Bloomberg Plans To Raise Cig Age To 21

[Professor]

[exploited]

[Professor]

Socialism - You mean the system of government where a few people (the ones in charge) say that "in the name of the people" everything will be redistributed equally? All while they enrichen themselves at the expense of EVERYONE. For reference, see Stalin, Lenin, Castro, Chavez, etc.

Environmentalism - You mean that scheme where people make themselves rich by preaching that everyone should make sacrifices? People like Al Gore and the heads of those "Carbon Credits Trusts" places?

The internet - Yeah, no one has made themselves rich off that. Only a few people. Perhaps a few hundred thousand. A million, tops.

Media literacy - What an oxymoron. Our media is based upon talking-head opinions these days, not facts. It's more important than Anderson Cooper gets in a one-line zinger ("Why are you lying?!") than actually reports a fact. Facts are boring. Zingers get ratings.

End of bigotry - This simply means that more people are able to grab for more of the pie. I applaud the end of bigotry.

Incredible dislike of corporate entities and cultures - I seriously doubt that there is more dislike of corporations nowadays than, say, in the 1920s. And, since corporations as we know them have only been around for a few hundred years, then I wouldn't say that getting rid of them is a change in human nature. Humans will simply figure out another, more efficient way, of capitalizing upon their fellow humans.

But, I'll certainly take your POV under advisement. Trust me - whatever comes next, there WILL be a way to profit from it. It's always been that way. The guy with the most sabre-tooth tiger furs was the most powerful. The guy that had the most bronze had the most power. The guy that was able to rule the largest fiefdom was the king. The guy that mastered the power of the atom became the most powerful man on earth.

There will always be the "haves" and the "have nots". I just gotta make sure I'm on the right side of that coin.

[exploited]

Still not getting it.

[The Dharma Bum]

[The Dharma Bum]

Basically there are three distribution philosophies. Capitalist market economy, Centrally planned state socialism, or Participatory Economics.

ParEcon is the latest development and most utilitarian of the three and therefore the most relevant to contemporary realities.

[Spider]

[Professor]

OK, let's humor this for a minute.

What, exactly, do you see changing, Dharma and Ex? Not talking about economic theory or philosophical mumbo-jumbo. I mean real, concrete examples. What will happen to GM/Toyota/BMW? What will happen to the large computer manufacturers? What will happen to the large financial companies? I expect that they might fall, but they will be replaced by another comapny doing the same thing. Or, if their industry falls, it will be replaced by another industry, that will be just as big and powerful.

At one point, I know that someone here (Dharma?) said that the advent of 3D printers will revolutionize things. That people will be able to "print" whatever they need. Unless we've figured out a way to skirt the laws of physics, this isn't going to happen. In order to make a cup water, for instance, one still needs 8.36 x10^24 oxygen atoms, and twice that many hydrogen atoms. Whoever is supplying atoms is going to get rich.

People will always need things. Those who supply those things that people need will naturally gain power over those whoe need them.

[exploited]

[Spider]

I don't think you get to speak for this generation, ex. You have your opinions on it sure, but so did the genX'ers for example, and look at them now, doing exactly what their parents did. As we will.

Give it 30 years. We'll all be in pretty much the same boat. Getting rich was never the goal of the masses. Some aspired to it, a few made it. This will always be the case. Most people just wanted a relatively secure, comfortable lifestyle and some good times in the past, just as they do today, and just as they will in the future. Don't believe me? Wait and see.

People have been talking about the great sea change for centuries. But it doesn't happen. Change is a gradual evolution, not a sudden shift. Its a tremendous assembly of small shifts.

But, until we develop a group mind and actually start worrying about everyone else around us as a prime rather than tertiary concern, we will be motivated by our individual needs and wants. The idea behind "pursuing selfish gains" never had anything to do with benefiting everyone else. That was always just a platitude.

I think we can all agree that everyone should be free to pursue their selfish gains, because that liberty is fundamental. If for some reason humanity decides to be all about self sacrifice and service towards strangers, well, they've got that liberty as well.

I used to think this generation would be different, too. My parents thought the same about theirs. Didn't turn out that way on either score.