If he doesn't build cabinets for uber rich guys, then I bet he builds cabinets for guys who do work for uber rich guys. Those uber rich guys pay them cash for their labor commodity, which in turn is used to purchase Karl's labor commodity.

I work for an insanely rich guy. His net worth was about $35mil this year. He provides me a great living in return for my labor commodity. (Along with 5000 other employees - his company started with like 20, back in 1996 btw)

My Dad was a construction worker - built the DC metro, then sold life insurance door to door during the doldrums of the 70's recession after he graduated from a fine school with a great liberal arts degree. He ended up becoming the executive vice president of the largest custom home builder in America - by selling homes to mostly uber-rich people. He employed thousands of workers to get this done, and in the process, provided his family a great living.

Liberals hate the term "trickle down" economics - as well they should. The mainstream media has led you to believe that all of the rich people take their dollar beels and stuff them under their mattresses, or shred them into confetti for some extravagant display of their wealth at a friend's dinner party. I don't know for sure what this view of wealth and economics is based on, but I have a good feeling that its motivated by jealousy.

people are equal. Ideas are not. Don't confuse them

Damn Tad, I'll bet you're a lovely shade of purple at the moment.

Calm down and spend a few moments in supplication to those wonderful people to whom you owe your humble existence.

How is any of this drivel helping Rick get his SPAM problem solved?

Y'all have a place for this crap.

Between these rants and the SPAM, Catsailor has become a vast wasteland of uninteresting and divisive conjecture.

Mary must not be checking in very much anymore.

hyp·o·crit·i·cal

Actually Pete, I'm quite pleased at the moment - especially with my "humble" experience.

As for spending time worshipping those who I "owe" my living - You seem to not understand something which I will explain -

I owe them nothing other than that which they pay for. They pay for my labor commodity on weekdays between 9 to 5. Sometimes the weekends and sometimes late at night. That is the nature of the contract that I have with my employer. Its no different than purchasing a car or a house, or a washing machine. Its an agreement between two willing parties where both end up getting what they want. My employer wants my labor commodity, and I want compensation for such. If either of us become unsatisfied with the terms of the agreement, we are free to terminate our business relationship and seek other arrangements which may be more beneficial to either party.

There's no supplication or idolatry required.

You kinda make the liberal's point with the bit I highlighted above.

If you have a fire that heavily damages a forest (or a financial melt down that damages the economy), the forest doesn't get healthy again by making the big trees bigger. Oh, the big trees would like everyone to think so now that there is less competition - but it's the little trees (small business) that revitalize the forest. The small businesses in this country are capable of some really smart innovation if they can keep getting some daylight.

And as to your last point, the truth is that middle and lower income people inject a SIGNIFICANTLY larger percentage of their income back into the economy that the rich elite.

IBM built the entire system, Gates (et al)only created the operating system (DOS = DUMB operating system)
Gates was brilliant and lucky that IBM went along with it, and they (MS) kept the licensing rights.... and leased it to IBM

You'll notice I did not drag you into this, you found it all by yourself.

So now we're talking about logging and de-forrestation? I don't get it.

And IBM subsequently got out of the pc business all together.

Directly, yes, I agree 100%. But its those rich bastards that give the rest of us tools something to do, and something to spend with. Just about any company, in any industry can grow, and play command and conquer with their competition. There are very few Cornelius Vanderbuilts, Henry Fords, Sam Waltons, James Hills, Andrew Carnegies, or Larry Ellisons in the world. It takes brains, luck, leadership and a serious work ethic to become a captain of any industry, and it gets harder all the time. The opportunities aren't there like they were two hundred years ago. Labor costs, regulation on all fronts, and taxation make it really tough to run a small business before you even take competition into consideration.

Every market has a niche that can be exploited, and used to grow into other regions of your discipline or to expand into others. I've found mine, people who spend more on there kitchens than I did on my entire house. (and then some)... But I have no luck, I'm a horrid leader, and I ain't all that bright. Work ethic is the only thing dragging my company through the mud. I also have no illusions of grandeur, I won't be taking the corporate jet to Monaco anytime soon. I also don't want to employ a few thousand people, hell just a couple of idiots on the payroll makes me want to go dig the requisite number of holes in a field somewhere.


The forrest thing isn't a real great analogy, because when the markets are burning down, thats when the big tree's in business make a killing. "When there is blood in the streets, buy land" is one of the most solid statements there is. You just have to have the smarts to know when to hang your butt out with risk, and when to rein it back and buckle down for the ever impending sh*t storm lapping at your door.



Keep in mind though, on a long enough timeline, the end result of capitalism is a monopoly. We'll all be working for Wal-Mart someday. Thankfully wars, death, and revolutions keep things in check nicely.

If I'm going to indulge your flawed metaphor/analogy/whatever it is...

What liberals want to do is cut down the big trees to make fertilizer for the saplings.

Doesn't seem like the optimal solution to me.

As for percentage of incomes back into the economy, I don't doubt it. Where is that income coming from? The fruits of their labors - which overwhelmingly comes from the machinations of the private sector economy (well, for now it does). One of the many important cogs of the private sector is capital investment by those evil evil EVIL rich guys (like Bain -- another skeleton in the boogeyman closet for you to demonize no doubt)

Jake,

Its also the big trees that survive, that drop the acorns that sprout the next generation of the forest.

no, you need the birds that poop the undigested seeds from other areas to start the forest, right? If they can make it across the forest, that is... and have their bird-cards.

or the coconuts that float over ....

sweet... we started another thread of useless political drivel... because there's not enough out there already...

OK, I agree that analogy has gone far enough ;-)...although, I am picking up a few acorns with my graphics business, my home business was not born from one.

Hell, I can go on but I know you guys aren't going to recognize or compromise on any points so I wont waste my time or yours.

Posting anyone's point is never a waste of time. Regardless of agreement or not, I like to know other opinions to help me understand more about both side's arguments. (Percieved) right or wrong, everyone's opinion is worth something.

Ruling out Lee's opinion...

+1

I figured you'd just been listening to RUSH (not limbaugh).
And Yes the analogy sucked.