Comments about ‘Jay Evensen: Mayday mayhem makes history new again’

"Household median income is up sharply since 1967" If stated in real terms median income change is almost flat over that period. Moreover the rise of two income households has masked real income collapse. I encourage all of you to watch the latest 4 part Frontline presentation on the banking and financial collapse. It reveals an economic system which is a gigantic black box where Wall Street banks strip off a surplus, leaving the rest of us to wonder about the future. Capitalism is failing. Some sort of new system must take its place. By the time this happens, Jay, we both probably will be dead, but our childrem won't. They will have to deal with the injustices of the present. In the meantime comfort yourself with vacuous pieces like your present one.

Marxist

Capitalism is failing because too much other stuff is being introduced into it.

Good luck trying to speak out against the government with the systems you want. Look at the activist in China. Look what happens in Cuba. Look what happens in Iran.

Capitalism worked for 200 years until your boys started to implement other systems--Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and more. It is people like them who completely started to destroy this country. Yes FDR got us out of the depression, but his New Deal has completely given people dependency on the government even until today.

Everyone is on the same field now. Only in America do we encourage people to succeed, but as soon as they do we tell them "Now give us more". Your system kills people. It leaves people for dead except the leaders.

You don't like it now? Try going to country that has the system you prefer, and you will realize it's not any better.

At this point, TOO, the kinds of systems I favor are those which encourage worker owned and managed ENTERPRISES - a new kind of private enterprise if you will. Significant examples can be found in Spain and Argentina. Look them up on Wikipedia.

Marxist
Argentina? Are you serious?

I spent my LDS mission in Argentina 3 years ago. There is nothing but corrupt people. In one of my areas the Federal Government gave the state 32 million dollars for roads and the governor kept it. The people are starving, steal, rob, and kill to survive.

If you were trying to give me a credible example, don't pick something that I have first hand experience seeing for 2 years. The only people who do well there are the government and the friends of the government. Private citizens have absolutely nothing.

There are some 180 enterprises, worker run, which involve 10,000 workers which were taken over by same and are now functioning. Of course the former owners want them back now. Look it up on Wikipedia. And, I know Argentina overall is a basket case. These sorts of innovations are possible ways out. Let me also point out that unless we figure out some new ways of doing things (watch Frontline parts 1-4, but I know you won't because you know it all already), we are going to be like Argentina.

If Jay is trying to say everything is ok, its not. Our systmem favors the owners over those who work for their money and wealth is becoming concentrated in the very few. If Jay is trying to say that violence is normal, again it is not. Violent protests occur when economies and government institutions begin to fail. Whether our economy can be reformed without violence is an open issue.

For every oppressive big shot who has been killed by workers, there are thousands, perhaps millions of people of all walks of life slain by the harsh competition of greedy businessmen. Businessmen who seem to never have to take responsibility for their actions.

If you would limit the number of anarchists you must stop the causes that create anarchists. When the rules of the game are stacked against a person so that he cannot win, why should he obey the rules.

To "marxist" we already have businesses that are "worker owned and managed ENTERPRISES". Mitt Romney was a worket at Bain Capital. He owned a portion of that business and managed it. Most of the businesses in the US are "worker owned and managed".

The only businesses that I can think of that are not worker owned are USPS, the Federal Reserve Bank, GM, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Sally Mae, the FDIC, and a few other government owned businesses.

Are you proposing that the government divest itself from the its business interests?

Jay Evensen is a thoughtful guy. He is simply trying to point out what Solomon had written so long ago in Ecclesiastes: "There is nothing new under the sun." Not front page news, but wise, nonetheless.

Anarchists of yesteryear are the Sovereign Citizens today. Both have issues. Neither deserves support. Well, maybe in very, very small doses. Sort of like rat poison, Malcom X, or… .

"Moderation in all things," as the Siddhartha suggested.

Marxist doctrines have shown themselves to be failures; more "new wine in an old wineskin," (reference any of the synoptic gospels).

Seductive failures though. But in the end, more of the same. Hard to argue that the Tsar was worse than Lenin or Stalin (who killed more of his own people than Hitler). Marxism ain't the sauce we hoped for. Check North Korea. As Roger Daltrey sang: "Meet the new boss! Same as the old boss!" (Won't Get Fooled Again, on Who's Next).

"Vanity of vanities saith the preacher..."

If you want real change, consider the ideas set forth in Hugh Nibley's, "Approaching Zion." Oh, and do your home teaching... or is that too radical?