I drink your milkshake! a metaphor for capitalism

[zubenelgenubi]

Piketty did a famous book years ago showing how capitalism systematically concentrates wealth. check out how many automakers there were leading up to 2008. Clinton deregulated media so now 6 conglomerates control 90% of media.

No such thing as a free market anyways. govt always involved.

They touch on it a bit here

The role of the government in the market is supposed to be to ensure the market stays free, not to regulate it beyond all reason so they get to decide who wins and loses, and the big companies capture the regulatory agencies and eliminate all competition and liability for themselves.

 

[rickyb]

The role of the government in the market is supposed to be to ensure the market stays free, not to regulate it beyond all reason so they get to decide who wins and loses, and the big companies capture the regulatory agencies and eliminate all competition and liability for themselves.

yea u probably right

 

[rickyb]

late stage capitalism increasingly looking like agent smith insanity at the end of matrix revolutions.

countries squabbling over short term profits which will put them under water in the long term

 

[rickyb]

signs of shrinking middle class. you would think they would be getting more sales every year since population has been growing until recently

Ford Mustang - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Box Ox]

signs of shrinking middle class. you would think they would be getting more sales every year since population has been growing until recently

View attachment 407509

Ford Mustang - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Anything you know of that happened near the end of 2008 that might’ve slowed Mustang sales for several years? What do you think might’ve happened during that big 2020-2021 drop?

As a Canadian you might also not be aware that the different Mustang generations were not created equal. And consumer preferences have reflected that.

 

[rickyb]

Anything you know of that happened near the end of 2008 that might’ve slowed Mustang sales for several years? What do you think might’ve happened during that big 2020-2021 drop?

As a Canadian you might also not be aware that the different Mustang generations were not created equal. And consumer preferences have reflected that.

yea the wall st fraud exploded in 2008 and the economy never recovered.

yea i agree there could be other factors at play

on cnn commercial they even mention 60% of americans living paycheck to paycheck or something. its so bad they cant hide it.

 

[rickyb]

 

[BadIdeaGuy]

View attachment 407751

Ralph Nader is a multimillionaire.

Isn't it funny how the people preaching against capitalism have used it to enrich themselves?

 

[rickyb]

Ralph Nader is a multimillionaire.

Isn't it funny how the people preaching against capitalism have used it to enrich themselves?

ralph nader is anti capitalist in the sense he is pro worker controlled business.

this post is not necessarily anti capitalist, its anti poverty and anti greed

 

[zubenelgenubi]

ralph nader is anti capitalist in the sense he is pro worker controlled business.

this post is not necessarily anti capitalist, its anti poverty and anti greed

I'm all for anti-greed. The problem with anti-poverty is that it either requires everyone to be productive enough not to be in poverty, or taking from some, who may not have earned all they have, and giving it to others who haven't earned anything. The real problem is that the poverty line is relative. You increase the standard of living, the poverty line increases with it. That's how politicians get elected, promising to fix an unfixable problem and blame it on the other guy for failing to fix it.

 

[rickyb]

I'm all for anti-greed. The problem with anti-poverty is that it either requires everyone to be productive enough not to be in poverty, or taking from some, who may not have earned all they have, and giving it to others who haven't earned anything. The real problem is that the poverty line is relative. You increase the standard of living, the poverty line increases with it. That's how politicians get elected, promising to fix an unfixable problem and blame it on the other guy for failing to fix it.

ive never heard this before. interesting point

the nordic countries eliminated poverty i believe. or maybe it was homelessness.

standard of living hasnt increased in america since 1973, unless the real wage is the wrong metric to measure that by.

i think the world is currently productive enough to not be in poverty, its just a political problem.

 

[zubenelgenubi]

ive never heard this before. interesting point

the nordic countries eliminated poverty i believe. or maybe it was homelessness.

standard of living hasnt increased in america since 1973, unless the real wage is the wrong metric to measure that by.

i think the world is currently productive enough to not be in poverty, its just a political problem.

All I know is I've been in line behind enough people who pay for their groceries with food stamps while wearing nice clothes, holding the latest iPhones, and I happen to see them loading their groceries into late model Escalades. I'm not one to count other people's money, but I can't help but feel I'm being rooked.

 

[rickyb]

All I know is I've been in line behind enough people who pay for their groceries with food stamps while wearing nice clothes, holding the latest iPhones, and I happen to see them loading their groceries into late model Escalades. I'm not one to count other people's money, but I can't help but feel I'm being rooked.

We are being rooked, not so sure about the poor but def the rich. think its been 10 or 12 trillion in welfare since 2008 for them.

Wen bill clinton "reformed" welfare, it mostly affected single mothers.

 

[zubenelgenubi]

We are being rooked, not so sure about the poor but def the rich. think its been 10 or 12 trillion in welfare since 2008 for them.

Wen bill clinton "reformed" welfare, it mostly affected single mothers.

Right, because we live in a fascist system where the government and corporate interests are so intermingled, it's hard to tell who is in charge.

 

[vantexan]

We are being rooked, not so sure about the poor but def the rich. think its been 10 or 12 trillion in welfare since 2008 for them.

Wen bill clinton "reformed" welfare, it mostly affected single mothers.

Single mothers who were gaming the system by having more babies to get more income. A system that rewarded single mothers by cutting fathers out of the picture. The system needed reforming.

 

[rickyb]

Single mothers who were gaming the system by having more babies to get more income. A system that rewarded single mothers by cutting fathers out of the picture. The system needed reforming.

not what i heard

 

[vantexan]

not what i heard

You heard wrong.

 

[rickyb]

You heard wrong.

do u know what hte word ya heard is?

 

[vantexan]

do u know what hte word ya heard is?

?

 

[rickyb]

i think either my teacher or I mentioned communism, and the teacher is from colombia and she lived in america for 6 years until her parents got ripped off by an immigration lawyer, at which point they moved to canada permanently.

she noticed "communism" is a dictatorship where 1 person has all the power and wealth but she also noticed capitalism is the same. not sure if she used the word power or not, but i told her yes its all about who has the power. if everyone has power its democracy, if a few people do its a dictatorship which is what capitalism is. and then i told her about italy which has most worker run jobs.