Political & Elections

Canuckguy · Veteran Member

RE: Could the American (and European) Ruling Elite Have Been More Stupid and Short-Sighted?

Canuckguy · Veteran Member

BigG wrote:

Monetization of the national debt, along with Isolationism and protectionism, are the only hope for the mass of Americans. To maintain the capability of the financial elite to wheel and deal in international circles, we are allowing our nation to be degraded.

Unfortunately, the entire Congress is beholden by those that paid their re-election campaign. Nothing will change.

-- Edited by Canuckguy on Sunday 26th of December 2010 09:44:22 PM

BigG · Guru

It may be that this type of degeneration is found in all types of human government.

When the ruler(s), whether a king, a dictator, the people, a select group, or "other" ,start putting their own short term gratification before the long term good of the society, everything goes to hell.

We have the misfortune to be experiencing "looting" by both the "people" and a shadowy "elite".

-- Edited by BigG on Saturday 25th of December 2010 06:57:13 AM

Canuckguy · Veteran Member

Nobody really knows, although it has been attributed to Scottish historian Alexander Fraser Tytler.

soccerguy315 · Guru

Canuckguy - is that de tocqueville?

longprime · Guru

I wrote something about 30min ago. I guess I lost it.

but

Look at Grimmy.

geeps20 · Senior Member

Canuckguy wrote:

A democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.
A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discovery they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.
From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

Sounds like Europe, doesn't it? Maybe the way forward is to convince the Chinese that democracy is the way to go, and that central planning is a no no. This should put an end to their "peaceful rise" very quickly.
Sounds like the US

-- Edited by geeps20 on Friday 24th of December 2010 06:10:53 AM

BigG · Guru

People have tried to convince China that central planning is bad.

Since they have actually developed an enormously economically expedient system of fascism, this is an impossible "sell". They are hardly oblivious to their own succcess and the part "free market" thinking is playing in the relative decline of the US.

They cherish US freedom and free market capitalism. Those make it easy for them to loot capital and resources from US society.

There was an earlier thread about the rare earth crisis that wasn't. The person who wrote that article is an idiot. I have clients looking to lay off American workers because of lack of raw materials. That is a real thing involving real people, not an "Ivy Tower" dream of post-industrial society.

Monetization of the national debt, along with Isolationism and protectionism, are the only hope for the mass of Americans. To maintain the capability of the financial elite to wheel and deal in international circles, we are allowing our nation to be degraded.

Canuckguy · Veteran Member

A democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.

A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discovery they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.

From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

Sounds like Europe, doesn't it? Maybe the way forward is to convince the Chinese that democracy is the way to go, and that central planning is a no no. This should put an end to their "peaceful rise" very quickly.

BigG · Guru

We need to monetize the national debt while we still can.

soccerguy315 · Guru

the Euro is in some serious trouble

BigG · Guru

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341110/Fresh-humiliation-euro-zone-China-says-bail-debt-ridden-nations.html

China has been bailing us out for years.

-- Edited by BigG on Thursday 23rd of December 2010 10:48:41 AM