Real Stimulus

Posted on July 19, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that if the governments of the world want real economic growth, extending far beyond the end of the government’s expenditure of capital, they should be negotiating in a joint enterprise to build interplanetary space ships that are reusable and capable of ferrying human beings safely to, not only Mars and Venus, but to the Asteroid belt and the entire inner solar system as well.

The development of such a system would necessarily build a huge scientific and engineering infrastructure. Initially funded by government as an economic stimulus, it would be taken over by private firms. The way this could happen is that, as the enterprise gains more and more revenue streams, the international community would establish a limited holding company in charge of the firm, then announce a number of shares certain in the venture. Then the shares could be sold on the world markets to individual investors divesting government‘s of their share and freeing up government funds for tax cuts…

The revenue sources would be many. One would be charging nations or firms for rides to and from places of economic and scientific interest in the inner solar system. The asteroid belt offers access to stable mining platforms and a vast smorgasbord of mineral resources. Near Earth asteroids are another periodic resource of an amazing array of economically valuable minerals. Especially rare Earth elements. They are rare on Earth but plentiful in asteroids. A ready supply of which could lead to better transmission technology for electrical transmission with possible breakthroughs in superconducting at high temperatures, are one of many possible technologies that would be enabled by access to such a resource. Where is there a better place to collect solar energy than Mercury? Build the stations just on the night side. Build the solar arrays with local resources and raise them into the sunlight. The energy could be then stored somehow… maybe in some future quantum battery technology that many pop up… Or use the energy to process some ore locally for export to Earth. All these economic opportunities would be possible given access to transportation to and from. Advertising would be another source of revenue for the firm. Sell the outside of each ship like a billboard. The ad space would command a pretty high value for it’s visibility.

Manufacturing other equipment in orbit would be another revenue source for the firm. Once the infrastructure to build in low Earth orbit is developed it would be redundant to duplicate. If some nation or firm wanted something fabricated in Low Earth orbit they could contract with the firm. From competing space ships to mining platforms the ability to build in orbit would be extremely valuable to the human race.

The engineering challenges alone are worth the investment. Random research has some merit but focused research yields many more profound and useful insights. The example of Apollo and the technological breakthroughs that followed the halcyon years of the space age make the point. Investment in space has always yielded an improvement in the lives of people on Earth. A concerted push by many nations would yield far more technologies and insights than we can foresee with our limited perspective. And the technologies would be spread across many nations. Giving each some industrial advantage and diversifying world economic output.

Another positive externality would be the refocusing of the Earth’s inhabitants on something external and grand. Today we are focused internally on petty squabbles and historical wrongs… Fighting like children. Stand back and take a look. To anyone with perspective we are a bunch of spoiled brats in the modern world. We have it better then any other people in the history of mankind. What do we do with this prosperity? We cry about other people’s obesity, we try to hug those that want to stab us in the belly, we decry our ancestors (like they were any different that any other ancestors), we tremble at the thought of a virus and imagined ogres, and we squander our prosperity on poorly devised schemes to make money from nothing. Refocusing would do us some good. Not only us but the rest of the world could use a change in heart. A grand enterprise, that would pay dividends for ever, would be a pretty good means to this end…

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When Is Your Good?

Posted on July 15, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that…

If we take Aristotle’s precept that we all seek the good. And that all of our actions work to some perceived good or “happiness“. Then one facet of the question of a morally virtuous act can be understood like this.

It is in the seeking of “personal good” do we find an answer. It depends on where in time we set our point of “Good”. Beyond our set point we don’t take into consideration the consequences. It’s not that we don’t care about the consequences but that we don’t factor them into our decision to do this or that thing that will bring us a “good”.

If a person only seeks good that will suit him or her immediately with no eye to the outcome or future we can say that the set point for that persons actions is the next few minutes. Were this permanent it would be a set point that leads to total hedonism. The good that this person aims at is immediate gratification.

If we take another person who has set his or her aim point for “good” a few months or years ahead they will be somewhat trustworthy. This type of person would be more likely to store up for the future and control the near term actions to protect the long term goals. This would be Aristotle’s mean. The point between too close a set point and too long a set point.

Take a person who sets his or her aim point at the end or his or her life. This person will be deeply religious. Aiming at death is always sobering… but not energizing. A person who looks to death is not as productive as he or she would otherwise be. They are storing up for the afterlife… not old age. They may gain by going to heaven but society looses in their lost productivity. Heaven, wanting what is good for mankind, however wants us to be productive and social. So to dwell on death is to put up for the afterlife, but it is in a way, thwarting the will of God. Who wants us all to be fecund and prosperous.

We all set our points at different times in our lives and even sometimes change the point several times in a day. The example of foolish acts that we have all done can be explained this way. We act impetuously when we set our point of “good” in the near term. We act correctly when we take the longer view (the mean). But we are paralyzed by taking too long a view.

This is another way to look at moral virtue. As a tool…it may be handy. At least it is something to think about.

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Republican Brand

Posted on July 13, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that the Republican brand is tarnished for a number of reasons.

The first is corruption. Republicans and Democrats are as corrupt as a three day old dead skunk. Both parties have enjoyed power for far too long. The Republicans however have not only had their own corruption scandals to contend with but those of the Democrats as well. The Democrats, whenever they are caught in some scandal, always point to Republicans in general and claim that the do it too. And that both parties should be censored for it.

A legislator from Louisiana was caught with bribe money in his freezer. Both Democrats and Republicans condemned the FBI for resorting to such tactics as setting up a sting operation on a fellow congressman. The congressman was a Democrat. But Republicans stood up for him… The man was caught on film, taking marked bills, dutifully casting the vote and was later caught with the marked bills in his freezer. I wonder, if a citizen who was caught similarly but with marijuana, if Republicans would come to his rescue? Or are they more afraid of getting stung themselves? This is shows what measure of corruption there is in both parties… At least on the Congressional level.

The next is that Republicans are just as much a tax and spend party as the Democrats. The only difference is the rhetoric. The Republicans claim, even when they are in office, that they are fiscally conservative. When in reality they just choose to spend on different factions. The Democrats run on tax cutting, but as soon as they get in office, they eschew tax cuts as being for the rich. At least Democrats say what they believe in, taxing and spending, even if it is after they are in office. Republicans say one thing then do another… No one likes the hypocrite, and it smacks of corruption.

Another is that Republicans were largely responsible for invading Iraq. Regardless of the long term outcome the American people see that as adventurism. The results of no terrorist attacks on American soil during the Bush administration will be illuminated, when the Obama administration’s, foolish and Pollyannaish international policies come to fruition. Then the American people’s attitude about Republican foreign policy will subside. Until then the American people will give Obama, reluctantly, the benefit of the doubt.

The amazing thing is that the American people are in sync with the Republican party as regards social issues. Americans stand on Gay marriage, Abortion and the like are more and more conservative. As the fruits of the Progressives ripen, the American people, (who always apply William James philosophy of pragmatism), will turn against them. The backlash will be similar to the one that led to the Victorian era.

But the Democrats have successfully destroyed the Republican brand even as they are more corrupt, out of sync with the American people on social issues and wrong on almost every economic point. The Democrats showing themselves to be head and shoulders above the Republicans at politics.

The Republican party is swirling in the drain. The country club Elite in the Republican party, (the original Progressives until FDR stole the mantle), seem to think the answer is to be more “progressive”… That’s just what America and the World needs, nothing but progressives, with no real alternatives.

Who needs liberty anyway? We can have free health care…

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Is Journalism at risk?

Posted on July 12, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

I listened to the Kalb Report on PBS today. He had four notable media people. The Presidents of, NPR, Associated Press, CNN, and the Knight Ritter Foundation.

I was amazed that the first thing they all said was the biggest problem in journalism is revenue, (money). They agree (except for the president of the Knight Ritter Foundation), that they need more money. I wonder why they are so greedy? Why the out of control greed?

The president of CNN claimed that CNN has had double digit growth in revenue in the last five years. I was under the impression that viewer ship had moved to FOX News leaving CNN a distant second. Pretty good CEOing to have double digit growth in earnings when actual viewer ship is dwindling. But even with double digit revenue growth over the last five years he complained that he wants more money? Isn’t that the definition of greed?

I noticed that the luminaries avoided any mention of bias in the media. There must not be any problem with bias. If there is the leaders of the news industry don’t see it. The only one who tangentially mentioned bias was the president of the Associated Press. He said that now things are being covered and questions asked that were not before… The rest of the panelists took it that he was talking about race.

The president of NPR was caught unawares. She cracked a joke and had the question re-asked. She was asked if news consumers can discern the wheat from the chaff. She gave us some credit and said we can and do. She went on to say that there is no bad content… except that which misrepresents itself.

I maintain that the term unbiased reporter is an oxymoron. No one is unbiased. Could a minority, steeped in the doctrine that white people are demons, be sympathetic reporting about a white supremacist that’s child was abducted? What about the other way around? Moreover should they have compassion at all? We all have baggage in one form or another. Not to the level that I have used as a example but we are all guilty. So in my opinion to represent yourself as unbiased when you really are not, (especially when you know in your heart you are not), is being very dishonest. One might even use the term… misrepresents.

I thought the guy from the Knight Ritter Foundation made a good point when he said consumers of media are becoming users of media. In that we expect something we can use to make money, buttress a point, inject in conversation etc… That we are interactive in our consumption of media and journalism.

I would have liked to see more whys being answered. Like why is readership dwindling in major newspapers, why is the American public so skeptical of the major news outlets, why is ad revenue dropping (in real terms), and not so much blatant advertising for their brands.

The long and short is that whenever you get the presidents of buggy whip manufacturers in a room they agree the problem is with everyone else… not their product.

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Afghan Elections

Posted on July 5, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that it is absolutely imperative that the elections that are slated to be held in Afghanistan in August go through. The Taliban will be fighting tooth and nail to put the kibosh to any hope for an election. They understand that the elections are critical in the war for the people of Afghanistan.

By stopping or postponing the election the Taliban can propagandize the fact. Regardless that the Taliban would be largely responsible, the putting off of elections, would de-legitimize the standing government. Eventually the Taliban propaganda will be that the government is a puppet of the US. Not having elections plays directly into the hands of that propaganda. Empowering those that want to tyrannize the people of Afghanistan.

The elections have already been postponed. Once is a terrible precedent. But to do it twice would be evidence of total incompetence or malfeasance on the standing government’s part. The government doesn’t have the excuse that it doesn’t have time or had sufficient warning. There is no lack of international help, (except in troops). The only lack it seems to me would be lack of will…

The track record of the standing government in Afghanistan is pretty poor with regards to corruption. Officials require bribes as a means of doing business. Anyone who has read our blogs, forums, and Manifesto are aware of the International Capitalist Party’s stance on Bribes and their corrosive effects on the economy and society as a whole.

Without backing Bashardost, the International Capitalist Party does agree with his stated stance, that corruption must be banished from Afghanistan. If this tantamount feat can be achieved Afghanistan will once again join the community of nations as an equal. The Meads will be the international power they once were…

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Imperialist Powers

Posted on July 1, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that when a European calls the US an “imperialist” and “Colonialist” power it is the height of hypocrisy. The US, Canada, and all the countries of the Americas were colonies of European powers. The US has never had a colony. The US has never conquered territory (other than the continental US) and not given it back to the inhabitants. The Philippines are one example of many the most recent is Iraq…

The US has no empire to give it the name imperialist power. Without empire or the desire for such the term imperialist is not applicable. It is applicable for Great Briton, Germany, Russia, France, Spain, Persia, Italy, Macedonia, Prussia, etc… they were imperialist powers. They had empires. The US did and does not.

To claim the US has an economic empire is as sophomoric as it is moronic. The European powers answer to themselves only, (to their detriment). Japan is independent and is an economic power unto itself, There is no American hegemony in economics. Capitalism is available for any country to use to improve the lot of it’s citizens. That they don’t, is not the fault of the US, it is the fault of the Elite in those countries.

But everyone knows this. When the Communists, Progressives and Socialists call Capitalist nations “imperialist” what they mean is that they CPS’s want imperial power. They always decry that which they themselves want.

That is how the CPS operates. They condemn that which they crave. Notice how they disparage the ousting of a communist from power in Honduras but call for the ouster of a rightist executive in Columbia. They know the unbiased media will not bring attention to their hypocrisy. When a rightist government was in control of the USA (George Bush and a republican legislature) the unbiased media called the amassing of power in the hands of one party extremely dangerous for democracy. Remember the Rightists had only the slimmest of majorities in the House and Senate. That was dangerous in the hands of the party that at least in doctrine if not in practice wants less government and less government intrusion into the lives of it’s citizens. Today the Leftist have total supremacy in the House and Senate. With an executive that is a cult of personality himself. That is no threat to democracy? What about liberty?

Why is it then when someone such as I, call for a more lasses faire attitude towards markets, the CPSs call us “poor deluded Pollyannaish people… to be so innocent as to think markets would be fair… for it is the nature of men to be greedy…” So men are only greedy when they are Capitalists? Government officials are not greedy? Greedy for money (avarice), greedy for power (ambition) and greedy for fame (hubris). Government officials the world over have proven themselves to be far less trustworthy than any robber baron.

So let the CPS in Europe and elsewhere call Capitalists imperialists and Colonialists. They are showing the world what it is they want. Colonies and Empire… again.

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Wise Goernment… We Have Not…

Posted on June 28, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that we have the least wise politicians in the last two hundred years. They toy with that with which they know nothing. (No way that could go bad).

This energy /climate change bill the house just passed will slow growth for decades. Until the year 2050 if it gets passed in it’s present form. The cap and trade part alone will inevitably drive up electrical bills around the nation. No state will escape unharmed.

To pass this giant power grab/tax increase by the Federal government at a time of economic malaise is actually stupid. Any recovery that gets started will have the caret pulled out from under it by this huge increase (legislated increase) of energy prices. The result will be a Wv-v-w-w-w–w, with each successive w smaller, recession.

I think the Elite are counting on their Industrialist friends to keep the economy moving. The Elite will punish those that don’t go along and reward those that do. Look at the example of Bank of America. If the government gets away with forcing BOA to open it’s own jugular vein, then all bets are off, as to the eventual end of the Elite’s power, to shape and mold industry. Ala command and control economy.

Illegal immigration into the United States and Europe generates societal upheaval. To have the Elite encourage it so they can have access to cheap nannies and gardeners, is tantamount to condoning it. The example of the Hyscos people in ancient Egypt shows us why unrestrained and unassimilated immigration is dangerous. Immigration pressure is always an effect of a good economy especially when coupled with liberty. Together they are a powerful draw to humanity.

Immigrants must be assimilated into society as a whole. There must be a societal myth among immigrants they need to assimilate and there must be real demands of immigrants to assimilate. This way immigrants can add their fortes to society in general. Keeping immigrants ignorant of the prevalent language generates societal friction. Keeping immigrants poor generates more societal friction. Throw them in slums and friction abounds. Add to this racism and you have a perfect recipe for societal upheaval.

Our leaders have decided before we hit the bottom of a recession, “the worse since the great depression”, to raise taxes (historical in magnitude), generate societal upheaval, and take command of the economy. Do these look and sound like the actions of wise individuals?

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Control

Posted on June 21, 2009 by john

Dear friends,

It seems to me that our predilection to always want greater and greater control is starting to hold us back. Our desire to control our environment led to the development of heating and cooling. The desire to have our physical needs met led to plumbing. Our desire to control has been a font of good for us in the past.

Now that we have achieved so much with our scientific curiosity and engineering innovation we have began to display hubris. We now seek to eliminate all risk. To do so is impossible but moreover it is a Faustian bargain. One that gives less and less even as it asks greater and greater sacrifices.

As government regulates more and more of our personal behavior, to protect us from ourselves, we will become resentful sheep. We will fall asleep as the wasp grubs eats us from the inside. Lulled into a false sense of protection we will continue to cede our rights and responsibilities, to government, for the imagined artifact of safety.

Take seat belt laws. They were enacted ostensibly to protect people from collisions and the negative results of them. Seat belts were regulated into cars, then, we were regulated to wear them. That is the dominant paradigm for government intervention into protecting us… government determines the means. However, studies have proven… the use of helmets in cars would dramatically reduce the most debilitating and mortal danger of collisions. Even more then seat belts. So, if protecting the people were the driving force, helmet laws would have been enacted.

They weren’t seat belts were. Helmets were not doable… politically . Seat belts were. The faction that was weak was crushed by the faction that was strong. Aristotle’s definition of Democracy “the strong tyrannize the weak“. The government decided the technology that is to be our primary defense in a collision by means of the most politically expedient way.

How about legislating outcome? Instead of legislating details legislate outcomes. Using our original example, car accident survivability and injury prevention, what would have happened if government had legislated that in a head on collision, by some date certain, at some speed given, one hundred percent of people would walk away unharmed else the car would be resolved unsafe and banned. Letting market forces determine the means. It’s better to let government determine the ends… not the means. Maybe if government ceded some control over us and we ceded some control to God… we would all be better for it.

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Action or Opinion… You Decide…

Posted on June 18, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that today we are not judged so much by our actions as by our opinions. The new logic must go something like this; since actions are a reflection of opinions, opinions must be more bad than actions. This is the only logical argument for it.

But if we accept this as a premise, we must necessarily control thought, or to put it another way, we are stepping onto the slippery slope to the thought police. The first step to the thought police was hate crime legislation. Now that certain opinions are illegal we have put a foot down that wet, clay, bank. Hoping that the one foot, still on the sod, will save us…

The opinions I am talking about? Racist opinions? Political opinions? Nationalistic opinions? No, just common ordinary opinions like should I buy that SUV, someone who believes in nuclear power, or the evil person who believes in the right to life? (do you know everyone who is right to life helped pull the trigger on that abortion doctor…) Opinions like these that are held by average, ordinary, good people.

Some will argue, “We don’t need to control all thought… just bad thought.” So the question must be asked… “who decides what thought is bad thought?” they would reply, “Why, The Government of course!” I would respond, “ So, if a neo Nazi or other hate group, won sufficient elections to have sufficient power, they could rightfully decide what is legal thought and what is not?”

There is a maxim we at the International Capitalist Party like to say, “No matter how much you agree with how they are undermining the Constitution today, fear that your enemies will be in power tomorrow, the precedent is set.”

But at the same time we are told not to judge people by their actions. Someone who murders another is troubled. If they are troubled it is the government that made him so. Isn’t it the government that has our children in school for most of their waking hours? Isn’t it the government that monopolizes our children’s time at home with homework? When do parents have time alone with their children to impart morals and values. Think about this, children are in school being taught atheistic philosophy for thirty two hours a week with several hours of homework a week. And one hour in Sunday school being taught morals. In the case of who is to blame for a young adult’s troubles, who do you think has the most time to impart their moors on them… the government or the parent?

That may be one reason the Elite want us to judge opinions and not actions. They can say what is bad opinion. Their policies are also, at least somewhat, responsible for bad actions. Naturally they wish to elude blame and cast it elsewhere. It is a way of gaining power. That is the natural law, as related from the Gaul King to the Roman diplomat, “That the strong must take from the weak.” In this case it is our right to our own thoughts… Are, they strong enough and we weak enough?

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Our Innate Need to be Productive

Posted on June 13, 2009 by john

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that most people have an innate need to be productive and resent it if circumstances prevent it. I also think this is a major reason people are so dissatisfied in the European countries. Discord, like riots largely by young, unemployed or underemployed, youths. People with too much time on their hands. They are fed by the State. They are clothed by the State. They are housed by the State. And they resent it. Their resentment is manifested in riots.

Socialism, progressivism, and communism (SPC) smothers the need to be productive with the pillow of a cradle to grave mentality. An ethos of work is replaced with the chant that work is a means of exploiting the workers. Soon thereafter the foundation of an economy, the working person, is drunk by Ten AM instead of at coffee break…

A man, drunk all day and supported by the State, is an angry man. His innate need is not being met. He doesn’t know why he is angry but he is livid. When a need is not met anger is the result. The rest of us are threatened by his anger. So why make more angry people?

To increase the need for government. Machiavelli said a corrupt people can never be free. So when normal societal structures break down people will turn to a more and more autocratic government to provide them freedom. They don’t get security and loose liberty. The State replaces the thug as oppressor… With the thug always lurking in the background.

Now, I don’t believe that the Elite, consciously, want a breakdown in societal structure, to facilitate their evolution into power. I think they are inept at governing. Their actions and policies lead the masses to corruption, (destroying the work ethic). This corruption of the masses feeds back into the need for government. The only beneficiaries are the Elite… The beast begins growing by eating itself and every thing else it comes to… Eventually starving once everything has been consumed.

All because an innate human need is undermined by the State. Nations that have giant populations should see the people as a resource that can be tapped to improve the lives of it’s people. The people’s innate need to be productive will manifest itself. All government needs to do to facilitate this process… is to stand aside and let it happen.

I know, I know, impossible for government…

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