In the US, within the context of a never-ending Cold War, ideology is put forward as the dividing line between nations and peoples. As is the case with religion, social practices that are claimed to be radically different, or even oppositional, share most of their central characteristics between them. In terms of political economy, the major ideologies of fascism, capitalism, and communism have long been claimed to be oppositional--- and they often have been militarily by way of competing economic interests, as each reflected different strategies for industrializing.
Very interesting as usual! The I find so ironic is that China as been over the past thirty years* a very politically and economically decentralized system, with 2/3 of government spending occurring at the local level (and its raised there too, which is important), and strong local parties whose membership draws from a very wide spectrum of the local population, they have local capital flow inhibitors and they even engage in forms of local trade protectionism against the rest of China! The thing I find ironic is that this makes China, in some of the most important ways, resemble the old American republic far more than contemporary America does today.
*the same sorts of forces that took control of America in the late 1970s seem to be trying to change all of this in China right now, lets hope they fail
Let's hope that nefarious actors fail indeed. I really do wish the Chinese well with their program. It would be great to have a model for a functioning state. Unfortunately, the US isn't it. Thanks for the comment.
Present day American financiers, do not look to the future. Instead, based on their incessant need for further profits, they can only project what they can see 3-to-6 months down the road.
Even so, the real purpose of blowing up Nord Stream was to financially colonize all of Western Europe. Even though inroads were already carved out: aka the UK; now it's time to start privatizing every last inch of W. Europe with the help of their very wealthy cohorts in the EU.
Note: observe what Airbnb is doing in Italy and elsewhere. Just one example.
Thanks for more insightful analysis, Rob. Your book Zen Economics helped open my eyes a while back. How do we survive this next onslaught of unfettered self-interested misanthropy? Consulting my own "Idiot's Guide To Getting Along With Others" I found this Chapter.. .< Co-operation Over Competition - It takes everyone forward >..
This piece was written as a follow up to the book, so thanks for making the connection.
My take is that humans are cooperative by nature. I was a volunteer fireman in rural Pennsylvania, USA, and what I saw was that community was created through mutual cooperation. The people who showed up to save other people's lives and homes elevated their own lives by doing so.
One of the paradoxes of social competition is that the people competing are pawns for the most part, lost souls who accept the roles that they have been handed for the ultimate benefit of rich cynics.
But cooperation can be taught. I'm constantly stunned at how miserable the American bourgeois (my class) are. As best I can tell, most hate their lives.
So, its up to us to convince them that a better world is possible.
Well said. Two of the most populist and decentralizing public policies in this country's history, Savings & Loans and the interstate banking competition inhibitors (along with related state laws), don't even conflict with any policy proposal from any side (except Big Finance) and help strengthen communities by keeping more of their capital in their community in institutions more focused on things they care about (S&Ls often featured community boards).
Very interesting as usual! The I find so ironic is that China as been over the past thirty years* a very politically and economically decentralized system, with 2/3 of government spending occurring at the local level (and its raised there too, which is important), and strong local parties whose membership draws from a very wide spectrum of the local population, they have local capital flow inhibitors and they even engage in forms of local trade protectionism against the rest of China! The thing I find ironic is that this makes China, in some of the most important ways, resemble the old American republic far more than contemporary America does today.
*the same sorts of forces that took control of America in the late 1970s seem to be trying to change all of this in China right now, lets hope they fail
Let's hope that nefarious actors fail indeed. I really do wish the Chinese well with their program. It would be great to have a model for a functioning state. Unfortunately, the US isn't it. Thanks for the comment.
Present day American financiers, do not look to the future. Instead, based on their incessant need for further profits, they can only project what they can see 3-to-6 months down the road.
Even so, the real purpose of blowing up Nord Stream was to financially colonize all of Western Europe. Even though inroads were already carved out: aka the UK; now it's time to start privatizing every last inch of W. Europe with the help of their very wealthy cohorts in the EU.
Note: observe what Airbnb is doing in Italy and elsewhere. Just one example.
Thanks for more insightful analysis, Rob. Your book Zen Economics helped open my eyes a while back. How do we survive this next onslaught of unfettered self-interested misanthropy? Consulting my own "Idiot's Guide To Getting Along With Others" I found this Chapter.. .< Co-operation Over Competition - It takes everyone forward >..
This piece was written as a follow up to the book, so thanks for making the connection.
My take is that humans are cooperative by nature. I was a volunteer fireman in rural Pennsylvania, USA, and what I saw was that community was created through mutual cooperation. The people who showed up to save other people's lives and homes elevated their own lives by doing so.
One of the paradoxes of social competition is that the people competing are pawns for the most part, lost souls who accept the roles that they have been handed for the ultimate benefit of rich cynics.
But cooperation can be taught. I'm constantly stunned at how miserable the American bourgeois (my class) are. As best I can tell, most hate their lives.
So, its up to us to convince them that a better world is possible.
Well said. Two of the most populist and decentralizing public policies in this country's history, Savings & Loans and the interstate banking competition inhibitors (along with related state laws), don't even conflict with any policy proposal from any side (except Big Finance) and help strengthen communities by keeping more of their capital in their community in institutions more focused on things they care about (S&Ls often featured community boards).
Excellent