Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

[bcassill]

Jessie says it all. Of course, the picture helps as well...

[MEDIA]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2DePAZe2gA/S55D-TPxeBI/AAAAAAAAMI4/K_ZdFDIm8kk/s1600/americanpsycho2.jpg[/MEDIA]

About That Seemingly Irrational Need for Bonuses...

[marvenger]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

An entire society built around white punks on dopamine, trapped in the infantile stage of development, allocating resources for the many, the arbiters of utility and worth, from Wall Street to the Congress: this is what America has become.

This has seemed the obvious conclusion to me from a very young age. Despite most trying to persuade me that markets are the goose that laid the golden egg and that i have to think of these things like an adult, I'd prefer to look at a situation and call it how I see it rather than try to make the situation conform completely to an intellectual conception. Yes markets create incentive and freedom, good things, but if you then conclude that the unintended consequences of regulation are reason enough for its obviation then you are extremely dogmatic in my opinion. You end up not regulating against the blindingly obvious psychopathic clusterfuck bearing down on you. You need government, the people need protection, taxpayers need to pay regulators to protect them, regulators definitely do not need to be paid by the industries they are regulating. Pretty simple.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

An entire society...

Nice rant.

[LargoWinch]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

If the government is providing only the very essential and that tax is raised and spent locally, then little chance of corruption exist.

[marvenger]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

I think incentive is also key. Government is not supposed to be a commercial enterprise so all remuneration should only be salaried, paid for by the taxpayer. Ie campaign contibutions outlawed, there has to be a standardised medium provided free charge to get your voice across to get your votes and the voters decide. Not saying its going to be perfect, you can point to a thousand problems with it but i think it will be much better.

[marvenger]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

now with the internets this free medium is cheap forthe first time, soitsthefirst time for a stab at real democracy

[LargoWinch]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

now with the internets this free medium is cheap forthe first time, soitsthefirst time for a stab at real democracy

Without a trip to the Doom&Gloom land, it think the jury is still out and the real crisis ahead (as EJ demonstrated many years ago: this one will be an inflationary POOM).

The question is: can we seize this opportunity to establish a sound and honest system?

[marvenger]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

probably not, but something needs to be done, eventually it will be better. I like the idea of Polanyi's 'double movement' where the market is part of the social fabric but it strengthens and begins to dominate and weaken the very fabric it needs to exist, society then realised and then makes efforts to strengthen and readapt itself. and so it goes.

[marvenger]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

The line of reasoning most patriotic americans have for their insistance in the magic golden goose laying capabilities of the market seems to be to look at americas wealth and america supposedly being the most free place in the world and suggest there is one to one correlation, like all another nation has to do is to become completely free and they will kick americas arse. Well as they say correlation is not always causation. I'd say that americas agricultural surplus has always been the most crucial part to its capital accumulation and the more wealthy you are the more you benefit from free trade becasue the more control and power you have, markets aren't free. The german historical economic school did not promote free trade for the development of germany because they knew this was to the benefit of england who was more powerful and enthusiastically promoting free trade, germany ended up opting for a military backed planned economy that developed very quickly with the help of colonialsm to provide the resource surpluses they couldn't themselvesnalong with the rest of Europe. Even America with its bountiful surpluses was not above colonialsm. The successfull asian countires have not followed free market ideology because they were smart enough to look at the obvious and realise they would be screwed by the more powerful and they needed to protect themselves.

SO i guess what i'msaying is that there is a bias for free markets and the magic tonic in america because it allows america to extract even more resources fromtherest ofthe world, of course youhave tohidethe fact you are manipulating the agricultural market behind the scenes with subsidies to ensure your surplus in this crucial, also golden goose laying sector.

[Chris]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

If the government is providing only the very essential and that tax is raised and spent locally, then little chance of corruption exist.

...in government.

[chr5648]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

Wow most people here still think the west has free markets.

Once again the government and media have trained you well.

[marvenger]

Re: Now We Know Why They Need Those Bonuses

I'm saying they're not free,never will be free, and the masses get told they're free so those with power can do as they please. Its been a good deal for americans up till now becasue they've benefited at the expense of the rest ofthe world, but now balance is changing and the mass of americans are getting screwed by their own as well as the rest of the world i don't think they'll be quite so idealistic.