>From Ed Storms: > As much as I hate to agree with Grok's basic attitude toward capitalism, I > would like to suggest that several decisions, based in the rules of > capitalism, will eventually lead to the total destruction of this approach, > at least in the form practiced by the US. > > The evidence can be most clearly seen in the fact that China has now > captured 95% of the world's supply of the rare earth elements. This is > important because modern technology is uniquely dependent on these elements. > For example, super strong magnets cannot be made without neodymium. In > 1985, farsighted people in the Chinese government saw the growing importance > of these elements and set out to insure a good supply for their country. At > the same time, the US companies allowed the supply available the US to > slowly decrease to near zero, including selling the ability to process the > materials to the Chinese, in order to make an immediate profit. As a result, > we are now dependent on other countries for these essential elements just > like we became dependent on other countries for oil. However, this time, no > substitutes exist. > > The difference in approach between the US and the Chinese rests on > farsighted people making long range decisions regardless of immediate > profit, in the latter case. In contrast, the US makes decisions based on > making a profit in a short time. As even a cursory experience with the > media demonstrates, the US lives in a world of illusion created by the need > of companies to make an immediate and growing profit. We were encouraged > to go into debt to buy things. This advice had the easily predicted > consequences. Now we are encouraged to believe that Obama can fix the mess > if we would only spend more, with the government taking up the slack. This > belief contains just as much illusion as the belief that personal debt would > have no consequences. In other words, the US keeps looking only a few > quarters into the future while the Chinese are planning for decades. We seek > to win isolated battles at great cost in countries that have no importance > to our survival while the Chinese intend to win the economic war of the > future. I don't know if any of you play GO, the great Chinese game. If you > do, you can see how this game is being played out on the world stage by > China. Bush played poker and lost. Now Obama is playing Chess and is also > losing. Meanwhile, we have to stand back and watch our country being > brought down by short-sighted ignorance. > > Ed
I find myself agreeing with much of Ed's analysis of the flaws attributed to capitalism - as practiced within the United States. As for playing the game of GO. Yes, it IS a wicked game. An old friend of mine tried to teach me basic GO strategies many years ago. Incidentally, he considered himself to be a Marxist. (I remember asking him how would I survive as a free-lance artist under Marxism. He retorted, "Learn to paint red tractors, comrade!" with a twinkle in his eye.) I remember futile attempts to play GO with former girlfriend of mine. She had an IQ rated at around 150. Needless to say... But getting back on-topic, I recall The Kiplinger weekly forecast newsletter as being one of the first information agencies to report on the fact that China had pretty much acquired a monopoly on rare elements as a result of buying everyone else out. I doubt few listened to their heeding. Interesting times. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
