(in Marxist contexts) the capitalist class who own most of society's wealth and means of production.
"The law of economics is to snuff out your competition, so that you can control a market space then dictate how much something costs.
Anything else is a collusion of market players. When companies meet at G8 meetings to discuss economics, it is in fact the largest collusion among market players happening and the idealized "free market" where competition increases quality and lowers price is out the window... it become a market place where monoplies dominate and deliver what you will settle for".
Well, our governments make these monopolies and oligopolies stronger with their policies. Unfortunately, we'll see examples of these companies in every single industry and, like you said, since there are no other competitors, they'll be free to set the prices. Their profits will be extremely high.
Oh, and don't forget about those companies that provide services. The quality will be extremely low and, obviously, overpriced.
And regarding the G8 meetings, well, I didn't know anything about it, but it's interesting.
EDIT: I don't believe free market exists anymore. What we have now is State Monopoly Capitalism.
So here is the situation. The wealth gap has two main drivers:
The power of capital (not counting labor)
Capital power in modern days is rising, we can do more with robots and other automated systems this means that the people who ALREADY are in possession of capital will benefit from technological change since they will be the owners and drivers of that capital.
Interest Rates
This is due to the fact that capital is used for collateral for more capital. If the price of money decreases it's the people with access to the capital markets who can go on spending sprees due to the cheap price of capital, concentrating it further.
The main examples of this is price of gold and stock markets. Since money is so cheap right now income (which is more equal then wealth) play a lower role in the market, allowing people with access to buy up more.
The wealth gap was rising before the global financial crisis (GFC) due to the low interest rates powered by Bush's stimulation policies post 9/11.
But now we have a perfect storm of incredibly low interest rates and a rising value of capital (as a factor of production). This means a higher wealth gap and a weaker lower class.
"The power of capital (not counting labor)
Capital power in modern days is rising, we can do more with robots and other automated systems this means that the people who ALREADY are in possession of capital will benefit from technological change since they will be the owners and drivers of that capital"
Yeah, and once this happens, a lot of people will be completely unemployed and, therefore, poorer. It's much better for these companies to use automated systems, because they'll save millions and millions, but society will pay a very high price for it:
“The most educated, who work in the highly compensated jobs of the tradable and non-tradable sectors, have high and rising incomes and interesting and challenging employment opportunities, domestically and abroad. Many of the middle-income group, however, are seeing employment options narrow and incomes stagnate.
EDIT: Ah, and it'll be worse, since production has dramatically decreased since the 70's and now it's all about professional services and technology.
"The wealth gap was rising before the global financial crisis (GFC) due to the low interest rates powered by Bush's stimulation policies post 9/11".
Oh, I thought this started at the end of the 70's and was reinforced by Paul Volcker.
by AllIn0neWorlds proven oil revers are about 2 trillion and they keep finding more.
As for the worlds consumption you should really learn to do math, it's 34 BILLION not trillion.
I said I was exhausted...
The oil that comes out of all the new reserves are not extractable in an easy manner.
For example, Canada is tar sand which needs strip mining and processing, and then shipping to refineries in the USA.
Venezuela, is thick crude, which requires other natural resources to thin. Then you've got to oil tanker it through mexico, which is no big deal, but look at Mexico and the Drug wars at the moment. You just have no idea what could happen.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/02/world/americas/mexico-drug-war-fast-facts/
Here's a look at what you need to know about the Mexican Drug War. The Mexican government has been fighting a war with drug traffickers since December 2006. At the same time, drug cartels have fought each other for control of territory. More than 60,000 people have been killed from 2006 to 2012, according to Human Rights Watch.
There is more viable oil coming out of Ocean platforms, in Canada right now to my understanding (could be wrong), than there is out of the tar sands or thick crudes.
The USA will easily go to war to defend a black gold reserve in the Middle Easts.
Proven oil reserves always change. Sometimes the estimates grow and other times they tap dry... other times, the middle east collapses and oil prices go way up.
by TheZodiacEDIT: I don't believe free market exists anymore. What we have now is State Monopoly Capitalism.
Yeah it's corporate socialism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crony_capitalism
You think Google can just go and do whatever it wants? They have people stationed in the Government, lobbying 24/7.
Some of the key staff are former employees for the defense department.
Why do you think that automated vehicles will never see the light of day? Because they don't work?
Hell no... people probably need jobs driving around. Cars are the backbone of American Society. Trains are useless.
Corporations are in the business of shedding jobs, or crushing unions. Governments are in the business of Job Creation.
Doesn't work anywhere you look at things. Governments might be into the business of health and welfare, but businesses are the opposite and serve shallow consumerist needs 90% of the time. That's a little exaggerated, but the closest terminology I can find, is Non-Farm jobs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonfarm_payrolls
Nonfarm payroll employment is a compiled name for goods, construction and manufacturing companies in the US. It does not include farm workers, private household employees, or non-profit organization employees.
It doesn't really make sense to refer to that, but the point is. 90% of the jobs out there are total bullshit, and the ones which are not are absolutely destroying the earth, or pay close to nothing, and people would rather fly in foreign workers for a season then send them back to thier country after the job is done.
And those who don't want to play ball end up here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States
Incarceration in the United States of America is one of the main forms of punishment, rehabilitation, or both for the commission of felony and other offenses. The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. At year-end 2009, it was 743 adults incarcerated per 100,000 population.[3][4][5][6][7]
When I say bullshit, think of any job that could be replaced by a machine. Remove jobs from the workforce and the quality of peoples live do not improve because they are out of jobs. So they have to make more bullshit up.
So what's left? Break out the psychologists. Lets pit everyone against each other in a big war of independent rebellion and self righteousness.
http://www.namebase.org/richnote.html
Let's be honest: you'll never win the lottery.
On the other hand, the chances are pretty good that you'll slave away at some miserable job the rest of your life. That's because you were in all likelihood born into the wrong social class. Let's face it -- you're a member of the working caste. Sorry!
As a result, you don't have the education, upbringing, connections, manners, appearance, and good taste to ever become one of us. In fact, you'd probably need a book the size of the yellow pages to list all the unfair advantages we have over you. That's why we're so relieved to know that you still continue to believe all those silly fairy tales about "justice" and "equal opportunity" in America.
Of course, in a hierarchical social system like ours, there's never been much room at the top to begin with. Besides, it's already occupied by us -- and we like it up here so much that we intend to keep it that way. But at least there's usually someone lower in the social hierarchy you can feel superior to and kick in the teeth once in a while. Even a lowly dishwasher can easily find some poor slob further down in the pecking order to sneer and spit at. So be thankful for migrant workers, prostitutes, and homeless street people.
Always remember that if everyone like you were economically secure and socially privileged like us, there would be no one left to fill all those boring, dangerous, low-paid jobs in our economy. And no one to fight our wars for us, or blindly follow orders in our totalitarian corporate institutions. And certainly no one to meekly go to their grave without having lived a full and creative life. So please, keep up the good work!
You also probably don't have the same greedy, compulsive drive to possess wealth, power, and prestige that we have. And even though you may sincerely want to change the way you live, you're also afraid of the very change you desire, thus keeping you and others like you in a nervous state of limbo. So you go through life mechanically playing your assigned social role, terrified what others would think should you ever dare to "break out of the mold."
Naturally, we try to play you off against each other whenever it suits our purposes: high-waged workers against low-waged, unionized against non-unionized, Black against White, male against female, American workers against Japanese against Mexican against.... We continually push your wages down by invoking "foreign competition," "the law of supply and demand," "national security," or "the bloated federal deficit." We throw you on the unemployed scrap heap if you step out of line or jeopardize our profits. And to give you an occasional break from the monotony of our daily economic blackmail, we allow you to participate in our stage-managed electoral shell games, better known to you ordinary folks as "elections." Happily, you haven't a clue as to what's really happening -- instead, you blame "Aliens," "Tree-hugging Environmentalists," "Niggers," "Jews," Welfare Queens," and countless others for your troubled situation.
We're also very pleased that many of you still embrace the "work ethic," even though most jobs in our economy degrade the environment, undermine your physical and emotional health, and basically suck your one and only life right out of you. We obviously don't know much about work, but we're sure glad you do!
Of course, life could be different. Society could be intelligently organized to meet the real needs of the general population. You and others like you could collectively fight to free yourselves from our domination. But you don't know that. In fact, you can't even imagine that another way of life is possible. And that's probably the greatest, most significant achievement of our system -- robbing you of your imagination, your creativity, your ability to think and act for yourself.
So we'd truly like to thank you from the bottom of our heartless hearts. Your loyal sacrifice makes possible our corrupt luxury; your work makes our system work. Thanks so much for "knowing your place" -- without even knowing it!
(that author is in Jail... apparently for selling LSD...)
I'm unsure if you know the cost of a hit of LSD but for years it was almost nothing maybe $5 at the most for the least.
That's not profiteering in a market that is "cornered".
What's the true cost of your dinner?
The farmer has to get paid, the workers, the drivers, the intermediate shipping place (distributors), the stores that house the items, the landlords that own the properties, the workers that tend to the store.
That's pretty good all things considered. I bet the most money ends up in the hands of the stores, store owners, who are subsequently the richest stockholders on the planet.
And what do they do with the money? We all have alot of worthless stuff, and those that do have families, have no time to enjoy themselves at all.
They're the true slaves...
Guessing at least some people think the way I do, then you'll understand why populations are dwindling.
Nobody has children because they believe those children will be profitable anymore. Not like 3rd world countries.
Not even women want babies anymore, until they figure out there is no lottery to be won after they hit 30 - 35 then decide there is nothing else in life that matters.
Before women wanted babies wanted babies right away...
What the fuck are we eating?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/us-girls-puberty-idUSBRE9A304D20131104
(Reuters Health) - Girls are developing breasts at younger and younger ages, a new study confirms. And upward trends in childhood obesity seem to be playing a major role.
Researchers found African American girls started getting breasts just before they turned nine, on average. Among white girls the average age was about nine and a half - a few months earlier than in the 1990s.
The findings "confirm an ongoing downward trend in pubertal timing among U.S. girls," said Dr. Anders Juul.
"It's been worrying for the U.S. as well as the rest of the world," Juul said. He heads the Department of Growth and Reproduction at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, and wasn't involved in the new report.
by InquirerSocialism doesn't have to be implemented with a Marxist goal and ideal; the fear of turning into a communist state is entirely unfounded. As I see it, a few "socialistic" reforms and the US would be back on track.
When I said "it definitely needs some conditions to fluorish and succeed. Unfortunately, these conditions are not the best and if it's imposed coercively, we'll have a new USSR, which will collapse eventually", I was talking about the current conditions, which obviously are not the best and wouldn't be apt for socialism to be successful (not the goals themselves). I don't think it'd be a good idea if someone came up and implemented it by force. It's a very long process.