Are governments just protection rackets for the 1%?

[KissMy]

Are governments just protection rackets for the 1%?


Our political systems, regardless of who is elected or in power, have become tools of our oligarchs and are designed to insure that they retain their wealth. We are in fact and in reality ruled by our various oligarchs.


Do you recognize that fact?


Regards

DL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQYA9Qjsi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-rpkZe2OEo

http://www.upworthy.com/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact-2

http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think?c=upw1&u=94acbbeb6bbd6d664157009a896e71b014efbf27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

Why shouldn't they retain their wealth? Do you believe the mob should be allowed to loot them?

Dear Repubtard - When is the last time Boeing paid income tax? They take enormous amounts from tax paying workers.

 

[dannyboys]

I've felt that the rich always have more interest in the government's rule in protecting their way of life than the poor. Thus I've no problem with a progressive income tax.

That means a redistribution of wealth and those words are curses to most people. Especially the rich.

Most politicians speak to that but none ever act on it after being elected.

I think that in the future, demographers will decide who pays what but at present, no politician wants to propose a forced reshaping of our socio economic demographic pyramid.

Most voters do not even know what that means because of the dumbing down that the governments do to their people.

That would lock economic wealth redistribution to a standard and the politicians would loose a lot of bribes so do not hold your breath my friend.

Regards
DL

I'm guessing you are about seventeen years old attending a LIBERAL/Socialist 'community college' and you've just finished reading Coles Notes on the French Revolution.
Don't worry though. When you've been 'streamed' through to your graduation you'll owe the government AKA the Taxpayer, 80K which you'll never be able to pay back and people will still need 'baristas' to make them burnt coffee.
So your career path is safe.................until Starbucks installs those robots they have already bought from China which are currently being stored in Chinese warehouses.

 

[GreatestIam]

When a kid like Clarence Thomas rises from poverty to become a Supreme Court Justice how can you say that "government is a tool of the oligarchs"? Only the lazy and the truly ignorant or the political tricksters would believe such nonsense.

Follow the links I put, especially that 20 year report on what laws get passed and come back and chat. That link on inherited wealth is an eye opener as well.

Your comment on a judge who likely bought his election with bribes and kick back is of no importance to me as the quality of your judiciary does not seem to be the best because of your election process for the judges.

Regards
DL

Mr Canadian, you need to learn a bit more about the greatest country on earth before you speak out. We don’t ELECT judges. They are appointed.

Here is a link I suggest you read very soon, it will keep you from embarrassing yourself anymore.
FAQs: Federal Judges

Appointment: The state's governor or legislature will choose their judges. Merit Selection: Judges are chosen by a legislative committee based on each potential judge's past performance. Some states hold "retention elections" to determine if the judge should continue to serve.

To be chosen or appointed by a voting committee is to be elected by that committee.

Stop embarrassing yourself.

Regards
DL

 

[KissMy]

Are governments just protection rackets for the 1%?


Our political systems, regardless of who is elected or in power, have become tools of our oligarchs and are designed to insure that they retain their wealth. We are in fact and in reality ruled by our various oligarchs.


Do you recognize that fact?


Regards

DL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQYA9Qjsi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-rpkZe2OEo

http://www.upworthy.com/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact-2

http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think?c=upw1&u=94acbbeb6bbd6d664157009a896e71b014efbf27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

Yes the liberal 1%ers use the governments to enhance their wealth all the time. Obama gave Solyndra 1/2 billion dollars and the CEOs got wealthy even though the company went bankrupt. Obama allowed the QE process, where trillions of dollars were created(so interest rates would be zero(0)) and the liberals of Apple took out a 5 billion dollar loan so they could buy back their stock and increase its value. How about Obama's cap and tax plan that stole taxes from the middle class and poor so those 1%ers could get rich with the Carbon Credit Exchange. The establishment is the TRUE enemy of the people and needs to be drained with the rest of the swamp. But, and there is always a but, liberals are too stupid to NOT vote out the very people who keep making the RICH, richer and the POOR, impoverished.

View attachment 152708

Straw Woman Much???

 

[GreatestIam]

I've felt that the rich always have more interest in the government's rule in protecting their way of life than the poor. Thus I've no problem with a progressive income tax.

That means a redistribution of wealth and those words are curses to most people. Especially the rich.

Most politicians speak to that but none ever act on it after being elected.

I think that in the future, demographers will decide who pays what but at present, no politician wants to propose a forced reshaping of our socio economic demographic pyramid.

Most voters do not even know what that means because of the dumbing down that the governments do to their people.

That would lock economic wealth redistribution to a standard and the politicians would loose a lot of bribes so do not hold your breath my friend.

Regards
DL

I'm guessing you are about seventeen years old attending a LIBERAL/Socialist 'community college' and you've just finished reading Coles Notes on the French Revolution.
Don't worry though. When you've been 'streamed' through to your graduation you'll owe the government AKA the Taxpayer, 80K which you'll never be able to pay back and people will still need 'baristas' to make them burnt coffee.
So your career path is safe.................until Starbucks installs those robots they have already bought from China which are currently being stored in Chinese warehouses.

Intelligent though is better than guessing.

Regards
DL

 

[JoeNormal]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

Imagine you have a transmission problem. There are two transmissions shops. You can bring it to my shop, I pay full taxes and it'll cost you $500 to fix. But Big Fuckios down the road, they're a multinational shop and they'll charge you $350 to fix the transmission. They can do this because they don't pay much tax at all.

Which one are you going to go to? Is this a fair thing to happen in society?

I have absolutely no idea what your comparison is. Wages are not set by national vs multinational companies, wages are set on the ability for an employer to hire a worker for the lowest offer they can.

As for taxes, multinational companies pay the same as national companies. Multinational companies don't pay American taxes on money they made outside of the US provided they don't bring any of that money back to the states. It's a problem that Trump has highlighted since he took office.

Why are you talking about wages?

No, multi-nationals do NOT pay the same amount of tax as other companies.

They get massive tax breaks.

How Multinational Corporations Dodge Taxes

"General Electric, for example, won't owe any U.S. taxes for 2009, but will instead receive more than $1 billion dollars of tax benefits."

Yeah, they're paying the same amount of money as everyone else, by being GIVEN $1 billion dollars. Yeah, that's the same as everyone else Ray.

Why do you hide from the truth?

The truth is in the pudding. From your link that supports my point:

But the basic reason GE has been able to keep its tax bill so low is that it structures its business so that it takes a loss in the U.S. and earns its profits elsewhere. By moving ownership of profitable assets to overseas subsidiaries while incurring expenses in the U.S. companies can avoid being taxed here where tax rates are relatively high.

If you don't understand this, I'll reiterate: Multinational companies that produce profit in the US get taxed the same as US companies that produce a profit. If a multinational company produces profit elsewhere, while taking losses in the US, that's how companies like GE (and others) pay no taxes in the US.

Or do you think that multinational companies that make profit in Singapore should pay taxes here? If so, that would only lead to multinational companies closing down their outlets in the US to avoid taxation.

So a huge corporation that was born and raised in the USA sees no further use for the infrastructure, educated workforce and stability that have been provided through blood and treasure and you're ok with that? Scummy. Very scummy.

 

[bripat9643]

[

That’s silly. The market decides what the wages will be, not the employer or employee (government mandated minimum wage excepted). I own a business and employ contract labor. I can not dictate to my installers what I will pay them, nor can they demand what ever pay they want. There is a going rate for their labor set by the market, and I have to pay that price or something very close to it, and they have to accept that price or something very close to it. If I refuse to pay that wage, they will work for someone else, if they demand a higher wage, I will use another installer.

Hogwash. Look at the large picture and not your small one.

Buy cheap, sell dear is what those who buy and sell go by. If you could get cheaper labor, you would use it. If you could sell your product for more, you would.

A company that finds a product it can do that with does not pass down it's windfall to employees not does it give the buyer a break. That is were advantage is taken by the rich.

Regards
DL

Like all economic ignoramuses, you believe employers can dictate any price they like for labor. They can't. They can offer to pay $1.00/hr, but they will get no takers. The price of labor is governed by the laws of supply and demand, just like the price of any other product or commodity.

The competition for labor drives up the price until the point where marginal revenue is zero, which means paying more would reduce the capitalist's gross profit rather than increase it.

Before you pontificate further on economics, you should learn something about it.

 

[bripat9643]

Are governments just protection rackets for the 1%?


Our political systems, regardless of who is elected or in power, have become tools of our oligarchs and are designed to insure that they retain their wealth. We are in fact and in reality ruled by our various oligarchs.


Do you recognize that fact?


Regards

DL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQYA9Qjsi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-rpkZe2OEo

http://www.upworthy.com/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact-2

http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think?c=upw1&u=94acbbeb6bbd6d664157009a896e71b014efbf27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

Why shouldn't they retain their wealth? Do you believe the mob should be allowed to loot them?

Why not, they loot the mob.

How? Did someone point a gun at you and force you to buy an iPhone?

There are certain goods and services that people can't live without (an iPhone isn't one of them). The corporations and financial industry currently have people over a barrel in the way they provide them.

Even so-called "necessities" obey the laws of supply and demand. Everyone needs gasoline, so according to you the price should never go down. The truth is that oil companies only make about $0.05 on the dollar in profit. As we have seen in recent decades, the price goes up and down as market conditions dictate, so clearly your theory is bullshit.

Corporations can dictate prices only when government enforces a monopoly.

 

[JoeNormal]

Are governments just protection rackets for the 1%?


Our political systems, regardless of who is elected or in power, have become tools of our oligarchs and are designed to insure that they retain their wealth. We are in fact and in reality ruled by our various oligarchs.


Do you recognize that fact?


Regards

DL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQYA9Qjsi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-rpkZe2OEo

http://www.upworthy.com/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact-2

http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think?c=upw1&u=94acbbeb6bbd6d664157009a896e71b014efbf27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

Why shouldn't they retain their wealth? Do you believe the mob should be allowed to loot them?

Why not, they loot the mob.

How? Did someone point a gun at you and force you to buy an iPhone?

There are certain goods and services that people can't live without (an iPhone isn't one of them). The corporations and financial industry currently have people over a barrel in the way they provide them.

Even so-called "necessities" obey the laws of supply and demand. Everyone needs gasoline, so according to you the price should never go down. The truth is that oil companies only make about $0.05 on the dollar in profit. As we have seen in recent decades, the price goes up and down as market conditions dictate, so clearly your theory is bullshit.

Corporations can dictate prices only when government enforces a monopoly.

Corporations operate as cartels in many, maybe most respects. They don't need government collusion although it's a convenient tool if they can get their guys in power.

 

[bripat9643]

Why shouldn't they retain their wealth? Do you believe the mob should be allowed to loot them?

Why not, they loot the mob.

How? Did someone point a gun at you and force you to buy an iPhone?

There are certain goods and services that people can't live without (an iPhone isn't one of them). The corporations and financial industry currently have people over a barrel in the way they provide them.

Even so-called "necessities" obey the laws of supply and demand. Everyone needs gasoline, so according to you the price should never go down. The truth is that oil companies only make about $0.05 on the dollar in profit. As we have seen in recent decades, the price goes up and down as market conditions dictate, so clearly your theory is bullshit.

Corporations can dictate prices only when government enforces a monopoly.

Corporations operate as cartels in many, maybe most respects. They don't need government collusion although it's a convenient tool if they can get their guys in power.

Bullshit. Cartels have been tried ever since the advent of capitalism. They always fall apart unless the government enforces them. OPEC is the classic example. When OPEC sets a price for oil it normally lasts less than a week before all the members start cheating on it.

 

[jasonnfree]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

I think the discussion is on a larger scale than the local transmission shops, Ray. The really big guys. The Exxon valdez "spill". The company was given a huge fine, something like 5 billion. They kept that on appeal for like 20 years till they got the fine dropped down to a couple billion. The koch brothers, who finance presidential elections, pulled a great one. Steal oil off of government land for a few decades, get hit with a fine, appeal the fine down to about 10% of the original fine. Then they can probably write off the fine. This is why we need taxpayer funded elections but won't get them because our politicians would have to vote that one in and they won't do it.

 

[JoeNormal]

Why not, they loot the mob.

How? Did someone point a gun at you and force you to buy an iPhone?

There are certain goods and services that people can't live without (an iPhone isn't one of them). The corporations and financial industry currently have people over a barrel in the way they provide them.

Even so-called "necessities" obey the laws of supply and demand. Everyone needs gasoline, so according to you the price should never go down. The truth is that oil companies only make about $0.05 on the dollar in profit. As we have seen in recent decades, the price goes up and down as market conditions dictate, so clearly your theory is bullshit.

Corporations can dictate prices only when government enforces a monopoly.

Corporations operate as cartels in many, maybe most respects. They don't need government collusion although it's a convenient tool if they can get their guys in power.

Bullshit. Cartels have been tried ever since the advent of capitalism. They always fall apart unless the government enforces them. OPEC is the classic example. When OPEC sets a price for oil it normally lasts less than a week before all the members start cheating on it.

Have you ever worked for a large corporation? I've worked for three - close enough to the top to see what goes on. I think you have some kind of an Ayn Rand fantasy about the 'free' market.

 

[JoeNormal]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

I think the discussion is on a larger scale than the local transmission shops, Ray. The really big guys. The Exxon valdez "spill". The company was given a huge fine, something like 5 billion. They kept that on appeal for like 20 years till they got the fine dropped down to a couple billion. The koch brothers, who finance presidential elections, pulled a great one. Steal oil off of government land for a few decades, get hit with a fine, appeal the fine down to about 10% of the original fine. Then they can probably write off the fine. This is why we need taxpayer funded elections but won't get them because our politicians would have to vote that one in and they won't do it.

This was Bill Gates' business model as well.

 

[bripat9643]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

I think the discussion is on a larger scale than the local transmission shops, Ray. The really big guys. The Exxon valdez "spill". The company was given a huge fine, something like 5 billion. They kept that on appeal for like 20 years till they got the fine dropped down to a couple billion. The koch brothers, who finance presidential elections, pulled a great one. Steal oil off of government land for a few decades, get hit with a fine, appeal the fine down to about 10% of the original fine. Then they can probably write off the fine. This is why we need taxpayer funded elections but won't get them because our politicians would have to vote that one in and they won't do it.

That didn't work too well for BP after the Gulf oil spill, did it?

Aside from fines, you're forgetting that Exxon got sued for billions of dollars and had to pay for the cleanup of Prudhoe Bay.

Furthermore, what do environmental issues have to do with this?

 

[bripat9643]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

I think the discussion is on a larger scale than the local transmission shops, Ray. The really big guys. The Exxon valdez "spill". The company was given a huge fine, something like 5 billion. They kept that on appeal for like 20 years till they got the fine dropped down to a couple billion. The koch brothers, who finance presidential elections, pulled a great one. Steal oil off of government land for a few decades, get hit with a fine, appeal the fine down to about 10% of the original fine. Then they can probably write off the fine. This is why we need taxpayer funded elections but won't get them because our politicians would have to vote that one in and they won't do it.

This was Bill Gates' business model as well.

What the **** are you even talking about? When did Microsoft ever have any environmental issues to contend with?

 

[bripat9643]

How? Did someone point a gun at you and force you to buy an iPhone?

There are certain goods and services that people can't live without (an iPhone isn't one of them). The corporations and financial industry currently have people over a barrel in the way they provide them.

Even so-called "necessities" obey the laws of supply and demand. Everyone needs gasoline, so according to you the price should never go down. The truth is that oil companies only make about $0.05 on the dollar in profit. As we have seen in recent decades, the price goes up and down as market conditions dictate, so clearly your theory is bullshit.

Corporations can dictate prices only when government enforces a monopoly.

Corporations operate as cartels in many, maybe most respects. They don't need government collusion although it's a convenient tool if they can get their guys in power.

Bullshit. Cartels have been tried ever since the advent of capitalism. They always fall apart unless the government enforces them. OPEC is the classic example. When OPEC sets a price for oil it normally lasts less than a week before all the members start cheating on it.

Have you ever worked for a large corporation? I've worked for three - close enough to the top to see what goes on. I think you have some kind of an Ayn Rand fantasy about the 'free' market.

Every Job I've had is with a large corporation. I think you're an idiot who doesn't know the first thing about basic economics. You're man-in-the-street conception of economics only makes you look stupid.

 

[JoeNormal]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

I think the discussion is on a larger scale than the local transmission shops, Ray. The really big guys. The Exxon valdez "spill". The company was given a huge fine, something like 5 billion. They kept that on appeal for like 20 years till they got the fine dropped down to a couple billion. The koch brothers, who finance presidential elections, pulled a great one. Steal oil off of government land for a few decades, get hit with a fine, appeal the fine down to about 10% of the original fine. Then they can probably write off the fine. This is why we need taxpayer funded elections but won't get them because our politicians would have to vote that one in and they won't do it.

This was Bill Gates' business model as well.

What the **** are you even talking about? When did Microsoft ever have any environmental issues to contend with?

Goddamn, are you just trying to be stupid? Microsoft stole IP from a ton of sources and then used litigation to stall and reduce fines to a point where the theft was profitable.

 

[dannyboys]

I've felt that the rich always have more interest in the government's rule in protecting their way of life than the poor. Thus I've no problem with a progressive income tax.

That means a redistribution of wealth and those words are curses to most people. Especially the rich.

Most politicians speak to that but none ever act on it after being elected.

I think that in the future, demographers will decide who pays what but at present, no politician wants to propose a forced reshaping of our socio economic demographic pyramid.

Most voters do not even know what that means because of the dumbing down that the governments do to their people.

That would lock economic wealth redistribution to a standard and the politicians would loose a lot of bribes so do not hold your breath my friend.

Regards
DL

I'm guessing you are about seventeen years old attending a LIBERAL/Socialist 'community college' and you've just finished reading Coles Notes on the French Revolution.
Don't worry though. When you've been 'streamed' through to your graduation you'll owe the government AKA the Taxpayer, 80K which you'll never be able to pay back and people will still need 'baristas' to make them burnt coffee.
So your career path is safe.................until Starbucks installs those robots they have already bought from China which are currently being stored in Chinese warehouses.

Intelligent though is better than guessing.

Regards
DL

The word is 'thought' dipshit!
Proves my point perfectly!
You're too ******* dumb to post using plain english!

 

[JoeNormal]

There are certain goods and services that people can't live without (an iPhone isn't one of them). The corporations and financial industry currently have people over a barrel in the way they provide them.

Even so-called "necessities" obey the laws of supply and demand. Everyone needs gasoline, so according to you the price should never go down. The truth is that oil companies only make about $0.05 on the dollar in profit. As we have seen in recent decades, the price goes up and down as market conditions dictate, so clearly your theory is bullshit.

Corporations can dictate prices only when government enforces a monopoly.

Corporations operate as cartels in many, maybe most respects. They don't need government collusion although it's a convenient tool if they can get their guys in power.

Bullshit. Cartels have been tried ever since the advent of capitalism. They always fall apart unless the government enforces them. OPEC is the classic example. When OPEC sets a price for oil it normally lasts less than a week before all the members start cheating on it.

Have you ever worked for a large corporation? I've worked for three - close enough to the top to see what goes on. I think you have some kind of an Ayn Rand fantasy about the 'free' market.

Every Job I've had is with a large corporation. I think you're an idiot who doesn't know the first thing about basic economics. You're man-in-the-street conception of economics only makes you look stupid.

If you've worked for large corporations, it must've been as a lackey buried deep in the bowels of them

 

[bripat9643]

o your reply.

All great wealth come from taking advantage of the work force and the market. IOW, from taking advantage of people.

It is not a matter of redistribution from above to below. It is more of a matter of the filthy rich looking to the poor and paying their fair share.

There is a graph in the O.P. If you cannot see how it shows how immoral the socio economic demographic pyramid is, then you do not know how to read one.

Go back and educate yourself, please.

So I have a transmission problem. I bring it to your transmission shop and pay you fairly for the repair. How did I take advantage of you?

If I decide to buy a car, buy a house, hire a lawn care company, nobody is taking advantage of anybody else because all parties were in agreement.

So if I apply for a job, and the job pays X amount of money and benefits, the employer is not taking advantage of me by me accepting his offer; provided he or she lives up to their end of the agreement.

All great wealth does not happen by taking advantage of anybody. Great wealth is produced by manufacturing a product or service for a profit. That's it.

I think the discussion is on a larger scale than the local transmission shops, Ray. The really big guys. The Exxon valdez "spill". The company was given a huge fine, something like 5 billion. They kept that on appeal for like 20 years till they got the fine dropped down to a couple billion. The koch brothers, who finance presidential elections, pulled a great one. Steal oil off of government land for a few decades, get hit with a fine, appeal the fine down to about 10% of the original fine. Then they can probably write off the fine. This is why we need taxpayer funded elections but won't get them because our politicians would have to vote that one in and they won't do it.

This was Bill Gates' business model as well.

What the **** are you even talking about? When did Microsoft ever have any environmental issues to contend with?

Goddamn, are you just trying to be stupid? Microsoft stole IP from a ton of sources and then used litigation to stall and reduce fines to a point where the theft was profitable.

What the hell is "IP?"