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PatrickforB

(15,100 posts)
69. So, you take umbrage at my attack on capitalism. Note: I cited two factors.
Fri Oct 28, 2022, 03:27 PM
Oct 2022

The FIRST is capitalism. Let me explain: we see ads on TV, the classic is a law office telling us about the Camp Lajeaune water lawsuit and lamenting 'profits over people.'

'Profits over people' is not just a left-wing trope. It is an actual legal precedent, brought forth in a MI Supreme Court ruling in 1919 against Henry Ford. It seems Ford raised the wages of his people on the factory floor so they could afford to buy the cars they made. The Dodge brothers sued Ford on the basis that these 'excessive wages' were irresponsible because they deprived them of PROFITS to which they were entitled as shareholders. And they WON.

Officially, this doctrine is called 'Shareholder Primacy' and what it means on the ground is that if you are the CEO of a publicly traded company, your ONLY job is to protect and increase shareholder profits. Period. So, your first act will be to bust the union, if there is one. You will also cut corners on benefits, try and steal the pension fund if you can legally get away with it, turn a blind eye to any wage theft, and compromise safety on the floor. You will also challenge every workers comp claim, and fight against any legislation or regulation designed to help workers. And you will spend capital to automate as much as possible.

As to consumers, you will cut costs by using less costly (and lower quality) materials, and shrink the size of the packaging but leave the price the same (Brits call this 'shrinkflation'). Also, if your product is dangerous, if it hurts a few people sometimes (think Ford Pinto and J&J talc), you will do a cost/benefit analysis and make a decision as to whether it is better FOR SHAREHOLDER PROFITS to simply pay off the people who sue or recall the product and incur the cost of fixing it. Seriously. We can find a number of examples of this.

Concerning the environment, the CEO of the publicly held company will foul the environment as much as they can get away with because environmental damage the company does not have to pay for is called an 'externality.' And, if there is a spill, the company will work hard with members of Congress they have corrupted with campaign donations to pass the cost of cleanup onto the taxpayers so SHAREHOLDER PROFITS aren't hurt in any way. Ever wonder why Republicans apologized publicly to British Petroleum after its massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? They wanted to pass the cost of cleanup onto us taxpayers, that's why. And that darned Obama instead made BP pay $20 billion.

This is coupled with the Chicago supply-side (we call it 'trickle down') economics which holds that if you cut taxes for corporations, they will create so many new jobs that the greater number of workers paying payroll taxes will offset the corporate tax shortfall. Now, think that through - this is a systematic transfer of wealth (oooh! A wealth REDISTRIBUTION). Essentially, it puts more of the burden (at this point 86% of the burden) of running the federal government on to taxpayers, while corporations saw their tax contribution to the federal government go from ~35% back in the 1960s and 70s down to 6.8% today. Maybe even lower - I haven't looked at this data for a couple years.

Ah, you ask...how to these scamps get away with stealing us blind like this?

If you obtain and read the memorandum Lewis Powell wrote to the US Chamber of Commerce at its request way back in 1971, you will get some good insight. It is colloquially known as the 'Powell Manifesto,' and lays out the entire plan for a corporate/Republican 'news' (propaganda) network by building out talk radio, and creating a Republican 'news' network. This is why operatives like Rove, Rumsfeld and Cheney had the snake Reagan kill the old Fairness Doctrine in 1987. This pocket veto opened the door for Fox 'News' and later the growth of massive right-wing syndicates like the Sinclair Media Group who gobble up local channels and force the newscasters to read national news from their scripts. Also, have you noticed that networks like CNN no longer take emails from us? The Hill and Huffington Post cut out comments? There is a reason, and it is that the monied groups (I lovingly call them billionaire parasites, and every billionare really IS a failure in tax policy) push back on truth HARD, and they do not want readers to realize that a large number of Americans don't agree with the content - both 'factual' and polemic.

This is why the right-wing's (it is called NeoLiberalism, don't you know - why? Maybe to fool us) mantra is 'privatize, deregulate and gut the New Deal. Lately, we have heard that key Republicans have promised to shut down the government if Democrats don't agree to massive cuts in Social Security and Medicare, have we not?

And, of course, we can round all this off with the constant drumbeat that government is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad...Reagan also started this by saying that the government isn't the solution, it's the problem. This is why some of the right wing-nuts hate government so very virulantly - they do not see, due to exposure to YEARS of propaganda, that the real enemy is the billionaire parasites and Shareholder Primacy.

So ends my soliloquy on capitalism. Now to population.

The SECOND factor I brought up was overpopulation. The earth could still support us but if you go to sources like World Counts https://www.theworldcounts.com/, you will see that around 9 million people die per year of hunger related causes in the face of trillions in amassed wealth (by the few), and that we need 1.82 planet earths presently to support us all.

So, yeah. Capitalism and its attendent pollution (lots of info on that in World Counts) and the carbon induced climate change that threatens to make this planet uninhabitable is one factor, and overpopulation another.

When, we wonder, will our species GROW up, put aside pride, greed, anger, hate, war, and all the rest, and start organizing around keeping the earth in good order, controlling our population growth, and ensuring that people have enough.

Remember John Lennon - You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...

Numerous rivers around the world, actually True Dough Oct 2022 #1
Such as the Po River in Italy Botany Oct 2022 #3
It's the new normal, in terms of great unpredictability of normal weather and water systems LymphocyteLover Oct 2022 #6
Fracking at the headwaters of Mississippi broke an acquifer - 24 Million gallon groundwater leak TigressDem Oct 2022 #82
Republicans probably think this is one of benefits of climate change. honest.abe Oct 2022 #2
RW Sinclair-owned morning show The National Desk had a story highplainsdem Oct 2022 #4
Yeah, somehow that does not surprise me. honest.abe Oct 2022 #9
few years ago, I read that peaches are now... 3catwoman3 Oct 2022 #16
I'm planning on planting peaches here in Upper MI where I live Kaleva Oct 2022 #28
When my husband and I were first married, he was flying tankers for the... 3catwoman3 Oct 2022 #67
Peaches, pawpaws, chestnuts, persimmons, pecans all now growing in Minnesota NickB79 Oct 2022 #68
The growing season is expected to become longer here in the north Kaleva Oct 2022 #27
I live 20 miles south of the Canadian border mgardener Oct 2022 #44
Light frost about a day ago in Michigan. roamer65 Oct 2022 #80
This can and will mostly likely effect all Americans Botany Oct 2022 #5
No doubt but we know most Republicans are clueless about issues like this. honest.abe Oct 2022 #8
All farmers and politicians in the greater Mississippi watershed are going to get a lesson ... Botany Oct 2022 #12
Through the Ogallala Aquifer is where they wanted to put the Keystone XL exstension Ohioboy Oct 2022 #39
They see it as a building opportunity. PlutosHeart Oct 2022 #71
Add Lake Meade and The Salt lakes Heather MC Oct 2022 #38
fuck! LymphocyteLover Oct 2022 #7
Does this mean we shelve plans sarisataka Oct 2022 #10
Hope so Rebl2 Oct 2022 #19
A couple weeks ago a river cruise sarisataka Oct 2022 #22
I was wondering what was going to happen with those river cruise trips. NT raccoon Oct 2022 #65
Since River Cruises are highly polluting PlutosHeart Oct 2022 #70
That's really gonna disappoint Albuquerque. jaxexpat Oct 2022 #33
Is there a link to an article about that picture? tanyev Oct 2022 #11
FYI Botany Oct 2022 #15
That's it! Thank you. tanyev Oct 2022 #63
was in my hometown over the weekend. mopinko Oct 2022 #13
My farm pond is extremely low. Putting flea powder on my catfish Emile Oct 2022 #14
Baby I'm yours, until the rivers all run dry Walleye Oct 2022 #17
I guess you're not mine any more... WestMichRad Oct 2022 #20
Joe Walsh can stop waiting... Qutzupalotl Oct 2022 #59
Seems human beings were an evolutionary mistake Cyrano Oct 2022 #18
Its not a matter of healing. Otto_Harper Oct 2022 #37
I thought this at one time, evolves Oct 2022 #40
We need more nuclear plants. Elessar Zappa Oct 2022 #47
Agent Smith was right. . . ET Awful Oct 2022 #43
Hard to argue with his opinion of humans. Anyone disagree with him? Cyrano Oct 2022 #52
Painfully stark assessment... Pluvious Oct 2022 #53
This is my prayer cilla4progress Oct 2022 #54
Why isn't FOX news on this?? packman Oct 2022 #21
The whole earth and all its creation groans under the environmental PatrickforB Oct 2022 #23
This message was self-deleted by its author Duppers Oct 2022 #26
Capitalism? Duppers Oct 2022 #29
So, you take umbrage at my attack on capitalism. Note: I cited two factors. PatrickforB Oct 2022 #69
Great, great post! Dave says Oct 2022 #77
Tragic but not hopeless if folks can admit it's anthropogenic. Duppers Oct 2022 #24
And humans are slurping aquifers dry too! GreenWave Oct 2022 #25
The rivers and 2naSalit Oct 2022 #30
Look at the bright side. gibraltar72 Oct 2022 #31
They are already doing just that Botany Oct 2022 #35
How is right wing media going to blame The Democrats and President Biden for this kimbutgar Oct 2022 #32
Because he shut down the magic pipeline? Oh that's gas prices, 🤔. Emile Oct 2022 #34
PSST.... The entire Southwestern part of the United States is going to experience a severe water Heather MC Oct 2022 #36
And the great aquifers dalton99a Oct 2022 #66
Pretty soon, Earth will look like Mars Marthe48 Oct 2022 #41
Antarctica will probably be habital Kaleva Oct 2022 #56
No. It will be a methane area uninhabited by all living. PlutosHeart Oct 2022 #72
The last time the Earth was warm enough for Antarctica to be ice free Kaleva Oct 2022 #81
The water may escape Earth itself IbogaProject Oct 2022 #42
Dramatic, but likely temporary (at least in the near term)....... getagrip_already Oct 2022 #45
The river systems have been far more important to the USA's growth than is generally realized. BobTheSubgenius Oct 2022 #46
It's astonishing that you can load a barge in downtown Pittsburgh.... A HERETIC I AM Oct 2022 #51
The river systems in Eastern Europe are pretty crazy too. cemaphonic Oct 2022 #57
Not for much longer. roamer65 Oct 2022 #78
Well that scraps a plan to divert the Mighty Miss. to send water west. Historic NY Oct 2022 #48
I thought they had flooding sometimes IronLionZion Oct 2022 #49
Long has Hank Williams Jr. foretold this doom! Alhena Oct 2022 #50
Tower Rock is just south of St. Louis... TrumanTheTiger Oct 2022 #55
Not to mention the photos in the OP are well away from the main channel... A HERETIC I AM Oct 2022 #58
If it was just the Mississippi being low then I would be still be concerned but this not just a .... Botany Oct 2022 #64
This is unusual (and the drought as a whole certainly cause for concern) but not unprecedented fishwax Oct 2022 #60
Over here, it's the same situation with the Rhein DFW Oct 2022 #61
dry now does not mean dry always dembotoz Oct 2022 #62
The Sauk River in MN. has PlutosHeart Oct 2022 #73
It blows my mind central MN is normal, and southern MN is so dry NickB79 Oct 2022 #75
We'll be lucky if our world doesn't resemble the one in Mad Max Fury Road in 20 years. Initech Oct 2022 #74
The big storms and hurricanes/typhoons do not refill our aquifers FakeNoose Oct 2022 #76
Build the wall!!!! roamer65 Oct 2022 #79
Here is an interesting thought, though.... Match drought areas and flood areas - exchange TigressDem Oct 2022 #83
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