Record High Gas Prices?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

To those of you who think that anybody other than the oil companies have any real control of gas prices -- what do you think should happen now?

First thing to do is to stop thinking in terms of gas prices, and think about travel prices. So today it costs an SUV owner about $25 to drive 100 miles, but someone with an Insight only pays about $5.60 to go the same distance, and your Leaf/Volt owner might get down to the $3-$4 range.

[NeilBlanchard]

OPEC has priced *all* the oil they sell in US dollars for a while now (since 1972?), and this has helped the US economy, because everybody has to buy US dollars before they buy any oil. And many of the oil exporters have made reciprocal deals with the US to buy our military arms, in a sort of quid pro quo. So, we have been funneling dollars to our military industrial complex; which is not a very productive thing to do.

Interestingly, Iran was the first to sell oil in Euros, and then North Korea started doing all their trade in Euros -- this is probably why they were included in the "Axis of Evil"?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...0865741878159#

[cfg83]

Neil -

Yes, that is my understanding. The "end" of the gold-standard under Nixon (even though it wasn't much of a gold standard at that point because of world wide Fiat currency practices) was followed by the oil-standard. I thought that Iraq had also switched to Euros after the first Persian Gulf War, which was another reason for invading in 2003.

CarloSW2

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by roflwaffle

The phrase "State syndication of capitalism" is contradictory. If the state controls the means of production then those means aren't private any more and by definition aren't capitalist.

I refer you to this article that describes the nature of fascist coporatism (scroll to find and read that section).

So just having corporations and government merge in and of itself is socialism (state owns the means of production). Socialist governments can also be fascist, but that requires they have the other characteristics (eg asshole dictator and so on).

The distinction is one of the state directly running the means of production (as in Soviet style communism) as opposed to doing it through privately controlled organizations (corporations) as in Fascist Italy. Granted, when coupled to a totalitarian regime it has the same effect in the end, except that technically it retains a capitalist format. NAZI Germany similarly allowed private property, but it was under direct domination by the state. However, The Third Reich was overtly socialist in its stated ideology. (The schizophrenic nature of it was typical of the NAZI mentality.)

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

They aren't coming back to Detroit Frank.

regards
Mech

Where are they going?

[cleanspeed1]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

I refer you to this article that describes the nature of fascist coporatism (scroll to find and read that section).



The distinction is one of the state directly running the means of production (as in Soviet style communism) as opposed to doing it through privately controlled organizations (corporations) as in Fascist Italy. Granted, when coupled to a totalitarian regime it has the same effect in the end, except that technically it retains a capitalist format. NAZI Germany similarly allowed private property, but it was under direct domination by the state. However, The Third Reich was overtly socialist in its stated ideology. (The schizophrenic nature of it was typical of the NAZI mentality.)

I am disappointed to say that my neck of the woods produced people that have created problems globally. The one that stands out the most, though, is Milton Friedman, professor of economics out of the University of Chicago and the father of neoliberalism ( or the term would be called neoconservatism here ). The tenents behind this economic philosophy include: privatize everything, limited social services, no government controls, and let the free market system run free, period. Here's the problem, anything without rules is a trainwreck waiting to happen. So while on the face of it, unfettered free market capitalism may seem like a good idea, emphasis on freedom. But every place that these practices went, they destroyed the society and seperated the economic classes, hindering if not stopping upward mobility ( look at Chile during Pinochet's reign and the South Cone of South America during the '70s ). In order to make these drastic changes, you have to do it at the point of a gun. Many folks were disappeared during the incubation process of implementing Uncle Milty's principles, and the rich got richer while the poor got poorer.

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

I refer you to this article that describes the nature of fascist coporatism (scroll to find and read that section).

Fascism and fascist corporatism are not the same thing. Fascism is political, fascist corporatism is economic. They aren't exclusive, but like I said before, just having government and corporations (business in general) merge is socialism.

[trooper Tdiesel]

just think of it as the reverse rubber ball, it just bounces higher and higher and.......you get the idea.......

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by roflwaffle

Fascism and fascist corporatism are not the same thing.

Tell that to Mussolini.

Fascism is political, fascist corporatism is economic. They aren't exclusive, but like I said before, just having government and corporations (business in general) merge is socialism.

Either you didn't read the link (and my commentary) or else you refuse to acknowledge the difference.

Totalitarianism and authoritarianism are political. Capitalism and socialism are economic. Mussolini's version (which generated the original concept) was essentially capitalist in its functioning. Hitler's was too, but he preached Socialism, and there is no denying that was the stated ideology of NAZI Germany.

As the Soviet Union and other communist regimes ultimately learned, you can't run a Socialist state without capital!


Here's another link.

Give this one a try. Maybe the difference will become clearer.

Found another link that is even more to the point: click here.

[cleanspeed1]

Thanks for the link. Heavy read, but appropriate.