Tag Archives: Marx verse Smith

Jan 18 2017

Rogoff: An Elitist Who Has No Respect for the People


Armstrong Economics Blog/Interest Rates

Re-Posted Jan 18, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

Rogoff-Kenneth-2

Kenneth Rogoff is a Professor of Public Policy and Economics at Harvard University. Rogoff calls critics of negative interest rates “ignorant” despite the fact that negative interest rates have been used since 2008 without any success. He had the audacity to say that people should not look at their short-term personal losses, but rather look at the long-term vision of the central banks. He is such an elitist. I cannot find words appropriate to describe how this academic, who has zero experience in the real world, is incapable of comprehending that his Marxist style intervention is creating the next crisis.

1933 London Economic Conference

Yes, negative interest rates lower deficits. But who will buy the negative debt besides central banks? Why borrow money at all and compete against the private sector? Interest rates are negative to punish savers for saving. He wants them to spend their money. Fine – stop government borrowing altogether and just print what is needed for the expense of government. Stop this elitist Marxist concept that people like Rogoff can play the role of emperor and manipulate society to do whatever they believe is appropriate.

Just before his death in 1946, John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) told Henry Clay, a professor of Social Economics and adviser to the Bank of England, that he hoped that Adam Smith’s invisible hand would help Britain out of its economic hole. “I find myself more and more relying for a solution of our problems on the invisible hand which I tried to eject from economic thinking twenty years ago.”

Checkmate

Economists such as Rogoff are still basking in the ideas of Karl Marx that government CAN and SHOULD manipulate society to achieve the public policy dreams of those in power. Rogoff is not willing to even think about what he has done to the pension system and how we are looking at states like Illinois becoming broke.

In California, less than four years have passed since it fought to achieve a balanced budget by raising taxes to the highest level in the nation. Politicians cannot manage the economy and negative interest rates are destroying pensions. There is no long-term gain, for Rogoff cannot imagine the next step. The central banks are trapped and can NEVER resell what they have bought under Quantitative Easing. We are rapidly approaching the point of no return or NO BID. That is when government tries to sell its debt to pay off the last chunk and there is NO BID. Oops! Checkmat

Jan 17 2017

Capitalism v Socialism – Good Perspective of the Difference


Armstrong Economics Blog/Basic Concepts

Re-Posted Jan 17, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

Smith-Marx

COMMENT: Martin, A story I received: A guy looked at my Porsche the other day and said I wonder how many people could have been fed for the money that sports car cost. I replied I am not sure, it fed a lot of families in Bowling Green, Kentucky who built it, it fed the people who make the tires, it fed the people who made the components that went into it, it fed the people in the copper mine who mined the copper for the wires, it fed people in Decatur IL, at Caterpillar who make the trucks that haul the copper ore. It fed the trucking people who hauled it from the plant to the dealer and fed the people working at the dealership and their families. BUT,… I have to admit, I guess I really don’t know how many people it fed.

That is the difference between capitalism and welfare mentality. When you buy something, you put money in people’s pockets, and give them dignity for their skills. When you give someone something for nothing, you rob them of their dignity and self worth. Capitalism is freely giving your money in exchange for something of value. Socialism is taking your money against your will and shoving something down your throat that you never asked for.

JS

REPLY: This is a very good example of the difference between Capitalism and Socialism. Hillary said during the campaign that Trump was worth a few billion – “Think of what we could do with that money.” They only do look at the wealth and not at the contribution to the economy and society. You can look at Henry Ford and say yes – another rich bastard. How many jobs did he create inventing the assembly line? The difference is jobs compared to just entitlements for existing.

I had an old friend from high school call me when I was around 40. He called to ask me for a job. I ask; “Frank. What have you been doing?” He told me he never worked. He has his plane, car, and boat. When we grew up, his mother own the luncheonette all the kids would go to for lunch and after school. She was a widow and spoiled Frank. She never made him get a job and just bought him whatever he wanted. When his mother died, the money stopped. When he called me and said he never worked, I was shocked. I said I did not have a job for him. He was the classic example of socialism.