Open Thread 8 APR 21 ~ Funding dystopia


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In a free society, wealth doesn’t trickle down, or up, or sideways. It is earned.

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Welcome to the Thursday edition of open thread. Hoping your minds are clear enough to see ahead, or at least to evaluate what is behind. And its relative value in the present.

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It tickles me timbers to see how the opposition team is dealing with the bloated US military arm of global capitalists. Hit them in the pocket. No need for guns and bombs. No, the battles are now being fought in the trenches of economic equity. The global elites are losing their ability to manipulate countries for their benefit. The China, Russia, and Iran (CRI) block have discovered a way around the destructive policies rudely known as sanctions. Therefore the greenbacks burn.
The Bezos, Gates, Buffets, Zuckerbergs, and Kochs of the world are an obscene example of unfettered capitalism. Why not share the stealth? As the credit industry wants to know.. "what's in your wallet?"

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Anywho, rather than rant further, your comments are always welcome. May have to run out to fulfill obligations at some point, so have fun with this. What does money mean to you?

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Stacey Lee Webber Insurrection Bills Embroidered Money

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Comments

Lookout's picture

an obsession for so many. Never has been my goal. I've known plenty of miserable wealthy folks.

On the other hand, managing what money you do have is a skill many lack. Staying out of debt and living within our means paved the way to our pretty comfortable retirement.

It is possible to live without money
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpfHYhyqC-Q (15 min)
but the idea of dumpster diving for dinner isn't very appealing.

We all better plan on the declining value of dollars.

Thanks for the OT. Have a good one!

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17 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

usefewersyllables's picture

@Lookout

on that one.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2SqyuRujVw].

Made enough money to buy miami, but pissed it away so fast
Never meant to last, never meant to last

What I truly want now is peace of mind, and I've come to the realization that I'm never going to have it. So I'll just make do with whatever close approximations I can find from time to time.

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11 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

enhydra lutris's picture

@usefewersyllables

be well and have a good one

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9 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@usefewersyllables

peace of mind. If it ain't on sale at Walmart
it doesn't sell. Wink

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9 users have voted.

A good discussion of imaginative creativity with Ursula Le Guin.
Listening to the unheard voices About 11 minutes.

enjoy the day!

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11 users have voted.

@QMS on creatively thinking our way out of a mess by listening to other, previously unheard voices. It couldn't hurt to try, given, as she points out, we are screwed the way things are now. To bolster her argument, she also brings up Einstein's definition of insanity, which sounds sensible.
Moneyed interests though, veer towards the least sensible more insane solutions. It's a dilemma.
Thanks for the OT.

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7 users have voted.
RantingRooster's picture

[video:https://youtu.be/cpbbuaIA3Ds]

I do not like money, period. I wish for a world where money doesn't matter but I have no clue how to get there.

Drinks

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12 users have voted.

C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

@RantingRooster

like if you don't mind it doesn't matter
if you have no money it skips mattering
what one would do with it or without it

burning buckaroos is only a monopoly game

thanks for the Floyd Wink

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7 users have voted.
Raggedy Ann's picture

When I was teaching my personal finance course, in my first class, the students were asked what their earliest memory of money was. The answers were always interesting. I then would launch into a semester of learning about money and how to use it for YOUR benefit.

The barter system would be much better for all. Maybe we'll return to it, sooner than we think. I need to learn how to barter - my ex-husband is a pro at it, so he can give me the lessons I need to get by in the future.

Enjoy the day! Pleasantry

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12 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

@Raggedy Ann

for one yesterday. The bucks I paid into social security in the 70's
is worth about a quarter of what they are now. And I'm being taxed on
the "investment" the second time around. Dwindling returns.

Just doesn't seem to add up. Keeping us poor and sucking the value out
of whatever we were obliged to pay should have a COLA beyond what crumbs
we are forced to live on. Capital idea!

Good luck.

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15 users have voted.

that large amounts of money that don't circulate through the economy is a detriment to the well being of a countries economy. If it is not being productive in the sense that it has tangible benefit to the economy it should be taxed or confiscated. Most of the hoarding, paper profits, monopolization, tax breaks and rent seeking are harming our economy. Capitalism as we have now is no benefit to the nation. Wealth of the magnitude we have today should be tied to patriotism, not profits for profits sake.

I also think that a large part of the problem with the lower income right wing is the idea of tax increases being bad is true. They (and we) know that eventually all tax increases will be passed down on our heads, and will hurt us, no matter where that tax originates. After all, taxes are for little people.

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11 users have voted.

@Snode

Why the struggling middle class thinks that increasing the tax on the wealthy is bad
makes no sense. Must be leftover conditioning from reagan economics. How long does one
have to wait for that trickle down thing to enhance ones prospects?

Forty years of failure seems to have not changed thinking one iota.
Go figure.

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10 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

Well, glad you asked. Money is a medium of exchange, but one must take care in exchanging one's mediums. Trade them for smalls and they might be too tight, and large might run baggy, but maybe not after this pandemic lifestyle. Be that as it may, a medium is not a mere psychic, but an enhanced psychic capable of being a seer and if you buy that you may be a seersucker which is a kind of cotton twill, generally striped and usually relegated to summer wear. Where was I, btw?

Ah yes, cowrie, anything can be a medium of exchange, providing only that both a willing buyer and a willing seller are equally willing to use and accept it as such. Both cowrie and gold have been used as such, probably because they are both pretty, or Linda as they say in spanish, which brings us to this dissertation on willing by Linda:

Ok, there we have it, weed, whites and wine have all been used as media of exchange, and, converseley have also been the things that folks have sought dinero to acquire.

Oh yes, Tehachipi to Tonopah is about 302.8 miles via US 395, a grand old hwy if there ever was one.

Any questions?

be well and have a good one

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12 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Azazello's picture

@enhydra lutris

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7 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

enhydra lutris's picture

@Azazello

It's about 585 miles via I-10 and hwy 54, but then you miss Bosque del Apache, so mebbe mo bettah take 10 to 25 and then hang a right on 40 at Albuquerque and a left on 54 at Santa Rosa (NM, not CA) which makes it more like 623 miles. That also dodges that bit of 70 through White Sands, which may or may not be a plus in your book.

be well and hae a good one

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7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

OK then...

What is Cowrie? Cowrie is a medium to high interaction SSH and Telnet honeypot designed to log brute force attacks and the shell interaction performed by the attacker.

or

The cowrie was the shell most widely used worldwide as shell money.

and

Cowrie shell money was important in the trade networks of Africa, South Asia, and East Asia.

How many cowrie in a krona?

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5 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS and you have to install it - sounds painful, so I'll take door numbah two

Cowrie to Krona would be within ABBA's expertise I suspect, so I suggest you seek information concealed in their lyrics. However, if you don't need any shell to swede conversions, I'd recommend this little ditty:

alternatively there is a cowrie shell hula "PUPU HINUHINU" but I suspect it is to slow for this day and age.

be well and have a good one

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6 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

how to become a rock star
with few instruments
I'll give you two cowries for that
no way will I fathom ABBA tho

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5 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS @QMS

possibly better formulated as .75 fathoms per ABBA, given that the standard ABBA has 8 feet but that doesn't seem to scan. 1 ABBA = 1.333 fathoms and 1 fathom = .75 ABBAs captures it better.

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6 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

if a fathom has 6 feet and an ABBA has 8
by my mathematical insurrection
an aggregate ABBA has only about
twelve cockle shells to trade on the
international cowrie ticker tape
buy low and get high

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5 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

buy low and get high

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7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

open thread, because, I, of course, cannot, by definition.

BUT, since we're on the subject of Dineros, this might be a good time to consider sending some to Johnny so he can get rid of that stupid white outfit (traje blanco)

be well and have a good one

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10 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Azazello's picture

@enhydra lutris
Johnny's first big hit, 1971.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn2Xy2cbcWA width:400 height:240]

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6 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

enhydra lutris's picture

@Azazello

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5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

It's easy, you just have to position yourself properly.
Tips/insight on how it is done from Ian Welsh. https://www.ianwelsh.net/only-zero-covid-worked-and-everyone-knows-it/

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7 users have voted.

@randtntx

Prospering off of mass die offs?
No wonder the gods of financial capital
are so richly rewarded. Get your money for nothing
and your tax is free.

Ha! Thanks for swinging by rand.

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8 users have voted.
usefewersyllables's picture

@QMS

technocrat MBA somewhere to figure out a really good way to monetize death.

Death-as-a-service (DaaS)! It's just a very small monthly fee- you won't even notice it...

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6 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables

half the price of life insurance!
what a deal - or not..
not sure the underwriters could turn a
profit on that, but who knows?

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5 users have voted.

@QMS

they won't give up their corner of the market
without buying more dead politicians Wink

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5 users have voted.
usefewersyllables's picture

@QMS
to pick up the monthly payment. "Your relative that contracted with us for their DaaS is still dead, which means that you still have to pay us- that's what the Terms of Service meant. You only stop paying us if they become undead..."

$2.99 a month per customer, in perpetuity! Sounds like the perfect business model to me...

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6 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables

Dark shades. Smoking stogies.
Best for you pay up now
glance between the heavies
maybe we get this one too?

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6 users have voted.

@QMS , zero tax for the small percentage. Kinda like money for nothing.

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9 users have voted.

I grew up being taught that I should live a spiritual life, instead of a material life. Problem is most of those pushing that are materialists. Turns out Jesus was really an ex-Navy Seal pushing Ponzi schemes.

An oldie but goodie.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNMhlKv9U0g]

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11 users have voted.

@MrWebster

now that's a corporeal concept
like you, have always dived deep into
the spiritual and avoided the material as
much as could be done along the way

won't die rich, but happy, yeah!
only thing cheated so far are the
long odds. good bet you too found
wealth in peace of mind Wink

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9 users have voted.
The Liberal Moonbat's picture

In any case, shame on the lot of you for not bringing this in sooner (and shame on YouTube for apparently not having a better version):

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4 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

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4 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!