Comments on: Unlimited Economic Growth: What Is the Economy?

By: clint

clint — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:05:46 +0000

On the other part there are things that the government must focused. The gas is rising even though oil prices are declining?what does these things mean?

By: LL

LL — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:50:12 +0000

Ken Stremsky hasn’t the faintest idea what he’s talking about. He’d like to go back to 1895 and William McKinley’s America. Sorry Ken. Nah gonna happen. A lot of us will be standing right here with torches and pitchforks to make sure it doesn’t happen, however much you and your neo-guilded-age thugs want it to.

Why don’t we just eliminate taxes all together? How about it? Some idiot over on Redstate proposed that just recently. We won’t have any money for police, among other things, which means, Ken, among other things, that you and I can sort this out like men. How’s your aim?

By: BAW

BAW — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:57:07 +0000

“The real question is not “how much stuff is traded” but rather “how stuff is traded.” In the corporatist system, labour is traded under a highly hierarchical, authoritarian, central-planning oriented structure. The people at the top of this fictional legal structure reap the surplus, which they steal from their inferiors through the latter’s “voluntary” surrender of their freedom of labour, which concentrates wealth and therefore economic power. These imaginary structures then sell the produced goods, generally to individual customers who have very little economic power. They also generally get their raw materials from dispersed third-world entities, which have far less economic power than they do.”

I question the use of the terms ‘fictional’ and ‘imaginary.’ The structures are very real, if intangible (which is the proper word.

I also question the quotes around “voluntary.” In this country at least, nobody is forced to work (except for prisoners) for a particular employer. Anyone who doesn’t like his current job is perfectly free to quit at any time and sell his services to another employer.

Also, I agree with the commentator who says that the author is needlessly negative, and is very good at pointing out flaws and weaknesses in the current system, but has not proposed what he would have replace the current economy.

The impression I get is that he would prefer some sort of decentralized, low-tech, agrarian, anarcho-cooperative society, a sort of cross between Tolkein’s The Shire and Ursula K. LeGuin’s “Planet of Exile.” Unfortunately, such an Arcadia does not take into account the fact that most human beings are, to a greater or lesser extent, selfish, horny, greedy, stupid, lazy SOBs. As (I think) Thomas Payne said, “If men were angels, government would be unnecessary.”

By: 4caster

4caster — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:18:20 +0000

François Tremblay’s article is certainly thought-provoking. I have always thought it odd that the definition of “Production” includes the process of extracting a finite material such as crude oil, which has lain underground for some 3 billion years, then refining it into gasoline and heavy fuel oil for you and me to burn. I call it plunder and pollution, not production. François rightly expresses cynicism of both the capitalist and statist economic frameworks, and of a mixed economy for that matter. But any framework other than despotism is better than none at all, i.e. anarchy. His article is full of negativity. What framework of society would he prefer?

By: clint

clint — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:07:26 +0000

as the market dropped back the trading range that has contained prices over the past few week has a good improvement. Its been a good market one of this day it is better to trade as of today because you will be much more profitable as the leader of this country has no such good idea about it.

By: Ken Stremsky

Ken Stremsky — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:41:55 +0000

If the highest federal corporate tax rate is NOT greater than 15 percent, many businesses may hire more people, increase wages of many people, and increase dividends. Many businesses may have an easier time obtaining loans and investments. Pension funds of government employees may do a lot better. There may be less need for food stamps and Medicaid.

I discuss dealing with the financial crisis and several sales taxes on http://www.newgeography.com/users/kenstremsky

The federal governments and state governments should stop taxing interest from savings accounts, dividends, capital gains, and estates. Businesses need capital to stay in business. Businesses need capital to pay their employees. Businesses may have an easier time obtaining loans and investments. People may have an easier time saving for college tuitions and retirements.