A despot in disguise

[barq2]

I had heard of Rand barq,might need to read a bit more about them in detail,book sounds interesting,I may check that out.

I'm surprised a bit that people may disagree with what The Rand Corporation actually really is,not many multi-million/billionaires on here I think?
How can people disagree with ideas that cause misery through poverty to other people,look around at what is known as the rust belt,all the towns and cities like that that have been turned into areas of high unemployment,homelessness and a total lack of government help due to the fact that basically those who get the votes don't care about peoples daily struggles to get through each day.

Yes,the vast majority of politicians do not actually care or do anything to improve our lot in life,shock horror the mirror cracked and I got a glimpse of the true reality that is life,is apathy going to be the death of us?
We might have lifes that are a lot better than in third world countries but we are not living in those countries,we live in some of the wealthiest places in the world but our towns and cities are littered with our own type of first world country poverty,I see it everyday where I live.

Interesting how people like James McGill Buchanan stay under the radar and carry on with what they do,there are no doubt many like that,untold wealth that creates them more wealth usually from the suffering of others,the industry of war probably being the biggest money maker for them.

I think,maybe due to the internet,these types of people are now being uncovered,more truth is coming out about how our lifes are actually ruled by the methods created by their inhumane ideas.

The truth always outs doesn't it?
It may take a very long time before the systems that create huge wealth for a minority are overhauled,but their empires are slowly crumbling,they are employing countless methods to try and suppress the truth of how we are governed by the wealthy and their friends in positions of power in government.

This is no conspiracy theory nut job of an idea,this is reality,a damn dirty one covered in poor peoples blood,just think,when do these types of uber rich folk ever have to go to fight wars or send their kids to wars so to afford to get a better education?

I don't know if Ayn Rand has any connection to The Rand Corporation - that might be coincidence because I think it is Research ANd Development = "RAND". Then again, they are hardly a warm caring organisation... these were the people who brought us Game Theory and the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction. I believe humanity was very lucky to make it through the Cold War without a full exchange of nuclear missiles.

When I spent time in the USA (New York and Michigan), I was really shocked at the poverty - and I mean NYC, not just Michigan, and don't get me started on Detroit. There didn't seem to be the kind of safety net that existed in most Western European nations at that time. Ten years on and in the UK austerity economics and shredded social support structures. I think it is morally wrong - some homeless bloke who needs a bed wasn't responsible for the banking crisis in 2008. Secondly I think it is a false economy. Take something like mental health and imagine the number of people who given the right treatment would eventually be able to return to work (and become tax payers again). Poverty also pushes people towards bad quality food, so they are more likely to be obese, which can cause type 2 diabetes, and then that costs lots of money to treat. How about subsidising healthier food in the first place? We would save billions. That's just the financial argument, I haven't even touched the actual benefits this would bring to people's lives. How about we measure happiness as well as GDP?

The growth of food banks is shameful. Obviously I don't mean the people who run them and those who kindly donate food etc - they are regular people trying to do when they can to help others. The shameful bit is that food banks are necessary. It is a form of humiliation for those who have to use them. More shocking still are people who are employed but earn so little that after the rent is paid, there isn't enough money to last to the end of the month. Often we are talking people who did the right thing... they studied, got a nursing degree, do a socially useful job, work hard, but it isn't enough.

Tommy, I totally agree about first world poverty. Somewhere like London is a terrible place to be poor because it is very expensive. You also have to see the conspicuous consumption of the rich. I've had a couple of very posh events to attend in the last year, one of them a wedding at a palace (yes, a real one!). Both were so lavish - just so much money spent on one day. I'm not trying to criticise the married couple - who wouldn't want a memorable day - but the other event was institutional and when I look at the budget I just think how much better we could have spent that money.

There are countless ways that wealth generates more wealth. Even just down to the fact someone with more money is going to have a better credit score, so they can get a mortgage on a lower rate. They clear their credit card bills every month so pay no interest. That's not richer people being evil, all those decisions are totally rational, but it is all part of a system that constantly rewards people who are already wealthy and keeps down those who aren't. I don't believe some secretive group consciously constructed this situation. I think it has naturally emerged from rich people making decisions that benefit them, rather than a specific desire to screw over poorer people - but that is still the end result regardless of the intentions.