Posting Past Drafts that I held back before

 There were various reasons I hesitated before, that don't seem to matter all that much now, so I decided to put them out now for posterity's sake.

The Contradiction Of Needing Information, But Also Being Loath To Share It

Corporate debt in general, but also Corporate Bonds, and Corporate Bond Derivatives, are in turmoil now for several big reasons, where, of course, it is the uncertainties of not only the impossibility of knowing, at this early point, just how much initial, chaos might continue, because so many nations are only still discovering that that have a curve to flatten at all, let alone what they will need to do to get it flattened; even beyond that is there also the uncertainties of what the very need of Capitalists, to always find another way to make money off something that has become too staid, or lackluster, in ability to provide profit; what that does to keep them creating more uncertainties for themselves. And in that case, now that the Fed has made the commodity of money itself virtually free, and thus not so conducive for returns maximization, what is a good Capitalist to do? Well add a new level of abstraction to an already existing commodity, and then trade in that. That's why futures trading exists in the first place, you know, for almost anything.

Back before 2008, of course, it was the wonderfully obfuscating euphemism, that they called derivatives, that packaged mostly bad stuff, with a little good stuff, in the context of home mortgage loans, that was dreamed up. And we know where that went.

There are protections now, in place, to protect against too much of that kind of speculation, for ordinary people, bank borrowing. For the big business sorts of borrowing, though, not so much. And so a lot of not so profitable companies have been able to keep going because they've been able to tap into more speculative oriented lenders, willing, supposedly, to take on more risk, precisely in order to get a higher commodity price for that commodity called money. And because that's been going on for a while, naturally people would create new, packaged investment instruments with which institutional investors get tempted into adding to their portfolios because its just too damn easy. 

The Awful Calculus Of "Acceptable Deaths a Year"

And of course what we're talking about there is the rate for any particular process deemed essential to the current economic system.

This is getting trotted out now because the Masters of Money are truly worried weather their system can survive. And I am talking about much more than just this first shoe (which just happened to be a biological event), in what has been but one of many, able to start, perfect storms, of perfect storms, of great chaos, and disruption.

Before I go any further, though, I feel obliged to point out that I have used a similar argument in talking about what I have felt was an over reaction to the, understandable fear, that resulted from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

That gave us, you will recall, the TSA, Homeland Security, and an airline industry that found a way to make a lot of money turning necessary social logistics into a an exercise in "Aluminum tubes of humiliation sausage," for far too many, just for semi-affordable (because most paycheck to paycheck, working people, still can't afford it, and so cannot afford to "Vote With Their Feet"), regional mass transit.

My complaint was that, the choice of giving up a lot of freedom, for a questionable gain in safety, in this context, was odd, considering we all take the tens of thousands of deaths we cause ourselves, on our freeways, with only moderate notice, simply because we also like to use our distracting, media devices; stating that TSA agents would save more lives by being deployed to driveways, street fronts, and garages, to confiscate these devices (forcing the users to put them in the car trunk, lets say), before you could begin your traverse to wherever.

Seeing how the argument is now being used by the "The Demented Clown Car Driver" administration (with King Boso himself, gleefully tossing the steering wheel out the window), I have been given cause to reconsider the long term costs of its continued use. Even if mine was a bit less, starkly cold, on the prospect of people dying in the first place.

In being made to think about this further, now, I believe I have come to some tentative conclusions you might want to consider here:

1: First of all, lets be clear that, for the most part, the majority of deaths any of might be talking about, in these types of considerations, in this economic system, are going to be among hourly, paycheck to paycheck, working people. And you do not have to look very far to see facts to allow you to believe that; as in, from the beginning, who among us have always been able to get the good tests, and the best treatment, as well as the best chances for a non desperate type of "sequestration?" Yup, you guessed it, the most well to do of us, that's who. The very people who have reserves to fall back on, if only for a limited time, certainly, with the way these people like to burn through self indulgence.

2: What are the assumptions inherent in allowing this argument to take place at all? Are you sure you are clear on them?

For instance, a lot of what we are supposed to take for granted, as a part of modern economic life now, is that a certain number of us will die on the highways; and of various diseases, and various accidents, because of the very fact of everyday occurrence, as a part of economic life. And we accept that without looking very deeply into what serves to exacerbate those very things; which is, of course, the system itself; because it is, and always has been, a toxic monster. The only difference now is that it is an electrically accelerated one, seeking the impossibility of moving all processes at the speed of light (because now, if it doesn't kill you by environmental poisoning, it will kill you with one kind of work related stress, or outright physical damage -- when the corner cutting, on the thirst for more profit, in creating output ever faster, with less cost, makes things break down, or explode, in terrible ways).

This is why you have the truly monumental absurdity of our "Boso" saying we have to accept a certain amount of deaths, while at the same time having just gutted the EPA rules on restricting power plant pollution, based on health concerns. And having already gutted pollution rules for most vehicles to be produced in the future, to list just a few things this demented clown car driver has already done.

And even more absurd yet: he boasts, at the beginning of this biological event, that all he is really concerned about is having "his bad numbers go up," and by obvious implication, his good numbers go down. And just as obvious, his good numbers are those that make sure rich people are making more, and the bad any that makes him look bad. And nothing can make you look bad a whole lot worse than folks fixating on the fact that they are dying in very significant numbers; and for no more "good reason." than a minimum wage job, and help for what ails you that you can hardly ever afford.

Nope. The true message here is that you are supposed to accept these risks, as well as the crushing debt, because that's simply you lot in life. Whereas theirs is to be the privilaged, ruling class.


Boso The Demented Clown Car Driver

In Trump's 'LIBERATE' tweets, extremists see a call to arms

The Awful Calculus Of Acceptable Deaths a Year

Dr. Oz and other TV docs hit with new coronavirus symptom: tripping over their own tongues

Here's An Eerily Prescient Warning About The Threat Of Doublespeak To American Democracy

For me the interesting part of this excellent book, and author, and someone, I am ashamed to admit, that I completely forgot about, is how quickly the author moves from the political realm to the commercial. And then how that ties directly to the development of what I call the "Hard Sell."

I was up to my armpits, at the time, in dealing with not only a failed second marriage, but also the unbelievable new complications of trying to work within the emerging desktop computer hardware, and software business, with my own DBA (as in "doing business as" for a personal checking account) "Old Softy Computer Assistance."

It was a crazy time to say the least as I had to transition from doing installs, and custom software, for small businesses, to doing software exclusively, for medium, and big businesses. So much so that I'm pretty sure I didn't have the time to read this book back then, but I am pretty sure I heard about it, because I've always been a fairly deep reading, news junkie.

Anyway,

I mention this now because it relates to this post ("Everything Is Potential Commodity In Capitalism") done back in 10-6-2019), and how everything is commodity now and, as a result, subject to the "Hard Sell."

The one thing that post neglected to emphasize, though, was the acceleration factor now so embedded into this mutating system; an acceleration mandated by the fact that money has become "as electrons in electrical circuits, seeking the path of least resistance," and always wanting to move ever more like the speed of light itself.

This is what, in my opinion, is making everything spin faster and faster, every month.

It used to be every few years or so. Then it suddenly became quarterly, and now it's pushing for every week.

That this also tends to generate big numbers, whether in gross economic activity, or the counts of those caught in ever increasing kinds of "collateral damage," tends to get things really confused.



Here's An Eerily Prescient Warning About The Threat Of Doublespeak To American Democracy

See Also:

Everything Is A Potential Commodity In Capitalism

So Many People Voted For Both Candidates Thinking They'd be The One To Supply the Jobs

Here it is, the morning after and we're still, all, hung over with fear, dread, and loathing, because it's still way to close to call.

 So why would I juxtapose such, seemingly unrelated articles? 

Because they are surely not unrelated at all. Not when you think about this sort of thing in the stark terms of: "which would you really wish for?" And the reason for this is implied contrast here of "Assisted Reality," as opposed to truly "Manipulated Reality." 

I as this question because, in my view, it is a choice between Unbelievable Capability for everyone, or simply "Doing More With Less People." 

And of course, the main difference between them can be summed up by saying that Empowerment is what would drive the first, and only the unquenchable thirst for profit driving the second.

What would that mean?

If we had truly context sensitive AI, delivered through the kind of AR glasses that Microsoft is already deploying, in increasing numbers, to various industries, so that generally capable people can be directed to, and assisted in, accomplishing, increasingly more complex task steps, in the ever changing, process requirements, of an ever accelerating competition, to deliver a thing better than whoever else is out there trying to do the same thing back at you, whether you're tired, Covid Susceptible, or still, actually, not making a living wage; while the robots won't have to care at all.  Oh... Wait... That went off the rails didn't it.

But of course it would have to because Microsoft isn't doing any of this for empowerment, nearly as much as it is for the bigger pile of ones, and zeros, in it's bank account servers; which is also a big profit center for all of the Tech Giant.

If we truly want to have power back to the people, it will occur only when we can wrest back full control of information; in all of its aspects back into our hands. 

And even if the the Dems still, somehow, find a way to make the vastly superior popular vote, be actually reflected in the electoral count, don't think for one minute that they will want to give us that full control. They will certainly be more friendly in throwing us a bone or two, to give it a good look, but Big Money will no more be seriously challenged by them, than with that moron the other side thinks is going to save them.

One thing is for sure, though.

If the popular vote remains so hugely lopsided against the incumbent pres. but the electoral vote goes to him anyway, this will become the most fractiously divided country since the last bloody Civil war. And how we'll work through that will all of the disasters coming, as well as what we already have on our plate. is anybody's guess.

Microsoft Establishes Its Hololens 2

The Robot Revolution Is Happening-Like It or Not -- WSJ

Our Economy And The, So Called, Free To Play Game Paradigm

 Anybody who has play games like "Armored Warfare," "World  Of War Ships,"  or  the other "World of" line, and certainly a vast array of others -- even more popular, if you're not  a certified (Magic the Gathering, Civ 5, Supreme Commander, Forged Alliance, Skyrim, Mod loving) geek; anybody who's played them knows how these things work.

And simply put, it boils down to frustrating the ever living hell out of you. Doing this via various approaches to making sure that, if you don't have the biggest, and badest, addons, for whatever can be added to, you are up a feces creek, with only your nose left to paddall with.

It is always interesting to me, though just how much this ends up as one form. or another, of addiction.  Because if you give in to it, and start feeding it money like crazy, you can gain the momentary high, more and more, of course, because of the ever more lavish way it is presented, that comes with the status gained in your particular community of addiction.

The catch, though, is that this must necessarily be fleeting. And that is so because, with the new stuff that you acquire, and the much more probable victories, comes the new level of difficulty, which then starts the process over again.

These are the kinds of things you should be thinking about if you still do not think we need to reboot the entire system. Reboot from a whole new operating system install. 

Sure, It's A Dirty Job, but somebody's got to do it...

...And If You're A  Regular, Working Stiff (hourly, salaried, or entrepreneurial -- and even making millions a year) , then guess who's going to be on the bad end of the stick when it finally gets down to: we do this or we die.

Yah, it's going to be a big feces sandwich, and working people are going to the only ones left, on the flooded, tornadoed, wild fired, or whatever other kind of catastrophic ground that's becoming ever more likely, of late, you might also want to contemplate, to have to take a bite, and swallow it too.

This is so because we all know that, in the most significant of majorities, the very rich are going to do what they've already shown us is likely; as in bugging out, and hunkering down, in whatever, lavishly accessorized to be sure, bunker like, gated community, is the most cost/amenities effective. Whether it will do them any real good, if things do get as bad as they are quite likely to be, or not. And I can assure you, in the bitter end, and most of us working stiffs (on the treadmill to nowhere) are already gone, and they don't have anybody, anymore, to do the "dirty" jobs; well, use your own imagination.

I have to say, though, that I do love that line. It has become a wonderful cliché for me, over the years.

If you check, you'll find that there is still some confusion around where it came from, but as one person said, a few years back, it was from a WW2 war movie, that was done in the fifties. For the life of me, though, I can't quite recall who said it, in what exact movie, but I'm sure it was someone like John  Agar, Frank Lovejoy, Van Johnson, or James Whitmore, etc., who uttered it, because I can still hear it clearly in my head.

Anyways... We are not going to be able to do this job, however, precisely because the super rich still think money will save them; no matter what happens to us. And I have to say that this will be one, very Lethal assumption.

Just know this: If the Twaites Glacier goes, and that big Antarctic current, that used to be a big carbon sequestration engine (circulating as it did from very deep water), continues to be a new, carbon source, and most of the Artic ice goes as well, we will see not only many tens of feet of sea rise, but ever more crazy weather to make that even more horribly bad. 

Which means that not only will at least a billion people, all around the globe, will be rendered homeless, and as such, refugees on the move, but every major port city in the world will be rendered virtually useless, as well; so, just like Sypher said in "The Matrix," the "Kansas" of our economy is going bye bye.

What I also worry about, though, even after all of the melting has run most of its course, is that, if there then comes to be a much less significant source of temperature differential, at both poles, what then will then happen to other, terribly important atmospheric, and oceanic, currents? 

That is to say, what will happen when there is no longer the difference that made our current circulations work the magic, that they have been making, for over a million years at least? The ones that gave us the intricately  balanced system, of many sub systems, that allowed us, and everything else, to evolve as it did. Because, at that point, all there will be is hot. And oceans boiling off ever greater amounts of water. 

That will fuel something, certainly, if only by water evaporating, and then condensing again when it gets pushed to higher altitudes (assuming it gets pushed); so as to fall back as rain. A situation that, in my opinion, will be sure to do only one thing: put too much rain, in foo few places, and not nearly enough, in too many places.

So the bottom line is this: The lead times to get such tremendous programs designed, planned, and then be readied for execution, are such that we have to start doing a vast array, of multiple things, at the same time. And to do that, we will need access to all of the technological tools that society has made possible, for one and all, to get rich with, in the first place.

And to do that we, and the very rich, are going to have to accept the fact that a divorce is going to be necessary; a divorce where we have to play the part of the wife, who gets the house, while the rich husband gets to keep most of the rest of there cashed out value. A process, certainly, that won't be easy. For either side. But one that will have to bee done if we expect any chance at all, slim though it still might be.

And that, unfortunately, my friends, is just the way it is. Like it or not.

There is an alternative, though, and I sincerely believe I have outlined, at least a portion of it. I can only hope you will come to take it as seriously as the problem itself.