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America - have we become a culture of scams and con-artists?
Re: America - have we become a culture of scams and con-artists?
by AgentR » Mon 06 Apr 2009, 16:20:09
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JoeW', 'A')ll of these middle-men are legalized scammers. If you could take all of the ridiculous middle-man fees out of everything, it probably would effectively double the purchasing power of you income.
Direct counter example.
Plastic Gizmo on sale now! $1.99.
Please attempt to make the ONE (and only one) Plastic Gismo that I want to buy for $1.99. You can't.
To make 10 plastic Gizmos it costs $500.
To make 10,000 plastic Gizmos it costs $501.
To make 100,000 plastic Gizmos it costs $510.
Now, you, I, or Joe the Consumer wants to buy one and only one. I don't need two or three. I need or want ONE.
Bob the Middleman says, ok. "I'll spend $600 to buy, package and receive a giant pile of plastic gizmos", even though he doesn't even want a single one. Bob will then spend hours of his labor finding homes for each individual Gizmo at the price of $1.99 a piece.
Did Bob do a productive task, or did he just scam everyone that bought a Gizmo out of $1.50?
I tell you one thing though, if I am molding plastic Gizmos, the only thing I want to see is huge numbers, and giant, prelabeled cardboard boxes to pour them all into.
Not to say that Americans aren't the Chief and Master of all Snake Oil Salesmen; but middlemen are not by definition useless scammers.
Yes, we are. As we are.
And so shall we remain; Until the end.
And so shall we remain; Until the end.
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AgentR - Heavy Crude
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Re: America - have we become a culture of scams and con-artists?
by Pretorian » Mon 06 Apr 2009, 19:27:34
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cbxer55', '.') When my wife and I go shopping we do not buy by brand, we buy the cheapest on the shelf, reflected not by price, but price per unit. All labels incorporate this nowadays, and it makes it easy to get the best deal.
We drive 11 year old cars, did not buy too much house, nor is it filled with the newest gadgets you do not need. No granite countertops, etc.
We drive 11 year old cars, did not buy too much house, nor is it filled with the newest gadgets you do not need. No granite countertops, etc.
And what did this frugality gave you, if you don't mind me asking? How many months before you'll be funding your mortgage with that scary gun of yours?
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Re: America - have we become a culture of scams and con-artists?
by The_Toecutter » Mon 06 Apr 2009, 19:33:49
A science fiction novel titled "The Space Merchants" by Frederick Pohl, along with its sequel, were not too inaccurate about our present with regard to this topic...
The unnecessary felling of a tree, perhaps the old growth of centuries, seems to me a crime little short of murder. ~Thomas Jefferson
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The_Toecutter - Intermediate Crude
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