Fighting for the American Way of Life

Soon after the 911 attacks the president addressed the American people and instructed us to "go shopping" lest the terrorist win. That set an alarm bell that is still ringing in my mind and has only grown louder with the more recent economic events. It is a little dangerous making bold statements about economic issues to Darren as he has actually read important thinkers like Malthus, Smith, Marx, Kaynes ect... none of which I have read, except for some Marx. My thoughts on this topic are relatively unencumbered by the educational process. (All that I have read of Marx made a lot of sense with the exception of men holding wives in common). Even so, in light of all the "economic news" of late, I have a few uneducated questions.

What IS a jobless recovery? What is recovering and for whom? If speculation drives the markets up but there are no jobs, how can the consumers afford the "junk from the man"? Isn't that what drives the whole thing?

If I remember correctly FDR pushed the US into a new era of economic management by borrow/spending on infrastructure investments. The idea was that there would be a short term gain of increased economic activity, and a long term investment which would eventually pay back through increased productivity. Ronald Reagan gave us the idea that increasing the take home pay of the capitalized was the best way to help the poor and middle class. No need to focus on where the investment actually goes, the act of freeing it from government control will unleash magical vibes. Today we have eliminated the “voodoo” aspect of Reaganomics and just focus on subsidizing the capitalized without looking for any further benefit. Is it the right thing to do? Could there be wiser options? Who cares, they are too big to fail.

We have lost the vocabulary to differentiate between the consumptive economy, the productive economy and the parasitic economy. Not that parasites are a bad thing, no one could live without a colony of bacterial in the gut to digest food, but their survival is not the primary measure of the health of an individual. If I went to the emergency room with broken legs from falling off a scaffolding and the attending physician focused on the survival of the bacteria in my system and ignored everything else, we might assume there is a problem. Yet the doctors overseeing the economy have eyes only for the players who have never produced a single item needed by a human being or delivered any of those products to a population where they are needed, the aptly named FIRE sector, Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. Lets pour a little more fuel on.

Here’s a random thought. Is it ethical to create the economic machinery to turn housing into an investment market, the foundation of the FIRE sector? Are there such things as basic human needs which everyone should have without bearing the burden of profit creation? What if water systems were operated this way? Police and fire protection? Healthcare seems headed that way with mandatory insurance coverage looming. This is a topic for another post/rant.

is an idea an idea if there is no one to hear it?

With the exit of the Bylers, I have been left without an appropriate audience for rambling rants. What is an appropriate audience?
(1) the propensity to listen and remember. Asking pertinent questions is a plus as is an occasional summary. Example: "So you don't feel good about selling your future descendants into economic servitude by saddling them with Chinese debt to ensure the steady growth curve of the investment portfolios of the capitalist overlords and their subsidized libertarian lackeys on wall street?" An easy laugh and a short beard to pull on are also recommended.
(2) THEY MUST LIVE NEAR BY. Or relatively near.
(3) The audience must demonstrate a working knowledge of science, journalism, bob dylan, the history of western civilization, economics, anti-globalism, the history of western china, mormonism, blue collar jobs, editing, mandarin, ethnography of the amish, photography and composition in various media.
(4) They must have time to come visit. This is the short list.

So, what happens to an unheard idea. Does it dry out like a raisin in the sun, or simply go away? On the odd chance anyone is listening, here are my recent ideas.

How to live in a "bad economy"

Try to be paid less than you are worth. It might not sound flashy but when times get tough, you are not first on the expendable list. Another way to say this might be; make sure you are worth more than you are paid.

Try not to work at anything that can be unionized. Not that I object to unions. Submitting to a union is accepting that you are a small, easily replaced, cog in a big wheel. For example in a hospital the people who clean are unionized, the people who feed patients and perform routine assistance are unionized, the people who read and make charts are unionized, the people behind the desks are unionized. Who is not unionized? The people making the actual decisions, the Doctors. If you make yourself replaceable, you probably will be. The economic ground may shift under your feet and people in China or immigrants from a less economically developed country than yours may be available to take your place. When was the last time you were in a hospital without nurses from the Philippines. The proud unionized GM workers who thought they were organizing a secure future are now panhandling the taxpayer. Learn to do what others cannot, not what they can.

Avoid management. If you have a longing to manage someone, be self employed and manage yourself. Management is a passport to the land of the mundane, meetings and creativity crushing boredom.

Avoid debt and consumption. Contrary to the ideology of the last two administrations, mindless consumption is not the path to anything positive. Do not "go shopping so the terrorists won't win." Do not buy a car you cannot pay for because of a federal subsidy. If the President sends you "stimulus money," stimulate your own economy by paying down debt. Avoid debt and consumption, it only encourages them.