Comments by "Ōkami-san" (@mweibleii) on "Thom Hartmann: Our Economic Rot Began with Reagan!" video.

The real ROT started with Woodrow Willson when he gave the US economy / Country over to the Banks.
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BramSLI1 Glass-Steagall would not have stopped this crises from happening. It would have happened regardless. But, for the record, Clinton was the POTUS and he ended it. He could have used a line-item veto or outright veto. He didn't. But, again, it didn't matter. You do understand this banking crises involved more than just the USA. Not to mention Japan had the exact same thing happen in the 90s and, get this, they're independent of the US Congress.
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Rusty Mckee The US State department is responsible for the drug war. Labor has been moving to where it's cheapest for hundreds of years. And, there's nothing wrong with that. If an iPhone were made in the USA, there wouldn't BE an iPhone. That's what you don't get. You think the jobs would be here and so would the market. But that's a fantasy. There wouldn't BE a market because the phones would cost thousands of dollars and no one can afford a $5000 smart phone. As an example, simply look at Brazil. They forced Sony to make PS4 there. Guess how much it costs to buy? About $1800-2000 which is why most Brazilians cannot afford one! AND Brazil is cheap relative to the USA price of labor hours! In short, you bought into the bullshit narrative you're being sold by these Socialist twats. It's all a load of shit. As for Tax policies. Again, you're being taken for a fool. The government goes into debt over a trillion dollars a year. It has NO problem raising capital you dolt. The price of goods is entirely dependent on supply. Tax is simply an accounting tool, it doesn't do anything to increase supply. To do that you need production - which you just whined went to China where it's the most efficient and cost effective. You are totally clueless as to how anything works. That much we can agree on. Note: Google Brazil PS4 Price, then you'll see how these polices would have effected you without free trade with Asia. There would BE not smart phone market. It really is THAT simple.
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BramSLI1 You are insane and you have no idea what I do or do not believe. Yes, CEO's are paid a lot of money, many are probably paid too much. But, how can YOU know that? Do you sit on the board of directors? Do you run a company? So what if Steve Jobs was paid billions? What's it to you? If you buy Apple all that matter is if the product is worth your money or not. If you work at Apple, all you care about is your job. Therefor, the ONLY way we know is a CEO is paid too much is when they bankrupt their companies. As a matter of fact, the same is true of ALL employees. One last point you may want to consider, CEO's of publicly traded companies are often elected by shareholder, so it's up to them if that person is worth the money or not. What would it matter to you? If you work for Apple and you don't like how much the CEO is paid, the answer is easy, quit. Other than that, it has nothing to do with YOU personally. I'll give you another example. Do you know how much the Toyota family makes? Does it matter to you? No and No. But you can buy Toyota cars and trucks. What would it matter to you if the Toyota family makes $100 a year ot $100,000,000. It doesn't matter to you. Because you have no idea what you are crapping on about. You're just reiterating who that douche Sanders told you to blame. That's HOW he gets elected. Other than hot air, Sander has never actually produced anything in his life.
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Rusty Mckee Slave Labor, what an oxymoron. You mean like the Chinese? The Chinese who are getting rich? China, who will soon be a richer nation than the USA. I find it funny that in one side of your mouth you crap out one-liner's like Slave-Labor and out of the other side of your mouth you whine those same Slaves are stealing all of the good jobs. Your argument is literally a joke. Surely you can see how Chinese are not BOTH Slave-Laborers AND becoming immensely rich AND stealing your jobs. Now, let's stop and think about what it means to be a Slave, seeing as in you like to abuse this term. A Slave is FORCED to work, in China, Chinese stand in LONG LINES at the opportunity to work in a factory. No one is a Slave-Laborer in China or in the USA. Secondly 'Stealing Jobs'. Um, no. Someone wants to buy labor and other people want to sell labor. The Pizza Hut that moves in is NOT stealing business away from Subway, people are voluntarily spending their money. Thus, as you can see, you need to go and read a book and stop listening to lying politicians.
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+BramSLI1 I am in Asia right now. You have no idea what you are talking about. Free trade is lifting 100s of millions of Chinese out of poverty. The primary problem in China is the same as in the US, Crony Capitalism due to State interference in the markets.
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+BramSLI1 Do you have ANY ideas of your own or ANY experience outside of TV? Chinese do NOT work like slaves, the factories are BETTER than in the USA! AND the suicide rate is LOWER in China. Again, you're talking out your arse.
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+Rusty Mckee, I think you need to take an economy course. One more time: In the next couple decades 3D printing will eliminate almost all need of mass manufacturing. Robots will replace most of the other jobs in any factories that remain. Are you claiming we will be LESS prosperous once ALL of these jobs are gone? Society no longer needs labor cogs to sit and turn lug nuts. So, if you want a good job you need a highly sought skill. If not, then start a business. If you don't want to do either of those then there's only lowly paid service jobs. Whining or voting Sanders isn't going to change economic reality. And the factories are NOT coming back. They may move to Vietnam or Indonesia, but they're not coming back to the USA.
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+BramSLI1 IOWs you're clueless.
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+Rusty Mckee Machines aren't going to produce things if people are not buying them right? What would be the point? And the rich factory owners GET rich selling things right? I can tell you right now your problem is you keep thinking jobs are important because you think money is important. Well image if it only cost you $100 to buy a car or $10000 to buy a house. Will it? That's up to free markets to determine. But I can tell you no one produces things if people can't but them and we have the ability to create money by fiat. So perhaps instead of trying to make our life difficult by restrictions on freedom and free trade why not address the problem with our monetary system?
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+Rusty Mckee You're going to cite a source that 12 companies own 90% of consumer goods. Because that sounds like a total crock of shit.
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+BramSLI1 Ideas are also products. So is art.
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+Rusty Mckee In a free market it wilds be easy to start a business. A babysitter is a business. An artist. etc...
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BramSLI1 Care to name some so-called 'Free-Markets'? They certainly do not exist anywhere in the USA where 30% of the occupations require a licence and the other 70% are heavily regulated. And where the regulation is the most, the markets are the most crony and corrupt, as an example see Finance (has the most regulations by number) and Health Services (runs neck and neck with Finance and may take #1 position depending on the year). In the USA where selling raw milk, that humans have drank for 1 million years, is illegal but selling Pink Slime made of ground snout, hooves, skin, teeth, ears and tail mixed with wood pulp, died pink is 'Regulated' as safe to eat 'food'. As of now, the ONLY place we see semi-free markets is the Internet, and it's probably the best place for someone to attempt to start a business and get anywhere in life. All the other markets are so hyper-regulated that I wouldn't waste my time bothering with them unless you have a very highly in demand skill and/or the money to buy off politicians / Regulators / Law-Makers in your favor. So, again, please name this time and place where these FREE markets exist. It certainly isn't in the USA for the last 115 years.
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+BramSLI1 You're kidding me? "Robber Barons"? THAT is your argument? A few Americans got rich in America during the late 1800s...therefor it's a FACT that Free-Markets (which is to say free people) can never work for all of human history ever. Just what sort of crapping are they teaching you at your Business School? Not much by the looks of it. If you think a Political Slogan is an argument then think again. And if think having a business degree makes any difference then look up Appeal To Authority fallacy to find out different. So? Why don't you list 5 of these so-called Robber Barons and explain exactly who they robbed, why they weren't jailed for robbery, and what they did that was so wrong to make you think Free-Markets can therefor NEVER work for all of time.
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Rusty Mckee Are you or Bram over here going to provide an example of a so-called Robber Barron or not? And I'd like to know who they robbed and how. Surely you can list a few names given these titans of history, prove free-markets (which is to say free people) can NEVER exist ever - in all of human history, ever. Merely their historical presence in the 1800s is evidence enough to prove free markets can never exist, even in the year 2500. Have you ever heard of cherry picking? When you look through the past and find something that fits with your cognitive biases and then convince yourself that this is evidence for something more than it is. Where there rich industrialists in the USA, in the 1800s? Yes, so what? That's not evidence that free-markets do not work. Talk about hyperbole and making a mountain out of a mole hill.
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RE: Robber Barrons. So, let's clearly state the argument. In the 1800s a few Americans got lucky and capitalized on the second industrial revolution and got rich providing other Americans with goods and services. Like electricity, radios, trains, planes and automobiles. Okay, so their crime was they GASP got rich. Now, let's compare that 'Crime' of the GASP Robber Barron's against today's HYPER REGULATED MARKETS. You know, the ones where you need a licence to cut god damn hair, to legally marry someone, to sell alcohol, to drive a cab and in some states to sell arranged flowers. You know, where selling raw milk will send you to prison but selling FDA Regulated Pink Slime is A-Okay. The one where the State makes our currency by fiat and then charges us an income tax to use it - forcing us to us it. THIS ONE. Let's see now. HAS 100 years of REGULATION WORKED for us? The richer are even RICHER!!! They'd make those Robber Barron's blush they're so god damn rich. The mansions of a Robber Barron wouldn't house the cleaning staff for these rich f$ckers. AND get this, 2015 was a RECORD BREAKING year for number of regulations - how's it working out??? Why don't YOU apply YOUR same god damn logic? If you didn't think free-markets worked in the 1800s because a few guys got rich, well that isn't shit compared to what the Regulated-Markets and the State have done in the last 100. Korean War ring a bell? How about napalm set alight and dropped on children over Vietnam? How about the phony war on terror that has killed a million children in Iraq? NSA wire tapping? And you have the god damn GALL to sit over their and whine about a few fat rich old industrialists over 100 years ago!? Give me a f*cking break.You are clueless. No wonder Sanders wins the likes of you over to his side, all he has to do is off you Moar Free. Because, at the end of the day, that's really all it is for people like you. You sit there and say Robber Barrons 'proves' free-markets can NEVER EVER work while Regulated Markets have literally destroyed entire civilizations. 100s of million of humans have died due to State regulations. Oh, but but but, Robber Barron's got rich. The Ford Family was rich. The Rockefeller's made some money. Jesus H Christ, what load of crap are they teaching at Universities now-a-days. Not like I'd know, I'm only a doctor, but hey, you have an undergraduate in business. While I was doing Physical Chemistry you were probably playing cards and watching TV. And, if you made it this far, I'll end on this note. LOOK UP the word Argument, because you don't appear to have a clue what that word means. I'll clue you in, there's two big families, deductive and inductive, try not confusing them next time you attempt to make one. Good Day
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Heads Tails A bunch of crony crooks that work in the Regulated Markets? What of them? We do NOT live in a free-market society. We live in a very very VERY top down State regulated society. Finance and healthcare are by far the most regulated, and (not) coincidentally, the most broken. This is an objective fact, you can look up the total number of regulations and count them yourself.
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Heads Tails You listed crony capitalists of the 20th century. Robber Barron's refers to Industrialists of the 1800s. Two totally different groups of people. Do I think removing regulations that protect crony capitalists and provide regulatory-capture for rent-seekers by replacing them basic common LAWS that protect property right and contract? Yes, that's correct. As an example: FDA regulates ground pig snout, hooves, skin, tail, anus, hair, boiled in ammonia, mixed with filler (wood pulp) and dyed pink as FOOD and raw milk as POISON. You understand how insane this is? Today, thanks to regulatory capture (primarily Rx) by the AMA, we have the largest population of non-violent humans in prison (Drug War) AND at the same time a heroin epidemic! Oh, and medicine is now the most expensive its ever been - due to AMA enforced limitations on supply side of the curve. Oh, and to boot, Government Regulated Medicine now has Medical Error as the #2 reason you will die in the USA. How's that for 'Regulations'? You do understand out Regulators BAILED OUT the criminal bankers and then fed them trillion MORE in money. And that doesn't even begin to mention the MIC. You'd literally have to be insane to think Government Regulated markets are in ANYWAY better than free-markets, lawful markets. Notice I said LAWFUL. We were NOT an anarchy in the 1800s and we would not be one if we had free-markets. Yes, some people got rich - so what? No where near as rich as the crony crooks of today's hyper-regulated markets.
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Rusty Mckee The only person who doesn't live in the real world is you Statists. Here's some facts: In 2015 the US Government passed the most regulations ON RECORD. The US Government has invaded numerous countries and killed millions of innocent people and is doing so again, today, over phony made up reasons. They did it in Vietnam and did it again in Iraq (WMD). The US Government is the largest polluter in history. The US Government consumes the most energy in the world. The US Government imprisons the most non-violent humans in all of history. We imprison MORE total humans than China, and China has 1.3 billion people AND is Communist. So, again, it is YOU people that do not live in the real world. A few more FACTS you can look up. The two most regulated markets by number of regulations written are finance and healthcare. Oh, and geee, which are the two most broken markets? Finance, which is in the process of destroying society, and healthcare, which is now the number #2 reason you will die in the USA, Medical Error - feel free to look up that Stats. In addition, I have lived in 5 different countries. And by lived, I mean, LIVED. Not visited, not attended school at, but lived in. Some in the West, some in the East. The problems we face are due to Governments - ALL Governments. How do I know? Because they arise in Government that do not have Congressmen and POTUS and they arise in societies where there are no Koch Brothers to blame.
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BramSLI1 We need a Bernie Sanders. Jesus H Christ we Americans have become so f#cking pathetic. You remind me of an Iranian I knew who said, The Ayatollah is trying his best it's just bla bla blah. Seriously, you sound like her. Or a Chinese I knew who just knew Dear Leader was trying his best - if only he had some help from blah blah blah.... News Flash, thanks to the DoED regulated Government Schools 1 in 5 (20%) of Americans graduate from high school FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE. You do understand that electing Bernie Sanders will do NOTHING to change this. His wife is part of that problem by the way, and she has done NOTHING to fix it. How do we know? Again, look up the DoED own stats on functional illiteracy rates. If anything he'll make it worse. You do understand that Government regulated healthcare is f&cked. More regulations are not going to fix it. Take a look at Government run welfare ghettos - you think Sanders is going to magically fix State sponsored generational dependency?? The Government created the problem and you want it to now fix it?! Are you insane. You Statists are no different from Theists. Seriously, the only difference is you worship the State. Instead of Bishops you praise your Senators. Instead of the Pope you pray to the POTUS. Yes, let's hope Sanders is elected, maybe he can fulfill his promise to turn the USA into that Democratic Socialistist Progressive Utopia Sweden he's always crapping on about. The quicker Progressive Socialists sink this economy, the quicker those of us who will fix things ourselves can to work. So, yes, vote Sanders. It should be noted, if you go to Sanders website, most of his list (pretty much every item) is MOAR FREE. Free free free.... how pathetic. It seems to get elected in the USA today, all you need to do is promise free stuff. What you will NOT see on his website is ending Teachers Unions, make it easier for common people to access Private Schools, ending the AMA, or anything else that might change things over the long run. The problems we face will require at least 3 decades to fix, just to give you a clue as to the magnitude of the problems.
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Heads Tails Except you haven't made a counter argument. You've literally confused 20th century crony capitalists with 19th century robber barrons. I'll tell you what, type in the words 'Material Implication', into Google Images, see all those funny squiggles? THOSE are HOW proper arguments are formulated. Any of them look familiar to you? No? Oh, well you can thank the DoED regulated Government Schooling for that. Had you attended a Private School run by people who actually get paid to TEACH you might understand what an argument is and why you're not making one. Oh, and what's Sanders solution? More money to Teachers Union. Seriously, look up his platform. What a joke.
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+Rusty Mckee The last 30 years have decimated the middle class the massive government expansion and regulations. As well as seen the erosion of many public institutions, as exampled by the 20% functional illiteracy rate of Government School graduates, loss of civil liberties and loss of privacy. Medical Error rose from 85K in 1990 to 450K in 2010. That aside, labeling is not an argument, it's sophistry. My family isn't white, I'm an atgeiy, pro-gay rights, and against the drug war. You on the other hand are nothing but more of the same, you're the Conservative. You just call it progressivism. Essentially, you are an authoritarian Statist.
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+Heads Tails The argument made was that because "Robber Barrons" existed in the 1800s (at a time correlated with small Government and relatively Free-Markets) that because a few Industrialists GASP got rich, therefor free markets have been "proven" they cannot ever exist - ever. They don't "work". All I did was apply this reasoning to the last 110 years of Government Regulated Markets. The rich are richer than ever. Much much richer than Robber Barons, therefor Regulated Markets are a bigger failure. Thus universalizing the conclusion shows free markets work better.
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+Rusty Mckee LOL One more time, you're not making an argument. You are blabbering. Look up Propositional Logic, deductible arguments versus Inductive. You go right ahead and vote Bernie, Hillary, Trump. It's not going to change the fact that Government School graduate functional illiterates at a rate of 1 in 5. Innumeracy is even higher (go ahead and Google that term if you can't read it). Paying Government Teachers more or less isn't going to change this fact. Medical Error will continue to rise and cost more and some services will become scarce. The financial system isn't going to work for you in your Magic Land of magic thinking. Sorry, but those are the facts.
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+Rusty Mckee The Government has near total control over education, spends nearly 100 billion a different year, and after 12 years still produces functionally illiterate graduates at a rate of 1 in 5. And these are the people who bother to graduate. Tens of thousands just quite wasting their time. Ever hear the idiom: "Good enough for Government work"? That phrase is over a century old in the USA. The fact is, Government has been, is still, and will always be crap quality. You Progressives seem to believe the government just needs to tax the "rich". Why? Taxation doesn't increase goods and services. That requires productive investment. Not to mention the Government has NO problem raising capital. It already blows through over a TRILLION dollars a year. You literally live in Magic Land. For example, you qualify democracy with "strong". A) This is meaningless. Strong is only used to qualify cogent and requires statistical analysis. It's like you just threw the word in because it sounded good. B) We live in a Republic not a democracy because history shows democracies do not work C) I have no idea why you think Democracy (strong or otherwise) is going to be more productive than other forms of government. Unless you're suggesting freedom is important / free trade.
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+Rusty Mckee The Government has near total control over education, spends nearly 100 billion a different year, and after 12 years still produces functionally illiterate graduates at a rate of 1 in 5. And these are the people who bother to graduate. Tens of thousands just quite wasting their time. Ever hear the idiom: "Good enough for Government work"? That phrase is over a century old in the USA. The fact is, Government has been, is still, and will always be crap quality. You Progressives seem to believe the government just needs to tax the "rich". Why? Taxation doesn't increase goods and services. That requires productive investment. Not to mention the Government has NO problem raising capital. It already blows through over a TRILLION dollars a year. You literally live in Magic Land. For example, you qualify democracy with "strong". A) This is meaningless. Strong is only used to qualify cogent and requires statistical analysis. It's like you just threw the word in because it sounded good. B) We live in a Republic not a democracy because history shows democracies do not work C) I have no idea why you think Democracy (strong or otherwise) is going to be more productive than other forms of government. Unless you're suggesting freedom is important / free trade.
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Rusty Mckee LOL The problems with Education are over 100 years in the making - and took on a whole new meaning in the 1970s with the rise of the Teachers Union and then DoED under Carter The DoED is forced to publish their data and the yearly statistics show (if you believe in facts) education standards have been dropping through ALL administrations, for over 50 years. You suggesting this has anything to do with "Republication Austerity" shows you are a joke. Parroting back when you are told to believe. The fact is The federal government allocated approximately $154 billion towards education in fiscal year 2015 you turd. The DoED blew though nearly 70 BILLION of it. And guess what? STILL 1 in 5 Government School graduates can barely read and write - and these are the GRADUATES!! My suggestion to you is you vote Sanders and then whine about the GOP or DEMs or LibTards or whomever in 8 years when the economy is in an even bigger mess. Then, when Dear Leader asks you to vote for him, do it. Be the little Sheeple you were bred to be. Wave our flag and vote. That*s what you*re role in our society is.
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Rusty Mckee One major reason why the private sector is more efficient right now is because they do not have to deal with austerity cuts" HAHAHA.... yeah, because they EARN their money. But, the solution is simple, sell off your Governmental Services TO the Private Sector. See how simple it is? IF what you say is true, and you are providing value for money, then you will continue to do so in the PRIVATE FREE MARKET. It really is THAT simple. If you DO provide a valued service, and maybe you do, then you will continue to do so through making GASP a profit selling said service. It means people in society WANT you to keep doing what you're doing and are willing to pay you to keep doing so. This is why we NEED Privatization - which also means, no need for you to worry about CONgress, because you"ll be working directly for the people you claim to want to serve. As for your allegation that if schools were private then ONLY the rich would learn - again, you are clueless. The 1910 US Census showed in a Chicago Suburb African Americans had a literacy rate of 85% in 1910. This is without Government Schooling. Why? Because African's THEN valued learning to read and write and wanted to better themselves and the lives of their children. The 2010 census showed this SAME neighborhood, these are the great grandkids kid, THEIR literacy rate was under 50%. Again, you turd, you are wrong. The facts show you are wrong. Government Schooling does NOT work. Unless you call 1 in 5 functional illiteracy "working". You can look up the data for yourself. Unlike in 1910, Africans in 2010 can just get on generational Welfare, there is no NEED to improve. Raising children is tough work, why do that when Progressive Democrats are willing to foot the bill. Lastly, taxing does NOT increase the supply of good and services you dolt. Taxation only redistributed existing goods and services. As an example, the DoED spends more than the Koch Brothers lifetime earning in a single year and have nothing to show for it. You keep thinking we need more tax money - News Flash Sherlock, the Government raised over a TRILLION dollars this year. The US Government has NO problem raising capital. Jesus, are you completely clueless? The Government has MORE than enough money. One more time, taxation does NOT increase goods and services, it redistributes those that exist.
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+Rusty Mckee You seriously need to read a book. Do crashes occur in free markets? Yes, and they self correct quickly. The MASSIVE crashes are caused blin regulated markets. The Great Depression was caused BY the Central Bank. Ben Bernanke himself stated this was the case. It was then prolonged by Government actions. For example, the government paid farmers to burn produce and kill livestock to raise the price of these goods by limited supply, while at the same time American starved. THAT level of insanity only occurs in Regulated Markets. The GFC is another example of failed Government regulations in the market. We live in hyper regulated markets, NOT free markets. Hell, you can't even get married without Government telling you who you can marry. You can't even cut hair without a license.
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+Rusty Mckee American Government School teachers are some of the highest paid in the world you dolt. Japan spends about 1/2 GDP and their graduates run circles around ours (and can reading write). News Flash it doesn't take much money in resources to teach a child to read.
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