'Competitive Shopping'

You see, capitalism is a system of winners and losers. To be sure, the losers will whine that the odds were stacked against them - what Mises aptly labeled 'ressentiment'. But, we all have the freedom to make choices, we are 'free to fail'.

So next time, don't be a loser - bring the pepper spray.

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1'Customers hit by pepper spray at Wal-Mart describe scene of chaos' - LA Times

Fewer Crossing the Border

This chart tells the tale of the decline of the U.S. economy, to me. In fact, it may be one of the better ways to forecast recessions.

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1'Angry Arab News Service'

A Thanksgiving Prayer

I wonder if the legacy of Burroughs is tainted by the fact he was essentially a trust fund baby. It doesn't matter how and where one grows up, when life's choices are beyond us. But to what degree can we take a person's insights seriously and relate to them to our own when they are getting monthly checks from their parents well into adulthood ?

A Sternly Worded Letter

From The Board of the Council of UC Faculty Associations:

We are outraged that the administrations of UC campuses are using police brutality to suppress dissent, free speech and peaceful assembly.

We demand that the Chancellors of the University of California cease using police violence to repress non-violent political protests. We hold them responsible for the violence and believe it can only result in an escalation of outrage that holds the potential for even more violence.

They demand, or what ? They hold responsible, how ?

OWS is Not Popular (though more so than Congress)

The Marist Poll:

How many voters support these two movements (the Tea Party and OWS)? Looking at the Tea Party, 66% of voters do not back the movement while 25% do. Nine percent are unsure.

When it comes to the Occupy Wall Street movement, 60% do not support it while 29% do. 11% of registered voters are unsure.(1)

The Public Policy Poll:

Do you support or oppose the goals of the
Occupy Wall Street movement?
Support ........................................................... 33%
Oppose ........................................................... 45%
Not sure .......................................................... 22%

Do you have a higher opinion of the Occupy
Wall Street movement or the Tea Party
movement?
Occupy Wall St. .............................................. 37%
Tea Party ........................................................ 43%
Not sure .......................................................... 20%

It's likely that a majority of Americans support the police riots we have witnessed over the past month. There is little to suggest that they don't.

Activists need to be clear eyed not just about the folks running this country, but the reactionary condition of the population itself. This condition is not immutable, but it also not something likely to change in the near future, or possibly ever. Revolution is not imminent, nor is any type of progressive shift. Far too many progressive minded people believe in some innate goodness in the American population that is waiting to burst forth. But societies are probably more likely to be reactionary than revolutionary as they become poorer, less able to travel, and less able to attain education.

The Golden Age is Over

The U.S. is in steep economic decline worldwide and almost entirely projects its power through military force. China's FDI in Asia and Africa dwarfs that of the U.S., and it is competing strongly even in Latin America. The general belief in the ruling class is that the U.S. can only compete globally by impoverishing the domestic workforce and destroying any vestige of the New Deal. They are fully committed to this project, in what for them is an existential crisis. China's PPP GDP will overtake the U.S. in a matter of years, and the number of billionaires is fast approaching American quantities as well. And I only mention China because it is the most tangible expression of the incredible collapse of U.S. economic power. We are entering dangerous times and there should be no doubt that compromise is off the table as far the U.S. ruling class is concerned.

A Love of Blood

The New York Times' blog of today's OWS protests is satiated in blood. They must have a half-dozen pictures of a guy who was beaten bloody by the cops. All of which is an argument in favor of non-violence. The ruling class wants to create and portray an atmosphere of siege as way to marginalize the movement. Again, our rulers are deeply sick human beings who love violence and know how to respond to it. It maybe all they know how to respond to.

U.S. and Shanghai PISA results

I wonder what educational professionals are making of Shanghai's "shocking" PISA test results published earlier this year. And while Shanghai is not representative of China, it is not lacking in poor people. The U.S. educational system is a disaster, and the people running it are mostly ignorant, anti-intellectual and lack a shred of creativity. Their view of education is as a derivation of force feeding or perhaps a kindler gentler version of waterboarding. Anyhow, there's simply no one way for the U.S. to remain the "indispensable" nation if it continues to rely on imported talent, because the rest of the world is increasingly a pleasant place to stay.

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1'Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators' - New York Times

"Charities"

For many years, that enthusiasm took public form in his work with the Second Mile, a charity to benefit needy children that Sandusky started in 1977. On Sunday, Jack Raykovitz, the chief executive of the foundation for 28 years, resigned. Raykovitz’s failure to do more to stop Sandusky has been a focal point of criticism. ....Raykovitz made $132,923 from the Second Mile during the calendar year that ended Aug. 31, 2010, according to its tax forms.

That kind of money for a regional charity ? What an obscenity. Non-profits should be abolished, the concept has become a scam.

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1'Ex-Coach Denies Charges Amid New Accusations' - NYT

Obama Says Americans are Lazy

Actually, the empirical fact is that Americans work far more, in terms of wage labor, than 20 years ago. And a scolding coming from Obama, someone who was gifted his opportunities in life, is a bit rich.

We should realize this is how the ruling class and their lackeys (including the president) think. They are deeply despicable people.

Population Control and Nick Kristof

There is no correlation between population density and poverty. If anything, there is a negative correlation. Look at the population density of Western Europe and Japan as compared with Africa.

People like Nick Kristof who moan on about overpopulation are mostly just afraid of a world with many more black and dark brown people. The underlying assumption is that they are a burden on the charity of white folks (like Kristof).

OWS Popular Support in Decline

There are several polls out in the last week which show more Americans disapprove of OWS than approve. That there is even a question of support shows the reactionary nature of the US population and a big part of why working class living standards will continue to erode. Without a concept of class resistance and solidarity life is but a lottery ticket, yes some will win, but the vast majority won't. We can complain about the greedy ruling class, but they are doing what they do. What else can one expect of a ruling class in capitalism but a bunch of rapacious jackals ? At some point the American public bought into the idea of exceptionalism, and there is absolutely no reason to expect a Left turn in this country on economic matters. For all these reasons, the U.S. is finished. It's over. We are a Rome in decline.