People aren't supporting Moon Plan

>Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 14:35:10 -0000
>
>--- In ssi_list@... "Valens Agnitio"
>
> > And by the way, I am preparing for my finacial future, and it
> > perturbs me no end that my eventual success will peave all of the
> > grasshoppers who failed to plan ahead. I can hear them now
> > clamoring for my hard earned wealth. I hope that by than I can
> > tell them to live with their own consequences.
>
>You can hope all you want, but you won't be able to. If your assets
>are in the US then you'll be subject to the laws and the enforcement
>of those laws and if the powers that be need the tax revenue to make
>up the shortfalls in government benefits, then you'll have no choice
>but to submit.

Sigh, yes I know... I was just dreaming a bit...

The mismanagement by the Bush Administration is
>shameful, and the eagerness of the populace to enable the Washington
>fiscal dysfunction and the reckless piling on of future obligations
>for immediate political capital is equally disasterous. Not to say
>that the Democrats would do better. No one is seriously proposing a
>solution to deal with future liabilities.

I would value further insight from you on this alleged mismanagement. Of
course, we can blame the four year election cycle and the generally high
gullibility level of the American public for the lack of long term
solutions. Sometimes I wonder if this built in temporal cycle will preclude
the U.S. from making the leap to space.

>
>Plan smartly, my friend.
>
> > I predict that the economic size of the world will continue to
> > increase.
>
>That's an easy prediction. Here's one to worry about: competitive
>advantage will continue to decrease, thus lowering the ability to
>profit over a medium to long-term, from one's endeavors. The world
>is already awash in capital and if you do in-depth accounting
>examinations of business operations you'll find some interesting
>trends developing.
>
>Sustaining profitability over a long term is now much harder to do.

I made this prediction because it was so easy. The point is, if the global
economy is increasing, it is relatively easy to invest and get a reasonable
return. Of course, this basic premise is true even if the economy were to
shrink, it would just require more savvy and a bit more luck. My intention
was to provide an obvious contrast to Paul's lamentations on market
uncertaintities and the presumed inability to invest for growth as a result.

>
>For an early, and incomplete, but still prescient treatment of the
>subject, and one that upends the Porter analysis of competitive
>advantage, look for "Hypercompetition" by Richard D'Aveni:
>
>http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?
>userid=2V3O9Y7QDH&isbn29069386&itm=1
>
> > In addition, you and others are free to choose immediate reward,
> > but in doing so, realize that you will always end up having far
> > less ability to play a part in the bigger and really important
> > choices. So don't let me hear those people griping about it whhen
> > it happens. And why mention less work? I'm sure that everyone will
> > want their say, but why should people who choose to contribute
> > less to the effort have the same impact with their opinions?
>
>LOL.
>
>"Alexis de Tocqueville: "The American Republic will endure, until
>politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money."
>
>One person = one vote.
>
>You do the math :-)

Funny, but I hadn't thought it of it like this before... Simple but profound
statement. I hope it proves inaccurate overall, even if it seems to be
coming true.

>
> > I am not sure that these types of references to hunter gather
> > societies have much relevance here, and they are certainly not
> > useful in so far as I have seen you post them. I.e., The implied
> > hunter gather utopias most certainly did not exist, with famine,
> > disease, and other environmental concerns killing off huge numbers
> > of people with absolutely no regard to their political
> > philosiphies (the horror! the unfairness!).
>
>I've highly recommended "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker before,
>and I do so again. He deals witht he "Nobel Savage" myth, in
>addition to the "Blank Slate" and the "Ghost in the Machine."
>
>http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?
>userid=2V3O9Y7QDH&isbn70031518&itm=2
>
> > Frankly, that is a load of crap Paul. As I descibed above, people
> > are wage slaves because they choose not to change. Besides that,
> > I have been in third world countries and done jobs thre happily,
> > along with indigenous people who were also quite happy, that I am
> > quite sure would reduce these so whining wage slaves to puddles of
> > woe-is-meism. Tell anyone you know that fits the description you
> > gave to quit whining, save their money, and change their
> > job/approach. People that don't will get absolutely no sympathy
> > from me. But I'd be happy to help if they make the effort.
>
>This should be right up your alley :) If you love to read verbal
>sparring then read the comments section from the link below. It
>directly addresses the woe-is-meism you refer to above.
>
>The bloodvessels start popping after the fifth commenter throws down
>the gauntlet. LOL.
>
>http://www.crookedtimber.org/archives/001186.html
>
>Here is the long, original story:
>
>A Poor Cousin of the Middle Class
>http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/magazine/18POOR.html?
>ex89762000&en=ac9ac775c3fc94c3&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND
>
>Here is a response of sorts:
>http://www.iwf.org/inkwell/default.asp?archiveID5
>
>Enjoy.
>
>TangoMan
>
Thank you very much for the links... Though I haven't had time to read them
yet (it's been a busy Dec-Jan). I look forward to reading them - you have
always provided good source material. As far as the verbal sparring, I
apologize. Paul caught me in a particular mood with just the right material
:-). But - as I've said before - I value that input as it makes me think
hard about my own positions, and whether they neeed to be modified. Thanks
to Paul as well!

Val