Glenn Reynolds: Don't be a sucker for socialism
Oh, who am I kidding, Bernard would never show up for this, no way he would attend his own funeral. More after the break.
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. . . anti-riot police beat and torture people because . . . fun!? This cannot go on forever, and so at some point it will stop. Then the backlash will begin. Good times, good times! Catastrophe Is the New Normal for Venezuelans
. . . in its Venezuelan debut. "Making sense of the rolling political and economic disaster in Venezuela isn't easy. But the bigger mystery may be why the whole country isn't flooding into the streets to demand the end of the social revolution that's left one of Latin America's most resource-rich nations in a shambles." Socialism - great on paper - hell in real life. What makes this so odd is there is no place where socialism has worked. Yet the American Academe, students, and fools like the Bern believe all it needs is better leadership. How simple must one be to miss the writing on this wall? Truth in advertising Bernie, accept Venezuela as your policies in action, then explain why it will be different in America, this time. Surreal photos of China's failed 'city of the future' . . . there weren't any people! "The once flush-with-cash town of Ordos, China, has been called the world's largest ghost town. Roughly 15 years ago, a coal-mining boom led local government to throw money at urban development there, in the hopes of creating a new epicenter of culture, economy, and politics. Ordos New Town — also known as Kangbashi — would hold 1 million residents and be known for its massive conceptual-architecture projects, residential towers, and state-of-the-art sports venues. But high property taxes and poor construction deterred people from settling in Ordos. Today, though some 100,000 people call it home, most of the city sits unused, wasting away. "The whole city feels like a post-apocalyptic space station straight out of a science fiction movie," says photographer Raphael Olivier, who captured the city in a series titled, "Ordos - A Failed Utopia.'" China has at least 60,000,000 housing units in the same condition, unused. This is a shocking number. The entire US housing stock is about 117,000,000. Quick Facts: Resident Demographics| NMHC.org This reminds me of the most over populated city on Earth, Pyongyang. I amuse myself. Tow Truck Driver Shows Up to Help Stranded Motorist When He Sees Sticker on Her Car That Makes Him Drive Away: ‘Call the Government’
. . . I wonder if she feels the Bern now? "According to WHNS-TV, Kenneth Shupe, a self-described “conservative Christian” who supports presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, was sent to give the unidentified woman a ride Monday, but once he arrived at her location and saw that her car was covered with “a bunch of Bernie Sanders stuff,” Shupe politely told the woman that she was “obviously a socialist” and encouraged her to “call the government” for a tow instead. “Every business dealing in recent history with a socialist-minded person I have not gotten paid,” Shupe told WHNS. “Every time I deal with these people I get ‘Berned’ with an ‘e’ not a ‘u.’” Her mother posted to Facebook that the tow truck driver was a bigot. She does not know what the word bigot means, she might find out if the tow truck driver sues her for defamation. That would be delicious! Hong Kong 1950-1960: The British and the Chinese escaping the CCP created a jewel. In the US 0.6% GDP growth in the first quarter is a disaster, an impending recession . . .4/30/2016 Eurozone GDP returns to pre-crisis levels - FT.com
. . . in the EU, it triggers a party! "After eight painful years of crises and near stagnation, the eurozone’s economy has finally surpassed its pre-crisis high, beginning the year by outpacing growth in the UK and the US. The eurozone economy grew 0.6 per cent in the first quarter, helped by a surprisingly robust performance by France. The better-than-expected figures took overall gross domestic product past the peak it hit in the opening quarter of 2008." Mon Dieu, pathétique! Hoping that Europe will somehow pull America out of its economic doldrums would be like hoping a 3 year old child with 100' of logging chain and a Big Wheel, will be able to pull your wrecked car out of a ravine. On a more serious note, this shows exactly the problem the Eurozone is in. America has a single bad quarter, but still returns GDP results that the Eurozone fetes. Europe risks being completely left behind by America if it does not begin to modernize its work rules, employment laws, pension rules, welfare laws, and make serious economic reforms. Some countries, like Sweden, and Germany, have begun to do so to great success. But the rest are mired in a neo-feudal/socialist mindset of business as patron, and employee as servant. It is time for Europe to modernize, and join the rest of the first world, or be left to establish a new second world economy. Venezuela's economic disintegration hit a sad milestone this week
. . . if it wasn't, Maduro would have been treated to an Il Duce necktie long ago. Bureaucracies which live for themselves
. . . a weakness which only manifests itself immediately before the fall. More below the fold. |
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