[ExI] Don't be evil

[Lee Corbin]

BillK wrote:

> On 3/24/10, Dan wrote:
>> And, in terms of solutions, I'd
>> prefer the massive, decentralized, parallel process of hundreds of millions
>> or billions of individuals interacting peacefully and voluntarily over the
>> model of one or a few people directing all the rest.
> 
> ...
> Your idealistic vision of 'hundreds of millions or billions of
> individuals interacting peacefully' could be called sheep.
> Unfortunately they are surrounded by a cadre of rapacious wolves
> (pretending to be clever sheep) with dens in Wall Street.

Even in the days of the so-called robber barons, many of whom
such as Gould and Rockefeller, were perfectly honest, there
were the very evil who freely bribed state, local, and
federal officials. It was nothing short of scandalous,
the newspapers being full of the corruption.

Freedom will lead to inequality---is that tolerable?

Today, the situation is worst in almost all ways (though
better in a few). Instead of directly passing suitcases
full of money to legislatures, today it's done with vast
millions to re-election campaigns. Each corporation is
"required" to shell out big time to each powerful political
party for protection. And this is exactly the same concept,
*protection*, used by gangsters.

But it gets worse. With the clandestine invention of the
Federal Reserve, which literally had to be done in secret
without the public knowing who and why, the random gouging
of depositors gave way to a system of the organized
fleecing of the poor and middle classes by the bankers,
who now also are in control of the government's monetary
policies.

But I totally agree with your line:

 > Unfortunately they are surrounded by a cadre of rapacious wolves
 > (pretending to be clever sheep) with dens in Wall Street.

But you may be under the common illusion that regulation
is the answer. No, the regulated become the regulators---
both in terms of protection and in terms of direct financial
control.

More bailouts are on the way. At "guess who's" expense.

> It's not a case of a few people directing all the rest. We just want
> some gamekeepers with big guns to deal with the wolves.

The gamekeepers are always going to be in the pay of the
wolves.

Lee

P.S. Sorry for the America-centric description. The same
thing applies, perhaps not always so starkly, in all so-called
"free markets" under regulation by powerful governments.