Yes or no?

[kernelofwisdom]

Someone has to create jobs. It's not going to be the welfare slobs, but the evil, putrid rich!

There are honest decent people who find themselves on welfare. That does not diminish the soul-robbing disgusting nature of the underclass that is expanding by virtue of individual choice and government assistance.

There are honest decent rich people who innovate and invest and create jobs. That does not diminish the the soul-robbing disgusting nature of the overclass who skim money off the top with no value add to the overall economy other than their cleverness and buying power to be able to keep doing it.

 

[geochem1st]

There are honest decent people who find themselves on welfare. That does not diminish the soul-robbing disgusting nature of the underclass that is expanding by virtue of individual choice and government assistance.

There are honest decent rich people who innovate and invest and create jobs. That does not diminish the the soul-robbing disgusting nature of the overclass who skim money off the top with no value add to the overall economy other than their cleverness and buying power to be able to keep doing it.

Absolutely.

The Stock Market was created for a good reason. A method for capitalizing a business. How often does that really occur? The first time when a company issues stock in an IPO, then maybe every few years a stock issuance to fund a project or expansion.

90% of the time the Stock Market is just creating money for brokers who are trading to enrich themselves. It has nothing to do with job creation or financing companies for operating costs. Instead, the leverage that owning stocks creates, force companies into bad business decisions, usually in the form of layoffs, to trim the bottom line quarterly just to ensure that stock prices remain high..... regardless of the companies actual financial health.

 

[Deus Vult]

this country is going downhill. i would like to thank FDR and LBJ first off.

consumerism is what is tearing us apart. that whole "i want it and i want it now mentality" coupled with a bit of utilitarianism....it saddens me when i see the surveys that show how many kids cheat and how many of them think it is ok. this mindset is what is present in the uber rich as well....its ok to scam Uncle Sam or the stock holders...the ends justifies the means, right?

the welfare class does have its own role to play- as the government has taken all responsibility away from them. they get free housing, free food, free medical care all while the working poor get totally shit on.

i think there is a big ol' ball of shit being stirred into this pot. the demise of the family unit plays a big part in my mind. 40% of children are bastards in this country. the average marriage lasts 3 years. 50-70% of men cheat on their wives; women are closing that gap as well. just because you can raise a child with 1 person doesnt make it a good idea.

and dont forget our legal system that has played into the hands of helpless idiots everywhere. along with consumerism and welfare, it reinforces the notion that responsibility is for someone else; pay me.

 

[River]

Someone has to create jobs. It's not going to be the welfare slobs, but the evil, putrid rich!

How many rich people have job creation as a primary goal in life, or even list it as a "thing to get done in this lifetime"? Philanthropists making up for all of the people they screwed on the way up don't count.

 

[Jason]

Pwozzie, I think you are clueless to anything that lies outside of your sheltered life.

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

Absolutely.

The Stock Market was created for a good reason. A method for capitalizing a business. How often does that really occur? The first time when a company issues stock in an IPO, then maybe every few years a stock issuance to fund a project or expansion.

90% of the time the Stock Market is just creating money for brokers who are trading to enrich themselves. It has nothing to do with job creation or financing companies for operating costs. Instead, the leverage that owning stocks creates, force companies into bad business decisions, usually in the form of layoffs, to trim the bottom line quarterly just to ensure that stock prices remain high..... regardless of the companies actual financial health.

There has never been a post of yours in which I agree more. (and I do agree with many)

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

When I was young, I thought the stock market was just that, a way for a company to capitalize, and a way for the investors to get a piece of the action, (silent partners, if you will) And when a company creates wealth, the stock holders get a dividend. If a company has a bad quarter, no dividends are paid. The value of the stock goes up or down based on the productivity of the company.

But how wrong I was. It is fucking futures game. It is speculative. It is NOT real world. And it is as wrong, and crooked, and as an evil manisfestation as I could ever imagine.

 

[River]

Especially as we've taken an economics turn for the time being, I find this appropriate:

 

[spacebubby]

Vulgar and Lazy.

Agreed, and it's not just the younger people that are rude unfortunately.

 

[geochem1st]

this country is going downhill. i would like to thank FDR and LBJ first off.

consumerism is what is tearing us apart. that whole "i want it and i want it now mentality" coupled with a bit of utilitarianism....it saddens me when i see the surveys that show how many kids cheat and how many of them think it is ok. this mindset is what is present in the uber rich as well....its ok to scam Uncle Sam or the stock holders...the ends justifies the means, right?

the welfare class does have its own role to play- as the government has taken all responsibility away from them. they get free housing, free food, free medical care all while the working poor get totally shit on.

i think there is a big ol' ball of shit being stirred into this pot. the demise of the family unit plays a big part in my mind. 40% of children are bastards in this country. the average marriage lasts 3 years. 50-70% of men cheat on their wives; women are closing that gap as well. just because you can raise a child with 1 person doesnt make it a good idea.

and dont forget our legal system that has played into the hands of helpless idiots everywhere. along with consumerism and welfare, it reinforces the notion that responsibility is for someone else; pay me.

The FDR and LBJ remarks just show your political colors and not the history of consumerism.

Consumer capitalism describes a theoretical economic and cultural condition in which consumer demand is manipulated, in a deliberate and coordinated way, on a very large scale, through mass-marketing techniques, to the advantage of sellers.

It suggests manipulation of consumer demand so potent that it has a coercive effect, amounts to a departure from free-market capitalism, and has an adverse effect on society in general. Some use the phrase as shorthand for the broader idea that the interests of other entities (governments, religions, the military, educational institutions) are intertwined with corporate interests, and that those entities also participate in the management of social expectations through mass media.

The origins of consumer capitalism are found in the development of American department stores in the 1850s, notably the advertising and marketing innovations at Wanamaker's in Philadelphia. There was a deliberate and coordinated effort among American 'captains of industry' to detach consumer demand from 'necessity' (which can be satisfied) to 'desire' (which can never be satisfied).

In 1919 Edward Bernays began his career as the 'father of public relations' and successfully applied the developing principles of psychology, sociology and motivational research to manipulate public opinion in favor of products like cigarettes, soap, and Calvin Coolidge. New techniques of mechanical reproduction developed in these decades improved the channels of mass-market communication and its manipulative power. This development was described as early as the 1920s by Walter Benjamin and related members of the Frankfurt School, who foresaw the commercial, societal and political implications.

In business history, the mid-1920s saw Alfred P. Sloan stimulating increased demand for General Motors products by instituting the annual model year change and planned obsolescence, a move that changed the dynamics of the largest industrial enterprise in the world, away from technological innovation and towards satisfying market expectations.

 

[Jason]

When I was young, I thought the stock market was just that, a way for a company to capitalize, and a way for the investors to get a piece of the action, (silent partners, if you will) And when a company creates wealth, the stock holders get a dividend. If a company has a bad quarter, no dividends are paid. The value of the stock goes up or down based on the productivity of the company.

But how wrong I was. It is fucking futures game. It is speculative. It is NOT real world. And it is as wrong, and crooked, and as an evil manisfestation as I could ever imagine.

Insurance is just another variation on the same game as well... in fact, it's even more thinly disguised than the stock market. I realize every business needs to make money, but where do you draw the line between a fair profit and unmitigated greed? Jacking up the price on a real, material product is one thing. Financially raping someone for a "service" that they may or may not even use is something entirely different. Deciding how to regulate that is a huge can of worms, but it must be done.

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

Yes I am an angry person, and I have finally figured out why just last week, when I was trying to figure myself out. I am the kind of a person who is bothered by what the world SHOULD be (in my opinion) and what the world really is. I just cannot reconcile the two. The stock market is just one example.

I feel that if I "give up" and accept the world as it is, rather than as it was told to me as a child or as it should be without corruption or with its thoughtlessness, that I will give in and become part of this world that is not what it is SUPPOSED to be.

Does that make any sense?

Everything becomes corrupted in time. Somethings are created with corruption intended.

 

[Jason]

Yes I am an angry person, and I have finally figured out why just last week, when I was trying to figure myself out. I am the kind of a person who is bothered by what the world SHOULD be (in my opinion) and what the world really is. I just cannot reconcile the two. The stock market is just one example.

I feel that if I "give up" and accept the world as it is, rather than as it was told to me as a child or as it should be without corruption or with its thoughtlessness, that I will give in and become part of this world that is not what it is SUPPOSED to be.

Does that make any sense?

Everything becomes corrupted in time. Somethings are created with corruption intended.

Of course that makes sense. It's called being an idealist, and it seems that the only next logical step from that is to become a cynic. Either be cynical or don't give a shit, I go back and forth between the two.

 

[Skit]

I deal with the general public face to face everyday, meaning, at my job. Some people, unfortunately a small number, are nice. Hardly anyone says excuse me or thank you. Most are rude, obnoxious and extremely lazy and want everything done for them. NY and NJ commuters are not a happy bunch.

 

[LoKi]

I don't know if people are more vulgar than they used to be, but they are definitely more open about it, especially when it comes to public places.

Everyone seems to have this attitude like they are owed something, and in a lot of ways, they are, but not in the ways TV and Hollywood makes them believe.

I saw two idiots on Conan the other day... Self proclaimed "Guido's". They go by the names 'Snookie' and 'The Situation'. They are as shallow as a cup of coffee and put great store in their appearances ONLY. Clearly they are not impressed by education, or intelligence. Are they the vast majority? Nah. Younger people always think they are the most important thing in the world until they grow up.

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

Of course that makes sense. It's called being an idealist, and it seems that the only next logical step from that is to become a cynic. Either be cynical or don't give a shit, I go back and forth between the two.

I do go back and forth between the two, sometimes several times in one thread!!

 

[KSG_Standard]

America has become a coarser and lazier country.

People on the gov't dole and gov't payroll DO NOT CREATE jobs or wealth. The gov't DOES NOT create wealth. People have found that they can vote for more freebies, so they vote for free money, free health care, free food, free everything and then complain when the people earning money and paying taxes get mad about the free loaders.

We are doomed. Someone once said, when the people find that they can vote themselves money, then the republic will be lost...

The republic has been lost, American exceptionalism is no longer, it has been replaced by the bailout system, statism and the rewarding of failure. Thank you for the change.

 

[jonesy77777]

I would say it was the exception as opposed to the rule that a young kid would hold the door or have good table manners. Many times I saw a kid let the door slam on a lady and neither of them batted an eyelid, because there was no expectation that he would hold the door. I grew up in a family that had zero tolerance for slurping and eating with your mouth open, it's quite a disgusting habit and it confounded me that companies hire actors for food commercials and they slurp like camels. Little stuff like that just shows a low expectation. Of course that isn't the case for everyone, but having lived in a number of different places I find a slight lack of manners and acceptance in the states. It was subtle but there. That being said, I still loved the states and married an american to boot Obviously I don't know what it was like 50 years ago, but like everywhere I'm sure some things are worse and some much better. I think the media needs to be held more responsible for their influence over kids, way too much sex and disrespectful behaviour being accepted as norm. KIDS ARE GROWING UP TOO FAST!

 

[LoKi]

Of course that makes sense. It's called being an idealist, and it seems that the only next logical step from that is to become a cynic. Either be cynical or don't give a shit, I go back and forth between the two.

You and me both bro.

I love when you express an opinion about something and people stand right up in your face and scream that you are wrong. Pushes me a little further into cynicism every time. It might be fine for some sheeple to do what they are told, but I was born a free man, and I will die a free man. I prefer to learn things for myself, never to believe what someone tells me just because they told me.

 

[geochem1st]

America has become a coarser and lazier country.

People on the gov't dole and gov't payroll DO NOT CREATE jobs or wealth. The gov't DOES NOT create wealth. People have found that they can vote for more freebies, so they vote for free money, free health care, free food, free everything and then complain when the people earning money and paying taxes get mad about the free loaders.

We are doomed. Someone once said, when the people find that they can vote themselves money, then the republic will be lost...

The republic has been lost, American exceptionalism is no longer, it has been replaced by the bailout system, statism and the rewarding of failure. Thank you for the change.

Baron M.A. Rothschild wrote, “Give me control over a nation’s currency and I care not who makes its laws.”


"The real truth of the matter is, and you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government of the U.S. since the days of Andrew Jackson. History depicts Andrew Jackson as the last truly honorable and incorruptible American president." -- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, November 23, 1933 in a letter to Colonel Edward Mandell House


"There’s class warfare, all right," Mr. Buffett said, "but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/business/yourmoney/26every.html


"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency ... the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered… The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of [private] lending institutions and moneyed incorporations.”

President Thomas Jefferson (letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, 1802)