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Post by dasfuchs on Oct 30, 2011 0:10:23 GMT -5
Unless, of course, you're the Obama. Who can't seem to buy his wife an anniversary dinner without someone bitching about it. Is the money he used to buy that dinner his? No it is not. It was taken from honest, hardworking people by the barrel of a gun. Is the money you spend on dinner or even your internet connection yours? No it is not, it is your government's money which it provides to encourage you to live in something better than a grass hut on a pile of shit stained mats. So by your logic, it's ok to see what you do with your money just as much as it is anyone else. |
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Post by Thejebusfire on Oct 30, 2011 0:29:51 GMT -5
Unless, of course, you're the Obama. Who can't seem to buy his wife an anniversary dinner without someone bitching about it. Is the money he used to buy that dinner his? No it is not. It was taken from honest, hardworking people by the barrel of a gun. It's the government who makes the money for those honest hard working people to own. |
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Post by ltfred on Oct 30, 2011 2:03:27 GMT -5
Unless, of course, you're the Obama. Who can't seem to buy his wife an anniversary dinner without someone bitching about it. Is the money he used to buy that dinner his? No it is not. It was taken from honest, hardworking people by the barrel of a gun. Well, okay- We'll assume for a minute that taxation is theft. Well, let's go to the logical conclusion of that, then- no government. Do you think modern society can even exist without government? |
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Post by Armand Tanzarian on Oct 30, 2011 4:40:58 GMT -5
People seem to be overlooking the biggest reason behind all capitalism's troubles: DEBT. Debt, when manageable, creates something. It helps people expand their monetary reach, afford things they can't otherwise. Debt, like sugar, is a good thing in small amounts. But a major thorn in the side that both the poors in America and the nations in Africa face is often debt, not just the spiraling debt to those that have it but the prospect and cost of going into debt. Its of course by no means the greatest problem but it doesn't take a lot to see how unmanagable debt can destroy a person or organization. You're essentially a slave to the debtor, which is a reason why major banks like Citi and BoA have become so powerful. It doesn't have to be that way. The debtor is just as screwed if the creditor can't pay out as the homeowner is. The current debt system is not working, so the terms of it's replacement are up for negotiation. Debtors could get together in the US to pool their strength and negotiate from a position of strength with their creditors. From a more philosophical perspective, the neo-liberal doctrine that only debtors should accept any responsibility for a buggered debt relationship is just crap. Creditors are usually more sophisticated financial operators, usually have more capital, and often tricked their debtors into accepting the money. Clearly both need to accept some of the financial responsibility for losses. I agree with what you say, which really leads on to the larger systemic oversight committed by big banks, which is the failure of risk management and mitigation. By right, creditors do have an incentive to screen who owes them money and how much; to make sure debtors can indeed pay them back. But the incestous relationship between financiers and government give big banks the assurance that they can totally ignore risk management and pile up the credit, because when they inevitably fuck up, government will inevitably rescue them. I'm not opposed to bank bailouts in certain times, but TARP was given out with too few strings attached. And TARP is merely a tiny symptom of the larger dysfunction of banking. |
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Post by aboveathletics on Oct 30, 2011 9:12:28 GMT -5
Is the money he used to buy that dinner his? No it is not. It was taken from honest, hardworking people by the barrel of a gun. It's the government who makes the money for those honest hard working people to own. How do you figure? |
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Post by The_L on Oct 30, 2011 10:47:24 GMT -5
It's the government who makes the money for those honest hard working people to own. How do you figure? Have you never heard of the U.S. Mint? Do you not know who runs the U.S. Mint? Indeed, who sets the legal standard that determines what is legal currency and what is a worthless piece of paper? I do believe the answer is the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which is a branch of the government. |
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Post by Vene on Oct 30, 2011 11:08:25 GMT -5
As I said earlier, For some reason batshitloonitarians do not realize that every cent comes from the government. |
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Post by Armand Tanzarian on Oct 30, 2011 12:10:39 GMT -5
Pulling this thread back to its original purpose, I thought I'd show you guys the most exclusive American Express card available. Its called the Amex Centurion, and the benefits give a pretty good idea of what rich people like to spend on. For instance you could buy an electric car online one time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_Cardwww.blackcard.com/ |
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Post by aboveathletics on Oct 30, 2011 12:27:48 GMT -5
Have you never heard of the U.S. Mint? Do you not know who runs the U.S. Mint? Indeed, who sets the legal standard that determines what is legal currency and what is a worthless piece of paper? I do believe the answer is the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which is a branch of the government. OK fine, but the purpose of money is acquiring property. The bits of paper may be thanks to the government, but the property it represents is not. A private currency, bartering, or exchanging precious metals would work just as well. In fact, given the current crises, one could say that it would work considerably better. |
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Post by Art Vandelay on Oct 30, 2011 12:35:53 GMT -5
Have you never heard of the U.S. Mint? Do you not know who runs the U.S. Mint? Indeed, who sets the legal standard that determines what is legal currency and what is a worthless piece of paper? I do believe the answer is the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which is a branch of the government. OK fine, but the purpose of money is acquiring property. The bits of paper may be thanks to the government, but the property it represents is not. A private currency, bartering, or exchanging precious metals would work just as well. In fact, given the current crises, one could say that it would work considerably better. ...Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously?! How can you be so opinionated about economics and so fucking ignorant at the same time? Jesus fuck... |
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Post by aboveathletics on Oct 30, 2011 12:35:58 GMT -5
Pulling this thread back to its original purpose, I thought I'd show you guys the most exclusive American Express card available. Its called the Amex Centurion, and the benefits give a pretty good idea of what rich people like to spend on. For instance you could buy an electric car online one time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_Cardwww.blackcard.com/Completely beside the point, but as awesome as the black card commercial is, who in their right minds would pay $495/year for the privilege of using their own money? I get the same 1% cash back with my crappy free bank-issued credit card. |
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Post by Armand Tanzarian on Oct 30, 2011 12:51:16 GMT -5
Pulling this thread back to its original purpose, I thought I'd show you guys the most exclusive American Express card available. Its called the Amex Centurion, and the benefits give a pretty good idea of what rich people like to spend on. For instance you could buy an electric car online one time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_Cardwww.blackcard.com/Completely beside the point, but as awesome as the black card commercial is, who in their right minds would pay $495/year for the privilege of using their own money? I get the same 1% cash back with my crappy free bank-issued credit card. Many reasons, which if you actually read my first post you'd know what they are. First and foremost the Black card gives the holder exclusive privileges like concierge services and exclusive suites in hotels, lounge access in airports, acceptability in private banking services in many countries, first dibs on exclusive products like designer bags, holiday packages, etc. But its also a status symbol. After all why hoard all that money if you can't show it off every now and then? |
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Post by dasfuchs on Oct 30, 2011 13:42:10 GMT -5
Jesus fucked up Christ...did someone hit AA with a hammer again?
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Post by Meshakhad on Oct 30, 2011 15:25:25 GMT -5
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Post by ltfred on Oct 30, 2011 16:44:22 GMT -5
A private currency, bartering, or exchanging precious metals would work just as well. In fact, given the current crises, one could say that it would work considerably better. And he has the temerity to say that we're anti-capitalist. Ridiculous. Obviously a sophisticated economy requires fiat currency. Are you going to lug around gems all day long? And what is this 'current crisis'? Do you mean disinflation? Little message for you: metals change value too. |
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