No, lobbying and dark money ala Citizens' United is legalized bribery. Once upon a time, was illegal in this country. And those changes in the tax code started in the late 70's, culminating with Reagan.
Trade policy overcomplicates things. Lots of irony. Probably could do algorythms to take the "human" corruption out of trades, but that w…
No, lobbying and dark money ala Citizens' United is legalized bribery. Once upon a time, was illegal in this country. And those changes in the tax code started in the late 70's, culminating with Reagan.
Trade policy overcomplicates things. Lots of irony. Probably could do algorythms to take the "human" corruption out of trades, but that way the lobbyists wouldn't get a cut. Down here in Baghdad By the Sea we have 2 growing seasons, and we probably could feed ourselves, but markets are rigged, many products commoditized, so we have to import the same stuff we grow here.
Same with many other products. I still am amazed re the preponderence of imported cars in the parking lots in Detroit. I used to live near the now defuct National Labor College. They were pissed when I asked why there were foreign cars in the parking lot. At one time, I suggested a plan where unions could help market the products they were making.
Washington state the same. We grow apples and grapes but export them to Asia,mostly Japan, and then turn around and import them from Chile.
This is part of Milton Friedman's scheme of comparative advantage, importing benefits the exporting company, shipping companies, middle men, wall Street but they are paid for by the American Consumer, Products are picked green (unripe) and ripen in transit, maybe.
When I live in Louisiana I loved to pick a watermelon out of the field, thump on it to hear if it was ripe. I will not eat a store bought watermelon anymore, they are tasteless and a waste of money.
I taste grapes before I buy, because many times they are still ripening.
I eat Halo brand tangerines, also mostly tasteless, they come from Chile also.
And I suspect that great Florida tangerines are exported to Europe. after being picked green.
I was watching on MSNBC a discussion about tariffs on the price of oil, I learned that we import oil from Canada, and the tariff will raise the price of gas.
However we actually produce more oil than we import, but export oil, the whole thing is a scam for the benefit of traders, oil companies, shipping companies and Wall Street.
As regards American Cars, They are pieces of shit. In the1950's, 1960's and 1970's planned obsolecence was retooling and changing the body style and maybe reboring the engine,every year or two (a good example is the 57, 58, 59 Chevy. Now the planned obsolescence is in the electronics.
I bought one of the first PT Cruisers in Dec 2020, there is no difference between that car. which is under wraps in my barn, with 22,000 miles, and the 2010 PT Cruiser, except that the door fob no longer works, the clock works sometimes, and the seat belt indicator comes on when I am hooked in, and sometimes goes off. It is the mother boards, and that cost hundreds to replace.
On the other hand my wife drives a 2009 Honda CRV, we give it regularly scheduled maintenance,and except for a few dings and scratches it is as new, great compression..
The first Honda's imported were pieces of shit, I owned an 83 Accord, they were manufactured to Japanese Standards,which required that an engine last 50,000 miles (anti pollution standard). I went through an engine, a transmission and three clutches.
Yet I drove a 1970 Maverick for 130,000 miles down the Pan American Highway to Panama, drove it three years in Panama, it was a stick shift and I would use the clutch to hold it on a hill, and when I sold it 13 years later it still had the same clutch, brakes and spark plugs that it had when I bought it,and didn't burn oil.
And that is probably why you see Hondas and Toyotas in the employee parking lots of GM ,and Stellantis.
In 1960 I bought a 56 Ford Custom Line, with an Intercept engine,but it had an annoying rattle in the door. a year later I found it, a whiskey bottle. Union workers would drink on the job and dispose of their bottle in cars on the line.
I can't say I don't understand,production line work is the most tedious and boring of all. I really feel for the seamstress working in clothing factories
How ‘bout splitting the difference in that politics has always been an influence buying game and Citizen’s United took off the last impedimetnts to creating unaccountable secret bribery?
No, lobbying and dark money ala Citizens' United is legalized bribery. Once upon a time, was illegal in this country. And those changes in the tax code started in the late 70's, culminating with Reagan.
Trade policy overcomplicates things. Lots of irony. Probably could do algorythms to take the "human" corruption out of trades, but that way the lobbyists wouldn't get a cut. Down here in Baghdad By the Sea we have 2 growing seasons, and we probably could feed ourselves, but markets are rigged, many products commoditized, so we have to import the same stuff we grow here.
Same with many other products. I still am amazed re the preponderence of imported cars in the parking lots in Detroit. I used to live near the now defuct National Labor College. They were pissed when I asked why there were foreign cars in the parking lot. At one time, I suggested a plan where unions could help market the products they were making.
Washington state the same. We grow apples and grapes but export them to Asia,mostly Japan, and then turn around and import them from Chile.
This is part of Milton Friedman's scheme of comparative advantage, importing benefits the exporting company, shipping companies, middle men, wall Street but they are paid for by the American Consumer, Products are picked green (unripe) and ripen in transit, maybe.
When I live in Louisiana I loved to pick a watermelon out of the field, thump on it to hear if it was ripe. I will not eat a store bought watermelon anymore, they are tasteless and a waste of money.
I taste grapes before I buy, because many times they are still ripening.
I eat Halo brand tangerines, also mostly tasteless, they come from Chile also.
And I suspect that great Florida tangerines are exported to Europe. after being picked green.
I was watching on MSNBC a discussion about tariffs on the price of oil, I learned that we import oil from Canada, and the tariff will raise the price of gas.
However we actually produce more oil than we import, but export oil, the whole thing is a scam for the benefit of traders, oil companies, shipping companies and Wall Street.
As regards American Cars, They are pieces of shit. In the1950's, 1960's and 1970's planned obsolecence was retooling and changing the body style and maybe reboring the engine,every year or two (a good example is the 57, 58, 59 Chevy. Now the planned obsolescence is in the electronics.
I bought one of the first PT Cruisers in Dec 2020, there is no difference between that car. which is under wraps in my barn, with 22,000 miles, and the 2010 PT Cruiser, except that the door fob no longer works, the clock works sometimes, and the seat belt indicator comes on when I am hooked in, and sometimes goes off. It is the mother boards, and that cost hundreds to replace.
On the other hand my wife drives a 2009 Honda CRV, we give it regularly scheduled maintenance,and except for a few dings and scratches it is as new, great compression..
The first Honda's imported were pieces of shit, I owned an 83 Accord, they were manufactured to Japanese Standards,which required that an engine last 50,000 miles (anti pollution standard). I went through an engine, a transmission and three clutches.
Yet I drove a 1970 Maverick for 130,000 miles down the Pan American Highway to Panama, drove it three years in Panama, it was a stick shift and I would use the clutch to hold it on a hill, and when I sold it 13 years later it still had the same clutch, brakes and spark plugs that it had when I bought it,and didn't burn oil.
And that is probably why you see Hondas and Toyotas in the employee parking lots of GM ,and Stellantis.
In 1960 I bought a 56 Ford Custom Line, with an Intercept engine,but it had an annoying rattle in the door. a year later I found it, a whiskey bottle. Union workers would drink on the job and dispose of their bottle in cars on the line.
I can't say I don't understand,production line work is the most tedious and boring of all. I really feel for the seamstress working in clothing factories
How ‘bout splitting the difference in that politics has always been an influence buying game and Citizen’s United took off the last impedimetnts to creating unaccountable secret bribery?
No reason why bribery, especially by a corporation or other entity that doesn't pay taxes should be permitted.
Until recently, some states did not permit any corporate lobbying. Ended in 2012. https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/american-tradition-partnership-inc-v-bullock/