Third world or bust

Let me see if I can remember a few things that I learned about economics, during my Davidson days. Some stuff I'll just make up or assume to be true. You'll have to judge for yourself which arguments come from my own lack of intelligence.

The wave of privatization is strong and in full effect. Can you afford it? That's the question that no one seems to ask or think about answering. The purpose or premise of capitalism is very simple; maximize profits. If your police department has to post a profit, officers would be encouraged to write more tickets. Departments may even reward them with bonuses for large volumes of tickets written. Would the fire department come to your small apartment fire, when a 3,00o square foot house is ablaze? The larger the house, the greater the profit.

Many may think this sounds crazy, but just wait and see.

What if everyone had a job and no one was on welfare? Sounds like a great idea, but if that were a reality, inflation would be so high, you couldn't afford a head of lettuce. See, the more people employed, the larger the payroll. The larger the payroll, the higher the price of a good. Remember, this is capitalism. Though the government has no interest in a profit, private companies do.

What if the same company owned the police force and the jail? I think a small conflict of interest would exist. I heard the best argument in support of collective bargaining on an evening talk show. At that moment it all made perfectly good sense to me. How can a politician bargain with a union, when that exact union will be making donations to their campaign? So, it's not that collective bargaining on its own that costs everyone. The politician who needs a donation probably will cave instead on standing firm. Now we're getting to the root of the problem...corruption and greed.

Want to find where the bodies are buried, stomp out waste and fraud. If a government worker wants an item, they could purchase it for much less down the street. Unfortunately, in the name of fairness, approved vendors get all the business. Most approved vendors are mini-monopolies who charge ridiculous prices, well above a fair market price.

What's an Oligarchy?

The oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, corporate, or military control. The word oligarchy is from the Greek word that means "a few" and the verb for "to rule, to govern, to command". Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next.

Hmmm, I thought this was a democracy?