Again,Elites are trying to get rid of Capitalism – but we can see it is not an economics system problem but a problem of morality

Every year, the Elites of the political, economic, and cultural worlds gather in Davos, Switzerland to talk about global ‘stuff’ – what’s trending, what’s wrong, and their global ways of fixing them what they believe is wrong – for the betterment of us all.  Hate to keep sounding like a broken record but even with the caveat that I will never be as successful as they have been, sometimes things to have to be pointed out.  Here’s what Davos founder Klaus Schwab said:

“We have a general morality gap, we are over-leveraged, we have neglected to invest in the future, we have undermined social coherence, and we are in danger of completely losing the confidence of future generations,” said Klaus Schwab, host and founder of the annual World Economic Forum.

“Solving problems in the context of outdated and crumbling models will only dig us deeper into the hole.

“We are in an era of profound change that urgently requires new ways of thinking instead of more business-as-usual,” the 73-year-old said, adding that “capitalism in its current form, has no place in the world around us.”

I am oft criticized by those that don’t like that I keep things black and white; I rather think that I’m bringing things down to basic principles.  In this case, it’s necessary.

Let’s pull it apart (and who’s this “we” bit, kimosabe?):

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Union Leader Announces Subscriber Wall

Following in the footsteps of the other papers in New Hampshire the Union Leader is invoking the “hey it’s our news you should pay for it” clause. They will be erecting a subscriber wall sometime soon. (Merry Christmas!)

SHORT BUS ECONOMICS

“Imagine a political system so radical as to promise to move more of the poorest 20% of the population into the richest 20% than remain in the poorest bracket within the decade? You don’t need to imagine it. It’s called the United States of America.”  —Thomas Sowell The collective voice of “Occupy Wall Street” has … Read more

The Post Office vs. Private Enterprise

This from my buddy Fred in Florida:

The response of the post office to their financial crisis really displays the difference between "government-think" and private enterprise.  Faced with a financial crisis the government approach is this:

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The Class Warfare Of Blue Hampshire

Caitlin fails to do an effective case study on wealth and liberalism while she waves a finger at Bill O’Brien because if she looked hard enough around the Granite State she would see the utter rank hypocrisy of leftists and their verbal articulation of progressive policies, while pursuing within their own personal lives a hard-core capitalist modus operandi that would make even Milton Friedman blush.

Making lemonade from somebody else’s lemons

Filed under Capitalism – but could as well be filed under Humor! We certainly have been watching the unfolding events in Wisconsin – especially as the Democrat "fleebaggers" went to Illinois.  Well, it looks like someone decided to capitalize on somebody else’s woes: Hey, capitalism is all about taking advantage of an opportunity – and … Read more

This is what Democrats and other socialists fight against….

"The Upward Spiral of Capitalism." After watching the video below, we must ask ourselves: "Is the hatred of capitalism and freedom shown by statism and socialism a matter of blindness, ignorance, or malice?" WHY would anyone oppose such a humane and beneficial cultural and economic system? My guess is this: Capitalism empowers the masses with freedom while disempowering … Read more

A simple practical example of the same service performed by the private sector vs the public sector

Coming home from San Diego, I ran into a very simple, but powerful example of the difference of how the same service was done by a private sector entity vs a public sector service: a bus.

Avis: taking the bus to the Terminal after dropping off the rental car.

Avis Bus

Not a new one, but in very good condition.  It was clean to the point of being spotless, maintenance was absolutely up to date from a cosmetic standpoint: the carpeting on the baggage holders was in good repair

  • the  seat cushions were looking clean and well cared for
  • the floor had no stains
  • and I only saw a couple of small instances of paint chipping. 

Oh yeah, and the glass was clean too and it "smelled" clean.

Having to go between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1, I took public sector "Red Bus"

First impression was of the driver.  My knee buckled and I had a problem trying to hoist my rolling bag up the front steps – he just sat there and looked as if I was a mere inconvenience – I got more of a response from one of the passengers for assistance than him.  Frankly, take all of the "good" items from the Avis bus, and turn them 180 and that pretty much sums it up.

Oh, and it needed a tuneup too (running rather roughly).

Why the difference?  Sad sack there could have cared less…

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Don’t worry, Democrat Progressives will figure out a way to protest this too

A great letter from Dan Boudreaux (Cafe Hayek) about the Left’s "selective" outrage on inequality: Like Michael Smith, I don’t suffer from the “Progressive” itch for income equality (Letters, Aug. 3).  Not only does achievement of such “equality” require the state to treat people unequally, obsession with income equality also reflects a Scrooge-like fetish for … Read more

Ever wonder where this stuff comes from? Here’s the answer.

Have you ever seen the emails being passed around the Internet that seek to demean Wal-Mart and the people who shop there? The ones with the pictures of ugly people supposedly shopping at Wal-Mart? Here’s the start of one I just received from a friend:

"Yes, it’s time for more Walmart Pictures…..brace yourselves!!!"

Here’s the first picture that accompanies the email.

The caption at the bottom of the picture says "Well, it is summer now, which means that we all get to witness more gems like this one."

Notice the "unhappy face" at the lower right of the picture, where it says "People of Walmart"? Why in the world would anyone want to take the time and effort to do this sort of thing? Here’s the second picture of a purported "Wal-Mart shopper" that came with my friend’s email, with the caption below it:

Caption: "Why do I have a feeling Jim Henson is behind her……working her arms?"

These emails seem to have come out of nowhere, and are purportedly "humorous." But of course they are not. There’s much more than that behind them, and a very interesting explanation of the phenomenon. I explain below, and it has nothing to do with "humor."

 

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Creative Destruction

BlockbusterWhat was once a mainstay of the home entertainment zeitgeist is about to be altered, perhaps forever.  Blockbuster has announced that it may have to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  Apparently the once mighty rental giant does not fall into the too big to fail category nor does it qualify for some kind of TARP-like bailout.  Of course Blockbuster backing down on a buyout of Circuit City retail stores saw the end of that national chain, so it almost seems appropriate that the management of a company that would even consider buying Circuit City might face a similar fate. 

It just might be that time.  

The free market has produced faster, cheaper, more reliable, and more service oriented alternatives, all competing aggressively for market share and creating significantly more jobs and opportunities than will be lost by the global giant that was once Blockbuster.  And if Blockbuster can’t reconcile its problems with debt holders and is no more, there will be plenty of scavengers to pick up the pieces, to create new growth from the remains.  But then that is what open markets do.  They encourage people with little more than an idea and some energy to encourage the decline of lumbering goliaths for the mutual benefit of the consumer and the industry.  It’s a process liberals bemoan, one that they work tirelessly to subvert, and since January 2009 have doubled down on. 

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