Hi Brian >I agree 100% with poverty being a primary factor in life >expectancy. And, I agree that capitalism could cure poverty. It's >about as likely to happen as communism curing poverty. Either way, >it depends on the people in power being interested in the good of >society and making decisions based totally on what is right. >Capitalistic enterprises in which profit is reinvested rather than >used for multimillion dollar bonuses for the corporate heads could >do a great deal for the good of society. If all decisions were >based on what is best for the corporation and society, such as >hiring the best person for the job regardless of race, sex, sexual >identity, creed, religion or lack of religion, the corporation would >undoubtedly grow. Hence, greater revenues, greater reinvestment and >greater benefit to society. In such a system, everyone would be >rewarded based on their actual contribution. The worker on the fron >line would be fairly compensated, and there would be no need for >level upon level of complexity and beurocracy to administrate the >corporation. Since everyone would realize that what is good for the >corporation is good for them, everyone would be doing their >individual best and all would prosper... > >Wait a minute, this capitalism is sounding a lot like Karl Marx. Is >it possible that all easy answers that ignore human nature are >flawed? Did George Orwell know what he was talking about after >all? Who would have thought? Obviously not John Stossel. > >Brian
Obviously not, no. How about this? The Daily Reckoning Productivity Explained In One Paragraph THE DAILY RECKONING - Anyway, suppose you, as a successful capitalist swine, hire a hundred guys to make a hundred widgets, and sell the widgets for a dollar apiece, and thus GDP is $100. So far, so good. Then a few days pass, and we wake up with a blinding headache in a strange, seedy little hotel on the outskirts of town with a one-eyed woman who says her name is Darla, and when we frantically call in to the office, we find that you raised the price to two dollars, and you also figured out a way to make widgets with only fifty employees! The hike in price, unfortunately, reduces widget sales by 25%. But GDP jumps to $150! And because you fired half the employees, labor costs plummeted, and the next thing you know Alan Greenspan jumps on an airplane and flies down to visit your factory and give you an award as Proud Poobah of Productivity, which you deserve because productivity has soared. In the old days, it took a hundred guys to make a hundred widgets. Now it takes only fifty guys to make seventy-five widgets, and you doubled the price to more than make up for it. You're a genius! But unemployment is up by 50%, total sales volume is down, and inflation has soared to 100%. Only a Fed chairman as clueless as Alan Greenspan could possibly only see the upside in this. :-) Or this maybe? "Small-scale capitalism works out fine, but as scale increases the departure from real capitalism becomes more pronounced---profits are privatized, but costs are socialized. The attendant repair and maintenance are left to succeeding generations if possible, if not, to present low and middle income taxpayers." - Tvo I'd venture that capitalism IS small-scale - "real" capitalism, as Tvo says. This stuff of the neo-liberal camp is not capitalism, it's corporatism, essentially a different animal (try an archive search for "mammoth"... okay, it's here: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/BIOFUEL/30617/). "Corporateering" is a more accurate term for this than "capitalism". Which brings us back to Schumacher, of course. And Gandhi. As if people mattered. Well, they do matter. What brand of economics, unlike Greenspan's brand, might be able to distinguish the difference in value, rather than mere cost, of a sword and plowshare? Do you know of the work of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen? http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/georgescu.htm Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, 1906-1994 There's some of his work here: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/BIOFUEL/30402/ Selections from "Energy and Economic Myths" by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen His inheritors are the ecological economists, such as Herman Daly, Robert Costanza, Michael T. Klare, Joshua Farley and others. I'll post some more about them following this message. From Here to Economy The Wealth of Nature At What Cost? - Costanza The Skeptical Economist - Farley Breaking the Bank - Daly Best Keith >--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Morgan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Wow, have any of you read his book? Has anyone on the list read >it? He has > > valid points, especially when it comes to risk aversion and the >means we go > > to to save ourselves from miniscule threats. His whole point is >that the > > number one factor that decides how long we will live is whether or >not we > > live in poverty, and makes a great case for how capitalism saves >those who > > participate from poverty. He talks about how government is >getting too big > > in this country, about how much money that gets wasted as they >fail time > > after time after time. He talks about how the private sector can >do such a > > better job than the public sector of saving ourselves from >ourselves. He > > even talks about ADM and their success in squashing competition by >using > > government subsidies on ethanol. I encourage you to give it a >read, it may > > be eye opening, totally changed my view on Nader too. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Ryan > > -----Original Message----- > > From: jtcava [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Saturday, May 01, 2004 6:25 AM > > To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > > Subject: Re: [biofuel] OT: Food for thought, John Stossel's New >Book, Give > > Me a Break > > > > > > Crap,he sounds alot like Rush Limbaugh. > > John > > > > Appal Energy wrote: > > > > >Ryan, > > > > > >Speaking only from personal experience, having worked >environmental > > issues > > >for twenty some years, Stossel is a clown. He takes every valid > > >scientific/social/economic argument on an issue that he is in >disfavor > > with, > > >degrades them and particularly those who hold them with open >ridicule and > > >belittlement, to the point that those who don't see a subject >his way are > > >painted as radical, irratioinal, self-serving alarmists, at >least to the > > >uninitiated and unaware. > > > > > >What he boils down to is notthing more than an opportunist >pursuing > > >sensationalism and recognition at the expense of all else. > > > > > >Food irradiation? Toxic waste incinerators? Over fishing? Just >name a > > >serious subject that can and does adversely affect human health >and > > >livlihood and Stossel will attempt to turn it into a joke. > > > > > >His "insights are relative?" Only from the perspective of >sending up a > > flare > > >as to how far some people/industries will go - how selective and > > deceptive > > >they will present a matter in order to create an inordinantly >distorted > > >perspective in the public eye - mis-information and dis- >information > > >practiced as an art form to the detriment of the balance of >society. > > > > > >Todd Swearingen > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > > >From: "Ryan Morgan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> > > >Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 10:41 PM > > >Subject: RE: [biofuel] OT: Food for thought, John Stossel's New >Book, > > Give > > >Me a Break > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >>Really, whay do you say that? Did you read his book? >Frankly, I'm a > > >> > > >> > > >little > > > > > > > > >>bit surprised by your reaction, Keith. > > >> > > >>Cheers, > > >> > > >>Ryan > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: Keith Addison [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 7:54 AM > > >> To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > > >> Subject: Re: [biofuel] OT: Food for thought, John Stossel's >New Book, > > >> > > >> > > >Give > > > > > > > > >>Me a Break > > >> > > >> > > >> Stossel's a liar and a cheat, just another industry front- >man, close > > >> links with the usual suspects, no integrity. > > >> > > >> Keith > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >Well worth a read, the book clearly describes how, since >the 1950s, > > >> >the US Government has run amock. I read it cover to cover >with > > >> >biodiesel production in mind, and found Stossel's insights >relevant > > >> >to our cause. Below is the book's description: > > >> > > > >> > > > >> >"When he hit the airwaves thirty years ago, Stossel helped >create a > > >> >whole new category of news, dedicated to protecting and >informing > > >> >consumers. As a crusading reporter, he chased snake-oil >peddlers, > > rip- > > >> >off artists, and corporate thieves, winning the applause of >his > > >> >peers. > > >> > > > >> >"But along the way, he noticed that there was something far >more > > >> >troublesome going on: While the networks screamed about the >dangers > > >> >of exploding BIC lighters and coffeepots, worse risks were >ignored. > > >> >And while reporters were teaming up with lawyers and >legislators to > > >> >stick it to big business, they seldom reported the ways the >free > > >> >market made life better. > > >> > > > >> >"In Give Me a Break, Stossel explains how ambitious >bureaucrats, > > >> >intellectually lazy reporters, and greedy lawyers make your >life > > >> >worse even as they claim to protect your interests. Taking >on such > > >> >sacred cows as the FDA, the War on Drugs, and scaremongering > > >> >environmental activists -- and backing up his trademark >irreverence > > >> >with careful reasoning and research -- he shows how the >problems that > > >> >government tries and fails to fix can be solved better by >the > > >> >extraordinary power of the free market. > > >> > > > >> >"He traces his journey from cub reporter to 20/20 co-anchor, > > >> >revealing his battles to get his ideas to the public, his >struggle to > > >> >overcome stuttering, and his eventual realization that, for >years, > > >> >much of his reporting missed the point. > > >> > > > >> >"Stossel concludes the book with a provocative blueprint >for change: > > >> >a simple plan in the spirit of the Founding Fathers to >ensure that > > >> >America remains a place 'where free minds -- and free >markets -- make > > >> >good things happen.'" ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
