PeakOil is You
Cornucopians vs Doomers
Re: Cornucopians vs Doomers
by WebHubbleTelescope » Wed 21 Jun 2006, 00:44:01
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('WebHubbleTelescope', 'S')o what's this about "stir(ring) up those who oppose a flat tax" ? I really don't understand your concern. What's wrong with tossing out this information? The more we understand Ponzi schemes, 3-card monte, etc. the more enlightened we become.
There's nothing wrong with tossing out the information - it's just (largely) pointless. The poor are often ill-educated, so they generally won't understand the issues. And, too, in my corner of the world, illiteracy is at 27%, with functional illiteracy above 40%.
Until they find out that you have hood-winked them. The right-wing pundit Cal Thomas recently said pretty much the same thing you said, stating blatantly the fact that Fox News and other conservative outlets are running out of "trailer-trash" (his words, not mine) to recruit from. I suppose a few of the ill-educated people won't cotton to that statement, should the media ever decide to release the hounds on this ceaseless cascade of condescension. You should read "What's the matter with Kansas?" to find out why people don't necessarily act in their best interests. Should this tide turn, the upper-class should watch out. The huge immigrant protests in LA, Chicago, Dallas, and elsewhere are a good example of this!
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way with the rest of the world. I presume that many of the people of the Middle East you would consider ill-educated, but try getting dropped in the middle of one of those countries and try to survive based on your intellectualized negotiating skills. You would be lucky to escape with your shorts intact. They have thousands of years of a head start on understanding how to separate said shorts from said easy mark. Alas, that is the global economy that we now face.
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WebHubbleTelescope - Tar Sands
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Re: Cornucopians vs Doomers
by rwwff » Wed 21 Jun 2006, 00:49:31
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('WebHubbleTelescope', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rwwff', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('WebHubbleTelescope', 'A')t least a progressive tax keeps the pain internal.
Exactly why would we want to keep the pain internal????????Because my ethical standards do not support the idea of applying a Ponzi scheme to foreign investors and hoping they take the bait. Do we base our continuing economic success on tricking investors?
Its worked well for us in the past, and shows no signs of changing.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')I have long considered the idea that engaging in a conflict in the Middle East is ridiculous. And this has nothing to do with military might. It has to do with deal-making. Babylonia and Mesopotamia were the birthplaces of bartering and negotiations, with much of it under-handed. If you think the USA has any great skill at this, think again, as the people from the old countries have practiced this for thousands of years and we have done it for a couple of centuries. I suppose we can give it a shot, and go toe-to-toe with them, but in the end they have the oil, after all, and that remains the ultimate negotiating chip.
They have oil.
We have grain and the ability to turn as much, or as little of the worlds supply of it as we see fit, into inedible ethanol.
I think those that choose to play nicely on our terms may fair better in the long term. So far, they seem to understand and are playing nicely. Good for them, good for us. Double Happiness.
abundance fleeting
men falling like hungry leaves
decay masters all
men falling like hungry leaves
decay masters all
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