I'm an MBA (Master of Business Administration) and have successfully run a business for the last 20 years, successful even in this lackluster economy of the last dozen years, so I think I have as much authority to speak on economic matters as Koolaid with his dubious resume.
Some might point out that the study of business is peripheral to the study of economics, which is true as we deal with reality and practical application instead of the highly abstract universe of hypotheticals that economists live in. They were the butt of our jokes in business school.
I might add that I have also been a right winger without being a sociopath and a left winger without being an intellectual exploiter. I was even a libertarian for a while, as I made the shift from right to left, and then I grew up. I have since realized that taxation is not theft, as Koolaid and others like to melodramatically whine. It reflects the dues we pay to live in a civilized society and enjoy its benefits. If you don't want to pay the piper, go live in the wild and I wish you luck.
Now there is some controversy about how the dues of living in a civilized society might be fairly assessed and what the money should be spent on. That's why we live in a representative system so these decisions are made by the consent of the governed. Unfortunately, these decisions can't be made by unanimous consent. Personally, I don't like how my tax dollars paid for W's private war of aggression in Iraq and would rather my dumb ass fellow Americans who voted for him in 2004 exclusively shoulder that burden but our system doesn't work that way. Deal with it. It's the price of civilization.
Now there was a time when we did create the Libertarian's dream world, when private enterprise did as it pleased and the markets went unregulated. It was called the Gilded Age. We're rapidly moving back to that time now. We learned then as we should have learned during the last 30 years that concentrating wealth at the very top does not create prosperity for all and markets do not self-regulate. Corporations are soulless machines that generate wealth and maximize share-holder value. That's all they do. They will not care about worker safety or the environment or any other costs they can shirk. That's where regulation comes in.
Life is a balance. Our own government is based on three branches that check and balance each other. So too, our economy and a well-regulated system of capitalism should be balanced between business management, labor unions and government regulation.
I'm not running down business and private enterprise, being a member of that body myself. However, the backbone of the American economy and frankly what distinguishes any country's economy from a 3rd world nation is a vibrant middle class. We are losing that here in America and I fear if nothing is done to reign in corporate power, our future will resemble other 3rd world countries where a very few live in gated communities while the masses struggle to survive in squalor.
Some might point out that the study of business is peripheral to the study of economics, which is true as we deal with reality and practical application instead of the highly abstract universe of hypotheticals that economists live in. They were the butt of our jokes in business school.
I might add that I have also been a right winger without being a sociopath and a left winger without being an intellectual exploiter. I was even a libertarian for a while, as I made the shift from right to left, and then I grew up. I have since realized that taxation is not theft, as Koolaid and others like to melodramatically whine. It reflects the dues we pay to live in a civilized society and enjoy its benefits. If you don't want to pay the piper, go live in the wild and I wish you luck.
Now there is some controversy about how the dues of living in a civilized society might be fairly assessed and what the money should be spent on. That's why we live in a representative system so these decisions are made by the consent of the governed. Unfortunately, these decisions can't be made by unanimous consent. Personally, I don't like how my tax dollars paid for W's private war of aggression in Iraq and would rather my dumb ass fellow Americans who voted for him in 2004 exclusively shoulder that burden but our system doesn't work that way. Deal with it. It's the price of civilization.
Now there was a time when we did create the Libertarian's dream world, when private enterprise did as it pleased and the markets went unregulated. It was called the Gilded Age. We're rapidly moving back to that time now. We learned then as we should have learned during the last 30 years that concentrating wealth at the very top does not create prosperity for all and markets do not self-regulate. Corporations are soulless machines that generate wealth and maximize share-holder value. That's all they do. They will not care about worker safety or the environment or any other costs they can shirk. That's where regulation comes in.
Life is a balance. Our own government is based on three branches that check and balance each other. So too, our economy and a well-regulated system of capitalism should be balanced between business management, labor unions and government regulation.
I'm not running down business and private enterprise, being a member of that body myself. However, the backbone of the American economy and frankly what distinguishes any country's economy from a 3rd world nation is a vibrant middle class. We are losing that here in America and I fear if nothing is done to reign in corporate power, our future will resemble other 3rd world countries where a very few live in gated communities while the masses struggle to survive in squalor.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
