Posts Tagged ‘Capitalism’
Dylan Ratigan: The Cost of Corporate Communism
Dylan Ratigan writes on the Huffington Post:
Lately I have been using the phrase “Corporate Communism” on my television show. I think it is an especially fitting term when discussing the current landscape in both our banking and health care systems.
As Americans, I believe we reject communism because it historically has allowed a tiny group of people to consolidate complete control over national resources (including people), in the process stifling competition, freedom and choice. It leaves its citizens stagnating under the perpetual broken systems with no natural motivation to innovate, improve services or reduce costs.
Lack of choice, lazy, unresponsive customer service, a culture of exploitation and a small powerbase formed by cronyism and nepotism are the hallmarks of a communist system that steals from its citizenry and a major reason why…
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité – Providence, Miracle or What Really Happened
By Robert Singer
Warning: Reading the following may be hazardous to your mental health. The material herein has caused readers to experience Cognitive Dissonance (CD). CD is the discomfort felt at the discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation that contradicts a strongly held belief system – It’s that queasy feeling that rises in your gut and screams, I DON’T BELIEVE THAT! Because, if you accepted the new information, you would have to admit you been ”had,” or ”conned,” in this case into shopping for stuff to trash the planet.
The benefit of the new information is that the world around you will finally make sense. Hot, flat, and crowded Thomas L. Friedman will finally know what planet George W. Bush is on. Bush lost the…
Pay Your Bills on Time? There’s a Fee for That.
In an attempt to squeeze more revenue out of consumers who don’t rack up much debt, Citigroup, Bank of America, and other credit card companies are adding new fees. According to USA Today credit card users are being hit with new “inactivity fees” and fees for not putting enough debt on your credit cards. Consumers thinking about canceling their cards face taking a hit to their credit scores for closing an account.
Other consumers may have no choice – Citibank has been closing some credit card accounts without reason or warning, damaging their customers credit ratings.
I cut-up my credit cards last night.
Noreena Hertz: The Economist We Need NOW
I’ve known Noreena Hertz most of my (and her) life. She’s always been my most mentally able friend. I don’t know what her IQ is, except that it’s off the charts. Her list of achievments at early ages is beyond prodigy. There was a risk, though, of going off the rails, and no doubt some of the more establishment politicians and economists thought that was exactly what she had done when she started writing and speaking about how the underpinnings of modern capitalist economies were unsustainable and inevitably heading towards massive crises.
Well she’s finally getting her dues, as this profile in Fast Company shows:
Not long ago, economist Noreena Hertz lived at the lefty margins of her field. But her (widely ignored) prediction of the credit crisis and her call for a more evolved form of capitalism have suddenly put her at the center of the universe.
Noreena Hertz had to seduce Bono…
Machines Designed to Change Humans
I remember how my mom used to yell at my dad because he was always trying to explain how we’re being farmed.
The Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab creates insight into how computing products — from websites to mobile phone software — can be designed to change what people believe and what they do.
Yes, this can be a scary topic: machines designed to influence human beliefs and behaviors. But there’s good news. We believe that much like human persuaders, persuasive technologies can bring about positive changes in many domains, including health, business, safety, and education. We also believe that new advances in technology can help promote world peace in 30 years. With such positive ends in mind, we are creating a body of expertise in the design, theory, and analysis of persuasive technologies,…
Michael Moore and Sen. Sanders, Outrage Over Greed and Capitalism
Michael Moore asks Sen. Sanders “what is wrong with American capitalism these days?” on Bernie’s latest “Senator Sanders Unfiltered” show produced by our friends at Brave New Films.
Michael Moore’s On-Air Spanking Of CNN
Michael Moore maybe is a blowhard, but he’s alright with me if he can make Wolf Blitzer look like this much of a douche. Mike went on Blitzer’s show to discuss his new Wall Street documentary Capitalism: A Love Story and the grey-haired host went for the jugular, accusing Moore of being a socialist and a hypocrite (for acting concerned about the fate of poor people, despite not being poor himself). Watch Moore rip him to shreds.
