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Or to put that different, there is absolutely no case in our history wherein tax cuts for the rich have resulted in growth in jobs and wages.
The wealthy invest money to make money off of money.
This fantasy that they use it to invest or propel the economy is an old belief ranking right up there with fear of witches.
Very true. Again, if they could make their money without hiring a single worker, they would. They’ve been pushing for that dream since the Industrial Revolution and the first assembly lines. A lot of people never really think about it, but more people were employed before capitalism became economic hegemon. Almost everyone was their own boss, too. Capitalism came along and with automation, assembly lines and new technologies, could use ten people to do the work thousands once did, in their own local, separate, autonomous markets.
The inevitable math of capitalism has always been to radically reduce jobs by getting more and more work out of each individual worker, along with automating their work out of existence. And capitalists always want the largest possible army of the unemployed, to suppress wages and kill leverage for workers. They buy political systems to ensure this as well.
Where was the massive jobs program when the world economy collapsed in 2008? It never happened. Primarily because that would have given far too much leverage and power back to workers.
Trump represents the interests of Capital. He couldn’t care less about workers.
But why, bnw, would you think Trump has any intention of helping working people? He has absolutely no history of doing so. None. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He’s made his fortune from screwing them over, and outsources the vast majority of his own manufacturing jobs.
He calls for steep tax cuts on the rich, which means he will make a fortune from his own government policies. He will personally be enriched by his actions. He calls for a top rate of 25%, which will net him millions of extra dollars a year. Plus, no more estate tax, which will net his children tens of millions extra.
There is no evidence in the history of American economics whereby tax cuts for the rich have ever — and I mean ever — helped working people. The rich have always just kept that money and increased the gap between themselves and their workers. There is absolutely no case in our history wherein tax cuts for the rich have resulted in a decrease in the gap between rich and poor.
Seriously, why do you have such faith in him? What has he ever done to earn your trust?
But it is possible we were put here for a purpose…just like it’s possible that 9/11 was carried out by Amish insurgents despite no evidence to support it and a ton of evidence to suggest otherwise. 🙂
Are you sure there isn’t any evidence?
Ohio Amish beard-cutting gang faces unfamiliar life behind bars
In the novel, Dune, Paul repeats, “Fear is the mind killer.” The full Bene Gesserit litany being:
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
One could also substitute “absolute certainty” for “fear.” If we were certain we knew all, we’d stop using a goodly bit of our minds. This is true for both the religious and the scientific. The best scientists don’t go for absolute certainty, and love mysteries. They know it gives them endless projects to work on. And the best religious minds, like Pascal and Kierkegaard, thought absolute certainty was a delusion. They struggled with their faith on a daily basis, and drew strength from that struggle.
ZN,
Thanks. I already knew I could just copy and paste and that would work somewhat. Was hoping, however, to use code to shrink it down to fit the space given, and maintain the (original) height/width ratio.
On my own site, I can do that — because I’m, well, god there. In the universal settings, and in individual posts. It’s difficult being a mere mortal sometimes.
;>)
PA,
I’m looking forward to it. I think it hits HBO in October.
Here’s another one about the future, robots, genetic manipulation and such. Very good film.
And, why aren’t apes evolving into humans?
Pretty good article for lay persons (like me!!):
Dear Science: Why aren’t apes evolving into humans?
Dear Science: Why are there no hominins left on Earth? If evolution is ongoing and species are always changing and adapting, shouldn’t we see new human-like species evolving from apes, even if the old ones died out?
Here’s what science has to say:We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but you are an ape.
So were the Neanderthals, the Hobbits, Lucy the Australopithecus, the Taung child and Peking man. And while we’re at it, so are orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees. All of us evolved from a common ancestor that lived about 14 million years ago, and together we make up the taxonomic family Hominidae. Also known as hominids. Also known as great apes.
Interesting.
Some more of my (annoying) book snobbery: I worked in book stores at various times in my younger adulthood (into the 1990s), and in one store was given pretty much total control over a section I called the Avant Garde. They did that because they recognized my brilliance in matters literary.
;>)
I got really territorial about it. Didn’t necessarily stick with the usual time frame for that designation, though, putting books in there by authors from a fairly broad range of chronological time (and place), including Garcia Marquez. If co-workers tried to help out and put Garcia Marquez under M, I’d move it to G, cuz, well, technically, Spanish authors with those two surnames (paternal and maternal) are alphabetized by the paternal surname.
Stuffy, yeah. I know. But I think it’s right to go by the culture in question, as much as possible. Though, I make mistakes sometimes with other cultures, like Chinese or Japanese names, which typically should go surname and then personal name, with these often being reversed.
Long story short: Wonder if they should have named the spider, Kankuamo García Márquezi.
If we timed out everyone who crossed the line, I would have to time myself out sometimes, which I think would be a physics paradox.
;>)
I think you could sell the rights for that to JJ Abrams. It could be, like, well, a sequel of sorts to, “Fringe” and “Lost,” about how a bulletin board moderator destroyed the space-time continuum by banning himself, and how the rest of us had to devote our lives to hunting down the moderator, finally discovering him on this island in the middle of Boston. And, it’s only real during dream-time, and when you wake up from the dream, you’re back in fantasy land, and you watch Vinatieri kick that winning field goal, which we all really know never happened.
I hear ya, WV, about his being alone.
I’ve been there, done that, too.
Just saying, I don’t like being called a liar. And I think it’s important to say so. Prior to that, I was trying to go the ignore route. It didn’t work so well.
And, ZN,
I understand what you’re saying as well, and will adhere to board policies. I also would understand if you thought my comments were over the line — Maginot or otherwise — and deserved a board time out. I wouldn’t argue against that, and it’s perhaps even “deserved,” given their content.
You guys decide, and I’ll abide. Btw, whatever happened to the poster with “the Dude” as his avatar?
