"We haven't even tried a national property tax yet. Or a VAT."

We also haven't tried a 90% tax bracket on middle income earners. The tax burden on middle income Americans is already ruinous.

"Or seriously cutting our ludicrously bloated military."

I'm all in favor of reducing military spending by about 95%. But even that wouldn't balance the budget.

"we get a much better multiplier when we actually try and boost the less well off"

Half the country now is "less well off", and despite all the myriad welfare programs in high gear, that number just increases year after year. When is this magic "multiplier effect" going to actually start working?

"structuring our economy to centralize wealth in the hands of the richest 5,000 people in the world."

Agreed. But where are the prominent politicians actively agitating for the criminal prosecutions of the Wall Street pirates? I don't see any. Anywhere. That option appears to be off the table, barring a massive, organized, and successful peasant uprising (which I put the likelihood of at near zero at this point).

Semck, There is a difference between "oppose" and "character assassination."

Why is it that we accept that the NBA basketball players are a small group that possess the greatest talent in the world, but we denounce the idea that a small group of people possess the greatest talent for running billion dollar, multi-national corporations?

@ phil

Why am I a waste of time to talk to? I might have some... "unconventional" ideas but I can hold a rational discussion and I'm not a frothing troll lunatic.

Why is it that we accept that the NBA basketball players are a small group that possess the greatest talent in the world, but we denounce the idea that a small group of people possess the greatest talent for running billion dollar, multi-national corporations? - Emac

Simple...the hoops players...and most athletes for that matter...spend a good amount of that money back into their community. And even individually the average athlete still does not make anywhere near what the average Fortune 500 CEO makes.

Add into that the fact that the companies they are running are posting record profits (that is profit...after all bills have been paid) and yet are not hiring (in many cases laying off) people. In a consumer based economy such as ours if the people have money they spend it because most people live pretty much hand to mouth. But if they have no money people can't spend any. The CEO's have more power than an athlete because they could very easily stimulate the economy by hiring but choose not to, claiming economic uncertainty (which is code for our guys are not in office).

Now for the tin foil hat theory...the CEO's and their ilk like the higher unemployment because it means they can keep wages low...more demand for workers than work = lower pay...simple supply & demand 101. And they still post record profits. It's a win/win for them...

Why is it that we accept that the NBA basketball players are a small group that possess the greatest talent in the world, but we denounce the idea that a small group of people possess the greatest talent for running billion dollar, multi-national corporations?

Because we have a lot better metrics for determining what makes for a successful NBA team than we do for a corporation.

Actually, we can measure how a corporation does very easily. The issue is determining what caused how the corporation did.

Also, I'm pretty sure that military spending cut would stop the bleeding, as 6 years ago, it would have reduced spending by about 1.5 billion a day, while the debt is increasing at 1.8 billion a day now. Military spending has probably increased, especially when you factor in inflation and the like.

@BengalGrrl,

" 'Why is it that we accept that the NBA basketball players are a small group that possess the greatest talent in the world, but we denounce the idea that a small group of people possess the greatest talent for running billion dollar, multi-national corporations?' - Emac

"Simple...the hoops players...and most athletes for that matter...spend a good amount of that money back into their community. And even individually the average athlete still does not make anywhere near what the average Fortune 500 CEO makes."

This is a staggering non-sequitor. All your bragging about your degrees perilously close to flying down the drain.

"Simple...the hoops players...and most athletes for that matter...spend a good amount of that money back into their community. "


Ahhhhhh ha ha ha ha ha!!! Oh boy! Whooo hooo....of man, THAT is hillarious, BengalGurl. Unless you are a pole dancer, darling, I don't think you are seeing much of that fat cash. Give me a fucking break. lol I'm not denying that there are charitable athletes, but this idea that most gets spent back in the community? Where do you come up with this shit? And what do you know about the spending habits of a CEO? I can think of 3 CEO in the Detroit area - Dan Gilbert, Penske, the Illitch family...great CEOs who pour a *ton* of money in to Detroit. Let's add the Ford family to that, and the CEO of Ford, who donates millions to charity every year.

And then, apart from their charitable giving, is just simply the fact the their money *buys* things...it makes the economy go...they invest in businesses and create jobs, they purchase products which must be manufactured and sold, build houses which require builders, etc.

So give me a break - every post you demonstrate yourself to be such a left-wing hack it isn't funny.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153364

After 2 years of retirement, 78% of NFL players are broke or in financial stress. After 5 years, 60% of NBA players are broke.

Like I said, it's *good* to be a pole dancer...

@phil-

Only if you consider the sole measure of a corporation's success to be profitability. But they are chartered for the public good. There's a lot wrong with the assumption that maximization of shareholder returns is the only point to a for-profit business organization.

Bob....no, corporations exist to make profit, not do "public good". That is idiotic. Presumably because if they are bad for the public you will be smart enough to not do business with them, thus profits will reflect their citizenship.

How do you judge corporate success Bob?

@Bob - As krellin points out, corporations are not necessarily created for the public good. I don't know where you got that definition from, but if it was a business professor, they are wrong. Only not-for-profits are, by definition, created for the public good.

"But they are chartered for the public good."

huh, what are you talking about?

I think Bob may have realized the extent of the stupidity of that statement and decided posting further would probably male him a target of ridicule for suggesting companies exist for the public good.

The one responsibility of a corporation is to create a profit for the investors

And as a capitalist I wouldnt have it any other way

What happened to Bob? He disappeared.

DON'T YOU TALK BAD ABOUT BOB GENGHISKHAN

We have a new name for when someone slinks off embarrassed. They Bob Genghiskahned away.

Nah, he's not done anything Krellin hasn't done five or six times.

^