Functional illiteracy in America

ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
choomer said:
Yeah, they need more money to badly manage. ;)
Click to expand...
This actually illustrates the real problem with American politics; accountability.

We don't need 'more' government or 'less' government; we need BETTER government. That starts with full transparency and accountability.

Where this happens around the world one can clearly see the quality of the results.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Fogdog said:
I asked you earlier. What party line did you stop swallowing that puts you at odds with Buck and me? Specifically, what policies or positions do you and I disagree on?
Click to expand...
The shift happened pretty suddenly when I came out in support of Bernie Sanders. I realize that his positions and those espoused by the establishment Democrats are very similar, but that wasn't good enough for the bucksters at the time. I also pointed out that the actual as enacted fiscal policies of Democrats over the past 30 years did not square well with their rhetoric and that seemed to really set them off.

I think we want many of the same things but disagree on the political vehicles that will best get us there. I have little confidence in the establishment Democratic Party, especially in its current form, larded as it is with unaccountable Superdelegates and enormously profitable 'consulting' firms raking so much cash off the top whether the party does well or not. The incentives and the accountability are all screwed up, so it's no wonder the system isn't working.
 
Last edited:
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
see4 said:
And by swallowing the party line, do you mean allowing students to eliminate all their student debt through bankruptcy?

You want civil discussion, but when confronted with rational arguments you run like a coward.
Click to expand...
I'm tired of answering the same questions from you. If supporting their access to bankruptcy court means that to you, then yes. Remember, bankruptcy is a real, actual process in which the petitioner has to prove to the court that they can't pay. The fact that this process is also a mess isn't the problem of students, it's OUR problem as citizens. Accountability. Until we bring that concept back and apply it to everyone in our country, we're going to continue to have a Paradise for the rentier class and penury for everyone else.

But really, I'm about solving the fucking problem to begin with; instead of making debt slaves out of those who want to invest in their future, why shouldn't we support students who work hard by subsidising their education?

Eliminating just the Joint Strike Fighter program alone would pay for it, nevermind reforming Healthcare.

So do you actually have any solutions, such as those I've just suggested, or are you just here to hoot and shriek and point like one of the Buckwit baboons?

I'm a Berniecrat because I don't see anyone else with credibility talking about the issues. I'd very much like to see that change. Until it does, I'll be right here.
 
Last edited:
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
see4 said:
That's a new one... "self inflating debt".

I've heard of the economic plan to use inflation to cancel debt, but I've never heard of self inflating debt. Maybe you can explain this concept.

And I've certainly never heard of using one debt to pay another that "is governmental in creation"...
Click to expand...
The more debt created, the more inflationary pressure it creates. Inflation is only under control at the moment because of artificial downward pressure on wages, causing the majority of citizens in our country to slowly slide into poverty and increasing desperation.

It's a great deal if you're a 'too big to fail' bank, not so much of you don't already have 8 or 9 zeroes to the left of the decimal in your asset management account.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
twostrokenut said:
well we aren't. you and I are not in MD obviously. some states don't allow the sale of distilled spirits past 7pm or on sundays....do you think you an I are contributing to or can remedy that in those states as well?
Click to expand...
We aren't what? Creating a third world country?

The definition of a third world country is about the percentage of the population with access to modern services like education and healthcare.

The quality and distribution of American education is mid pack and sinking fast. Access to healthcare is taking on water and about to be torpedoed again by the new tax bill.

Nearly half the country earns less than double the poverty line, and their number is growing.

American infant mortality rates are terrible; worse than Cuba and many other developing nations, to say nothing of other first world countries.

So I disagree with your offhand rebuttal that America isn't becoming just another banana republic.

And your paragraph on alcohol sales is completely irrelevant, which makes me wonder about your reasoning skills.
 
Last edited:
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
choomer said:
A federal reserve note starts its life as debt owed by the gov't it is lent to. There is no value its creation is derived from e.g "fiat currency". The Fed knows this and has a policy of inflation targets.

The more money (debt) the fed creates, the less value each previously created note has (inflation) and it costs more notes tomorrow to purchase what I bought today.
Value is created by scarcity or abundance.
Just like weed, when something is scare it's expensive (more valuable), when abundant it's cheap (less valuable).

Who else created the national debt? 7th Day Adventists?

If you create a currency (store of value) and lend it to me on the terms of repaying the principle AND the interest in the same form as the principle, how can I pay but to borrow more created currency from you to pay the interest, creating more interest accruing debt.

Wash, rinse, repeat.
Click to expand...
This is TOTALLY WRONG!

You misspelled 'principal'.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
see4 said:
Uhh, I suppose thats one way to look at it.

The feds create paper notes every day. None of it is debt. None of it has value until it is put into circulation.

Inflation is the purchasing power of money and is generally a causation of the relative and general rising of cost of goods and services. Federal reserve will put more money in or take money out of circulation to help balance inflation or inversely deflation.

Value is not solely based on "scarcity or abundance", more simply put, supply. Value can be created from demand as well, without respect to supply, but often is a balance of both supply and demand. Basic economics. But not necessarily directly correlated.

In part you are right, the religious zealots are to blame for our growing national debt. But mostly Republicans and right-wing economics. I assume when you say national debt you are referring to the amount the government owes at any given time. The last time we didn't have a national debt, but rather a budget surplus were the years 1998 through 2000.

Not sure your last thought makes sense. Creating a currency and then lending that currency are two separate actions. The process by which you can pull money from the ATM is probably not what you think, judging by aforementioned comment.

Anyway... enough about that... money is evil.
Click to expand...
You have a weak grasp of the fundamentals of economics. Not an indictment of your character, just an observation.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
MarWan said:
Human Freedom Rests on Gold Redeemable Money
By HON. HOWARD BUFFETT
,
U. S. Congressman from Nebraska
Reprinted from
The Commercial and Financial Chronicle
, May 6, 1948
​

Is there a connection between Human Freedom and A Gold Redeemable Money? At first g
lance it would
seem that money belongs to the world of economics and human freedom to the political sphere. But
when you recall that one of the first moves by Lenin, Mussolini and Hitler was to outlaw individual
ownership of gold, you begin to sense that
there may be some connection between money, redeemable in
gold, and the rare prize known as human liberty.
Also, when you find that Lenin declared and demonstrated that a sure way to overturn the existing social
order and bring about communism was by prin
ting press paper money, then again you are impressed with
the possibility of a relationship between a gold
-
backed money and human freedom.
In that case then certainly you and I as Americans should know the connection. We must find it even if
money is a d
ifficult and tricky subject. I suppose that if most people were asked for their views on money
the almost universal answer would be that they didn
’
t have enough of it.
In a free country the monetary unit rests upon a fixed foundation of gold or gold and
silver independent of
the ruling politicians. Our dollar was that kind of money before 1933. Under that system paper currency
is redeemable for a certain weight of gold, at the free option and choice of the holder of paper money.
Redemption Right Insure
s Stability
That redemption right gives money a large degree of stability. The owner of such gold redeemable
currency has economic independence. He can move around either within or without his country because
his money holdings have accepted value anywh
ere.
For example, I hold here what is called a $20 gold piece. Before 1933, if you possessed paper money you
could exchange it at your option for gold coin. This gold coin had a recognizable and definite value all
over the world. It does so today. In
most countries of the world this gold piece, if you have enough of
them, will give you much independence. But today the ownership of such gold pieces as money in this
country, Russia, and all divers other places is outlawed.
The subject of a Hitler or a
Stalin is a serf by the mere fact that his money can be called in and depreciated
at the whim of his rulers. That actually happened in Russia a few months ago, when the Russian people,
holding cash, had to turn it in
--
10 old rubles and receive back one
new ruble.
I hold here a small packet of this second kind of money
--
printing press paper money
--
technically known
as fiat money because its value is arbitrarily fixed by rulers or statute. The amount of this money in
numerals is very large. This lit
tle packet amounts to CNC $680,000. It cost me $5 at regular exchange
rates. I understand I got clipped on the deal. I could have gotten $2
-
1
⁄
2 million if I had purchased in the
black market. But you can readily see that this Chinese money, which is a fine grade of paper money, gives
the individual who owns it no independence, because it has no redemptive value.
Under such conditions the indi
vidual citizen is deprived of freedom of movement. He is prevented from
laying away purchasing power for the future. He becomes dependent upon the goodwill of the politicians
for his daily bread. Unless he lives on land that will sustain him, freedom fo
r him does not exist.
You have heard a lot of oratory on inflation from politicians in both parties. Actually that oratory and the
inflation maneuvering around here are mostly sly efforts designed to lay the blame on the other party
’
s
doorstep. All our
politicians regularly announce their intention to stop inflation. I believe I can show that
until they move to restore your right to own gold that talk is hogwash.
Click to expand...
Modi in India just called in their currency and replaced it, supposedly to reduce off the books and untaxed transactions. The idea was to push the population into digital banking, which could be tracked and taxed. It's been a huge financial shock and a failure. To this day, gold is far more respected in India than paper currency.

This discussion takes on much more interesting overtones when applied to crypto currencies...
 
Last edited:
Rob Roy

Rob Roy

Well-Known Member
PCXV said:
Theoretically they should, in a capitalist system millions cannot. What does that say to you?

The government is the people's tool to mitigate inefficiencies and faults of the economic system for the purpose of the welfare of the people and the security and stability of the nation as a whole.

I believe the government should only be involved when it is absolutely necessary to ensure peace, order, and fairness/justice when those principles are violated. When the people have an equal say and an equal stake they will calculate and do what is in the best interest of the majority. Imperfect, but better than anarchy.
Click to expand...
It is impossible for a government to arise from involuntary means and then ensure peace, since the existence of the involuntary means used to create and maintain the government ensures that peace has ALREADY been violated. Nice attempt though. Next ?
 
Rob Roy

Rob Roy

Well-Known Member
SneekyNinja said:
Yes, the same service is expected regardless of the race of the store owner.

Otherwise dont open a business to the public, start a private club with memberships and gay jackets (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Click to expand...

"Start a private club" ? That would be redundant, if you really believed that there is such a thing as "private property".

What you really meant to say was a person in order to acquire government privilege to so something, must first declare their intended use (seek permission) to the government, who will then approve or disapprove of it and somehow that means the subject property is still private property. Which of course is inconsistent and represents a twisted meaning to accommodate the default status of the omnipresence of the government which you ignore.

Gay jackets ? Great idea, here's a complimentary hat for you to model until your jacket is tailored.

 
Rob Roy

Rob Roy

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
What changed is that I stopped swallowing the party line that you and Buck have been swilling for years.

I'd have been happy to have a civil discussion about it but most here seem unable.

It seems that many people are threatened by someone with differing opinions and lash out. It's really too bad...
Click to expand...

 
Rob Roy

Rob Roy

Well-Known Member
SneekyNinja said:
Yes, the same service is expected regardless of the race of the store owner.

Otherwise dont open a business to the public, start a private club with memberships and gay jackets (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Click to expand...

So, you would threaten force to a black person for deciding to leave you alone and not succumbing to your threats for him/her to serve you?

Let me guess, your ancestors owned plantations using slave labor?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top