If they can't pay the worker's pension and $75/hour wages, they're gonna go into the whole.  Plus, the leaders of the companies did a terrible job.  If you have unions demanding MORE than the company has, and managers that aren't doing their job right, then this is what happens.  It involves everyone, not just big evil corporate heads.

limeyrob wrote: One word missing from most economic debates is 'sustainability'. Obviously we can't go on increasing our global population and think that everything is OK, cos it isn't. We are increasing the population and using resources at an alarming rate. The population wants more and more stuff at little regard to the environment and as cheap as possible. What I refer to as the tourist mentality - first world services at third world prices. When are we all going to realise that this cannot continue and that we have to live in harmony with every thing else that is around us. I don't think any money should be given to the populace as all they will do is want to go out and buy more stuff - that is unless they can prove that they are going to spend it wisely.

Give your dog a HUGE bowl of food and then leave him alone for two weeks.  Tell him not to eat it all at once - to save it so he can last the whole two weeks.  What do you think he's gonna do?

I have often wondered if this current economic crisis was something building up over years from Reaganomics-like policies. Not being an economist, I can't rightly say for sure, but my gut feeling is leaning towards it as being the cause. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the dismantling of organized labor, the destruction of the middle class, all in a country that used to make everything for itself and now sells us only imports at increasingly higher prices (the markup on products from China must be unbelievable). How did we let this happen?

I can't predict the future, but it ain't looking too good at this point.


Edited by progaeopteryx - December 14 2008 at 09:57

One word missing from most economic debates is 'sustainability'. Obviously we can't go on increasing our global population and think that everything is OK, cos it isn't. We are increasing the population and using resources at an alarming rate. The population wants more and more stuff at little regard to the environment and as cheap as possible. What I refer to as the tourist mentality - first world services at third world prices. When are we all going to realise that this cannot continue and that we have to live in harmony with every thing else that is around us.

stonebeard wrote: If the companies were ran in ways that should cause them to fail without government intervention, so be it.

I agree with you whole-heartedly. Same with Britain's banks: we may as well embrace the bailout situation as a method of filtering out all of the weaker banks and let the stronger ones prevail, let nature take its cause.

stonebeard wrote: Do ordinary people working for corrupt owners deserve to lose their jobs? No. But unless Washington actually gets its head out of its ass and starts dealing with the cancer of corruption killing America, then I want the companies to die.

Trouble is though, and I say this as a parallel situation to America, what makes a country such as England great is the people and the fact that most of us are employed. Although I have pissed and moaned a fair bit about the unemployment rates, we still have them pretty low in comparison to the rest of the world. If a giant's handful of companies went out of business, then unemployment would be our next issue. And it would be huge.

stonebeard wrote: I'm in a perfect position for such anarchistic proposals. I go to college, but I have no plans for the future, and think more and more that Americans have had it too good for too long. Some strife and hardship is needed to make us not whine, cry, bully, and strut around the world like we have a 20 inch c**k.

I chuckled at that one. Britain walks around like America's girlfriend, going around boasting about her relationship with the 20 inch cock guy, and going up to him whenever she has any trouble. Yes, I am English, but I will openheartedly admit that we are America's bitch.

stonebeard wrote: Most other people might be afraid of deviation from their narrow, unfulfilled, boring, consumer lives, but I welcome change. Depression, recession, revolution (haha, it's not seeming too far-fetched to me at this point), whatever. Humanity is alive in struggle.

Now come on... the recession at the moment is not fun by any means. I take your point, but although the dream of a perfectly economical state is nie on impossible, it's worth aiming high as at least we are getting progressively closer. I'm all for this getting fixed, and if that means being bailed out by the Govt. then so be it. I just want a bloody job By the way, I'm still not THAT familiar with America's situation, so I am referring to Britain here

Henry Plainview wrote: debrewguy wrote: Henry Plainview wrote: debrewguy wrote: Once more, I say - give the bailouts to the citizen, let him vote with that money as to who (corporation-wise) should survive and who should be left to die. lol, inflation. And giving it to corporations will not have that effect ? Does it depends who spends it ? Yes. There is a huge difference between loaning companies money so they don't collapse/buying terrible assets and giving everybody free money we don't have.   Which is not to say that the bank bailout will not cause inflation, but giving everyone in the US $10,000 is an even more terrible idea.

Not if we mandate that it be spent on prog.

Henry Plainview wrote: debrewguy wrote: Once more, I say - give the bailouts to the citizen, let him vote with that money as to who (corporation-wise) should survive and who should be left to die. lol, inflation.

And giving it to corporations will not have that effect ? Does it depends who spends it ?

DavetheSlave wrote: Maybe they don't care!!! They believe they gonna go to Heaven and get hold of 40 virgins!!!! By the way Osama has massive investment in the American and Europian Economy. His family were big mates with the Bush family once!!! The future battleground will be a very sad yet a very interesting one!!!

Your style reminds me of a certain individual whose reincarnations on these forums under different names are remarkable.

For all:

Here in Argentina our goverment. ( One of the most arrogant of all time Commanded by Cristina Kirchner and his husband former president Nestor) is taking useless measures to give the people something to talk about. They plan is to give low cost credits to buy electrodomestics and " your first car".