these guys are not pushing their interpretations because they make sense — they’re doing it because they can obstruct change — that’s not conservative, it’s reactionary, and sick.
Pat ; I just correct it when I catch it and make my post. Damn the torpedoes ; I'm going to enjoy this forum while I can. Besides it could be a "brain fart" in the "brain " of the computer!
If an industry moved in and pollutes the air and water, then the industry should be required to take moral and fiscal responsibility, but because of a corrupt judiciary and political system they get away with murder. example Union Carbide, Bhopal, India. After years of law suits, they were required to pay for the death of thousands, but then bought the India Supreme court who reversed their finding. Union Carbide filed for and got bankruptcy and was bought by DOW.
On the other hand, what of those who move into a polluted, cancer causing area and there is public knowledge that the area is hazardous to one's health.
We have to be wary of being influenced in that fashion, but it is not the point about what needs to be done. The point about what is going on in our world and where we need to keep our focus — that is how we avoid being waltzed down the primrose path of Shock Doctrine. Not an easy task, given people’s tendency to act on less information than they really need.
True, for instance we are really not much different than crows, being distracted by the next shiny thing.
For instance, what is happening in Ukraine is threatening to the west, Putin is pounding Ukraine into rubble, knocked out their main power production, committing genocide, left and right and he threatens nuclear war and WWIII, this actually does affect not only Europe but America.
However we are distracted by the destruction in Gaza, and campus idiots.
We and the media.
When they tire of this distraction, another will arise. Meanwhile while the hypocritical bleeding hearts are distracted by Gaza, not a phucking word about the murder and starvation of innocents in Sudan and elsewhere around the world.
Because there are no wealthy South Sudanese and Somali's buying chairs in Universities and sending their kids to our Universities and bestowing largess on Universities via sovereign funds.
And it isn't sexy, because there are no hundreds of indigenous reporters with cell phones and video camera's feeding images to AP, Reuters, Tik Tok or Reddit.
Well, I’ve been posting about Sudan. Actually for years.
The RSF, who are the Janjaweed with a new name — monstrous. The whole situation, monstrous.
Mostly, not on our radar in the news because — Oh, I don’t know, maybe Black people? Certainly, poor people.
I don’t consider Gaza a distraction, though — or any of the things going on anywhere — I would prefer we be able to walk and chew gum. Which I have also said, regarding our Congress bi*ching that we need to take care of our border and NOT be concerned with Ukraine OR Gaza OR Taiwan OR Sudan OR Central and South American or African or Pacific Island people unable to live in their own countries OR climate change … OR, for the luvva pete, YEMEN!!
There’s plenty of important stuff to deal with. Hell, we need to be very careful about the damned bird flu …
I do hope our government pays attention to the things that need attention, even when the news cycle does not.
I agree Pat, however you personalized my comment. I wasn't talking about you being distracted by the new shiny object, but the media.
We , the people, get our juices roiled up by the media and what they choose to report on. It is all about selling clicks and papers, and our juices are roiled by our bias.
I take note of how the campus idiots have turned out en mass for Arabs, but sat back quietly not even murmuring about Ukraine and even the Sudan, there is a reason of course, and it is about money and social influence on Universities. Sudan and Ukraine don't have the sons and daughters of oil millionaires on campus, nor have the Sudanese and Ukrainians have been able to buy fellowships and chairs in our Universities.
Before Gaza blew up, all we heard about was Ukraine.
I may be living on a different planet from you.
You mentioned that “we and the media” are distracted. I didn’t personalize a statement from you. You personalized it.
These are the things that get frustrating for me. You being a variable object on the view screen.
I disagree with WHY we hear less about Ukraine right now. Press headlines ARE designed to attract eyes. One hopes the stories have information within, but sadly, there’s no guarantee.
A lot of press is venal.
Not all.
It’s tough to find a source that can be trusted to at least cover the stories they DO address well … but there are some out there.
Hard to find a source that is circumspect about the world.
That might be more than we can ask for. I’m pretty much disappointed in a lot of the US press. Not all, but a lot. I’m afraid SOME journalists are becoming what the popular culture THINKS they are — not what they’ve always been, but what they’re becoming. Makes me sad.
I do not understand why you are wring. You say the press is venal, and then next sentence not at all.. Is the press venal or not?
I don't personalize impersonal statements.
I agree that journalists often follow the popular trend or interest, and there are those, that consciously try to create a popular mentality.
For instance take the so called journalists in Gaza, I've seen reports that over a hundred reporters have been killed in Gaza.
That claim alone is extraordinary. What constitutes a reporter, according to HAMAS it is a cell phone, a video cam maybe, a helmet and a vest with Press. Anyone is a reporter.
But a reporter is someone who is on the staff of a reputable news agency, and not "over 100" of them have been killed.
Same with the number of casualties on both sides of Ukraine , one side has a motive to minimize theirs and exaggerate the other side.
In Gaza, HAMAS exaggerates not only the number of casualties,but fails to mention that half the number are Jihadi fighters.
Even when we get news reports, from any source, we have no way of knowing what is factual and what is bullshit and propaganda.. and BTW that includes the IDF.
I just watched something on Amanpour and Company, about the explosion and death at Abbey Gate. It was claimed that all, but maybe a few deaths, were the result of the explosion by the suicide bomber during the mayhem at Kabul airport.
The showed video's and counted the shots, about 43, but not the shooter or targets, then they had an Afghan Doctor who lives in America, interviewed saying that he counted half of the bodies with bullet wounds in the head or bodies.
Bear in mind, that the only way he could have done a post mortem on the dead, was if he was sanctioned by the Taliban, because the post mortem would have happened after the last plane left the runway, and in a Taliban facility.. So he wasn't an Afghan refugee trying to flee the Taliban, but instead, in my opinion, either Taliban or a sympathizer because those that weren't if professionals are dead. So when, how and more importantly why is this man who obviously harbors animosity towards the Americans wind up in the U.S.A.
I don't take things at face value Pat.
Nor do I take his claim that half the 170 dead Afghans were shot by scared Marines.
We don't know who was shooting at the Marines and who they were shooting at, all we have is the sensationalism of the video and the shot counts of about 43, that assumes that the scared young 18 and 19 years old, every bullet hit and killed an Afghan civilian.
It is bullshit propaganda. Here is another example of which I have knowledge.
There is a famous phot of a Vietnamese officer, shooting a VC in the head in Saigan during the day of the Tet offense. The campus idiots were outraged.
Here are the facts. The officer was the Chief of Police of Saigan, the VC had rampaged though his neighbor hood and brutally murdered the wife, and children of his friend and neighbors, what do you expect him to do, sit down and have tea with him.
The VC killed these innocents up front and personal, just like the terrorists of HAMAS and Islamic jihad killed the jewish infants, children, women, elderly and disabled. not as collateral damage trying to get to Bibi, the Likkud and the orthodox Settlers, but up front and personal
And the campus idiots and bleeding hearts over look that because they are fed with propaganda videos, which are horrible to be sure, of the after effects of war.
Don't believe your lying eyes, and use the critical reasoning skills, that humans are suppose to have (and please don't take the you personal, it is third person plural, , a fault of the English language, in Espanol es el, ella, ustdes.
I’m only going as far as the first couple of sentences. You quoted: <<I do not understand why you are wring. You say the press is venal, and then next sentence not at all.. Is the press venal or not?>>
I didn’t write what you said I wrote. Read it again, and that will answer your question.
The rest, I have not investigated, so won’t address at present.
Incidentally Pat, you just confirmed an observation of mine, that people read so far, until they come upon a word or phrase that hits a hot button, then they stop reading. the heart rate goes up, there is a flush, and the reply hit. In future, I will save what I think are hot buttons to the last, then again most of the response is a hot button, especially when it is a negative comment that hits someones recall of reality or their identity.
I did a word search on the thread, The first instance of the use of the word venal is by you.
To wit: "A lot of press is venal.
Not all."
The above two sentences are yours Pat, from your omment, given that this is substack, you will probably have to go the bottom of the page, click on load more, do it twice and then do a word search via ctrl "f" for find.
When were you willing to work for years for nothing in order to help humanity get off the teat of big oil. If you must castigate the evil ones, try and start there and not with the man and the company trying to stop them. Much of the hate of Elon is fed by those paid by big oil and media interests.
Nobody said anything about ‘working for nothing’ — not in the US, mostly. Of course, there are lots of places around the world where people are exploited. And it’s not by people trying to create a green economy …
Disagree. The very wealthy have devoted enormous efforts into accumalating what they have. They are would be conquerers. This is what taxes are designed to keep in check.
When you belong to a credit union, you're an owner. One vote per member so you elect your board. A credit union is democracy in action; the interest rates are good - both for savings and loans.
If you buy shares in a bank you are an owner.One vote per share.You can elect the board.
Profits are returned to the owners.The same as all companies.
Over a 40 year time span then Bank of America shares have gone from around $3.50 to $37..The credit union will not generate wealth generation after generation.Companies either listed or private will.
My local butcher is closing,nothing nefarious going on.3 generations have owned it and now they have daughters.None of the girls want to be butchers.Handed down for 3 generations to the next shareholder (owner).Grandfather passed on to son,collected part of the profits ( dividends) in retirement.Son passed on to son,same thing.One problem,the son did not want to be a butcher,he wanted to be an electrician.He hated every moment of working in that shop but felt obligated to keep the family business going. Nobody wants to buy the business so it is not liquid,it can't be sold,it just closes
Companies listed on an exchange are liquid.They can continue for hundreds of years.The profit from the butcher goes to the shareholders ( the family owners).The profit from the bank goes to the owners ( shareholders).No difference. The grandfather needed to spend money to open the shop and buy or rent the premises. To be an owner of B of A you need to buy shares to become a part owner.Exactly the same thing.
In a credit union each member has one vote; nobody can stack the deck. The flip side of saving and investing is debt. Being able to borrow at reasonable rates surely gives you a chance to build wealth and succeeding generations benefit when Mom & Dad get on their feet financially.
You can still stack.For some reason the site will not let me reply,times out so
You have made the common mistake of looking at the cost of capital ( money) not the return on capital ( money).Time is all the difference to it.Coca cola is easy to follow 1 share in 1919 cost $40.After splits you now have 10,000 shares roughly at $60 each.So $600K.
Two people had different interest rates.One paid back the loan and interest and paid back $80.One had a higher interest rate and paid back $100.The cost of the capital didn't really matter.One paid $80 for $600K plus dividends,one paid $100 for $600K plus dividends.
ROE means return on equity,you don't need to know what it means.ROE also means return on effort Two people made the effort.The vast majority just make the effort to hold a hand out and say give me money.I demand my fair share of your effort.I don't know why they just never seem to realise,hang on,why not redirect the effort of holding a hand out to something that will be more productive.
The cost/benefit analysis is another financial term for it.Or cost accretive,take over a company,the cost of the interest is $1 billion.The profit is $1 billion and 2 dollars.Over the years you expect to make that company more profitable and use those profits to pay back the debt and produce more income.
Nobody saves up to buy a house,you borrow money to buy it on the expectation it will save you paying rent,and it will increase in value over the decades.
Yahoo finance is alerted and 2 hours after mentioning coke they send me a " news" article what if.
$1,000 invested in Coke 10 years ago is now worth ~ $2100. $1,000 invested in Pepsi stock is ~ $2700.I don't know if that is with dividends reinvested.
The what if on coke is $40 in 1919,reinvest all the dividends you now have 320,000 shares in Coke worth $19.5 million.The dividend on that is ~ $620,000.
Take the dystopian and distorted view of "reality" that most people do and they have got it wrong every day for the last 105 years.They will get it wrong every day for the next 105 years.
They will put no effort into buying shares in Coke,Pepsi or any other company. The only effort they will make is hand out,I demand my fair share of the effort your family have put in for the last 105 years.
This is how crazy/ greedy people are.Hand out,I demand.
Around 45 years ago while still working at my trade I was curious , I thought I would try something. I borrowed $10,000 on a home equity loan and bought stock in a company I had no idea what I was doing.
3 or 6 months later I was asked how did that stock go .Always be honest so I said they are worth $13,000 now. Immediately it was so are you going to sell them and share that money with us.Always be honest ,I said no,I will have to pay CGT and I don't know how much that is.I will wait and see how this works out.I will try to learn more.
Immediately,then why don't you retire,you've made a lot of money,somebody else will need your job,you are greedy.
So at the age of mid/late 30s,with a mortgage to pay for,and children to pay for $3,000 would last for the rest of my life and pay all bills.Never underestimate how crazy/dumb people are.
That slowly led to a career change and the chance to explain financial matters
in simple terms to people to help them .
Nothing has changed since then,nothing will ever change.My goal was financial security for my family,which they have.They also have enough knowledge to to secure financial security for their families.None of them work in the finanacial industry and never will.
The one piece of very important advice I gave them was there will be no displays of wealth.Just get on with the job of creating financial security forever,and realise you can buy all the toys you want.Don''t buy all of those toys,give money to charity .Don't tell people you are doing well,it will lead to a lifetime of I demand my fair share of your effort/work
Yep, and by the way there is one financial institution/Insurance company that is also and that is USAA, Founded for commissioned officers, it opened to NCO's then all ranks, now if your father or grandfather was a member of the armed forces, you are eligible.
Every year I get a refund on unused profits and premiums, also a yearly Senior Bonus, and contributions to my subscribers saving account, which I can withdraw when I quit my membership, currently about $3,000 and the rates are the very best in the nation.
I have called in for rate comparisons to every company I can think of, and when I tell them I have USAA they say sorry, we can't beat them.
Alternative is censoring, communistic, non Capitalistic - almost nazi like ( un American) ( sort of what the good professor oversees on this site)… Sickening… watch this post vanish in proof of what I say- utterly pathetic… move to Australia which also seems to fear the written word!
Oil, land, and water.....The privatizing of WATER is its own terror.
Where will all of this insanity end? Mother Nature always bats last.
When the Musks and the MBSs and the Trumps and the Putins of this world control all of that, we will all learn what it is like to be a peon, a slave, a beggar, and we will wait for Mother Nature's turn at bat. We will wonder how it all ever came to this....How did sane, competent humans hand over power and hope to sadistic sociopaths, and why.
Why not make it end today by getting out the vote for Democrats? Lots of people have made it easy to do!
REGISTER DEMOCRATS. SAVE DEMOCRACY!
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
I refuse to register with either political party. Out of desperation I "vote blue" but that's the extent of my involvement
Please don't give up. That's exactly what MAGA choreographers want you to do. We have to keep massaging this fragile experiment in democracy towards the heart.
You know what drains me most of all? The chaotic conditions that are hallmarks of a failing democracy It's not voter turnout as such but the slim margin by which a candidate or issue prevails. Joe Biden did not "handily" win the presidency. After 4 years of drumpf there should have been a much wider gap. I am a 70 y.o. who found her politics during high school when the Vietnam atrocities were our nightly news. I was horrified then and remain horrified to this day at how things only get more dire.
I'm almost 69 so I'm right there with you. It is inconceivable that anyone with more that two interacting neurons between their ears would vote for someone like Trump. I honestly don't know what anyone sees in him or why they would want the world that Project 2025 is planning for. The primary problems that Trumpism is a symptom of are deeply rooted, indeed. The only solution that I can see is the continued personal and spiritual growth and evolution of as many individuals as possible. See Ken Wilber's Integral Theory, if you haven't already come across it.
1 of the problems appears to be, as the song says, "only stupid people keep on breeding".
I have to be registered for a party in order to vote in the primaries (when we actually have a choice). Trouble is by the time it gets to my state's turn, it is almost always already decided, & nearly always not the candidate of my choice.
me too.
Im voting for Cornel West or Jill Stein, hopefully they'll get on the ballot in November.
In any case, I cant support the Duopoly. I do not support giving any military aid to Israel or Ukraine.
It was people who voted this way, in the past, that allowed George Bush to be elected! I wish Biden had announced he would be a one term President so we could have a younger candidate who would relate to the younger voter.
lawrence, not following...
voted what way?
I would rethink that. A vote for Green or West is a vote for trump. He is worse than biden.
Im an enthusiastic supporter of both Stein and West. I dont see the point of voting for a candidate that is demonstrably bad for the country.
If it weren’t for people like you Al Gore would have become president and we’d have gotten in front of global climate disaster.
And so now you want Trump to win? Stay home if you don’t like democracy.
Mia please clarify what you are talking about and to whom.
Anyone who votes for a third party candidate.
Hate the “duolpoly”? Work local elections, recruit viable candidates, help them win primaries. But once the contest is set, don’t be a last minute spoiler and facilitate presidents like GW Bush and DJT.
It's just LAZY, not a statement.
well mia, what exactly have you clarified ?
I can see your point about being desperate. In this country, we move back and forth between ideologies, and we are out at the FAR FAR right... in fact, in my opinion, we've moved into insanity, but that also is the hallmark of times like this. I do not agree with every democratic position, but blue politicians can be encouraged to move left and to better positions. At this point, Republicans will only move further to the right, and god knows... we're WAY too far right as it is... So, "vote blue" it is I think...
Many will write in someone else for president, such as Jon Stewart and Tom Hanks because we are funding the genocide while N walks all over us. He has openly stated that the US will do what he says.
This money we give Israel should be put to use here. Our problems are many; we should not be Israel's bank & trick monkey.
Mother Nature is already having her revenge.Floods, droughts,.drastically changing climate movements leading to famines in many areas of the world and destruction of crops through unseasonable weather whether too hot on too cold.
Oooh, I like your positioning of "whether" right after "weather".
Thanks,Jaime.Where i live ,it's now a question of "whether the weather" is too hot or cold - literally 0 C in the morning to 25 C early afternoon.
People asked the same thing about Hitler. It’s gradual repetition of the same propaganda day after day. When we have the Supreme Court deciding if Trump is a criminal it’s a very sad day.
Even the mere fact that the Supreme Court is considering "executive immunity" aka "perpetual license to do whatever the king wants, whenever the king wants, and, by the way, we now have a king" whether it's for purposes of delay to kowtow to the wannabe king or for purposes of one fell swoop declaring the king's coup a success, it is an extremely shocking event.
Sad fact of life, you can buy anyone. Everyone is for sale, and it doesn't have to be aprice more than needed to buy food, clothing and roof over the head.
Look at all the miners with black lung disease, the people that live next to refineries in cancer alley that won't move, but complain about cancer.
The housewives of Love Canal, stayed put until they got the government to buy their homes. The two or three that led the campaign are real hero's, but the point is that money can buy anyone. Think of how many work for a rotten boss and industry,put up with crap, abuse, underpayment because they need a job.
For now. Certain billionaires are trying to buy up the water so they can sell it to us.
Janet--At what price.
The migration of wealth from worker to oligarch has been orchestrated as “fiduciary responsibility” {balderdash!} since it was elevated to “gospel” in the Reagan era.
“Capitalism” is not just one thing. There’s “unfettered capitalism” that proceeds with few if any rules, primarily aimed at maximizing returns for the owner class with little flowing to the makers in labor. Unfettered capitalism eats up all in its path. There’s “vulture capitalism” that looks for the weak and gobbles it up. And there’s the real possibility of well-regulated capitalism that works for people who start businesses, AND for people who work for them, AND forthe societies in which they function. Capitalism and being able to start and own a business can be a wonderful system, if the rules under which it functions are in place to prevent predation and toxic exploitation. We have to remember why we even HAVE an economic system, and it is NOT to make someone rich. We have an economy to make it possible to live on a small planet with billions of people and facilitate getting needed resources to those people without total chaos and violence.
Pat - I completely agree with your analysis. For me, I think any commodity or business based on extraction of resources needs to be heavily regulated, even nationalized. Currently, our gov't, on our behalf, subsidizes resource extraction. (the mining act, for example). I always go back to the origins of capitalism, when colonial powers-to-be sent out ships to explore for resources. The mindset that it was there for the taking without regard for who lived there continues to this day. this morning i picked up a dole banana to see a sticker "celebrating" 125 years of bananas. i was repulsed at the idea of celebrating 125 years of colonial raping of central and south america for land, resources, labor. the direct consequence of this has been murder, theft of land, destablization of peaceful societies, and ultimately, migrating of dispossessed and oppressed peoples to our borders, looking for the possibility of better lives for their children.
Also, there is a phrase -external costs - that speaks to the costs of extraction, production, transportation, consumption. At this time, costs of environmental degradation and cleanup, for example, are borne by society at large. It generally falls disportionately on those least able to afford it.
So yes, unfettered capitalism is an abomination for people and the earth that supports us.
It is, Paul. There was a time when we expected a fine “return” for the privilege of extracting the natural resources of our country {we can have a conversation about whether all the extraction was ever a good idea at all, but this is about getting compensated …}. Now, I see us “subsidizing” the companies that do the extracting, instead of charging them for the privilege.
Are we still demanding a payment for the privilege of raping our environment? Or are we allowing it, because it creates “jobs”?
I have not kept up with the changes in those rules and regs, so I don’t know if we still get a return for the drilling and logging and water extraction, etc., that goes on big time …
Pat, short answer is, No there has never been even an attempt to estimate what a fair return or "compensation" for any given natural resource extraction eg by a Chevron, or any given pollution event might be -- polluter lobbyists made sure of that rather easily because there was no sufficiently powerful opposing lobby around to advocate for natural resource damages. Compare compensatory damages in tort and contracts litigation: there it is common simply because there is an advocate, the plaintiff Bar which benefits immensely.
Mmmmm, many years ago, a guy managed to get himself a tidy sum of money by toting up how much an energy company owed the people in unpaid fees for pumping oil out of the ground. When such fees were collected, the guy who found and went after them got what amounts to a ‘finder’s fee” share.
I wonder if those fees are still in force, and are we collecting them. I really have not stayed on top of things like that … Hmmmm. Now, I gotta go check it out… Hmmmm.
"And there’s the real possibility of well-regulated capitalism that works for people who start businesses, AND for people who work for them, AND for the societies in which they function."
You are preaching the truth Pat!
Thanks. I think well-regulated capitalism is the BEST way to structure an economy that allows for a human desire to “own” an enterprise we create AND protects against egregious exploitation of those who do not own. We all need to have at least SOME “ownership” over our labor, don’t we? And a just society would ensure a fair return for that labor when it’s put in the service of someone else. Employee-owned companies can certainly be part of that mix, too, but no one should think that ANY economic model will banish the risk of unfair exploitation. Every project needs an eye on “the big picture,” a measure of oversight and management. That means someone with some expertise or skill is going to rise up to call the shots. That person gains power. Power can corrupt. Check out just about EVERY so-called “communist” country that evolves a strong-man in charge and exploitation for everybody else. I truly think capitalism CAN work, with good rules and the right of the people to know what’s going on. Hmmm, sounds like a well-regulated {read “constitutionally sound”} democracy to me.
And some people starving or being poisoned by dirty water, and air pollution.
For sure — holding the line on these things is what GOOD regulation is for…
Without regulation of wealth to avoid gross Inequality: we get corruption: all the way to the Supreme court, that is a threat to our Democratic Republic! Our communications, including not just media, but education systems, our food production , safety inspections, health care virtually everything that affects the quality of our lives and environment.
For sure, Laurie. I believe it is possible to have a badly written regulation and want to fix it, but when I hear the Rs talk about how they’ve dumped regulations in bulk and plan to dump even more, I think about the doors falling off airplanes, babyfood adulterated with plastic, and rivers so polluted they catch on fire. “Regulation” is a good word and a good idea in a world of 8 billion people who need some guidelines and areas of agreement to be able to live on Earth. For the luvva pete!
Yes, They reap what they sow, and only a Sociopath would not care if they harm the environment, or burn out their workers with poor working conditions, pay , bad hours, and little respect. If workers qualify for public assistance, the CEO and shareholders don't deserve any bonuses, that's for sure!
That “assistance” to their workers is taxpayers subsidizing predatory employers. Corporate “welfare,” if people just realized.
The greedy think of regulation as expensive: unless it's to protect them!
I keep hearing the words of Jair Bolsonaro saying that, under his administration, Brazil would do whatever it wanted with the Amazon rainforest. He said the region belonged to Brazil and not the world, so the world could basically go pound sand if he wanted to cut down trees. As if his country were somehow under a bubble, as if the substance of our plant were not continuous and interrelated….
Within this country, we now have states claiming that any federal controls over their use of natural resource is “colonialism,” as though the land and water and air in their state were not absolutely contiguous with the land and air and water all over the country {and indeed the world}. AND, as though the fifty states in the US were somehow suddenly sovereign and not part of a United bunch.
I do like the idea of “private property,” actually, but every idea needs to be seen in light of how it relates to reality, and some constraints {“regulations”} need to be accepted on “my property,” in light of reality.
Then, you need a decent set of overall rules {ummm, a constitution?} that we all respect and pretty much agree on, to make it work. Oy, vey. Listening to Justice Breyer on NPR yesterday talking about “contextualism,” and literal reading, and functionalism, and evolving civilizations, and how the SCOTUS interprets our constitution these days! Wow.
These issues all circle around and come back to influence each other. We live in a system. Some, like DJT and the Oligarchs behind him, want to blow up the system.
Sadly, a system can be, like Jenga game, brought down by the disruption of just one or two elements, if they are the right elements…
It’s a SYSTEM.
Life on the PLANET is a system.
Mmmmmph.
Pat ; after watching the news on MSNBC today, I was heartened by the fact that "fake electors have been indicted in Arizona, finally, and evidence that tRump aides Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Hope Hicks, along with Kenneth Chesboro and Mark Meadows were in on it ,too. Then, as I kept watching recorded recent shows, I saw on 'Deadline Whitehouse" that The Supreme Court mostly Male conservatives, shut the liberal women down when they tried to discuss tRump and his presidency and Jan 6th. instead, the "conservatives" were talking about the future, and using the "Contextualism" and BS vague ideas , avoiding the facts. They are clearly extremely partisan and working for trump, and his enablers in Russia, and the Billionaire world! They actually are not going to decide the immunity question before the election. They want to ruminate about these off the wall theories, which will take a lot of time, even though there are facts coming out, and we may even see a conviction! This could very well be our last vote!
I seriously, seriously hope it is not our last, but that is the danger ... NPR had Justice Breyer talking about the atavistic and irrational interpretation of our constitution as the literal language was “understood” by the framers. He talked about their intention and the qualities of freedom they meant to protect, not the literal meaning of words that don’t even describe specific aspects of our current world - but concepts and ideas, those remain. He was excellent. But these guys are not pushing their interpretations because they make sense — they’re doing it because they can obstruct change — that’s not conservative, it’s reactionary, and sick.
Pat ; In this context, the way things are unfolding, That is the truth, as I see it, anyway.
It’s pretty damned worrisome.
Pat ; I just correct it when I catch it and make my post. Damn the torpedoes ; I'm going to enjoy this forum while I can. Besides it could be a "brain fart" in the "brain " of the computer!
If an industry moved in and pollutes the air and water, then the industry should be required to take moral and fiscal responsibility, but because of a corrupt judiciary and political system they get away with murder. example Union Carbide, Bhopal, India. After years of law suits, they were required to pay for the death of thousands, but then bought the India Supreme court who reversed their finding. Union Carbide filed for and got bankruptcy and was bought by DOW.
On the other hand, what of those who move into a polluted, cancer causing area and there is public knowledge that the area is hazardous to one's health.
Disaster Capitalism, making a killing out of catastrophe https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Capitalism-Making-Killing-Catastrophe/dp/1784781150
Shock Doctrine, the Rise of Disaster Capitalism https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0312427999
Yes, that is a psychological reality.
We have to be wary of being influenced in that fashion, but it is not the point about what needs to be done. The point about what is going on in our world and where we need to keep our focus — that is how we avoid being waltzed down the primrose path of Shock Doctrine. Not an easy task, given people’s tendency to act on less information than they really need.
True, for instance we are really not much different than crows, being distracted by the next shiny thing.
For instance, what is happening in Ukraine is threatening to the west, Putin is pounding Ukraine into rubble, knocked out their main power production, committing genocide, left and right and he threatens nuclear war and WWIII, this actually does affect not only Europe but America.
However we are distracted by the destruction in Gaza, and campus idiots.
We and the media.
When they tire of this distraction, another will arise. Meanwhile while the hypocritical bleeding hearts are distracted by Gaza, not a phucking word about the murder and starvation of innocents in Sudan and elsewhere around the world.
Because there are no wealthy South Sudanese and Somali's buying chairs in Universities and sending their kids to our Universities and bestowing largess on Universities via sovereign funds.
And it isn't sexy, because there are no hundreds of indigenous reporters with cell phones and video camera's feeding images to AP, Reuters, Tik Tok or Reddit.
So it isn't sexy.
Well, I’ve been posting about Sudan. Actually for years.
The RSF, who are the Janjaweed with a new name — monstrous. The whole situation, monstrous.
Mostly, not on our radar in the news because — Oh, I don’t know, maybe Black people? Certainly, poor people.
I don’t consider Gaza a distraction, though — or any of the things going on anywhere — I would prefer we be able to walk and chew gum. Which I have also said, regarding our Congress bi*ching that we need to take care of our border and NOT be concerned with Ukraine OR Gaza OR Taiwan OR Sudan OR Central and South American or African or Pacific Island people unable to live in their own countries OR climate change … OR, for the luvva pete, YEMEN!!
There’s plenty of important stuff to deal with. Hell, we need to be very careful about the damned bird flu …
I do hope our government pays attention to the things that need attention, even when the news cycle does not.
I agree Pat, however you personalized my comment. I wasn't talking about you being distracted by the new shiny object, but the media.
We , the people, get our juices roiled up by the media and what they choose to report on. It is all about selling clicks and papers, and our juices are roiled by our bias.
I take note of how the campus idiots have turned out en mass for Arabs, but sat back quietly not even murmuring about Ukraine and even the Sudan, there is a reason of course, and it is about money and social influence on Universities. Sudan and Ukraine don't have the sons and daughters of oil millionaires on campus, nor have the Sudanese and Ukrainians have been able to buy fellowships and chairs in our Universities.
Before Gaza blew up, all we heard about was Ukraine.
I may be living on a different planet from you.
You mentioned that “we and the media” are distracted. I didn’t personalize a statement from you. You personalized it.
These are the things that get frustrating for me. You being a variable object on the view screen.
I disagree with WHY we hear less about Ukraine right now. Press headlines ARE designed to attract eyes. One hopes the stories have information within, but sadly, there’s no guarantee.
A lot of press is venal.
Not all.
It’s tough to find a source that can be trusted to at least cover the stories they DO address well … but there are some out there.
Hard to find a source that is circumspect about the world.
That might be more than we can ask for. I’m pretty much disappointed in a lot of the US press. Not all, but a lot. I’m afraid SOME journalists are becoming what the popular culture THINKS they are — not what they’ve always been, but what they’re becoming. Makes me sad.
Mmmmmph.
I do not understand why you are wring. You say the press is venal, and then next sentence not at all.. Is the press venal or not?
I don't personalize impersonal statements.
I agree that journalists often follow the popular trend or interest, and there are those, that consciously try to create a popular mentality.
For instance take the so called journalists in Gaza, I've seen reports that over a hundred reporters have been killed in Gaza.
That claim alone is extraordinary. What constitutes a reporter, according to HAMAS it is a cell phone, a video cam maybe, a helmet and a vest with Press. Anyone is a reporter.
But a reporter is someone who is on the staff of a reputable news agency, and not "over 100" of them have been killed.
Same with the number of casualties on both sides of Ukraine , one side has a motive to minimize theirs and exaggerate the other side.
In Gaza, HAMAS exaggerates not only the number of casualties,but fails to mention that half the number are Jihadi fighters.
Even when we get news reports, from any source, we have no way of knowing what is factual and what is bullshit and propaganda.. and BTW that includes the IDF.
I just watched something on Amanpour and Company, about the explosion and death at Abbey Gate. It was claimed that all, but maybe a few deaths, were the result of the explosion by the suicide bomber during the mayhem at Kabul airport.
The showed video's and counted the shots, about 43, but not the shooter or targets, then they had an Afghan Doctor who lives in America, interviewed saying that he counted half of the bodies with bullet wounds in the head or bodies.
Bear in mind, that the only way he could have done a post mortem on the dead, was if he was sanctioned by the Taliban, because the post mortem would have happened after the last plane left the runway, and in a Taliban facility.. So he wasn't an Afghan refugee trying to flee the Taliban, but instead, in my opinion, either Taliban or a sympathizer because those that weren't if professionals are dead. So when, how and more importantly why is this man who obviously harbors animosity towards the Americans wind up in the U.S.A.
I don't take things at face value Pat.
Nor do I take his claim that half the 170 dead Afghans were shot by scared Marines.
We don't know who was shooting at the Marines and who they were shooting at, all we have is the sensationalism of the video and the shot counts of about 43, that assumes that the scared young 18 and 19 years old, every bullet hit and killed an Afghan civilian.
It is bullshit propaganda. Here is another example of which I have knowledge.
There is a famous phot of a Vietnamese officer, shooting a VC in the head in Saigan during the day of the Tet offense. The campus idiots were outraged.
Here are the facts. The officer was the Chief of Police of Saigan, the VC had rampaged though his neighbor hood and brutally murdered the wife, and children of his friend and neighbors, what do you expect him to do, sit down and have tea with him.
The VC killed these innocents up front and personal, just like the terrorists of HAMAS and Islamic jihad killed the jewish infants, children, women, elderly and disabled. not as collateral damage trying to get to Bibi, the Likkud and the orthodox Settlers, but up front and personal
And the campus idiots and bleeding hearts over look that because they are fed with propaganda videos, which are horrible to be sure, of the after effects of war.
Don't believe your lying eyes, and use the critical reasoning skills, that humans are suppose to have (and please don't take the you personal, it is third person plural, , a fault of the English language, in Espanol es el, ella, ustdes.
I’m only going as far as the first couple of sentences. You quoted: <<I do not understand why you are wring. You say the press is venal, and then next sentence not at all.. Is the press venal or not?>>
I didn’t write what you said I wrote. Read it again, and that will answer your question.
The rest, I have not investigated, so won’t address at present.
Incidentally Pat, you just confirmed an observation of mine, that people read so far, until they come upon a word or phrase that hits a hot button, then they stop reading. the heart rate goes up, there is a flush, and the reply hit. In future, I will save what I think are hot buttons to the last, then again most of the response is a hot button, especially when it is a negative comment that hits someones recall of reality or their identity.
I did a word search on the thread, The first instance of the use of the word venal is by you.
To wit: "A lot of press is venal.
Not all."
The above two sentences are yours Pat, from your omment, given that this is substack, you will probably have to go the bottom of the page, click on load more, do it twice and then do a word search via ctrl "f" for find.
Beautifully said, Pat!
When were you willing to work for years for nothing in order to help humanity get off the teat of big oil. If you must castigate the evil ones, try and start there and not with the man and the company trying to stop them. Much of the hate of Elon is fed by those paid by big oil and media interests.
Nobody said anything about ‘working for nothing’ — not in the US, mostly. Of course, there are lots of places around the world where people are exploited. And it’s not by people trying to create a green economy …
Disagree. The very wealthy have devoted enormous efforts into accumalating what they have. They are would be conquerers. This is what taxes are designed to keep in check.
Join a credit union. It's a small start to take power away from the banks who fund these capitalists.
Amen, Thom Hartmann recommended that back during the two big to fail bullshit.
I was banking with Wells Fargo with all of their bullshit fees and charges.
I switched to BECU, no fees, no charges, and better yet I get interest on checking and savings, actually more interest on checking than savings.
The reasonis that Checking accounts, not savings accounts, are part of the reserve based used, along with federal and corporate bonds, for loans.
Time or savings accounts are not.
When you belong to a credit union, you're an owner. One vote per member so you elect your board. A credit union is democracy in action; the interest rates are good - both for savings and loans.
If you buy shares in a bank you are an owner.One vote per share.You can elect the board.
Profits are returned to the owners.The same as all companies.
Over a 40 year time span then Bank of America shares have gone from around $3.50 to $37..The credit union will not generate wealth generation after generation.Companies either listed or private will.
My local butcher is closing,nothing nefarious going on.3 generations have owned it and now they have daughters.None of the girls want to be butchers.Handed down for 3 generations to the next shareholder (owner).Grandfather passed on to son,collected part of the profits ( dividends) in retirement.Son passed on to son,same thing.One problem,the son did not want to be a butcher,he wanted to be an electrician.He hated every moment of working in that shop but felt obligated to keep the family business going. Nobody wants to buy the business so it is not liquid,it can't be sold,it just closes
Companies listed on an exchange are liquid.They can continue for hundreds of years.The profit from the butcher goes to the shareholders ( the family owners).The profit from the bank goes to the owners ( shareholders).No difference. The grandfather needed to spend money to open the shop and buy or rent the premises. To be an owner of B of A you need to buy shares to become a part owner.Exactly the same thing.
In a credit union each member has one vote; nobody can stack the deck. The flip side of saving and investing is debt. Being able to borrow at reasonable rates surely gives you a chance to build wealth and succeeding generations benefit when Mom & Dad get on their feet financially.
You can still stack.For some reason the site will not let me reply,times out so
You have made the common mistake of looking at the cost of capital ( money) not the return on capital ( money).Time is all the difference to it.Coca cola is easy to follow 1 share in 1919 cost $40.After splits you now have 10,000 shares roughly at $60 each.So $600K.
Two people had different interest rates.One paid back the loan and interest and paid back $80.One had a higher interest rate and paid back $100.The cost of the capital didn't really matter.One paid $80 for $600K plus dividends,one paid $100 for $600K plus dividends.
ROE means return on equity,you don't need to know what it means.ROE also means return on effort Two people made the effort.The vast majority just make the effort to hold a hand out and say give me money.I demand my fair share of your effort.I don't know why they just never seem to realise,hang on,why not redirect the effort of holding a hand out to something that will be more productive.
The cost/benefit analysis is another financial term for it.Or cost accretive,take over a company,the cost of the interest is $1 billion.The profit is $1 billion and 2 dollars.Over the years you expect to make that company more profitable and use those profits to pay back the debt and produce more income.
Nobody saves up to buy a house,you borrow money to buy it on the expectation it will save you paying rent,and it will increase in value over the decades.
Yahoo finance is alerted and 2 hours after mentioning coke they send me a " news" article what if.
$1,000 invested in Coke 10 years ago is now worth ~ $2100. $1,000 invested in Pepsi stock is ~ $2700.I don't know if that is with dividends reinvested.
The what if on coke is $40 in 1919,reinvest all the dividends you now have 320,000 shares in Coke worth $19.5 million.The dividend on that is ~ $620,000.
Take the dystopian and distorted view of "reality" that most people do and they have got it wrong every day for the last 105 years.They will get it wrong every day for the next 105 years.
They will put no effort into buying shares in Coke,Pepsi or any other company. The only effort they will make is hand out,I demand my fair share of the effort your family have put in for the last 105 years.
This is how crazy/ greedy people are.Hand out,I demand.
Around 45 years ago while still working at my trade I was curious , I thought I would try something. I borrowed $10,000 on a home equity loan and bought stock in a company I had no idea what I was doing.
3 or 6 months later I was asked how did that stock go .Always be honest so I said they are worth $13,000 now. Immediately it was so are you going to sell them and share that money with us.Always be honest ,I said no,I will have to pay CGT and I don't know how much that is.I will wait and see how this works out.I will try to learn more.
Immediately,then why don't you retire,you've made a lot of money,somebody else will need your job,you are greedy.
So at the age of mid/late 30s,with a mortgage to pay for,and children to pay for $3,000 would last for the rest of my life and pay all bills.Never underestimate how crazy/dumb people are.
That slowly led to a career change and the chance to explain financial matters
in simple terms to people to help them .
Nothing has changed since then,nothing will ever change.My goal was financial security for my family,which they have.They also have enough knowledge to to secure financial security for their families.None of them work in the finanacial industry and never will.
The one piece of very important advice I gave them was there will be no displays of wealth.Just get on with the job of creating financial security forever,and realise you can buy all the toys you want.Don''t buy all of those toys,give money to charity .Don't tell people you are doing well,it will lead to a lifetime of I demand my fair share of your effort/work
Yep, and by the way there is one financial institution/Insurance company that is also and that is USAA, Founded for commissioned officers, it opened to NCO's then all ranks, now if your father or grandfather was a member of the armed forces, you are eligible.
Every year I get a refund on unused profits and premiums, also a yearly Senior Bonus, and contributions to my subscribers saving account, which I can withdraw when I quit my membership, currently about $3,000 and the rates are the very best in the nation.
I have called in for rate comparisons to every company I can think of, and when I tell them I have USAA they say sorry, we can't beat them.
I hadn't heard of this show but will definitely watch it. Thanks for the link.
Alternative is censoring, communistic, non Capitalistic - almost nazi like ( un American) ( sort of what the good professor oversees on this site)… Sickening… watch this post vanish in proof of what I say- utterly pathetic… move to Australia which also seems to fear the written word!