Pandemic supply chain in your area

[bykfixer]

The US is the cop for the free world. It costs a lot of money to protect Europe, Korea, Japan and all of those other places under the protective blanket of Uncle Sam.

And it's the politicians who are in the pocket of the contractors anymore. Not the other way around. It costs millions and millions of dollars in outside money to get re-elected to a job that pays a hundred grand a year. The politicians show up in a Kia and retire with plethora of homes, limos and investments.

JT, you've gotta stop with the greedy oil corp thing. It's stale 1970's rhetoric. All of those alternative energy sources are in their infancy and nowhere near ready to play in the big game. And nuclear? Do you have any inkling of an idea how much that would cost after the decades long deluge of lawsuits finally ran out? Nuclear is great in your yard but don't be bringing it near mine or me and my ghestapo tactic lawyers will sue you back to being a twinkle in your daddy's eye. That's why nuclear is in a coma new investment-wise.

Things are like they are on purpose. And we keep electing the people that allow it. Your congressman sucks but mine is awesome. He bought my town an airport but yours raised my taxes. Congress has an approx 15% popularity with a 90+% re-election rate. Meanwhile big pharma has a pill for that. CNCB just said so, therefore it must be true.

 

[jtr1962]

Nuclear is in a coma because of irrational fear about it. Unfortunately, Three Mile Island, and later Chernobyl, killed off major investment in it. I'll be the first to admit I'd greatly prefer fusion over fission. It avoids just about all the issues people fear. You could safely put a fusion plant in midtown Manhattan with no worries. The wrinkle of course is that we haven't gotten it to work yet, outside of very controlled environments. It's always 10 or 20 or 30 years away, depending upon who you ask. So I wouldn't yet hedge any bets on commercial fusion becoming a reality.

The big issue with most* renewables is that they don't generate energy 24/7, not that they're in their infancy. You need some form of grid storage in the absence of a baseline power source like nuclear. Fortunately, for grid storage energy density doesn't matter as it does for EVs. Cost per kW-hr is much more important. Iron-air will fit the bill for that, with cost projections expected to come in at ~$20/kW-hr. We just need to start producing at scale, which won't happen for a few years. Once we do, we've overcome the biggest hurdle against renewables. Cost per MW-hr for commercial solar is already less than for any other source. Of course, another issue preventing further adoption are the supply chain issues affecting just about everything else.

* Wave energy and geothermal are 24/7 but we're sadly not putting much effort into either.

Here's the answer to the problem of elected officials-public financing of campaigns, with donations, or using your own money, not being allowed at all. That would put you and me on an equal footing to some career politician deep in the pockets of big corporations. Or better yet, test people in school for intelligence and other leadership traits. Keep the names on a list. When terms expire, pick names at random from that list. If people are unable or unwilling to do the job for whatever reason, go to the next name. You'll get people not explicitly seeking the job to do it. And they won't have to go through all the BS you need to now in order to get elected. That's a real turnoff which probably eliminates most people who might be great at actually doing the job. Instead, you get people who are great at making speeches but often mediocre leaders. Add to that the fact they don't have to worry about re-election under this system. When their term is up, another random person replaces them. I'm thoroughly convinced that elective democracies rarely elect the best candidate. They often elect among the worst by appealing to people's worst instincts.

 

[bykfixer]

Long ago politicians in America got paid $1 a year or some such crazy low figure like that, so turn over was brisk. They couldn't afford to stay very long. Two homes to pay for, one they came from and one they lived in while in DC.
Awe, but little by little those who make the rules slowly made it possible to earn a good living while working in DC. Many do not know this but a number of freshman legislators to this day sleep in their office while in DC.

 

[jtr1962]

I didn't know that but I remember the founding fathers originally intended for legislators to come from all walks of life, serve their term, then return to civilian life. They were against the idea of career politicians for obvious reasons. I'll bet they're turning over in their graves seeing what's become of their grand experiment.

 

[turbodog]

+

It was over last year.

The economic mess from many overreactions has soaked into everything.

Economy can only absorb change at a certain rate. C-19 _accelerated_ that rate well beyond what could be handled and forged new pathways.

To look at this through a historical lens... it's a pandemic, a world and life changing event that plays out over many years.

 

[turbodog]

That's assuming a zero sum game...

And it's also zero sums... where do you think the money w/ come from to buy out the holdings of the wealthy? Santa Claus?

That means savings accounts paying 5%, ...

Coca Cola stock. Dividends plus reasonable price appreciation plus a customer base you can count on for 100 years.

Anyone buying commodities should have to demonstrate that they're an end user, not a middleman. While some of inflation is indeed simply supply and demand, a lot of it is manipulation of markets by those with the resources to do so.

Middlemen often provide liquidity... a short term loan. Nothing stopping end users from buying the cotton contracts, copper, bauxite, etc.

 

[turbodog]

...

Covid-19 was a test. A test many of us failed.
View attachment 33131

Agree with this. The US performed terribly.

 

[turbodog]

...

Agreed. As I've said already, the wealthy want a desperate underclass who is forced to labor for them. ....

In a word, "no". The wealthy are the ones funding education, healthcare, libraries, scholarships, the arts, etc. How many Carnegie libraries are out there... from the 'robber baron' himself...

I've got hundred of corporate clients and thousands of their employees I deal with. I've known many of these people for a very long time.

Truth is, most people just don't want more/better enough to do what's needed (ask for promotion at work, take on additional roles at work, learn how to lead, learn how to improve soft skills, learn how to stop making stupid mistakes, change jobs, change careers, etc).

 

[turbodog]

I didn't know that but I remember the founding fathers originally intended for legislators to come from all walks of life, serve their term, then return to civilian life. They were against the idea of career politicians for obvious reasons. I'll bet they're turning over in their graves seeing what's become of their grand experiment.

I think that it's going pretty well, with some areas ahead, some behind.

We appear to have much more to fear from our fellow citizens than the gov't. Gov't writes laws protecting cyclists. Your fellow man is the one that thinks it's funny to cut you off.

In part times, there was much more mixing, fewer homogenous groups. Now... that's seen some MAJOR changes.

 

[jtr1962]

In a word, "no". The wealthy are the ones funding education, healthcare, libraries, scholarships, the arts, etc. How many Carnegie libraries are out there... from the 'robber baron' himself...

Oddly enough, those robber barons saw the value of contributions in the public realm. Today's wealthy, mostly not so much. I judge actions more than anything else. Look at the nonstop complaining about things like extended unemployment benefits, enhanced child tax credits, the eviction moratorium, etc. Or even the stimulus credits. To this day some people are blaming those for the worker shortage. I guess in their mind a few thousand at most somehow lets you avoid working for many months. Or more recently, all the ire directed at Biden's partial student loan cancellation. It seems anything we do for working people the rich hate it, but corporate bailouts are just fine.

Truth is, most people just don't want more/better enough to do what's needed (ask for promotion at work, take on additional roles at work, learn how to lead, learn how to improve soft skills, learn how to stop making stupid mistakes, change jobs, change careers, etc).

Here's my problem with that sort of thinking. If someone tells me if I do A, B, C, and D they'll definitely do E, F, G, and H in return to help me better my lot, I'm all in. On the other hand, a lot of it is more like if you do these things maybe someone will notice, maybe not, but in any case it's not definite things will get better for you. I've known people who did everything they told you to. Got a good education, stayed late at work, went above and beyond their job description, etc., only to be offered......more work without a raise, or even worse a pink slip if the company felt it could get rid of you (and pawn your duties off on whoever was left).

Given that, I understand "quit quitting", which is basically doing barely enough to keep your job, or lying flat, etc. A lot of people rightly feel if they're going to be poor anyway, they might as well not work and be poor. At least they have more time to do whatever. I've been in all sorts of situations. When I was at jobs making $5 an hour with no chance of advancement, I did barely enough to keep the job. On the last consulting gig before I retired when I was being paid north of $100 an hour, I gave it my all because I knew the longer I could keep the project viable, the longer I would have my consulting job. The job was supposed to last 18 months tops. Me and the guy who got me in stretched it to over 4 years. After that it went to a different group for commercialization. I put in a plug for myself to be part of that as well, but for whatever reason they wanted a different set of people. But by then my mom needed more help, I probably couldn't work at the level I did, so I figured it's a good time to just retire.

Bad bosses who fail to notice those putting forth extra effort are a big part of the problem. I remember one job my sister had. She was doing more than her share. Guess who got the promotion and raise? A girl who did virtually nothing but slept with her boss.

Yeah, to some extent people have to want more also. A lot of people are content with a relatively simple life. For me more money was always about simply retiring earlier, not buying more fancy things. I value free time to pursue whatever interests I have above all else. Others love fancy things and will do whatever it takes to get them.

Another source of the issues you mention is a sense of hopelessness these days among a large fraction of the work force. When goals seem attainable, many/most people will strive for them. Once they start to seem out of reach, people stop trying. When my parents started out, a home in a decent area was maybe 3 times an average salary. Now in many parts of the country it's 15 or 20 times.

Finally, it's worth a mention that for decades the extra productivity of the work force went to the bosses, not the workers. If worker pay had kept pace with productivity increases minimum wage would now be about $25 a hour. The last time things were really great for the working classes was probably the early or mid 1970s.

We appear to have much more to fear from our fellow citizens than the gov't. Gov't writes laws protecting cyclists. Your fellow man is the one that thinks it's funny to cut you off.

Laws are only as good as their enforcement. Besides that, I'm sure you know about intrinsic safety. I don't want more laws protecting cyclists which are seldom enforced. I want more inherently safe infrastructure which makes it physically impossible for motorists to harm me. One idea I have is a system of elevated bike highways over major arterials. Besides the safety advantages, you avoid the need to stop at red lights or stop signs.

 

[bykfixer]

Agree with this. The US performed terribly.

The US population failed. The lemmings ran right off the cliff right on cue.

 

[mickb]

If you're saying that the world's wealthiest are the cause here, you're trying to reduce a very complex event into one central boogeyman.

If you took the world's richest, divided up the loot (somehow magically), spread it out equally over the time it took to acquire it (decades), then everyone would get a few hundred bucks a year, if that much. Do the math.

There are _several_ _major_ macroeconomic factors at play here. They will take a while to unwind, but they will. And it will be mainly capitalistic competition, not gov't action, that drives prices downward, selection upward, and quality upward.

My comment about having the money back was flippant yes. Never said the worlds richest are to blame. Just said they profited hugely and some like the international shipping sector put too many regulations aside under the guise of 'pandemic panic'.

I agree Capitalism is always the preferred choice of freedom, ,but that does not mean unfair practices cannot occur under its guise. There are list of laws after all in any free country to ensure the little guy doesnt get crushed. Anti-monopilsation laws, fair competition, anti-price gouging and IMHO a lot more could have been done to limit price gouging in particular.

 

[mickb]

The US population failed. The lemmings ran right off the cliff right on cue.

Pretty much bykfixer, same as the other 31 x 1st world countries.

I feel bad for the younger generation. Wealthy genx and boomers just made bank over a pandemic reaction largely designed around them, and the millenials who were already stuck in 2 jobs for a decade to buy a house, are getting handed the bill.

 

[jtr1962]

I agree Capitalism is always the preferred choice of freedom, ,but that does not mean unfair practices cannot occur under its guise. There are list of laws after all in any free country to ensure the little guy doesnt get crushed. Anti-monopilsation laws, fair competition, anti-price gouging and IMHO a lot more could have been done to limit price gouging in particular.

Here's a good read:

Wealth of Geeks

Judgment Free Tips, Tricks, and Unique Insights to Make and Save Money

wealthofgeeks.com

For a long time, I thought capitalism was the best alternative. After reading the article, I'm not so sure any more. The fact you need the laundry list of laws you mention to protect the little guy is among the reasons. We haven't even had anything resembling real capitalism in a long time. We have cronyism, where those who are powerful make the rules to protect their interests and keep new players out of the game.

 

[turbodog]

Oddly enough, those robber barons saw the value of contributions in the public realm. Today's wealthy, mostly not so much....

Tons of ultra wealthy are giving SERIOUS money to humanitarian, education, etc.

I deal w/ some quite wealthy clients, some in the 9 figure group. They are ALWAYS giving away money to college, hospitals, r/d, scholarships, local charity events, etc... and often go to significant lengths to keep their name private.

... Guess who got the promotion and raise? A girl who did virtually nothing but slept with her boss.
...

And that's a surprise?

 

[turbodog]

Here's a good read:

Wealth of Geeks

Judgment Free Tips, Tricks, and Unique Insights to Make and Save Money

wealthofgeeks.com

For a long time, I thought capitalism was the best alternative. After reading the article, I'm not so sure any more. The fact you need the laundry list of laws you mention to protect the little guy is among the reasons. We haven't even had anything resembling real capitalism in a long time. We have cronyism, where those who are powerful make the rules to protect their interests and keep new players out of the game.

I read the article... any 1st year econ student can blow battleship sized holes in it. How it got published... wow.

Capitalism is as a democratic process that has ever existed. Anyone can come up with a new, better, cheaper, shinier, etc widget and sell it to anyone else.

 

[bykfixer]

^^The indoctrination is powerful with these 2.....

 

[mickb]

Millenials claim to have the most access to information of any generation yet will defend the generation that is forcing them to pay rent until they are 50. I try and point out the teensy weensy problems with that, and then I am told I dont understand the problem. Well okay kids I give up, you know best and that the worlds richest are on your side. Just make sure you rent is in on time to my generation.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Numerous elements on the surface of candlepowerforums have become so political, so self righteous about beliefs. Will the Debbie Downers and conspiracy mental masturbators inherit CPF?

Since we are so off-topic already, what happened to Alaric and Virgil over in Transportation?

 

[jtr1962]

Numerous elements on the surface of candlepowerforums have become so political, so self righteous about beliefs. Will the Debbie Downers and conspiracy mental masturbators inherit CPF?

Sign of the times. About a month ago I was reading an article about future Mars missions. Then when I started reading the comments half of them were Trump this or Biden that. Seriously, for some topics, like this one, politics might be tangential and expected, but having to read that garbage even for a topic like space exploration is pretty depressing.

Since we are so off-topic already, what happened to Alaric and Virgil over in Transportation?

Maybe they quiet quit? Sorry, had to get that in.