The Advent of the Unrestricted Wealthy Class

[Tinker]

We are witnessing the end of civilization. Not the end of the world, just end of civilization.

Ultimately, I think overall there will be less violence, but that's after all of the centralized kleptocratic systems fall apart.

I do not think this will be resolved, because the US Gov is turning into a banana republic. The treatment of Bradley Manning is eroding my belief as one of the last holdouts that shit's not just going tits up for America.

The fanatical passion with which people fought the extra tax on the fatcat plutocrats, that is now being turned on teachers is fucking nuts. It's like the Tea Party hates that there is a middle-class at all. Useful fucking idiots.

Anyway, I doubt the US's ability to maintain much of a response in the face of cartel violence.

[Demon of Undoing]

Patagonia , anyone ?

[Rhapsody]

Not too late to legalise. Sure they will use drug money to invest in the next profitable scam... but there are scams with less victims and damage than the hell of illegal drugs. We'll have to keep, or start chasing them then.

As for the soon to be USA banana republic: not convinced. Maybe another 10 years are needed for people to come to their senses. If you can handle the financial crisis and the USD will not take you down under. IMO there should be economic martial law possible to sideline the olichargy, the special interest groups bribing and poisening your political socio-economic processes. But oh wait, that sounds too much like communism. Americans seem mentally allergic to things that might be the only cure in an emergency, thusly cutting themselves off from the path to recovery.

[YMix]

[Tinker]

[monster_gardener]

[Rhapsody]

MG, Tinker.. this is indeed all very troubling. Gold diggers will go for cash forever?

I don't know. Maybe the concept of theft needs to be revitalised. Stealing an apple was once enough to have your hand chopped of. Somewhere down the chains of labor, USD 10.000 represents a whole lot of labor by some very poor hands. To steal those hours from these lives and the value it represents make me wonder if 1000,- bucks stolen shouldn't mean 1 year prison or some such. Stealing 1M would mean 10x lifelong.. which sounds great.

[Tinker]

monster_gardener Nail on the head my friend. You got Wisconsin in 1. It's not about teacher's unions, it's about selling public utilities under no-bid contracts.

What's really funny in all of this, downright hysterical in a Shakespearean sort of way, is that a few years ago, everyone was admonishing the lower classes to scale back the drumbeat on class warfare while the rich were entering the nuclear launchcodes on the largest salvo ever fired: TARP.

Someday, and someday soon, it's going to be time for true class warfare. And the wealthy will have brought it upon themselves. A well-armed disenfranchised population with no job prospects is something they should give a little more thought to.

One day, I think the Tea Party folk will wake the fuck up. If they have no jobs when the hangover starts, there will be blood. People have forgotten what an unrestricted wealthy class is like. They have forgotten the term Robber Barons, but it's that time again.

[Endovelico]

[Demon of Undoing]

My argument in re American Apocalypse has all along been that we have created a hyperpowered instant underclass that may snap under historically minor provocation. This operation is designed to succeed; there is no thought of being less than number one. This is America; second place is first losers. What does a nation of jobless , frustrated , uncompetitive losers with nothing but really nice guns to their name do when they realize they will never be anything else ?

Hmmmmm.

[noddy]

need to go fully socialist on this and give everyone a shotgun and amphetamines, i say that hoping all you lot have access to a decent cave system or bomb shelter for a few days till the self selection stops.

*note im not being that nasty and cynical, hopefully alot of the ultra powerful exploiters can get their cake aswell.

[Demon of Undoing]

To the point , was Marx ever really repudiated in terms of describing the revolutionary cycle ? I say you throw Animal Farm in there for counterbalance and you've kinda got six pounds of truth.

Fucking commies.

[noddy]

"dickens to marx to animal farm to dickens" versus "brave new world"

optimism is me today... they surely did make a mistake banning drugs if they wanted the new endless peace (tm) patent pending, coyright pfizer.

[Tinker]

Most people don't understand that what happened wasn't Communism. This goes doubly for those who use, "Real Communism was never tried.", as a sneer. Real Communism is a complete and total lack of government whatsoever. It's a society where everyone is willing to give whatever is needed to whoever needs it, if it's within their power to do so. Having lived for short times in temporary communistic settings, I have observed that if people behave in this way, every individual is actually wealthier coming out than they were going in. But it only works if everyone participates. When there are parasites on the collective, it breaks down and you get back into competitive paradigms very rapidly. This is why in my times of experiencing this, it is always temporary, because the wealth was facilitated in the normal every day world.

There are some who will only work if there is some distinct immediate profit motive for them. There are others who will work simply because something needs to be done. The second type of person would be fine under Communism. The first type of person would destroy it.

Though I think the point about Marx and revolutionary cycles is interesting. If what is happening right now erodes faith in the Capitalist system, we may very well see the rise of what I'll call Craigslist Communism.

[Endovelico]

[Caskhades]

[lzzrdgrrl]

Besides, is described , and not in that hokey marxian l0lbait...... ;>........

Communism is essentially Christian. It is based on Christian ethics and the Christian notion of communion. Karl Marx attempted a post-christian , but the results were basically incoherent and refutable, though to be fair, Adam Smith probably ......

[CgDs]

[YMix]

Every Christian monastery was more or less a communist enclave, minus the no-government thing that Tinker mentioned and the fact that the workers (monks) didn't actually own their tools (everything belonged to the respective Church).

[lzzrdgrrl]

[Colonel Sun]

[Mr. Perfect]

[Mr. Perfect]

[Mr. Perfect]

[Mr. Perfect]