Search Ian Traynor the Guardian News fo Jan 31. The depth of the unrest in Europe is amazing and scary. The Euro is falling along with other eastern currencies. Farmers in Greece are blocking roads because of low commodity prices. Can you even imagine that here? Fledgling democracies in the east are turning on the free market system. This is all a result of consumate greed both individualy and collectively. There has to be a change in the ethic of the richer societies to redefine what is important and what individual self worth really is defined by. We can turn back from the abyss, but it will take more than increased spending by our governments, it will take a change in individually thinking.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Europe in Turmoil
Collapse
Logging in...
Welcome to Agriville! You need to login to post messages in the Agriville chat forums. Please login below.
X
-
Self-preservation is inherent in each individual. A mother must exist so her young are able to exist. Self interest is bred in each species. Watch a bull at the water trough.
Each nation is able to choose their priorities. They do. Some choose to feed their people first and others don't. The D8 countries are defined by their ability to feed their people. What kind of ethic do you wish to change about that priority.
It takes a work ethic, and co-operation, and the rule of law, and a political system that incorporates all of the above.
And you are trying to claim the G8's need new definitions?
And which factor would you like to delete?
Pars
Comment
-
Oh don't worry, ( Unless you have more than one son of draftable age) with the protectionist sentiment starting to rear it's head in the US, It's starting to look like oh about 1936/37 we should see a good ol fashioned war to get the economy rolling sooner than later. ( Note to self buy more general dynamics stock tommorrow) But this time I think everyone should invade France and divide it up ( dibs on EURO DISNEY)
Comment
-
The tip of the iceberg, Russians are not happy either. In North America, the first protests will be at wall street and major banks soon. CEO's are going to be lynched for paying themselves huge bonuses with tax payer bailout money - while the taxpayers are loosing jobs and their houses.
The average joe has a lot of power - pull money/investments out of big banks - invest local - back into the farm whatever. Buy local, support those around you. I have a bad feeling about this next year.
Comment
-
Agstar wrote: "This is all a result of consumate greed both individualy and collectively. There has to be a change in the ethic of the richer societies to redefine what is important and what individual self worth really is defined by."
Agstar's statement is more than a little vague, but I think he is blaming the problems we face today on the ethics of selfishness. Like so many commentators, he thinks that the investors who set up and financed highly leveraged derivatives, sub-prime loans and so on were motivated by selfishness.
On the contrary, the economy is declining today because we are involved in an unprecedented orgy of selflessness. The Federal Reserve, along with virtually every other central bank, set about several years ago to prime the monetary pumps with phoney credit, giving impetus to what we now recognize to have been little more than Ponzi schemes. Large numbers of investors selflessly put vast sums of capital at dire risk in order to gamble in the casino that the central banks had set up. Some made money, but most lost badly.
In a free market, these investors would be left to face the consequences of their own stupidity. But because our society is motivated by the ethics of selflessness, those who made sound investment decisions and who wisely refused to participate in these Ponzi schemes are now being taxed to pay for the mistakes of others.
While it is unfortunate that so many people are losing their jobs as a result of the chaos brought about by the socialization of investment, those job losses are not the fault of taxpayers in general.
The proper response to this crisis would be to let these banks and financial entities go broke; their assets could then be bought up at a discount by people who are actually competent to run them. This would be the ethics of selfishness in action.
These protesters in Europe are largely led by trade unionists, socialists and communists, who steadfastly blame capitalism for this crisis instead of socialist central banking. Rather than cut this crisis off before it balloons, they want to expand it. They don't see anything truly wrong with using force to dole out subsidies and special privileges; the problem as they see it is that the handouts are not being spread about widely enough and "fairly" enough. They believe that the solution is for competent investors to be taxed into oblivion to bail out unwise investors and keep that hallmark of selflessness and sacrifice, the welfare state, functioning at all costs.
Comment
-
Makes a farmer wonder, maybe should just pull the trigger on all stocks in the bin.
While there is still a profit to be had.
High prices I think make farmers holders wishing to get back to the highs. I wouldn't exactly start protesting low prices here other than CWB crap and low malt volume sales I would be in there just ask.
Comment
-
You are referring to morality, liberty. I have been documenting the border runners on Parsley's Notebook.
What is the morality of jailing a farmer for selling his grain?
I have been talking to a lot of farmers. It used to be we knew right from wrong. Do we in 2009?
Pars
Comment
- Reply to this Thread
- Return to Topic List
Comment