Dept. of Not An Economist

[kaffy_r]

Just a Thought

What if people and corporations used to making obscene profits at the expense of other human beings could somehow be convinced to live with only slightly risque profits instead? 

I mean, yes, Come the Revolution and all that, but until then ....

Comments

[shanghaied]

I think Colonel Jack O'Neil(l)*** had the only realistic word on that: Ain't gonna happen. :-(

And to be fair, some people at the top do make a point of being less greedy and more useful and humanistic. What the world needs is more Richard Bransons and Elon Musks and George Soroses. And fewer ~spits~ Koch Brothers. And zero Donald Trumps.


*** Spelling according the the version of your choice

[kaffy_r]

You (and Jack) are undoubtedly correct. The post was written largely in sorrowful jest; I liked my phraseology (I'm so rarely of the mind to create aphoristic quips) and, of course, I would love to figure out a way to convince greedy people to be less greedy.

The Bransons and Musks and Soroses do try to do right by the globe, but of those three, as far as I know, only Soros takes his battle into the political arena. And right now, so much of what happens to the world, for good or evil, is done in the political arena, that he needs allies from amongst the one-percenters.

[shanghaied]

I'm a great fan of slightly risque profits (in a number of interpretations), so your turn of phrase was well turned :-)

Meanwhile, continuing the theme of posting diverting links to you, sometimes The Onion does hit the mark...

[kaffy_r]

*snrk*

That was my first read of the week, and it started me out just right; thanks!

As for that turn of phrase, I occasionally nurture phraseology that pleases me more than it should. That was one.

[heliopausa]

It's a very good line! :)

(No comment on the obscenities, because if I did, I'd rant.)

[kaffy_r]

Thanks! (I'm a little like you. I focused on the fact that I liked the line, in order to stop thinking about the situation that gave rise to it. I'm already ranted out on the subject.)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Slighty risque was once known as 'hedge funds'. But why go for the hedge when you can gleefully kick out the occupants of the house behind the hedge, foreclose on a potential white elephant that you can now joyously drag through the markets every time the DOW drops by five points?

No, I know I do not make any sense. But neither does my bank playing slot-machine roulette with my savings accounts interest rates on Wall Street. Meh.

*HUGS*

[kaffy_r]

Absolutely. I wish there was a way to change the hearts of everyone in the financial world (and the real estate world, and the insurance world, ad nauseum) about how much money they "need" to make. If they changed, I wouldn't be thinking so damned hard about acts of violence and spiritually unhealthy actions like that.

*hugs back*

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

The bad thing is, it all boils down to 'don't wanna lose my job' and 'I have to be the best'. Simple human motives that can almost be worse than greed - extreme competitiveness. You see it everywhere here. We practically worship sports-teams, Wall Street - competitions at their most blood-thirsty. And it will take a lot to change that. I'm not saying these things are wrong, just that priorities should shift a little.

Corporatism never works. It is the worst side of capitalism. Capitalism isn't bad, if you look at the OTHER side of the coin. Use competition for the RIGHT reasons. Pay your workers to produce the best products that are worth the money and people will pay it. If your workers make a good paycheck, they will lobby to make and produce those things. They will be proud of their work, it will show and you will make more money.

They will have money to spend. Which puts more money out there to BE spent. They can afford to buy and fund the things that make your workplace better: taxes paid to take care of the roads and waterways your company uses to deliver and your workers use to get to work. Better water to make those products with. Better waste management that gets you MORE kudos that get MORE people to want to buy your product. Pay your taxes and you become endeared to the public, able to expand your operation, pay your workers more, expand your workforce and you can charge a few extra cents for a good product with a good reputation.

To make money, you must spend it. This principal works in all things, not just the economy. If you smile at someone, they smile back, their day gets better and they share that wealth. If you have love and give love you get more back. It is a simple principal that has been eradicated and overwhelmed with 'need to be the best and need that NOW, in the short term'. We have forgotten that the long term bring the best and most stable dividends in love, business, relationships, spirituality and life itself. The short term gratification leads to dissatisfaction and resentment - and the realization it can't last.

Which leads to our economy being where it is today. It keeps crashing and we keep getting back up. There are better ways to get back up...and not walking into the right hook coming at us each and every time is a good start...

OMG. Rambling. SORRY! Ack...

[kaffy_r]

I agree with so much of what you've written (although, being from Evil-Sort-of-Socialist Canada, I tend to think of socialist capitalism as something that could happen.

To make money, you must spend it.

And here's where the corporations (and smaller businesses, too, sadly) get it wrong. They think they need to spend that money on lawyers, and lobbying, and that they must give that money to shareholders. They forget that they need to spend money on their employees, just as you've delineated here.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I'm totally a socialist, so I get you here. 'Pure capitalism' (without the human factor) is stupid, small-minded and designed to fail. It doesn't even work as a short-term solution!! And we've been operating this way for almost 40 years. Because Trickle-Down. And Lobbying. Lobbying used to be illegal. Now we have stellar examples as to WHY. 40 years worth.

What is uber hilarious about all of this is, they spend so much on lawyers, lobbyists, tax-dodging, hedge-funding, tax-havening and strangling their own workforce (like the lovely idea set in motion a decade ago of 'pay your worker for one job, have them do FIVE!!' which has led to a whole nother set of work-force related problems, disgruntled, dissatisfied workers who resent the very companies that demand their loyalty and respect without giving any themselves...but that's a whole nother bitchfest for a whole nother day); they have spent FIVE TIMES as much as they would have just going with the flow, paying their taxes, paying their employees what they are worth, supporting the unions, easing back on lawyers and cutting out lobbying altogether (and letting their own company speak for itself). That's just common sense.

But if common sense was being traded on Wall Street, it would be labeled 'rare commodity' and treated just the same...to be frittered and bargained away by people who have more money than the sense they think they are paying for.

[lolmac]

Slightly Risque Prophets is the name of my next band. Our first smash hit will be Obscene Prophets.

[kaffy_r]

BWAH! You just made my day!