Germany should stop funding other EU nations' foolishness. Lonnie Courtney Clay
On Saturday, April 20, 2013 6:11:10 AM UTC-7, archytas wrote: > > Kleptopia: Wie uns Finanzindustrie, Politik und Banken für dumm > verkaufen - How Our Financial Sector, Politicians and Bankers Take Us > For Fools - has just crossed my desk. This has an interesting tack on > how Germany - perhaps the closes model of a modern economy - or at > least ordinary Germans are ripped-off despite their hard work and > trade surplus. I'm long convinced laissez-faire capitalism is a crock > and private power as bad (and worse) than government power. > > On 19 Apr, 22:18, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Not giving benefits as handouts could be a very good idea - as is > > restitution generally. I favour a countervailing institution of local- > > international project work - countervailing to "capitalism's" reserve > > army of labour. I'm so angry about what's going on now I'd drag > > banksters and Troika bureaucrats to such scenes as kids in Greece > > rummaging in bins for food and even to the Congo rape war, subject > > them to a drumhead courtmartial, strap on GPS trackers and tell them > > to sort things. > > > > On 19 Apr, 15:51, nominal9 <nomin...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Lonnie.... I have a bunch of derisive "stuff" to say about Fox and its > cast > > > of characters..... > > > Do you really want to hear it?.....It gets to be pretty sophomoric, > and I > > > get tired of repeating myself in those terms...."namby -pamby" pales > in > > > comparison to the counter-right-wing material I could post, just from > > > memory.... HAR...I'll let it slide, for now.... keep to the > high-road... > > > > > On Wednesday, April 17, 2013 9:07:27 PM UTC-4, Lonnie Clay wrote: > > > > > > > http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/12/woman-dies-from-drinking-10-... > > > > > > Should we ban coca cola because someone used it to drink herself to > death? > > > > I think not, and every namby-pamby liberal who talks about substance > abuse > > > > victims are just fighting evolution in action. > > > > > > > http://envirothink.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/epa-says-saccharin-no-lon... > > > > > > There's a prime example of the nanny state with its head up its A$$ > being > > > > forced to retract a decree. > > > > > > Lonnie Courtney Clay > > > > > > On Wednesday, April 17, 2013 5:30:27 PM UTC-7, Lonnie Clay wrote: > > > > > >> "In some ways I'm not sure why any of us are still working. " > > > > > >> Well, the alternatives to working are taking charity from family or > > > >> friends (I do), accepting government assistance (I do), accepting > charity > > > >> from benevolent organizations, living off accumulated wealth, > borrowing > > > >> money, or theft. The white collar crimes outweigh the petty thefts > by a > > > >> significant factor, often being measured in billions rather than > millions. > > > >> I put the increase down to cultural shifting towards dishonesty, > caused > > > >> primarily by childhood indoctrination from entertainment media that > crime > > > >> DOES pay, and pays quite well. Another factor is increased > technological > > > >> capabilities, especially computers, which allow criminals to commit > > > >> esoteric crimes such as identity theft, derivatives fraud, and > money > > > >> laundering. Most of the increased law enforcement efforts have been > > > >> ineffective in stemming the tide of crime. Harsher punishments > unless well > > > >> publicized are not effective as a deterrent against budding > criminals. The > > > >> basic problem is that people can now SEE that others reap rewards > without > > > >> hard work, either through crime or free handouts, due to > sensationalist > > > >> journalism and entertainment. > > > > > >> One of the more controversial things which I have proposed in the > past is > > > >> that handouts NOT be free, that they should require community > service in > > > >> exchange. Another is that all criminals should have to pay for > their crimes > > > >> not only with incarceration, but also with restitution to victims, > and > > > >> remedial counseling before their release. Parole oversight needs to > be > > > >> improved as well. > > > > > >> Drug trafficking has become a major worldwide industry due to > government > > > >> efforts to stop substance abuse. It didn't work with alcohol and it > won't > > > >> work for the rest, it just creates yet another class of criminal. > Let the > > > >> drug companies manufacture abused substances just like they do the > > > >> thousands of prescription drugs which have the population hooked-on > drugs. > > > >> Require package inserts which detail the bad effects of the drugs > and leave > > > >> it up to the individual making the purchase to decide whether to be > a user. > > > >> Increase the penalties for crimes committed while under the > influence of > > > >> drugs, just as DWI is a higher charge than reckless driving. Make > drugging > > > >> someone without their knowledge a 20 year felony. > > > > > >> I don't want to talk any more about crime online, since I suspect > that it > > > >> would just be a tutorial for novices. > > > > > >> Lonnie Courtney Clay > > > > > >> On Wednesday, April 17, 2013 3:05:01 PM UTC-7, archytas wrote: > > > > > >>> I think you get all that right Lonnie. I've been trying to find > out > > > >>> what financial sector debt in the UK really is for over two years. > In > > > >>> numbers its anything from 230 - 510% of our GDP - a pretty > > > >>> discouraging lack of accuracy - but I want to know its 'quality'. > The > > > >>> debt may be a good thing - a set of good performing loans - or it > may > > > >>> put the UK in a dire condition because its really Ponzi money > relying > > > >>> on asset valuations that are now mostly fictional. If the latter > is > > > >>> true the questions are about who will take the haircuts and > whether > > > >>> the UK taxpayer/bank account holder/bond holder etc. is on the > hook. > > > >>> Otherwise our government/household/corporate debt is comparable > with > > > >>> the US. > > > >>> As a scientist I'd want to take a sample of the debt and try to > sell > > > >>> it in an open market. Its all currently valued by people with a > > > >>> vested interest in making out everything is profitable - > techniques we > > > >>> know are bollox. > > > >>> Frankly I believe all financial services (beyond utility banking) > and > > > >>> most economics are uselessly parasitic on genuine work and > > > >>> production. I want to be able to ground this so we can move on to > a > > > >>> different way of living. I can barely describe what a putrid > swamp > > > >>> the mainstream is. Two Harvard arses, Reinhart & Rogoff have just > > > >>> been exposed cheating as surely as any of my students through > > > >>> spreadsheet manipulation. Their work had been widely used in > support > > > >>> of austerity programmes, but now we know they fiddled the figures > and > > > >>> the real case on their numbers was against austerity. I can't > trust > > > >>> allegedly peer reviewed papers, let alone stuff in which several > > > >>> Enrons are considered as viable and even thriving through bent > > > >>> auditing. > > > >>> In some ways I'm not sure why any of us are still working. > > > > > >>> On Apr 13, 4:16 pm, Lonnie Clay <claylon...@comcast.net> wrote: > > > >>> > Worldwide economies are foundering upon the rocks of modern > > > >>> entertainments. > > > >>> > I'll make the case for that. The rational response of a person > to a > > > >>> > stimulus is to do more of those things which bring pleasure > rather > > > >>> than > > > >>> > punishment or boredom. With the rise of fiction in all of its > forms, a > > > >>> > person can gain pleasure from imagined world-scapes outside of > the > > > >>> "real" > > > >>> > world's boundaries of experience. The pleasure of working life > > > >>> achievement > > > >>> > is limited to those who are both talented and trained to > exercise > > > >>> their > > > >>> > talents. So which one do people choose when given the > alternatives? > > > >>> They > > > >>> > increasingly choose entertainment, escaping from their fruitless > > > >>> humdrum > > > >>> > day to day existences into imaginary worlds of achievement. One > reason > > > >>> for > > > >>> > that is the lack of opportunities in the modern economy > resulting from > > > >>> the > > > >>> > failure of the educational systems to prepare people for > productive > > > >>> working > > > >>> > careers. Another is the cultural shift towards > self-gratification > > > >>> rather > > > >>> > than service to society. A third is the diminished rewards from > > > >>> working > > > >>> > resulting from the marginal reduction of income increase > resulting > > > >>> from > > > >>> > government's taxation of wages economic activity. Why work > harder to > > > >>> gain > > > >>> > more income when the government takes away more and more as your > > > >>> income > > > >>> > rises? Yet another is the diminished cost of life's necessities > and > > > >>> modest > > > >>> > luxuries due to increased efficiency of production from product > mass > > > >>> > manufacturing. Why work harder when you have everything which > you > > > >>> need? > > > > > >>> > These factors result in diminished work force participation, the > rise > > > >>> of > > > >>> > the welfare class, fewer employees working hard, market > dislocations, > > > >>> and > > > >>> > diminished work ethics. > > > > > >>> > Lonnie Courtney Clay > > > > > >>> > On Friday, April 12, 2013 7:48:51 AM UTC-7, nominal9 wrote: > > > > > >>> > > Because it is so screwed up throughout the world that not > fixing it > > > >>> is > > > >>> > > bound to lead to great social upheaval?????..... I think so. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Epistemology" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to epistemology+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to epistemology@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/epistemology?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
