Once you get to the top of Capitalist Mountain, its a bitch to stay up there. That creative destruction aspect of Capitalism is a real bummer. So what's a poor Industrialist to do once he gets to the top of the mountain. Embrace creative destruction and continually innovate? Hell no! Go checkbook in hand to the government and get your business a moat, or better yet, a monopoly. Government has the monopoly on force and coercion so they're the only player who can grant you that exorbitant privilege. Ironic that Economic Fascism/Crony Capitalism was birthed by Industrialists who made their fortune using Capitalism and then lopped off the golden goose's melon once they got to the top of the mountain. If only life was as simple as the Woketards want you to believe :-)
Craig, this is so spot on. And, the government goes along with it by imposing the force and coercion because God forbid there might be a loss of jobs (and profit for their crony capitalist friends) for a short term during a creative destruction transition (emphasis on short term).
I'm reading Jim Marrs' book "The Rise of the Fourth Reich". It was written in 2008, but is so well researched and prescient it might be an even better read today than it was when he wrote it. It is the best and most thorough explanation for what we're seeing out of global elites and politicians today (including those industrialists to which you referred) that I've seen and I've read plenty on this subject. These people don't want to lop off the golden gooses' melons (a great line by the way), they simply want monopolistic control over every bird in every flock, everywhere (worldwide), such that they own every golden egg and everyone else owns nothing. Marrs explains and documents the who and how of this before the WEF became a big deal.
It drives me nuts when I read that Capitalism has created Monopolies. This couldn't be any further from the truth, but you still see this crap being peddled. No government; no monopoly :-)
This problem is not restricted to wokeists. Crony capitalists can be found on all points of the political spectrum. The result, of course, is government-enforced monopolies. I hope no one here thinks that we have the traditional capitalist setup envisaged by Adam Smith.
Yup, people like win-lose deals if they're on the winning side. It takes a very special breed to wake up each day eager and ready to compete on their own merits. For America's sake, I sure hope this breed doesn't go the way of the dinosaur :-)
Hey Bob. There are a few here that truly believe it’s time to try something besides “capitalism“. Like this crap is really capitalism lol. The few people I know to talk about Socialism, have no money.
Woke culture is predominantly Progressive Democrat. Facts about these rascals is that 60% of rich people in capitalist societies are progressive liberal democrats.
The whole woke complaint is a lie!
It is deception. Deflect all criticism and blame someone else.
This is absolutely brilliant Bill: "“Individualism” is the source of the ‘common good,’ not an alternative to it."
Whenever someone trots out the "common good" drivel (particularly a politician(s) it's time to grab your wallet and your gun because they are coming for something you value and they want to take away from you (i.e. property, money, rights, business interests, etc.)
Excellent writing JD! Such logic is so rare today. Sad that so many have waken up to the fact that the “cure” is worse then the “disease”. Too late for most, and many still believe the fraud …you can fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can so easily fool a fool, as we see in America today🤔
Let us assume that we have a society where everyone is healthy, ambitious, entrepreneurial. The country thrives , capitalism finds its confirmation by providing the environment for the people to be very successful.
After time goes by the natural happens and the next generation is born. The make up of that exquisite society starting to change. The newborn are not a replication of the previous generation. There are people without motivation, there are people who prefer a lifestyle different than their parents and there are the unfortunate who struggle health wise unable to care for themselves.
The system developed never anticipated such possibilities of new citizens who changed the profile of the original society.
Those that did well and their offspring that did well ignore the other newly born with different attributes. They ignore the natural selection phenomenon. Why worry when a substantial community is doing well and moves to the top of the pyramid of the ruling class.
I’m time the ratio of the successful and less successful changes. Religion finds a cure, pray and God will provide. The successful elite pay their way closer to God leaving the rest more distant.
Does my imaginary narrative help some of us understand the changes we face today?
The "evolution" you describe can be seen in most of the great business enterprises that reach multi-generational tenures. The first generation creates, develops and works its ass off building the business into a vast, financially successful operation.
The second generation, that had the benefit of observing the first, then does a mediocre job of "managing and maintaining" what the first generation built. This generation never had to learn the hard lessons of delayed gratification and going without in order to grow the business. And, then they pass it all on to the third generation.
The third generation is educated at fancy private prep schools and Ivy League Universities. The third generation expects to be fast-tracked into the "C Suite" by virtue of their usually worthless piece of paper (aka Diploma). This generation never gets any dirt under its fingernails or "pays its dues" by doing the "in the trench" jobs that are the backbone of the operation. This well documented phenomenon almost always results in a collapse of the company during the third generation's tenure (when the first generation have passed away or are very old).
With countries or "empires" as Bill would call it in our case here in the U.S., the generations might be a little longer than 25 years and there might be four steps instead of three, but starting with the millennials and going younger there are all the earmarks of a nearing end and we Boomers have to wear the blame as "the second generation" in the scenario described above.
Dave Jay. You describe a book I read many years ago called the Fourth Turning. I found a book to be fascinating. It describes what you’ve talked about only in regards to nations. Our first turning was the revolution. Our second turning was the Civil War. Our third turning was the world wars one and two. The violent and bloody present forth turning is now here. Buckle up one at all. Sorry voice text the words forth turning or supposed to be capitalized.
It is all about obedience. Once you understand your assignment, you are obliged to obey it. If, as you write, we stray from the assignment, all the loose ends hang out and no one picks up the rope. It frays till it is in tatters. Where we are today. If people would only understand that the Bible is not about religion only, it is an instruction book of how to order your life. Spare the rod, instruct your children, enforce your laws, build on solid rock, etc. The issues we struggle with today are man-made and are there for man to repair. But we are a stiff-neck people who are intent to go our own way. Ergo, we tax, spend, destroy, excuse, lack discipline in our actions and we tear it all down. And the left is there to point the way. Leads to the wide road, not the narrow one. Observe the cluster f**k. Just sayin' pardon the French
Capitalism is the closest to the fundamental human nature like a shirt being closer to the skin. That makes capitalism most successful thus far. One has to accept that on the list of fundamental human nature is selfishness, greed, corruption to produce desired results, laziness, postponement, control over others, sick ambitions, recognition, authoritarianism, ego, etc.
If one was to accept these human traits and agree that this will determine among others the quality of their government, their lifestyle and interactions with other occupants on this planet, capitalism is the system of choice.
I have pondered this a bit. Apparently, there is a lot guilt borne by the "elite." Also apparent is that they want to absolve this guilt. Once you have more than enough resources, you begin to loose track of being in the grind. For some this boredom creates a self righteous pride and people think their ideas are superior to the working stiff's. There is danger lurking. Bill is correct. There is no "we" in the Time article. I was not polled either. I want to be left out of it .
Our uniparty system has allowed western capitalism to run amuck and morph into a oligarchy.
The WEF runs the west(and no one else by the way) with its wretched hands, with the loathing and malice of self destruction, the ridiculous notions of thought control through fabricated crises and panic propaganda. Individuals must start by critically thinking through the garbage for self preservation and then realize we must rise collectively against the oligarchs.
The non-west is collectively organizing against “our”world order, currency, climate fairy tales and will eventually allow us to screw ourselves into perpetual pious virtue signaling, victim hood and violence if we don’t establish alternative leadership.
I’ve never understood why these people/studies/prognostications are so fixated on large cities, most of which (NY, LA, CHI, SF etc) are quickly becoming 3rd world hell holes. There’s a whole bunch of us people here in the middle with plenty of parking and no use whatsoever for the ruling class. I remember a quote...not sure who said it...along the lines of “when Americans become piled up upon each other as the people are in the cities in Europe, we will also become just as corrupt as those cities are.”
Hey Taco. Not to be too depressing but I think it’s too late to change this at the ballot box. Our only hope in my opinion that have this degenerate nation go 100% bankrupt. By that I mean no socials, no pension no, Medicare no nothing from the government resilient people will survive. Then our communities will have a little small economies. From there hopefully we can grow the country again this time absent the welfare/warfare state. Also, no central bank.
Except the “worst of us” will run amuck in mad violence upon losing their entitlements, their currency and everything they (may have) worked for before those communities can be productive. I agree we are already bankrupt and self sufficiency is paramount. Rebellion and anarchy will be required to displace the current ratfuckers. Unfortunately what comes next will be worse for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Texas and Florida lead a secession movement to get things rolling.
Hey taco. I absolutely agree. I think millions will die in this country. I am on a Family compound on the side of a mountain on 202 acres in West Virginia. We are prepared with food and the “essentials“ of self-defense. May God have mercy on us all.
Hola. Anybody wanna make odds that Senor Milei either loses by just enough votes found in the middle of the night, or perhaps reaches Election Day at room temperature? It is Argentina after all and our beloved CIA/Leftist "elites"/Dimocrat machine have stolen elections around the world with precisely zero Moral Compunction...
SE: Spoken like a real Republican; you know the ones who Never do anything wrong...Maybe that's because they don't seem to have any Moral Compass. So they just assume certain things i.e., stolen elections (unless they win).
As I've said to you MANY times - the R's pretty much suck as well, just no where near as bad or as dangerously as the degenerate dimocrats.
As the good Book says, in the end times right will be wrong and black will be white. Your side of the political aisle is proving those words true on virtually ANY issue one considers. The fact that you (as a true-blue dim) can even mention something like a "Moral Compass" is beyond comedic and illustrates how truly indoctrinated you are.
Take a look at any, and I mean ANY, policy the dims are demanding, promoting and/or worshipping - then get back to me about 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀.
Did she really say moral compass? I have never particularly cared for the democratic party, but prior to Biden. They were only slightly worse than the Republicans. If she truly cannot see these pigs in the White House for what they are, there is nothing else to say. She is brainwashed beyond all possibilities. She recently opined that she cannot tell what to believe. I said start with any website that says a man cannot have a baby. Start there. She responded by saying if we’re only that simple. I did not bother to tell her that yes it is that simple. Use your head. Critical thinking, etc. not much of that in modern day America, my friend.
Yup - and there are millions more just like her. It's bad enough that they defy and ignore Reality to the detriment of all the rest of us, but it's the 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 that pisses me off...
Eventually, there will be a general awareness that all Internet articles and comments are subject to analysis by ChatGBT, and filed with the appropriate authority, which may be ChatGBT itself. Guide yourself accordingly.
Once you get to the top of Capitalist Mountain, its a bitch to stay up there. That creative destruction aspect of Capitalism is a real bummer. So what's a poor Industrialist to do once he gets to the top of the mountain. Embrace creative destruction and continually innovate? Hell no! Go checkbook in hand to the government and get your business a moat, or better yet, a monopoly. Government has the monopoly on force and coercion so they're the only player who can grant you that exorbitant privilege. Ironic that Economic Fascism/Crony Capitalism was birthed by Industrialists who made their fortune using Capitalism and then lopped off the golden goose's melon once they got to the top of the mountain. If only life was as simple as the Woketards want you to believe :-)
Craig, this is so spot on. And, the government goes along with it by imposing the force and coercion because God forbid there might be a loss of jobs (and profit for their crony capitalist friends) for a short term during a creative destruction transition (emphasis on short term).
I'm reading Jim Marrs' book "The Rise of the Fourth Reich". It was written in 2008, but is so well researched and prescient it might be an even better read today than it was when he wrote it. It is the best and most thorough explanation for what we're seeing out of global elites and politicians today (including those industrialists to which you referred) that I've seen and I've read plenty on this subject. These people don't want to lop off the golden gooses' melons (a great line by the way), they simply want monopolistic control over every bird in every flock, everywhere (worldwide), such that they own every golden egg and everyone else owns nothing. Marrs explains and documents the who and how of this before the WEF became a big deal.
It drives me nuts when I read that Capitalism has created Monopolies. This couldn't be any further from the truth, but you still see this crap being peddled. No government; no monopoly :-)
Murray Rothbard's, "The Progressive Era" is a good read as well. Nothing new here, this has been around for a long time.
This problem is not restricted to wokeists. Crony capitalists can be found on all points of the political spectrum. The result, of course, is government-enforced monopolies. I hope no one here thinks that we have the traditional capitalist setup envisaged by Adam Smith.
Yup, people like win-lose deals if they're on the winning side. It takes a very special breed to wake up each day eager and ready to compete on their own merits. For America's sake, I sure hope this breed doesn't go the way of the dinosaur :-)
Hey Bob. There are a few here that truly believe it’s time to try something besides “capitalism“. Like this crap is really capitalism lol. The few people I know to talk about Socialism, have no money.
Woke culture is predominantly Progressive Democrat. Facts about these rascals is that 60% of rich people in capitalist societies are progressive liberal democrats.
The whole woke complaint is a lie!
It is deception. Deflect all criticism and blame someone else.
Their goal is to SAY ANYTHING TO GET ELECTED.
There is no shortage of dumbasses to believe it!
This is absolutely brilliant Bill: "“Individualism” is the source of the ‘common good,’ not an alternative to it."
Whenever someone trots out the "common good" drivel (particularly a politician(s) it's time to grab your wallet and your gun because they are coming for something you value and they want to take away from you (i.e. property, money, rights, business interests, etc.)
Thank you for another terrific article. I made a similar point last year in this essay about the grating nature of "the greater good":
https://jdbreen.substack.com/publish/post/46908001
"The greater common good" equals "the lowest common denominator".
^^^1000+^^^
Every time Mr. Dave. Every freakin' time...
Excellent writing JD! Such logic is so rare today. Sad that so many have waken up to the fact that the “cure” is worse then the “disease”. Too late for most, and many still believe the fraud …you can fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can so easily fool a fool, as we see in America today🤔
Great job Bill. Marx, pulled the BIGGEST and LONGEST lasting C O N--ever. The academics, the
ivory tower and the POWER HUNGRY signed on with "vote for me I will make your life better" and
the LAZY and UNWISE, masses succumbed. Allow the crooked committee, to DO IT.
Ralph W.
Let us assume that we have a society where everyone is healthy, ambitious, entrepreneurial. The country thrives , capitalism finds its confirmation by providing the environment for the people to be very successful.
After time goes by the natural happens and the next generation is born. The make up of that exquisite society starting to change. The newborn are not a replication of the previous generation. There are people without motivation, there are people who prefer a lifestyle different than their parents and there are the unfortunate who struggle health wise unable to care for themselves.
The system developed never anticipated such possibilities of new citizens who changed the profile of the original society.
Those that did well and their offspring that did well ignore the other newly born with different attributes. They ignore the natural selection phenomenon. Why worry when a substantial community is doing well and moves to the top of the pyramid of the ruling class.
I’m time the ratio of the successful and less successful changes. Religion finds a cure, pray and God will provide. The successful elite pay their way closer to God leaving the rest more distant.
Does my imaginary narrative help some of us understand the changes we face today?
The "evolution" you describe can be seen in most of the great business enterprises that reach multi-generational tenures. The first generation creates, develops and works its ass off building the business into a vast, financially successful operation.
The second generation, that had the benefit of observing the first, then does a mediocre job of "managing and maintaining" what the first generation built. This generation never had to learn the hard lessons of delayed gratification and going without in order to grow the business. And, then they pass it all on to the third generation.
The third generation is educated at fancy private prep schools and Ivy League Universities. The third generation expects to be fast-tracked into the "C Suite" by virtue of their usually worthless piece of paper (aka Diploma). This generation never gets any dirt under its fingernails or "pays its dues" by doing the "in the trench" jobs that are the backbone of the operation. This well documented phenomenon almost always results in a collapse of the company during the third generation's tenure (when the first generation have passed away or are very old).
With countries or "empires" as Bill would call it in our case here in the U.S., the generations might be a little longer than 25 years and there might be four steps instead of three, but starting with the millennials and going younger there are all the earmarks of a nearing end and we Boomers have to wear the blame as "the second generation" in the scenario described above.
Dave Jay. You describe a book I read many years ago called the Fourth Turning. I found a book to be fascinating. It describes what you’ve talked about only in regards to nations. Our first turning was the revolution. Our second turning was the Civil War. Our third turning was the world wars one and two. The violent and bloody present forth turning is now here. Buckle up one at all. Sorry voice text the words forth turning or supposed to be capitalized.
That sounds like a book I need to read.
I am waiting for Bill to take on the pronoun battle by signing his daily missive with I/We
It is all about obedience. Once you understand your assignment, you are obliged to obey it. If, as you write, we stray from the assignment, all the loose ends hang out and no one picks up the rope. It frays till it is in tatters. Where we are today. If people would only understand that the Bible is not about religion only, it is an instruction book of how to order your life. Spare the rod, instruct your children, enforce your laws, build on solid rock, etc. The issues we struggle with today are man-made and are there for man to repair. But we are a stiff-neck people who are intent to go our own way. Ergo, we tax, spend, destroy, excuse, lack discipline in our actions and we tear it all down. And the left is there to point the way. Leads to the wide road, not the narrow one. Observe the cluster f**k. Just sayin' pardon the French
Capitalism is the closest to the fundamental human nature like a shirt being closer to the skin. That makes capitalism most successful thus far. One has to accept that on the list of fundamental human nature is selfishness, greed, corruption to produce desired results, laziness, postponement, control over others, sick ambitions, recognition, authoritarianism, ego, etc.
If one was to accept these human traits and agree that this will determine among others the quality of their government, their lifestyle and interactions with other occupants on this planet, capitalism is the system of choice.
I have pondered this a bit. Apparently, there is a lot guilt borne by the "elite." Also apparent is that they want to absolve this guilt. Once you have more than enough resources, you begin to loose track of being in the grind. For some this boredom creates a self righteous pride and people think their ideas are superior to the working stiff's. There is danger lurking. Bill is correct. There is no "we" in the Time article. I was not polled either. I want to be left out of it .
Our uniparty system has allowed western capitalism to run amuck and morph into a oligarchy.
The WEF runs the west(and no one else by the way) with its wretched hands, with the loathing and malice of self destruction, the ridiculous notions of thought control through fabricated crises and panic propaganda. Individuals must start by critically thinking through the garbage for self preservation and then realize we must rise collectively against the oligarchs.
The non-west is collectively organizing against “our”world order, currency, climate fairy tales and will eventually allow us to screw ourselves into perpetual pious virtue signaling, victim hood and violence if we don’t establish alternative leadership.
And there’s plenty of parking in flyover country! Think I’ll buy me a Porsche just to piss off herr Schwab
I’ve never understood why these people/studies/prognostications are so fixated on large cities, most of which (NY, LA, CHI, SF etc) are quickly becoming 3rd world hell holes. There’s a whole bunch of us people here in the middle with plenty of parking and no use whatsoever for the ruling class. I remember a quote...not sure who said it...along the lines of “when Americans become piled up upon each other as the people are in the cities in Europe, we will also become just as corrupt as those cities are.”
Hey Taco. Not to be too depressing but I think it’s too late to change this at the ballot box. Our only hope in my opinion that have this degenerate nation go 100% bankrupt. By that I mean no socials, no pension no, Medicare no nothing from the government resilient people will survive. Then our communities will have a little small economies. From there hopefully we can grow the country again this time absent the welfare/warfare state. Also, no central bank.
Except the “worst of us” will run amuck in mad violence upon losing their entitlements, their currency and everything they (may have) worked for before those communities can be productive. I agree we are already bankrupt and self sufficiency is paramount. Rebellion and anarchy will be required to displace the current ratfuckers. Unfortunately what comes next will be worse for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Texas and Florida lead a secession movement to get things rolling.
Hey taco. I absolutely agree. I think millions will die in this country. I am on a Family compound on the side of a mountain on 202 acres in West Virginia. We are prepared with food and the “essentials“ of self-defense. May God have mercy on us all.
Hola. Anybody wanna make odds that Senor Milei either loses by just enough votes found in the middle of the night, or perhaps reaches Election Day at room temperature? It is Argentina after all and our beloved CIA/Leftist "elites"/Dimocrat machine have stolen elections around the world with precisely zero Moral Compunction...
Hey Star. Both Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein wanted to take their countries onto a gold standard. Ask them how that worked out.
SE: Spoken like a real Republican; you know the ones who Never do anything wrong...Maybe that's because they don't seem to have any Moral Compass. So they just assume certain things i.e., stolen elections (unless they win).
Hi Dot -
As I've said to you MANY times - the R's pretty much suck as well, just no where near as bad or as dangerously as the degenerate dimocrats.
As the good Book says, in the end times right will be wrong and black will be white. Your side of the political aisle is proving those words true on virtually ANY issue one considers. The fact that you (as a true-blue dim) can even mention something like a "Moral Compass" is beyond comedic and illustrates how truly indoctrinated you are.
Take a look at any, and I mean ANY, policy the dims are demanding, promoting and/or worshipping - then get back to me about 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀.
Pfffftttt...
Did she really say moral compass? I have never particularly cared for the democratic party, but prior to Biden. They were only slightly worse than the Republicans. If she truly cannot see these pigs in the White House for what they are, there is nothing else to say. She is brainwashed beyond all possibilities. She recently opined that she cannot tell what to believe. I said start with any website that says a man cannot have a baby. Start there. She responded by saying if we’re only that simple. I did not bother to tell her that yes it is that simple. Use your head. Critical thinking, etc. not much of that in modern day America, my friend.
Hi Worm -
"She is brainwashed beyond all possibilities."
Yup - and there are millions more just like her. It's bad enough that they defy and ignore Reality to the detriment of all the rest of us, but it's the 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 that pisses me off...
I know just what you mean. She truly thinks she is a smartest person in the room.
I forgot the golden rule:
None of us is as stupid as all of us.
Eventually, there will be a general awareness that all Internet articles and comments are subject to analysis by ChatGBT, and filed with the appropriate authority, which may be ChatGBT itself. Guide yourself accordingly.
Hi Andrew -
If you aren't already on several "lists" held by the DHS, FBI, DOJ, etc., then you aren't doing this right...