Monday, April 10, 2023

Fundamental Notions Of The Hive

The quality of our lives matters.

We don't have the political clout to change economic policy in our favor.  We have to adapt to economic conditions that will favor the rich for a long time.  If we can't become wealthy ourselves, we have to learn to think like the wealthy think, to anticipate their moves.

Debt is not a good thing to have.

Find a cheap, warm place to live.  Stay close to clean water.

Think of yourself as a producer. A maker of things.

Cooperate.  Contribute.  Serve.  Hold fast.  Don't fall through the cracks.

At it's limit freedom is the ability to reimagine and reprogram yourself in any way you choose.

The most important problem facing the world economy is how to divide work between people and machines. I'm not sure we're headed in the right direction.



17 comments:

Quinn the Eskimo said...

Moneywise, I'd say one of the biggest things right now is to get a chunk of any savings out of US $. With the financial bosses signalling that they WANT to devalue, but are finding it hard... it's either move ahead of the pack, or get caught in the eventual avalanche. May even be smart to move some out of Canuck bucks, as it's already risen 30% against the US & is roughly at par.

But with movements of 20%-40% sitting there, entirely possible, and within a period of 0-2 years, might be worthwhile to catch the wind.

- End of attempt to think like Rich Guy

Billy Glad said...

Here I am in my spitfire, machine guns loaded up with pounds, gunning down stacks of dollars that are trying to flee Manhattan. Behind me, Solo and Skywalker fence with bots. Obi Wan mutters to himself and drools into his beard. Yoda says: Your debt. You must watch it.

Quinn the Eskimo said...

Yoda, sure. Debt, he has not.

Swamp, dude lives in.

Billy Glad said...

Staying close to water he is.

Antepilani said...

Back in the game BABY...

Miguelitoh2o said...

I've been thinking about this since you wrote it. As much as I wish it were otherwise, that we actually had some semblance of control over the economy, even politics, I think you've described the actual effective operations at our disposal.

Quinn the Eskimo said...

Yup.

Billy Glad said...

I was saddened to see Paul Krugman end a column with the thought that his work might turn out to be unimportant. After noticing that US economic policy favors the rich, Krugman concluded: "To the extent that we have policy of the 1 percent, by the 1 percent, for the 1 percent, won’t we just see new justifications for the same old policies?

"I hope not; I’d like to believe that ideas and evidence matter, at least a bit. Otherwise, what am I doing with my life? But I guess we’ll see just how much cynicism is justified."

I wonder if he's close to realizing now that we don't just have "policy" of the 1 percent; we actually have government of, by and for the 1 percent?

Must be hard for a liberal with a conscience to admit that the 1 percent now control both parties.

And, of course, what he's been doing with his life -- whether he knows it or not -- is working his way up to the front page of the NYT where his columns can be juxtaposed with real estate ads flogging $1M apartments in Manhattan.

Quinn the Eskimo said...

Y'know, I like this advice better than Krugman anyway. the Hive was smart. Ore at least, smarter than the Times.

For what it's worth.

Billy Glad said...

The Times has gone crazy. I may have a little more useful info. If you have to have a bank, local banks or savings and loans are best. Working out that way for us at least.

Jacob Freeze said...

I miss conversing with the people on this blog, and a very tenuous little community it was.

One of our friends from TPM Cafe passed away a few years ago in Thailand. Rest in peace Miguel Gustav Fuentes Jones aka Miguelitoh2o, biker, photographer, world traveler, furniture designer, and a very good friend of mine.

Quinn the Eskimo said...

Amen, Jacob.

And yes, Miguelito is genuinely missed.

Desider said...

I think of them all as daemons waiting around the bend.

Billy Glad said...

Hello Jacob and Des. I have almost completely gotten off of the grid now. And I've decided to let go of the idea that anything I might say about politics could made the slightest difference. Hope you are both well and weathering the storm. Drop me a line sometime.

Desider said...

Only thinking of you, not concerned about any relevance. The universe will handle itself. We are but pawns

Billy Glad said...

Stardust

Desider said...

Got to get ourselves back to the beer garden...