The American Economy.

[Darkwraith Void]

This video actually explains a few things some of us might not really understand. Please don't turn this into a hate Ron Paul thread as some others have...

[Wendigo]

It is, I think, telling that when talking about "economic growth," it is uniformly tied to the growth of large corporations in dollar value. GDP is quite possibly the worst measurement for how things are "in the trenches" of the economy; an economy can grow in dollar value and number of transactions but shrink in terms of employment, wages, social mobility and other metrics that might have value to the individual.

I agree more with Tay's ideas about how stocks are going up "but the jobs disappear" than with his ideas about China and Iran, though - although China owns more of our publicly held debt than other countries do, and it does allow them to exert political pressure on us in more ways than they otherwise can (as the engine of our economic well-being), it's still only a fraction of the total. Most of our debt is still held by US citizens in various bonds. The real issue with our national debt is that we owe interest on every dollar of it, and there are quite a lot of dollars involved. An enormous, quite inconceivable number of dollars. More dollars than everyone you'll ever meet would ever make working every day of their lives.

Which is not a tenable situation. Something's really got to give.

[azulmagia]

Wendigo

Which is not a tenable situation. Something's really got to give.

Yes, and that thing is capitalism.

[The Grand Duke]

To replace 'traditional capitalism' what would you propose, and why?

[N3bu]

azulmagia

Wendigo

Which is not a tenable situation. Something's really got to give.

Yes, and that thing is capitalism.

I assume you don't wish to contribute anything meaningful?

[Darkwraith Void]

azulmagia

Wendigo

Which is not a tenable situation. Something's really got to give.

Yes, and that thing is capitalism.

I think of it the way Ron Paul does, it's not capitalism, it's more like corporatism.

[Sarah Louise Kerrigan]

Darkwraith Void

I think of it the way Ron Paul does

There's a pill for that.

[Wendigo]

I wonder where he's found a system where money and 'bigness' don't influence the government.

[Darkwraith Void]

Sarah Louise Kerrigan

Darkwraith Void

I think of it the way Ron Paul does

There's a pill for that.

For what? o.O

[The Grand Duke]

Thinking like Ron Paul. Probably going to prescribe zanex. razz

[Darkwraith Void]

The Grand Duke

Thinking like Ron Paul. Probably going to prescribe zanex. razz

I'm not crazy. :S No pills. >.<

[azulmagia]

The Grand Duke

To replace 'traditional capitalism' what would you propose, and why?

Well, we don't have traditional capitalism, we haven't had traditional capitalism since about 1929 (at very LATEST), and nobody except romantic fools are interested in restoring traditional capitalism.

And the system we have right now sucks and is unsustainable, to boot. The thing that should be on everyone's mind is finding a way to bail the ******** out of this crashing plane. That's the answer to your "why" question.

N3bu

I assume you don't wish to contribute anything meaningful?

stare

[Wraith of Azrael]

I'd also mention that it would be American Corporatism as well.

It's American Corporatism mainly because the relationship between corporations and state is different in American Corporatism than in traditional Fascist Corporatism.

Fascist Corporatism was primarily focused on the state as having the final say in everything and the state's interests were prized over all other interests. To this end, industries which were seen as required for national interests were often bailed out and given money. Labour was also controlled and if I remember correctly placed into One Big Union, strikes ofcourse were surpressed. The trade off ofcourse was that Fascist Corporatism had a significant amount of state control of Private industries despite not being directly in control of it.

American Corporatism reverses this relationship. Corporations have a much greater say in everything as opposed to the state having its own interests. Infact, due to the revolving door of politics the state's interests is very often the interest of Corporations. This often results in Corporate welfare because Corporations have a large amount of power and influence in the state. It also results in legislature which is heavily in favour of Corporations as opposed to small businesses. Let alone the amount of Politicians who will sell themselves to the super rich.

[N3bu]

azulmagia

N3bu

I assume you don't wish to contribute anything meaningful?

stare

Well you didn't, did you?

[Complex Systems]

******** Ron Paul.

That is all.