Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Eat The Rich
Just finished a good book called "Eat The Rich." It's funny and relevant, written in the mid to late nineties, so the current events are a bit behind. He looks at various places to see why some live better than others.
Its not intelligence/education as for instance Russians are much more versed academically even as children than Americans. The illiterate on the dole here live much better than most of the world. Free food, housing, subsidized utilities and a check every month is hardly poverty by world standards.
Hard work is important, but not sufficient. Even within a country. The working poor here bust their ass, often in crappy conditions. The sales reps drive around in AC yacking on the cell phone with subsidized meals and entertainment. North Koreans work their asses off but it certainly sucks there. Food is in short supply.
PJ cites three issues structurally that lead to prosperity: Free markets, rule of law and property rights. His world travels certainly support the free market ideas of Adam Smith. Government is limited to defense, safety, education, courts of law and some infrastructure. And that's about it.
And let's just face the facts. The world is unfair. Some people inherit money or just are damn lucky. They often aren't any better than anyone else like Paris Hilton. Or just happen to have found themselves in an over-rated over-paid carreer despite not really any talent like most of the actors and actresses. Or they have gifts, but are over-compensated, like our professional athletes.
But the truth is most of the prosperous have worked very hard and been disciplined to their plans. They have risen to the top of the professions, corporations or built businesses.
Certainly there are issues of better chances by circumstances of where you were born and all. Nobody can debate that. But in the USA, there is public education even through college. Community colleges are a great resource as is adult education. There are public libraries everywhere. Scholarships and student loans. The military has much to offer in terms of educations.
Totalitarianism is a proven disaster. Communism spells out many of the worse places to live. In fact, all Communist countries suck ass: North Korea, Myamar, Cuba,... Socailism is a loser too. England was on a downward spiral to a two-bit nation until Thatcher. France has become pretty candy-ass. Sweden is running out of milk from the socialist tit. Much of Europe is in deep shit due to the level of government goodies.
You see, socialism of any ilk sucks off the wealth created or already there. Communism just gets rid of any wealth creation, leaving only what was started with like vultures feeding on a carcass. In Cuba, the "people" grabbed all the wealth and now its run out. Now their economy is cigars and whores for European tourists.
Collectivism sucks. In the old USSR, private farms were very productive and eased food shortages. When Black Hitler in Zimbabwe violently forced those evil white farmers off their land, the crisis in food production followed quickly. Even our Pilgrims almost starved on collective farming. When they went to private plots, they had surplus.
The recent century in America has been one of meddling with a good thing. We had previously a stable currency and an economy growing leaps and bounds with incredible innovation. The government ran pretty much in budget. There was no income tax. Sure there were problems and labor was abused. Reforms were passed.
But the government just couldn't leave well enough alone. This last century was a series of attempts to destroy the cash cow. It's amazing it has stood up so well, but the cow is losing it fast.
Several stupid things happened early in the century: Income tax, Federal Reserve and WWI. The income tax was a way to get the feds money. It was graduated so only the rich would pay. The envious masses went for that of course. Problem is when inflation occurs, the feds keep getting a bigger percentage of the national income. Everyone who pays pays more and ever new folks now pay. Clever. This allows the Feds to do ever more stupid things with our money like stupid wars and social programs.
The Federal Reserve. Here is a private bank that manipulates the money supply for the big banks and businesses. Our stable currency is worth about two cents of what it was worth a century ago. The recent artificially low rates can be blamed for our trade deficit and real estate prices, as well as the Bush election. It has only delayed a financial reckoning that will be much worse when it hits. Thanks assholes.
WWI. Here was a stupid war. A waste of millions of lives. Nothing good or beneficial came of it. It set up a huge worldwide depression, the rise of Hitler and WWII. It also led to the Russian Revolution and hence the beginning of the USSR and Communism. Why did we bother? What a waste. A war to end all wars? A world safe for democracy? Hardly given imperialism by Europe continued on for decades until ended mostly with much violence.
So the Depression brought us FDR. Here was socialism in spades. Some good infrastructure was done per parks, power supplies and such. But the grounds of a Welfare state were laid. Social Security is not a bad idea or program, but it wasn't well thought out into the future. And it is such a sacred cow entitlement now that needed reform has been lacking for decades.
Yet our worst was yet to come. WWII left a bloated bueurocracy that should have been slowly dismantled. But no... Then we got in on Vietnam and even blocked free elections. Hence a morass that made our economy stumble later along with a serious waste of human life.
The worst however was LBJ. Here the true Welfare state was created. This bloated system is incredible expensive and has breeded generations of economically useless people. They breed at a high rate and eat up services like locusts. Not to mention crime.
Then there's Medicare. What a disaster that is. Here is the real bomb in our future. Of course our politicians are ignoring that one.
It may be too late for the USA. Our pandering politicians and ignorant entitled public are likely unable to tackle meaningful reform. The cow is ill and needs treatment. We ignore it at our own peril.
Its not intelligence/education as for instance Russians are much more versed academically even as children than Americans. The illiterate on the dole here live much better than most of the world. Free food, housing, subsidized utilities and a check every month is hardly poverty by world standards.
Hard work is important, but not sufficient. Even within a country. The working poor here bust their ass, often in crappy conditions. The sales reps drive around in AC yacking on the cell phone with subsidized meals and entertainment. North Koreans work their asses off but it certainly sucks there. Food is in short supply.
PJ cites three issues structurally that lead to prosperity: Free markets, rule of law and property rights. His world travels certainly support the free market ideas of Adam Smith. Government is limited to defense, safety, education, courts of law and some infrastructure. And that's about it.
And let's just face the facts. The world is unfair. Some people inherit money or just are damn lucky. They often aren't any better than anyone else like Paris Hilton. Or just happen to have found themselves in an over-rated over-paid carreer despite not really any talent like most of the actors and actresses. Or they have gifts, but are over-compensated, like our professional athletes.
But the truth is most of the prosperous have worked very hard and been disciplined to their plans. They have risen to the top of the professions, corporations or built businesses.
Certainly there are issues of better chances by circumstances of where you were born and all. Nobody can debate that. But in the USA, there is public education even through college. Community colleges are a great resource as is adult education. There are public libraries everywhere. Scholarships and student loans. The military has much to offer in terms of educations.
Totalitarianism is a proven disaster. Communism spells out many of the worse places to live. In fact, all Communist countries suck ass: North Korea, Myamar, Cuba,... Socailism is a loser too. England was on a downward spiral to a two-bit nation until Thatcher. France has become pretty candy-ass. Sweden is running out of milk from the socialist tit. Much of Europe is in deep shit due to the level of government goodies.
You see, socialism of any ilk sucks off the wealth created or already there. Communism just gets rid of any wealth creation, leaving only what was started with like vultures feeding on a carcass. In Cuba, the "people" grabbed all the wealth and now its run out. Now their economy is cigars and whores for European tourists.
Collectivism sucks. In the old USSR, private farms were very productive and eased food shortages. When Black Hitler in Zimbabwe violently forced those evil white farmers off their land, the crisis in food production followed quickly. Even our Pilgrims almost starved on collective farming. When they went to private plots, they had surplus.
The recent century in America has been one of meddling with a good thing. We had previously a stable currency and an economy growing leaps and bounds with incredible innovation. The government ran pretty much in budget. There was no income tax. Sure there were problems and labor was abused. Reforms were passed.
But the government just couldn't leave well enough alone. This last century was a series of attempts to destroy the cash cow. It's amazing it has stood up so well, but the cow is losing it fast.
Several stupid things happened early in the century: Income tax, Federal Reserve and WWI. The income tax was a way to get the feds money. It was graduated so only the rich would pay. The envious masses went for that of course. Problem is when inflation occurs, the feds keep getting a bigger percentage of the national income. Everyone who pays pays more and ever new folks now pay. Clever. This allows the Feds to do ever more stupid things with our money like stupid wars and social programs.
The Federal Reserve. Here is a private bank that manipulates the money supply for the big banks and businesses. Our stable currency is worth about two cents of what it was worth a century ago. The recent artificially low rates can be blamed for our trade deficit and real estate prices, as well as the Bush election. It has only delayed a financial reckoning that will be much worse when it hits. Thanks assholes.
WWI. Here was a stupid war. A waste of millions of lives. Nothing good or beneficial came of it. It set up a huge worldwide depression, the rise of Hitler and WWII. It also led to the Russian Revolution and hence the beginning of the USSR and Communism. Why did we bother? What a waste. A war to end all wars? A world safe for democracy? Hardly given imperialism by Europe continued on for decades until ended mostly with much violence.
So the Depression brought us FDR. Here was socialism in spades. Some good infrastructure was done per parks, power supplies and such. But the grounds of a Welfare state were laid. Social Security is not a bad idea or program, but it wasn't well thought out into the future. And it is such a sacred cow entitlement now that needed reform has been lacking for decades.
Yet our worst was yet to come. WWII left a bloated bueurocracy that should have been slowly dismantled. But no... Then we got in on Vietnam and even blocked free elections. Hence a morass that made our economy stumble later along with a serious waste of human life.
The worst however was LBJ. Here the true Welfare state was created. This bloated system is incredible expensive and has breeded generations of economically useless people. They breed at a high rate and eat up services like locusts. Not to mention crime.
Then there's Medicare. What a disaster that is. Here is the real bomb in our future. Of course our politicians are ignoring that one.
It may be too late for the USA. Our pandering politicians and ignorant entitled public are likely unable to tackle meaningful reform. The cow is ill and needs treatment. We ignore it at our own peril.
