icu814me’s Recent Comments

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  Michael...

  I would be happy to give you my perspective on that article, but I don't think the forum here really wants to entertain alternate opinions or points of view.

  We can all just retreat to what we believe in.
  Enjoy grist. On A gap between rich and poor makes free markets fail posted 1 year, 6 months ago 34 Responses

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  So then you are completely unclear.

  "It would be a serious error for you to assume we agree on anything."

  You use taxes, subsidies, and tariffs to attack my argument, but then back away from advocating their abolishment. Please be clear. Do you in fact believe that these policies contribute to problems in the price of grains and the limited availability of the same?

  If you do, say you do. If you don't, be clear there.

  I'm putting my cards on the table, not simply looking for cracks in peoples arguments or analogies. If you have a serious disagreement with my point, make a better alternate argument. Pointing out "you missed a spot" is not landscaping.

  So all I know now is you don't want to agree on anything. That's unfortunate. My target is metaphysical reality, and I welcome anyone from any other perspective who has some agreement with me on any of those points. Michael and I have at least found some common ground already on his own site.

  Would you prefer this simply remains a club of like minded people patting each other on the back?On A gap between rich and poor makes free markets fail posted 1 year, 6 months ago 34 Responses

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  To "Fire of words"

  So everything sucks?

  When's the last time one of your friends died of polio? When's the last time a woman you know (and the baby) died in childbirth?

  Do you have soot on your ceiling from the lampoil? Do you work a 16 hour day 7 days a week? Who do you know that takes a bath once a year? Who do you know that isn't the beneficiary of soap, sanitation?

  Would you prefer not being able to call millions of people around the world instantly for pennies? Would you prefer the levels of poverty and hunger that 5000 years ago? How about 50 years ago?

  If I had a time machine and were going to thrust you back to 1958 anywhere in the world, how much would you like that? No CTI scanners, no MRI, no black or female representation in politics, higher rates of cancer deaths, diseases that we now have cures for, miserable recognition of civil rights, lower life expectancy... this list could go on forever.

  No internet.

  There is no ideal garden of eden time in the past in which I would rather live. I think if you introduced any generation of your ancestors to the world today and suggested to them that life sucks for us, they would slap your face. On A gap between rich and poor makes free markets fail posted 1 year, 6 months ago 34 Responses

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  Porshe follow-up

  "First, you're not trading w/ the Porsche owner down the street. Second, there are no subsidies or tariffs b/w you two. Third, he hasnt used subsidized, artificially cheap product to dominate the market."

  So, I assume then that we agree we are both in favor of no subsidies, no taxation, no tariffs, and no trade restrictions?  I'm all for that. The price of rice would drop immediately.

  All thats fine, but it didn't really have anything to do with my points by example, which to reiterate are: (1) Wealth is not a pie, or zero sum game. And (2) The reason others do not have rice are related to their wealth, and artificial modification to the market incentive to produce. (3) It has nothing to do with whatever uses I decide are appropriate for the rice I buy- including feeding it to a delicious cow, or simply burning it, or making a mattress out of it. On A gap between rich and poor makes free markets fail posted 1 year, 6 months ago 34 Responses

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  Peak oil

  In a static system, sure.

  But we increase energy efficiency all the time. And we're nowhere near "peak oil". That whole discussion only revolves around light, sweet crude that is easily extractable. (Low sulfer content)

  There are vast amounts of light sweet crude that can't be extracted at todays cost/price points. When the price of gas reaches the point that difficult extraction pays off, new supplies of oil will hit the market.

  Sour crude is available in mind boggling amounts. It can be converted to usable petro-products, just not cost effectively (compared to light sweet crude). When the cost of light sweet crude reaches the cost of converting sour crude, we will have a whole new source of fuel hit the market.

  And... while all this is going on, we're developing lighter, safer materials to make lighter autos. We're building more efficient engines. We'll develop ways of capturing braking energy, we'll have an increase in natural gas vehicles on the road, we'll reduce our driving, we'll ship more by train or boat, we'll telecommute, we'll build nuclear plants...

  You can only claim a limited resource pie if you zoom in to one narrow focus, take snapshot, and treat it like an aquarium. Paul Erlich made a bet based on this theory and he lost big time.

  I have a team of approximately 3 billion inventors and problem solvers on my side.   On A gap between rich and poor makes free markets fail posted 1 year, 6 months ago 34 Responses