Bush wins, so now what?

[heathen76]

Christian said:

LauraJean said:

Hang on a second, I've just re-read this. What do you consider "decent wages"? Have you considered that a decent wage in Bangaladesh is different than a decent wage in Chicago?

Supply and Demand, Baby. Live it. Love it.


Blessings,
LJ

The poverty wages that the big Western multinational businesses pay their workers in the third world. I believe it's given the fancy name of "globalization". The idea being that the richer get richer, and the poor get poorer. Many of these workers are working for little more than a dollar a day, possibly less. Workers in Western countries are losing their jobs because their employers see the golden opportunity of employing cheaper labor in places such as Africa and India, thus cutting costs and maximizing their profits. This is exploitation in the name of Mammon.

Christian.

What does a dollar a day buy in those countries? And how much were the employees making before the "Big Western multinational businesses" came to town? And what types of jobs are being lost in the West? How are those that lost the jobs reacting/compensating?

[AlphaOmega]

heathen76 said:

What does a dollar a day buy in those countries? And how much were the employees making before the "Big Western multinational businesses" came to town? And what types of jobs are being lost in the West? How are those that lost the jobs reacting/compensating?

Good questions. Is the World really a fairer place than it used to be, or not? What do you think?

Christian.

[heathen76]

Christian said:

Good questions. Is the World really a fairer place than it used to be, or not? What do you think?

Christian.

First, you will have to define what you mean by "fair".

[LauraJean]

Andy said:

LauraJean said:

If you were right about what our economic system is based on, you would be right about the end result. However, your premise is incorrect, as I described later in the post to which you were responding.

We'll see.......

See what? That you don't understand capitalism?

Our economic recovery is going along quite nicely, thanks for asking.

Really? The experts here aren't so sure.......

With all due respect to your scholarship on the subject, what evidence do you have that the US economic recovery isn't going well?

As for the Dollar, I'm happy to discuss the nature of its fluctuating value as soon as I believe you understand basic economics, supply and demand, trade balances, and the like. I'm not currently convinced because, among other reasons, you've confused the term Money Market (which is an investment vehicle and doesn't affect the value of the Dollar) with --I'll assume-- International Currency.

Hmm. Well I know that the money markets are to do with investment, and I never said they weren't. Would I be right in saying that global investment can be affected by the exchange rates of the World's currencies? Tell me if I'm wrong.

That depends on what you mean by "global investment." Are you talking about mulitnational Mutual Funds? Or about investments into particular (multinational) corporations? Or about investments into foreign corporations? Yes, multi- and inter- national investments can be affected --positively OR negatively-- by exchange rates. But that's not what you implied in your original statement regarding the value of the Dollar. Thank you for the clarification.

Did you not understand my analogy?

Analogy was it? Now that's a word I like. Out in the real World, physics has got nothing to do with economics. It's a totally separate branch of knowledge.

So the short answer is "no." You didn't understand the analogy. Shall I get more explicit or would you prefer to drop it?

Again, if you'd like to discuss economic policies, cycles, and the effects of world and local events on economies, I'm happy to do it.... If you are interested in learning, I'm happy to help.

No. I was just sharing a valid opinion.

Opinions are valid when they are based on understanding. I offer again to help you understand economics, if you're interested. If you're not, that's fine too. I'll take your opinion to be what it is.

When the global depression really starts to set in, you won't be interested in economics anymore.......

What a bizarre statement. If there really were a global depression (as if that were even possible) why wouldn't we turn to the one field of study which could guide us in ways to ameliorate the problem? --Or avoid the problem to begin with?

Again I ask, upon what are you basing this gloom and doom scenario? Are you, as Heathen suggested, incorporating some 'end-times prophecy' into the conversation or are you simply not confident in the free-market economy?


LJ

[AlphaOmega]

heathen76 said:

First, you will have to define what you mean by "fair".

heathen,

Have you ever heard of "Cafedirect" ? They help third world coffee growers by buying their coffee directly from them, cutting out the "middle man", and thus ensuring that all the money goes to the farmer and his family who would otherwise be impoverished. I would say that is a good example of fairness.

Christian.

[AlphaOmega]

LauraJean said:

See what? That you don't understand capitalism?

With all due respect to your scholarship on the subject, what evidence do you have that the US economic recovery isn't going well?


That depends on what you mean by "global investment." Are you talking about mulitnational Mutual Funds? Or about investments into particular (multinational) corporations? Or about investments into foreign corporations? Yes, multi- and inter- national investments can be affected --positively OR negatively-- by exchange rates. But that's not what you implied in your original statement regarding the value of the Dollar. Thank you for the clarification.


So the short answer is "no." You didn't understand the analogy. Shall I get more explicit or would you prefer to drop it?


Opinions are valid when they are based on understanding. I offer again to help you understand economics, if you're interested. If you're not, that's fine too. I'll take your opinion to be what it is.



What a bizarre statement. If there really were a global depression (as if that were even possible) why wouldn't we turn to the one field of study which could guide us in ways to ameliorate the problem? --Or avoid the problem to begin with?

Again I ask, upon what are you basing this gloom and doom scenario? Are you, as Heathen suggested, incorporating some 'end-times prophecy' into the conversation or are you simply not confident in the free-market economy?


LJ

You're in for one almighty shock when the World economic and financial system collapses.

[LauraJean]

Andy said:

You're in for one almighty shock when the World economic and financial system collapses.

Maybe you missed this part of my post:

LauraJean said:

Again I ask, upon what are you basing this gloom and doom scenario? Are you, as Heathen suggested, incorporating some 'end-times prophecy' into the conversation or are you simply not confident in the free-market economy?

[LauraJean]

Andy said:

You're in for one almighty shock when the World economic and financial system collapses.

Is it your understanding that there is one World Economic/Financial System?

LJ

[AlphaOmega]

LauraJean said:

Maybe you missed this part of my post:

What you have is a de-humanizing "dog eat dog", Darwinian "survival of the fittest" mentality called "capitalism", which is all about the worship of Mammon. Greed and self-interest are the name of the game, and such a system will inevitably destroy itself. The rich are getting recher and the poor [the majority of consumers] are getting poorer. The goals are ever greater efficiency, and ever higher profits for corporate big business, while at the same time reducing the workforce, and paying the top bosses and directors ever more ridiculously high rewards for doing so. I'm sick of all the times that I have read in the press about the fat cats here in England being rewarded for this, and for business failure too.

Christian.

[heathen76]

Christian said:

What you have is a de-humanizing "dog eat dog", Darwinian "survival of the fittest" mentality called "capitalism", which is all about the worship of Mammon. Greed and self-interest are the name of the game, and such a system will inevitably destroy itself. The rich are getting recher and the poor [the majority of consumers] are getting poorer. The goals are ever greater efficiency, and ever higher profits for corporate big business, while at the same time reducing the workforce, and paying the top bosses and directors ever more ridiculously high rewards for doing so. I'm sick of all the times that I have read in the press about the fat cats here in England being rewarded for this, and for business failure too.

Christian.

Apparently you are about 90 years behind the times. This was the argument of that Marxists in 1917. Between the two sets of ideals, which one is still around and viable?

[AlphaOmega]

LauraJean said:

Is it your understanding that there is one World Economic/Financial System?

LJ

They go together.

[AlphaOmega]

heathen76 said:

Apparently you are about 90 years behind the times. This was the argument of that Marxists in 1917. Between the two sets of ideals, which one is still around and viable?

The one based on greed and self-interest of course, because that is the nature of Man.

[AlphaOmega]

Gulf Wars I & II were fought in the name of oil and big business, and not in the name of humanity.

[LauraJean]

Andy said:

Gulf Wars I & II were fought in the name of oil and big business, and not in the name of humanity.

And yet the lives of the Kuwaitis (sp?) and Iraquis have vastly improved because of these actions. Go figure.

[LauraJean]

Andy said:

The rich are getting recher and the poor [the majority of consumers] are getting poorer.

This is demonstrably untrue.


LJ