There are many foundational subjects, issues and systems under which we operate, in our society. Many are a big part of our lives like religion but the debate as to whether capitalism or socialism work best, trumps all these debates. Why? Because money and livelihoods are involved and that determines our lifestyle, friends and well, pretty much everything we seem to enjoy and relish.
Over the centuries Socialism seems to have lost the debate and many socialists are converts today, to the great notion that capitalism works best for all, with a little socialism thrown in to keep the poor from rioting and causing a stir...About capitalism's faults.If anyone is going to have a go at telling some truths, you better be a charismatic, very smart and a great speaker.And you might get to first base.
As I wrote in a previous blog, my Irish friend Pat Quinn believes the Irish Good Friday Peace Accord was signed by the Catholics and Protestants because the EU Celtic Tiger was washing gobs and gobs of money across Ireland and the powers that be, even the bitterest of enemies said to themselves and each other; We can't fuck this up. Everyone has a good job and toys and homes, so let's all chill out and sign this God Damn Accord and get on over to the pub.
So, trying to get up the gumption to try and improve our capitalism with some new ideas, criticism, even honest criticism and the evolution of capitalism is a road few are brave enough to journey. The powers that be, are really powerful and much money is at stake. Also a lot of bumps in the rug are nasty realities swept there for a reason. This week Janet Yellen, the USA Fed Chief gave a speech which blew the doors off hinges.
She bravely told the crowd that the top 5 per cent of homes in USA have seen their wealth increase by 63 per cent of national total, while the bottom half are down to 1 per cent and fully 25 per cent of them have no wealth at all. She said that she wanted to provide a factual basis for future discussion. Further she noted that the sub prime mortgage meltdown and great recession had been disproportionally borne by the financially disadvantaged, who were and had been prey for banks and lenders who sold them homes they could not afford and promised they would always go up in value, either way.
She finished by saying the low interest rates in place spurred huge gains for the wealthy in the stock market, since the recession. Banks got bailed out but not the gullible, financially challenged middle class.
Everyone, it seems was at a loss, as to why she would go there. Maybe she is tired of the unfairness of our capitalism and knows it gonna take an FDR spirit to return the system to some semblance of fairness. The truly cynical suggested she wants to run for president. But do not the bankers and rich control that too. Taking big money out of the election system, now that's a blog of a different color.
Martin Wolf a British financial writer has a new book out this week and he says we need to evolve banks and way of doing business especially on loans and mortgages. Since the Banks would not let new checks and balances go in place to curb their predatory nature, then banks should be also responsible for some of the losses and work with homeowner when they fall behind.
Risk Management, that smarty Alec new mantra, needs to factor that loss into some of the mortgages they place. Why should they get all the benefit and hang their share of the fault they do bear, when economies falter, on the homeowner. What's good for the goose is good for the Banks too.
The only way to get big money to care, is to show them how being fair and financially fair, is to show them how it can make them money and enjoy a better image. Thanks to the rebirth of philanthropy by the Bill Gates family, Bill Clinton and Warren Buffett, it seems a lot of rich are jumping on board the giving wagon. And... They get a tax break. LOL
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Slightly Crazy Politicians And Our Imperfect Democracies
Retired USA General Wesley Clarke writes in New York Times this week that; China is more confident, assertive and also more closed today, even thought many thought, our efforts at ' Constructive Engagement' and their economic growth and engagement in Capitalism gave us hope they would move toward democracy.
In the USA their government has been under water for much of the last 6 years, unable to get needed legislation passed including money bill that allow it to borrow capital to pay it's bills.
Too much democracy in USA and too little in China? It would seem so. But I have often wondered why we don't reform and evolve our democracies, we the so called free western countries. It seems we are all sure the democratic systems we have, are fine and so for hundreds of years, other than 27 big issue, fine tuning amendments to the USA constitution, nothing in the day to day workings of our systems have been amended or evolved.
Hard questions, like how wealthy individuals control our elected leaders through large donations and advertising,which Canada does not allow but USA allows in spades. How come, unless Canadian Members of Parliament are in the cabinet, they have virtually no say in the running of the government and made to toe whatever line the PM and his smart guys and gals come up with?
But maybe that's ok and how things have to be, to get things done and working. Messy could be a problem? No?
Only last month Great Britain dodged a democratic bullet in the Scotland independence vote.
Mr.Putin in Russia is using the loopholes in it's constitution to shuffle between PM and President because he is not allowed to serve as President for more than 2 terms. Smart fucking guy who is using the so called weakness of President Obama to mess around with Eastern Europe countries like the Ukraine. I think Obama is trying to be enlightened and move war off the table, as a go to action for solving world problems. Like JFK did with the Cuban missile crisis by not invading Cuba and negotiating a settlement with Russians.
I think what we are seeing a lot more of is, what I call small time pathological people entering public life and they seem to have no shame or embarrassment. The Ford brothers in Toronto are like that. Not dangerous but a bit crazy and smart all wrapped together. Putin as well but he is dangerous. They know news disappears within a few weeks so just suck it up; your mistakes, sins and stupidity and move on. Circumstance and the voters will too.
In the USA their government has been under water for much of the last 6 years, unable to get needed legislation passed including money bill that allow it to borrow capital to pay it's bills.
Too much democracy in USA and too little in China? It would seem so. But I have often wondered why we don't reform and evolve our democracies, we the so called free western countries. It seems we are all sure the democratic systems we have, are fine and so for hundreds of years, other than 27 big issue, fine tuning amendments to the USA constitution, nothing in the day to day workings of our systems have been amended or evolved.
Hard questions, like how wealthy individuals control our elected leaders through large donations and advertising,which Canada does not allow but USA allows in spades. How come, unless Canadian Members of Parliament are in the cabinet, they have virtually no say in the running of the government and made to toe whatever line the PM and his smart guys and gals come up with?
But maybe that's ok and how things have to be, to get things done and working. Messy could be a problem? No?
Only last month Great Britain dodged a democratic bullet in the Scotland independence vote.
Mr.Putin in Russia is using the loopholes in it's constitution to shuffle between PM and President because he is not allowed to serve as President for more than 2 terms. Smart fucking guy who is using the so called weakness of President Obama to mess around with Eastern Europe countries like the Ukraine. I think Obama is trying to be enlightened and move war off the table, as a go to action for solving world problems. Like JFK did with the Cuban missile crisis by not invading Cuba and negotiating a settlement with Russians.
I think what we are seeing a lot more of is, what I call small time pathological people entering public life and they seem to have no shame or embarrassment. The Ford brothers in Toronto are like that. Not dangerous but a bit crazy and smart all wrapped together. Putin as well but he is dangerous. They know news disappears within a few weeks so just suck it up; your mistakes, sins and stupidity and move on. Circumstance and the voters will too.
Saturday, 4 October 2014
Stephen Harper, Dead Canadians And Let's Smarten Up.
Not many men or women can claim to be responsible for the death of 158 men and women and not be put in jail, but Stephen Harper the Prime Minister of Canada can. That is the number of soldiers who died on his orders to deploy to the most dangerous part of of Afghanistan over the 20002-2011 years of that war.
A war, and not to be too cynical or backhanded, that was supposed to reorganize and bring a country and it's people, living in a virtual 14th century world, forward into this day and age. And do it in 9 years by killing a lot of bad guys, who it seems don't want to live in the 21st century but like and seem to relish living in the 14th century and determined to continue.
Did we underestimated their stamina, commitment and fearlessness. It seems we were training the Afghan Army, with the best equipment and training available but we could not match the Taliban's zeal and as we all know, zeal and commitment trumps all, in human behaviors.
Now ISIL is the monster and we need to stop him, it, from trying to keep more of the region living in the 14th century. They are the real monsters and as we all know, have torn the norms of war asunder. No rules. So we are bombing them and have no boots on the ground. I think that's good and the pundits who say we have to have some ground troops are blind to the lessons we learned over the last 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Boots on the ground are our problem, not solution. ISIL see us as monsters. Infidels. They behead our citizens and claim to be planning attacks on our soil. So lets keep them over there. In misery they so badly want to see us live in.
Let's keep bombing those bad guys from the air and with Cruise Missiles from our ships and do it for next 2 years or 3. What ever it takes to wear them down. It worked in Belgrade and Bosnia. Bombing like that is scary for those being bombed. It rattles the fighters confidence and zeal and they can't move around and secure more munitions and food and no one gets in or out of the region because we are bombing everything that moves or threatens. We can do that. They can't. It will work. Go with our strengths with least possible suffering to ourselves. When they surrender or are mostly all dead we can go in and help rebuild.
If we put boots on the ground, civilians will die just the same, including our troops in boots, maybe more than from bombing. I mean, is that not why we built these planes and bombs, so we could overpower bad guys without losing our fine boys and gals. And our PM can say he didn't send 158 more Canadians to their deaths. And we killed a lot of bad guys.
I don't know how leaders live with the knowledge that they, in their role and power, as head of the nation are responsible for those deaths. It's a daunting thought and I suppose a damn good rationalization is the only way out of that reality.
The other reality is; thinking back on the week that the USA invaded Iraq with all that firepower and advanced armaments and how their great tanks rolled over the Iraq ones, we have to wonder does the firepower trump human determination and hatred, like the Iraq fighters mustered and instead of rejoicing in their freedom and possibilities for the future, they made monkeys of the occupiers, fought against them, killing and injuring tens of thousands of them, then held an election under American rules and drove the guys, who freed them from murderous Saddam Hussein, and dumped tens of billions of dollars on their revitalization,the USA, out of the country without so much as a thank you.
So BOOTS on the ground? I don't think so.
Since the world of health is so sure that alcohol is responsible for so much sickness and early death; Governments everywhere, like Ontario should get out of the business of managing the sale and distribution of the substance and leave it to the suffering. Why should the governments benefit from our misery.
A war, and not to be too cynical or backhanded, that was supposed to reorganize and bring a country and it's people, living in a virtual 14th century world, forward into this day and age. And do it in 9 years by killing a lot of bad guys, who it seems don't want to live in the 21st century but like and seem to relish living in the 14th century and determined to continue.
Did we underestimated their stamina, commitment and fearlessness. It seems we were training the Afghan Army, with the best equipment and training available but we could not match the Taliban's zeal and as we all know, zeal and commitment trumps all, in human behaviors.
Now ISIL is the monster and we need to stop him, it, from trying to keep more of the region living in the 14th century. They are the real monsters and as we all know, have torn the norms of war asunder. No rules. So we are bombing them and have no boots on the ground. I think that's good and the pundits who say we have to have some ground troops are blind to the lessons we learned over the last 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Boots on the ground are our problem, not solution. ISIL see us as monsters. Infidels. They behead our citizens and claim to be planning attacks on our soil. So lets keep them over there. In misery they so badly want to see us live in.
Let's keep bombing those bad guys from the air and with Cruise Missiles from our ships and do it for next 2 years or 3. What ever it takes to wear them down. It worked in Belgrade and Bosnia. Bombing like that is scary for those being bombed. It rattles the fighters confidence and zeal and they can't move around and secure more munitions and food and no one gets in or out of the region because we are bombing everything that moves or threatens. We can do that. They can't. It will work. Go with our strengths with least possible suffering to ourselves. When they surrender or are mostly all dead we can go in and help rebuild.
If we put boots on the ground, civilians will die just the same, including our troops in boots, maybe more than from bombing. I mean, is that not why we built these planes and bombs, so we could overpower bad guys without losing our fine boys and gals. And our PM can say he didn't send 158 more Canadians to their deaths. And we killed a lot of bad guys.
I don't know how leaders live with the knowledge that they, in their role and power, as head of the nation are responsible for those deaths. It's a daunting thought and I suppose a damn good rationalization is the only way out of that reality.
The other reality is; thinking back on the week that the USA invaded Iraq with all that firepower and advanced armaments and how their great tanks rolled over the Iraq ones, we have to wonder does the firepower trump human determination and hatred, like the Iraq fighters mustered and instead of rejoicing in their freedom and possibilities for the future, they made monkeys of the occupiers, fought against them, killing and injuring tens of thousands of them, then held an election under American rules and drove the guys, who freed them from murderous Saddam Hussein, and dumped tens of billions of dollars on their revitalization,the USA, out of the country without so much as a thank you.
So BOOTS on the ground? I don't think so.
Since the world of health is so sure that alcohol is responsible for so much sickness and early death; Governments everywhere, like Ontario should get out of the business of managing the sale and distribution of the substance and leave it to the suffering. Why should the governments benefit from our misery.
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