Post by Tzalaran on Dec 4, 2008 19:41:40 GMT -6
So this whole auto bailout situation has gotten me thinking. Unhealthy i know, but it does sometimes become impossible to ignore as you struggle for understanding.
$40 billion (a highball figure) for 3 companies who provide over 3.5 million jobs (if my memory is correct) directly, and numerous other companies who employ up to 10% of the workforce. They have devised plans that could easily be modified to provide solid plans to move the companies forward into the next century, and work in tandem with the alternative energy platform desired by the next administration.
lets compare that with the bailout of AIG, who turned around with spa retreats for their executives and business partners after petitioning for 5 times the amount of the Auto industry. That was given with no second thoughts, with no oversight or plan to move the company past its obviously corrupt current model. That was given with hardly a whisper of dissent because of its "grave importance" to our economy. yet it is 20% as important to the workforce as the Auto Industry. (i'll be honest, all my numbers are from memory at this point and there is a possibility of them being off a bit... i don't feel like researching it at the moment)
This highlights the fundamental problem with our greed first capitalist society, and explains why we are struggling to adapt to the challenges of the 21st century. Ask yourselves, how important is wealth once your basic needs are met? after $100,000 per year of income what else do you really need? now i realize that there is a certain amount of truth in you get what you pay for but there is little aside from 'toys' that are purchased after this income threshold.
if you are on a computer, i can easily assume that you have the basic modern amenities; home, internet, computer, tv, transportation, gas and electricity and so on. To me, these are basic needs in our technological society. beyond that, it is just about improving those in order so we can enjoy our time away from the employment that allows us to afford them. Most of us spend our entire life trying to provide these needs, while 1% of people make more money in a year than we will in our lifetime.
The old adage that money can't buy happiness really comes to mind, and i think that if you asked people about this today they would not agree with it in massive proportions. you hear people preach about the evils of living paycheck to paycheck, but half our families are forced into this exact situation through no fault of their own. There exists the need in our society for a class of laborers, just like in all societies before us. The election of Obama proved the theory of opportunity in this country, but it is really an exception to the rule and not the common occurrence that some attempt to portray it as. The myth of equal opportunity to those who work hard and keep trying is the largest cause of depression in our society because you can be brainwashed into believing that opportunity will be guaranteed to you only to have door after door slammed into your face. eventually most fail to knock the next time and become disillusioned and cynical. Broken the take any job, learn to hate it, and wallow in their self misery unable to face the sense of betrayal and disappointment. Trapped, they fall into line, waiting for the paycheck they need from a place they hate. Slaves to a wage, distraught and hopeless they wither through their years.
so really we need to address this in order to create a more unified society. it is said that each person will change professions 5 times in their life, and i wonder if that is because of the unhappiness factor or because we don't learn what we enjoy doing until late in life, or maybe because we just find enjoyment in the same thing for a long time...
sometimes i wish i could keep a train of thought, but most of the time i enjoy rambling.
$40 billion (a highball figure) for 3 companies who provide over 3.5 million jobs (if my memory is correct) directly, and numerous other companies who employ up to 10% of the workforce. They have devised plans that could easily be modified to provide solid plans to move the companies forward into the next century, and work in tandem with the alternative energy platform desired by the next administration.
lets compare that with the bailout of AIG, who turned around with spa retreats for their executives and business partners after petitioning for 5 times the amount of the Auto industry. That was given with no second thoughts, with no oversight or plan to move the company past its obviously corrupt current model. That was given with hardly a whisper of dissent because of its "grave importance" to our economy. yet it is 20% as important to the workforce as the Auto Industry. (i'll be honest, all my numbers are from memory at this point and there is a possibility of them being off a bit... i don't feel like researching it at the moment)
This highlights the fundamental problem with our greed first capitalist society, and explains why we are struggling to adapt to the challenges of the 21st century. Ask yourselves, how important is wealth once your basic needs are met? after $100,000 per year of income what else do you really need? now i realize that there is a certain amount of truth in you get what you pay for but there is little aside from 'toys' that are purchased after this income threshold.
if you are on a computer, i can easily assume that you have the basic modern amenities; home, internet, computer, tv, transportation, gas and electricity and so on. To me, these are basic needs in our technological society. beyond that, it is just about improving those in order so we can enjoy our time away from the employment that allows us to afford them. Most of us spend our entire life trying to provide these needs, while 1% of people make more money in a year than we will in our lifetime.
The old adage that money can't buy happiness really comes to mind, and i think that if you asked people about this today they would not agree with it in massive proportions. you hear people preach about the evils of living paycheck to paycheck, but half our families are forced into this exact situation through no fault of their own. There exists the need in our society for a class of laborers, just like in all societies before us. The election of Obama proved the theory of opportunity in this country, but it is really an exception to the rule and not the common occurrence that some attempt to portray it as. The myth of equal opportunity to those who work hard and keep trying is the largest cause of depression in our society because you can be brainwashed into believing that opportunity will be guaranteed to you only to have door after door slammed into your face. eventually most fail to knock the next time and become disillusioned and cynical. Broken the take any job, learn to hate it, and wallow in their self misery unable to face the sense of betrayal and disappointment. Trapped, they fall into line, waiting for the paycheck they need from a place they hate. Slaves to a wage, distraught and hopeless they wither through their years.
so really we need to address this in order to create a more unified society. it is said that each person will change professions 5 times in their life, and i wonder if that is because of the unhappiness factor or because we don't learn what we enjoy doing until late in life, or maybe because we just find enjoyment in the same thing for a long time...
sometimes i wish i could keep a train of thought, but most of the time i enjoy rambling.
