When writing historical things, I try to include perspective from people who actually lived through the events. And for money issues in the US, I’m able to do that back to about 1905.
So, do you think life was nasty, brutish, and short in 1905? That there were poor and starving people falling dead on every street corner?
When people think of luxuries, they think of things that rich people can afford but they can’t. And as it happens, the luxury I’m talking about today fits into that category. I’m hearing reports of very rich people enjoying this luxury, while people of lesser means find it unattainable. Continue reading “The Luxury Of Thinking One’s Own Thoughts”
At one time I lived close to the Field Museum of Chicago; I had a membership and spent a good deal of time there. One evening, about ten minutes before closing, I noticed that workers had begun preparing the first floor for an evening event. I had a panoramic view from where I stood at the second floor balcony, and what I saw has stuck with me ever since. Continue reading “The Dignity of Work”
Years ago I engaged in a long usenet discussion with another gentleman on immigration, life in the third world, etc. After some back-and-forths, the gentleman proposed a scenario:
What would happen if the two of us were dropped, naked and with absolutely no way of calling for help, into the poorest and most desperate spot in India? Continue reading “Be The Outsider”
I rather hate to do this, but these first two paragraphs seem the best way to make this very important point. Apologies.
Imagine that some combination of circumstances end with you walking into a so-so bar, then accidentally causing some gigantic brute to spill his drink. Imagine also that this brute just learned that his girlfriend moved out, taking his money with her. Continue reading “Fear, Shame And Intimidation Are Chemical Weapons”
(Originally published in 2019 and still necessary.)
There’s a time and place for just about everything, and this is a time to be blunt:
Anyone who takes a job for a central bank or any similar entity, building a cryptocurrency, quasi-cryptocurrency or kind-of-blockchain-thing, is a traitor. Continue reading “Anyone Who Goes To Work For A Central Bank Coin Is A Traitor”
File this under “needs to be said.” Ah well.
The lords of Hollywood, the political elite, the educational elite… these are not uniformly stupid people. Some of them, in fact, are fairly bright. Observing them, however, might lead you to the conclusion that they are blindly stupid or even purposely evil. Nonetheless, most of them are not evil; rather, they are overly-committed narcissists. Continue reading “CNN Is The Mirror of Narcissus”
Martin continued talking for a while, but mainly about his childhood and early career. Then he moved back to the problem that America posed to rulers.
“In America, at least in the early days, people believed they were the primary factors; that they created rulership structures for their own sake… that the structures had no validity, except to serve them.” Continue reading “A Full Confession, Part Two”
