Political Hysteria

[evolutionmovement]

Everyone will know when the book is out. I'll revive an old thread about it. Cover's done, interior layout, etc. All it needs is one more going through for typos, which I'll do this week, and to be sent to the printer. It will be POD, so it should be quicker to market, however autographed editions will be a PITA to do.

Cover (final description is a little different):


http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos- ... 32_616.jpg

[vrg3]

So very exciting, Steve!

[SubaruNation]

sweet!

[SubaruNation]

so what do you guys think about corporate social responsibility

[Richard]

I believe it shouldn't be pointed to as a scapegoat for an individual's lack of due diligence or responsibility. I use the housing industry as my example. Everyone is angry with the mortgage firms over the current housing situation. "Big Evil Business" gave all these loans with adjustable interest rates to people who didn't do the math and weren't prepared to make the payments when the rate jumped six or so points on their $300k house they paid nothing down on that is now worth $220k because of the bubble. Now these "victims" are upside-down on a house they can't afford and this is somehow the fault of the lenders? Everyone wants to forget that these people who took a risk and bit off more than they could chew did so with their own will and would have been just fine if the market stayed steady or if they played their cards smartly. People are pointing blame at the businesses who offered loans with super low introductory rates that were set to move to a higher rate a year or two later. People still willingly signed on the dotted line and took the stupid deal, KNOWING FULL WELL THEIR PAYMENT WOULD CHANGE!!! The term "high risk loan" should mean something. And sure, there were a few companies who legitimately lied and conned people into unsustainable loans and they should be tried by a jury for fraud if that is what they engaged in. But by and large, 99% of the rest of them engaged in fair, legal, and justifiable business. It just turned out some people didn't act smart with their money and suffered the consequences. Almost everyone feels some sort of squeeze because of the rates, but most people are still getting by just fine. They just spend less on other things.

But leave it to the "fair and wise" wing in politics to force these businesses into making low-rate loans available to low credit, high risk borrowers where otherwise they would not have made in the first place. Forced equality FTW!!! It just irks me when I see them pointing the finger to others while disavowing their own hand in the mess.

So I end with this question. When exactly did we as a society decide to relinquish our personal responsibility to conduct ourselves in our own best interests? Or is it not our job anymore to read AND understand the whole deal we sign to, including the fine print?

[evolutionmovement]

Baby boomers. They were the first generation of entitlement thanks to the economy their parents provided (by winning a war) and the money their parents saved (by learning things during the Great Depression) and their spawn were raised in an even worse fashion.

Then there's media, which reinforces the have-it-now attitude regardless of actual earning capability and the importance of consumerism. It's a by product of unchecked capitalism run amok and nobody wants to stop it because buying crap drives the economy. People today have everything even if they're poor and none of it's enough. I love to drive through bad neighborhoods and check out all the cars that are either more expensive than mine or have accessories that cost more than my car, none of which have any actual value. I'm not advocating socialism, I'm advocating an effectual intelligent educational system, not one that trains people to be cubicle monkeys making decent money in unfulfilling jobs so they can prop up the rich over-compensated CEOs and afford to consume more crap and support the rest of the rich with their extensive welfare. Today kids seem to learn by watching MTV, porn, and what's left of hip hop.

The lending thing is another symbol of the get rich quick at all costs mentality that this country has degenerated into. People with the morals, but not the balls, of mercenaries and hired assassins. Combine this with the other side of the table and the inability of the masses for delayed gratification, acceptance of the reality of their situations, and the inability to be happy with who they are, not depressed at what they don't have since these things are what give them their identity. Because the school systems never taught them (and certainly not their parents as the conditioning has been happening for generations) reality or what the important things are and how to be happy with themselves.

And now we're stuck. Nobody wants to be pulled into a big recession (inevitable though it may be) and most of the dirt bag lenders are out of business and so those assets cannot be seized by the banks that are now the unfortunate owners of worthless loans they've bought from these unscrupulous companies. So if, they stick it to the home 'owners' and let them drown, you have a large drain on the welfare system, increase in crime, and greatly reduced spending on anything and that hurts even the rich (though their idea of hurt is hardly such, but they're generally very weak people so to them it's a horror). So the government in the interest of votes and of avoiding a recession as much as possible, is forced to perpetuate a system of lack of responsibility rather than making people learn a lesson too late (and that they probably wouldn't learn from anyway).

I think, unfortunately, that they should make the adjustable rates freeze at their introductory rates - people were making the payments before, living in a house, paying taxes, and spending money, and loan holders were getting their money so it's the best win-win option available. Letting these morons drown might be what they deserve (except for the minority that were outright lied to), but hurts everyone, and the banks shouldn't get fucked for the same reason and for the fact that almost none of them holding the current loans in question actually were responsible for giving them out as most loans are quickly sold. My mortgages have been sold twice already.

Damn you, Richard! You got me started.

[Subtle]

Last two posts are heading in the approriate direction.

But, I'll start with the notion of "corporate accountability"(CA). A corporation is solely accountable to the shareholders, and operates under the laws of the land.

That is it. Notions about CA are socialist drivel in trying to force someone else (shareholders) to pay to relieve the anxieties, or greed of those who would be better off doing some productive work.

On the distortions in the credit markets, and trust me, the violence in the financial world is incredible and will get worse before it fiinally washes out.

The wonders of about three generations of interventionist economists, and central planning created a climate of " no risk". As a consequence both lenders and borrowers became reckless--away beyond any previous financial mania in history.

This is coming to an end and it is worth noting that during a boom the political consensus goes to the left--or authoriatarian. Then during the post-boom contraction politics returns to the middle, and this begins to restore responsibility to the individual.

The last big boom with soaring commodities topped in 1998, and the change to political reform was symbolized by the fall if the Berlin Wall.

Then the left gained ambition and power with the resumption of boom conditions in the 1990s. Sort of a counter-reformation.

This political change can be traced back to Ancient Rome.

The next few years in the financial markets and in politics are going to be very interesting.

[evolutionmovement]

These cycles perpetuate because humans are weak and stupid and never learn. They overreact to outside forces that are the natural consequences of their inability to plan long-term rather than respond with the moderation necessary to reduce the effects of these economic swings. Very much like overcorrecting for oversteer, they only end up sending the car spinning the other way.

This stupidity and weakness in giving into urges is why I consider myself to be a different species from the majority of bipeds and can't be bothered to mate, even for recreation, with these animals. Sex with most women, regardless of their outward appearance, is no different to me than fucking a dog. Humans are descended from monkeys, flinging shit at each other and masturbating at whim (just look at the politicians these stupid animals elect). My people come from the same line as elephants with their greater capacity for emotion, memory, and intelligence. Anger is the one emotion we have trouble controlling, but then surrounded by all these howling fucking monkeys, how the hell else are we to stand it?

[beatersubi]

How did this discussion turn to poo flinging, masturbating monkeys and screwing dogs?...

Why should we stop capitalism? If the smart can profit off the media following masses willing to spend what little money they have on realistically worthless fashionable crap who is the gov't to step in and stop them. Thats almost an affirmation, by our own elected leaders, that we're a stupid and simple people. Its up the individual to not be a media following zombie and think for themself.

As far as the mortgage thing goes, its poeple own lack-of-foresight fault that they're in their current situation. But you get enough of them together and suddenly its somebody else's fault (the bank or morgtage company). Weather or not those large corporations were morally right in giving those loans, its ultimately up the end consumer to sign on the dotted line. And as far the the banks getting screwed holding a now worthless loan, its their fault for buying it from the previous risk-taking owner. Is there any question that the banks didn't know or realise the risks involved. They're banks.

As for the economy, I think it could be bueyed by those who have the resources. But are they willing to do what it would take to avoid a full-blown recession? When times are tight, people hold on to what assests they have (that are still worth anything substantial).

And Barack is a pawn.

Just my .02.

[evolutionmovement]

Capitalism doesn't need to be stopped, but it is an economic system, not a governmental one. The problem is that this distinction has been steadily blurred since WWII.

The other problem is that the rich people who are manipulating the poor zombies to get them to waste their money are mostly zombies themselves only separated by an artificial economic distinction. Humans have survived and thrived through cooperation, hence the reason most people go insane when isolated and violent when rejected. Cooperation evolved because humans are too physically weak to survive in nature alone. They start out vulnerable, are helpless for years, and never really develop the physical strength to compete with the capital predators of the world. However, cooperation allows them to use their individual strengths in complement, making them more powerful than the other animals and proficient, imaginative builders. This cooperation needs to be utilized, but it's often at odds to the modern Western ideal of a successful person, unfulfilling as most who achieve the position find it to be. Personal reward for great achievement is acceptable and even commendable, but the fact remains that the compensated class are far too overcompensated at the expense of the species. Frivolous and ultimately harmful waste like million dollar birthday parties for teenage daughters come at the expense of a possible better future for everyone. This is not to mention the spoiled rich kids that end up unsatisfied as the human brain is wired to feel rewarded for work accomplished. To give people everything for nothing makes them feel unfulfilled and delays or prevents the ability to develop character and self-respect that only comes from personally overcoming challenges.

This has come to the point of a degenerating cycle of weakness that may be too late to reverse. Perhaps will go on like this for a few thousand years more until we are inevitably wiped out like so many other species, never progressing beyond where we are at now or, looking at historical cycles, we may be on the precipice of an impending new dark ages. I personally welcome a complete collapse of civilization as my personality is optimized towards the behavior and conditions such a situation would require. I would miss some things, but the adversity I've overcome in my life gives me the confidence to know I'd be able to do what I'd need to do. I can't say that for most of the humans, but I guess that's the bed they've made for themselves. So what do I care if civilization collapses? Maybe I'm just a frustrated humanitarian or perhaps I hate the wasted potential of the species or it could be that I'm just not sure I'm going to like the taste of human flesh and making shrunken heads of people like my Flanders-like neighbors will only be fun for so long before I get bored.

[SubaruNation]

wow wee!
uh beatersubie, i guess i started this.

definitely learned more right here than i did reading the Economist .
personally i'm with beatersubie's comment (the whole thing)

i dont think humans are really as bad as some people say :WinkyMcWinkWink:, i mean most of the problems come from how you are raised and the income distribution correct? (behavioral, political, idealogical and income)

i know i haven't realized or seen alot of these problems, but i do know that india and china need population control Globalization kinda blows

the problems related to health are quite different..

i don't want to suggest guidelines but i think we could improve structure somehow. and as for the income distribution aspect i side with the people that work hard and get their piece.

so basically i agree with alot of what everybody is saying, i think you just need to be smart enough to realize what people are forcing on you and realize when you are being socially engineered for whatever reason and turn that around.

alot ALOT of america does not realize this at all, which is both good and bad depending on your perception and how you were raised to begin with.

people just need to look at both sides of every situation, sure that sounds glittered but it's suprisingly effective.

and yeah,

[beatersubi]

You're such an optimist, Steve.

I do, however, agree w/ you're stance on societal collapse. Only, I think we're going to do it to ourselves. It'll prolly be the flu combined w/ our over drugged, weakened immune systems.

[SubaruNation]

beatersubie, yep!

and when i started this i was referring to carbon trading, and companies leading the way for third world countries....so..

like influence, and

meh

i'll survive though b/c i know how to shoot stuff