Ponzi economy - love that phrase.Kriegsspiel wrote:[devil's advocate]stuper1 wrote:I saw a comment on unz.com this morning that seemed like a simple, good explanation for why the establishment doesn't like Trump:
"mass immigration is all about propping up the ponzi economy by increasing population and increasing consumer demand….
consumer demand is 70% or more of the economy…and the economy is a confidence-based construct…as long as consumer demand stays up, the economy stays up…and if the economy stays up, the CEOs and shareholders of the big corporations keep making millions and profits stay high, and if profits stay high, then the media keeps making money on ads bought by the big corporations…
that is why the establishment and esp. the media hate trump and the alt-right–we threaten immigration and thus we threaten the ponzi economy"
I can't say that I am an alt-right person, because I don't really know what that means, although I suspect I have some sympathy for some of their ideas such as the above. If alt-right means racist, then definitely I am not alt-right, because I love all people, and in fact am married to a wonderful woman of another race. However, just because I love all people, does not mean that I want all of them living in my country. I think they should stay in their own countries and build them into beautiful nations.
In short, no, Trump (sadly) does not appear to be threatening the military-industrial complex, but he has promised to threaten the immigrationistas who prop up the ponzi economy. I love that phrase "ponzi economy" because it rings so true.
Why would you want the ponzi scheme to stop? Aren't you a shareholder of the corporations, benefiting from higher profits? Don't you like the extra tax revenue that keeps the interstate highways going? Why do you hate cheap food and gasoline? Why would you want immigrants to stay in their own countries instead of paying taxes in America? Don't you own US Treasuries?
[/devil's advocate]
The ponzi scheme works for me, stuper1, and others at the federal and corporate pricing level. But, the mass immigration of unskilled, uneducated, non English speakers is a disaster at the state and local level where they use far more state services and benefits than they can possibly pay back in taxes. I also worry about the long term effects of building up the size of the lower class and proportionally reducing the sizes of the middle and upper classes. The shift is likely going to be very durable, because of the lack of assimilation. Like my dad used to say: "Too many people in the wagon and not enough pulling it."
Immigration at the skilled end of the scale, on the other hand, not only isn't a problem but probably needs to be expanded. About 3/4 of immigration is people gaining entry because they have family members in the U.S. That squeezes out opportunities for people who have something to contribute, and tends to potentiate immigration of groups that are already here in large numbers - which works against the melting pot and ethnic diversity. Restricting the family member loophole and instituting a points system so that immigration is based on value to the US economy & society seriously needs to happen.