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So then what you're saying, marcopolo, is that the American system is consistent with the theory of evolution.
Frankly, my dear...
Certainly there are some corollaries. Adaptability is key to thriving in a market economy and Darwin highlighted the importance of adaptability to survival of a species. But what is your point?
In the global free market system we currently find ourselves entrenched in more and more every year, your and my job could be on the line and taken anytime.
There are a lot of high tech degreed people in the world moreso than ever, that have the ability to compete and our wages in comparison will continue to stagnate and drop.
If we look at a graph of pay over the last 30 years for the bottom half of Americans, it shows wages stagnant and/or declining even though productivity has sored.
If we look at other developing countries, their wages are slowly climbing.
From a globalist perspective this could be a good thing...
If we look at CEO pay and those at the top 1% however, their pay has skyrocketed.
If we look at CEO pay in other developed and even developing countries,
their pay is small compared to those in the USA.
The question then is, where is the global free market forces that would equalize these discrepancies and cause CEO and those at the top 1% to normalize with the rest of the world?
Where are the incoming business majors from other countries that can do it just as good and cheaper. Is that not more efficient? Why don't we have a lot of H1B1 visas coming in to take their jobs?
The answer is that it won't because it is rigged in their favor since they are in the back pockets of politicians and in control of policy via lobbyists and bribes.
Maybe that's why us hardworking types have such disdain for those with their hand constantly out. I have supported myself since I was 19 years old.
Now it seems I support a small village!
Ditto.
Didn't hillary once say that it takes a village to raise a child?
Now it take a few working people to raise a village.
Certainly there are some corollaries. Adaptability is key to thriving in a market economy and Darwin highlighted the importance of adaptability to survival of a species. But what is your point?
I was just commenting on the liberal logic of supporting the theory of evolution, natural selection, while opposing the American system of entrepreneurialism, hard work, etc.
The reasoning behind TOE is understandable and accepted but then abandoned when it is convenient to do so. It seems that caring for those who are unwilling to care for themselves would be an evolutionary dead end.
There is no way to reconcile the logic between these opposing views.
The uppermost class of wealth holders are not bothered by the notion of wealth disparity, and through their media puppets they've managed to garner a large base of support among those in the lower strata who have come to believe that wealth and income are interchangeable terms used to describe a certain class of individuals in America. The high income earners are not the wealthy, the truly wealthy send out the money to work for them, they are those folks we never hear about unless they do something noteworthy enough to get on the six o clock news. We don't really know the exact amount of wealth that is held collectively by these people, it' so difficult to know their true net worth that even the IRS admits it can't get past the lacking of net worth transparency that is expected of the average taxpayer.
One need only to look at the history of America to understand the concept of a different newly established privileged class as being the bedrock of our revolution. Like Vegas or Atlantic city the casino like atmosphere of the stock market has provided the view that winners are in abundance and losers are simply just not astute players. The truth is that our government was and is a construct developed by the wealthy for their profit. Yes the winners are from the lower and higher strata of society but the upper class has been the majority winner simply because it's their game. The very core of our monetary system has been modeled after a plan hatched by the rich and their government lackeys, it isn't a question of the system being "rigged", but whether the "system" is a wholly owned thing, created by those who take the most from it.
80% of millionairs today are first generation rich. In 1890, 80% of wealthy people were first generation rich. Most wealth dissolves after 2 or 3 generations. That doesnt sound like the system is rigged for the rich. It is rigged for the intelligent, ambitious, and hard working, which are qualities that are hard to teach.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Deutsche Bank admitted criminal wrongdoing and agreed to pay more than $550 million in connection with its participation in tax shelters that enabled the rich to temporarily avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxes, authorities announced Tuesday.
Note that: ADMITTED CRIMINAL WRONGDOING.
Why there's an indictment, right? After all, that's a guilty plea (well, as good as one)
Nope.
Quote:
In court papers, the Department of Justice agreed not to criminally prosecute Deutsche Bank for any crimes related to its participation in a broad conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Very nice.
So if you're a big international bank you can commit crimes with impunity, admit to them, and not be prosecuted.
Just pay a fine. It's just a cost of doing business, after all... $550 million is approximately 1.5% of the firm's market capitalization of $32 billion. Of course if you commit 100 crimes and get caught once, well, that makes it a pretty good business decision to commit crimes, right? You only pay once - the other 99 times you get to keep the loot and so does everyone else who you help commit the crimes.
We get the same consideration as these banksters, and are allowed to "only pay fines" that amount to a tiny fraction of our net worth when we get caught committing crimes, right?
Oh wait - that doesn't happen for the people. No, instead we get jailed (effectively "broken up" if we were a corporation.)
Again: Explain to me why you, as a citizen, follow the law - any law - given what is documented as the government's behavior when it uncovers criminal acts - acts that, in this case, were admitted to - by these large institutions.
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Fraud As A Business Model: Deutsche Bank
