The "Wealth of Nations" propounds a laissez-faire (non-governmental interference) approach to the distribution of wealth through "free trade" and exchange of goods for the good of all, leaving none behind. So how has that worked out so far for you?

Seems to me we are all conditioned to accept that "more is better". We merrily exploit every technological discovery for economic gain to further practice unencumbered consumption under the slogan of "economic development" - And another thee (3) billion mouths are on the way to feed by mid-century. (But then there is this astronomically linked mythology about 12/21/2012 that would change everything, but I have my doubts). Earthquakes, tsunamies, droughts, and floods nowithstanding, our species seems to need more and more natural catastrophies to come to our senses and spur us sapiens into action and change our ways in a huge way before it is too late.

Capitalism esnures gross inequities and limits wealth to but a few, because someone has to do the labor, and the better a job you do, the longer you will remain in the job to sustain the production process and stay in place. Today we have what is popularly called "Social Capitalism" by both conservatives and progressives. The rich get bailed out and the poor get poorer.

Cerainly, we were warned about the spendthrift Governor Reagan but then we elected him anyway; he was a good actor. Our nation almost went bankrupt, taxes were raised, civil servants suffered, and America became the dominant world power everyone could pick on. We went downhill from the start of Reagan's Presidency when he convinced the nation that "government was the problem", and that, "greed is good". Aided by the economic model of Milton Friedmann proposing that CEO's only reponsibility was to make money for their stockholders, consequently relieving corporations of any social obligation, environmental accountabilty, and to prudently manage risk to their corporate ledgers.

The Cvil Service was never the same after the much-loved Reagan got through serving his country. Pride, honor, fairness, honesty, team spirit and kameradery all suffered and became more of an individual thing, despite some leaders' best efforts. A little regulation should have been left in the system in order to mitigate the pendulum's swing too far towards corpocracy, as we see it clearly today.

All we need now is some zany right-wing conservative to step in and it would be Weimar 1933 all over again (after all, the "1984" Big Brother facsimile is already in place). We have been bamboozled before and the hostile rantings from the seemingly "nit" extremists on the airwaves are not conducive to the illusions of reaching for nirvana.

Cheers,
I think, Wernerlll

Hi there interested observer,
Nice shot, but not clear on the intent of your message? Yes, if President Obama was a Hitler, a Maoist, etc., etc. as these ignorant demonstrators suggested with their signs, we would never see these signs again. The ignorance of some people lamenting about everything and anything easily trivialized, have no idea what they are talking about except to vent their manufactured anger over anger, perhaps wipped up by the daily bloviators on AM radio and iatrogenically propagated like propaganda. Yes, to Hitler, propaganda was the most important weapon for seizing and maintaining power, but must be backed up by might. So if these demonstrators with their flashing guns want their country back - from what seems to escape me, they need to show party unity, leadership, and resolve. In the absence of principles, I would call it "party topor".

Cheering that America lost the bid for the Olympics is rather myopic, but then consider the source(s). What I worry more about is that desperate men will do desperate things. History is testimony of man's irrational behavior. Enough said.

Cheerio,
Wernerlll

How did we get into this capitalistic pickle? We are all to blame in being bamboozled by our political leaders and elected officials, and are about to be led by the nose again into believing that we are all expendable, whether as a soldiers, uninsured needing health care, or as an unborn from unknown causes or poor prenatal care. (No, hospital emergency rooms, healthcare not make, as Bush 43 likes to flip).
We and our children are all exposed to who knows what ailments born out of the air, water, ground, from cosmetics, new medications, chemicals in food, viruses, bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, household products, and a gamut of some 30,000 chemicals. If we do not care to know that close to 45,000 people die every year because of lack of health care; that we spend billions of dollars every month on "nation building" (under the guise of keeping us safe) with our women and men serving as Taliban targets and also as missionaries to win the hearts and minds of native Afghani - an impossible assignment. "Oh, why did your son die in Afghanistan? ...to protect Muslims so they may build a stable government for the first time since ancient history!" When will we have had enough? When our war casualties reach 7,000, 10,000, and 15,000? When do the generals ever declare victory, say VI or VA day? Right!
unfortunately, we are either too busy watching trivia on TV or busy name-calling people we find not to be in agreement with our view of the world. Somehow, we feel threatened by socialism, communism, fascism, the "government", Islam, extremism, 2012, hot air balloons, immigrants, the weather, democrats, the left, the right, sugar substitutes, and (feel free to add to the list).

What all may have contributed to these attitudes? Just as we were warned by several allies and our own security apparatus that 9/11 was about to take place, we also now know of other, more subtle maneuvers, taking place right here at home. For example: "In 1999, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said national banks did not need to comply with a California law limiting the fees banks could charge for ATM withdrawals. In 2000, it lifted a Rhode Island law limiting changes in the interest rates on credit cards. In 2002, it overrode a Texas law that barred banks from charging check-cashing fees. Finally, in 2004, the OCC issued a blanket exemption, asserting sole authority to police national banks. That stance has since been upheld by federal courts." (By Binyamin Appelbaum, Monday, October 19, 2009, Wash. Post).
So who is watching the money jar? It is certainly not Uncle Sam, because capitalism is our cannon and butter. Banks are too big to fail, but we are not. After having been fleeced by our moneychangers, we had to jump in and bail out the sinners to make them whole again so that now they may again proudly collect their billion-dollar bonuses. (What was that again why Bush 43 had to empty the treasury just before he left office?) A fine system, great for business if you can walk over corpses.
But, we are ready to do it all over again, because the status quo has served the capitalists very well. What amazes me is that this blog has elicited all of four comments.

Anyone home in Portsmouth?

Cheers,
Wernerlll