@artician

Even if the models for the decline of empires are inexact, poorly sourced or even exaggerated, they are doing so to combat the overwhelming force of the status quo that feeds us a constant stream of comforting, mind-numbing bliss through mass media, mostly delivered though TV news, advertising and cleverly veiled in the actual entertainment that the audience enjoys.

It's hard to mount a comeback against a presupposed cultural truth supported by any form of economic interest. The tobacco industry, for example, mounted powerful misinformation and doubt as scientific evidence slowly leaked out that smoking was harmful. People just don't want to hear that the way they live and what they "know" to be true is going to change and that personal choice is going to have to be limited to some extent.

The same is true for global warming, deforestation, species extinction, pollution, etc., etc. You can resist the "ineffectual mumblings" of Hitchens, Chomsky and the like, but you do so to at your own peril. People like you are the do-do bird in this scenario. People like you are the 2 pack-a-day smoker who thinks they've been smoking for 20 years and feeling fine so why quit now. "Screw the scientists, they're all out to make themselves rich so they concoct these cackamamy experiments to 'prove' they need more research funding." Okay, it's your right to dismiss the advice of people smarter than you.

This video follows the same vein as Peter Joseph's Zeitgeist series (which I suggest you watch or rewatch for shits and giggles.) The idea of consumption tax seems a lot easier for our system to adopt than Joseph's idea of a "Resource-Based Economy." It just sounds more fair that those consuming resources pay back into the system and less airy-fairy than some socialist "to-each as to his need" idea. And let's face it, it's right on a social level. It's just too hard to get there based on our current economic and political structure.

Our wasteful way of life is just unsustainable. I don't think anyone can deny that the ponzi scheme of FIAT money is eventually going to collapse because the balance of wealth is way out of whack AND ONLY GETTING WORSE. And the USA is at the top, and yet owes trillions in funny money that they can only pay back if they stop building missiles and tanks. But I think we all know that when the shit hits the fan, we're going to want to get behind those tanks to ride out the storm of resistance from the 99%. Not the privileged 99% in the west, the 99% of destitute, impoverished poor that build the toys, sew and clothes, glue the plastic Walmart crap, and GROW THE FOOD that we want.to have cheap. We're doing this all on the backs of the "free slaves" in undeveloped countries: Columbia, Bangladesh and on and on.

Search your feelings, Luke. You know it to be true.

My mom drove a Karmann Ghia and my dad drove a Fiat Spider

I'd say it's a Fiat 850 Sport Coupé or maybe a Simca of sorts, something larger than a 1100. Not too sure though, the taillights look a bit off... maybe it's just the crappy resolution.

Easy, don't use gold as your currency. Then don't borrow your entire fiat money supply from private banks and pay them interest on it. That's just stupid.

What this parody fails to recognize is that, being in the center of the empire enables us to sell the debt to other countries... As long as there are others there to purchase the Fed's newly minted fiat, there's plenty of music left in the calliope... that is, of course, until the music stops (and China decides to buy gold and diversify out of the dollar....

I live in upstate NY. We get tuns of ice and snow most winters. I normally drive a Subaru, but I keep an oldish jeep specifically for winter. Moral of the story: If you live in the north.. either buy a car just for winter or a good all-year car and avoid Minis, Fiats, what have you! At the very least put like 6 bags of salt in your trunk for extra weight.

It's almost as bad as people in states that get a lot of ice but little snow in the winter. Drive down an interstate and see someone every three miles fly into the ditch because they were driving 90 miles an hour in sleet.

OK, Chrysler went bankrupt and had to be bought out to survive - I may be corrected (and that's fine) but my point has still been made. Obama didn't make them go bankrupt (he kept people employed) - Obama did what he could to stop them from dissolving altogether. He could have done nothing and watched every Chrysler employee loose their jobs, from the factories, to the mechanics to the sales teams, to all the little companies that manufacture parts.

A few years back, we had a factory in my town as well. White Western Star. They manufactured diesel trucks and they were the largest employer in town.

They were bought out by Freightliner (a US company - a foreign company) a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks, (A German company - also a foreign company).

The factory was shut down when Freightliner acquired them. Putting half the town out of business that catered parts and services to the factory. Times were tough and we are still recovering.

My point is, I know how it could have gone in the US and on a much larger scale. Obama didn't let this happen. But Romney is making it look like Obama was the one at fault here - which is pure lies.
>> ^deedub81:

Chrysler DID go through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. A foreign auto manufacturer bought the majority of the shares from the U.S. (Fiat) and the new chairman of the newly formed Chrysler Group, LLC has said that they will be moving "Jeep output" to China as demand rises. >> ^Sagemind:
"Obama took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy" WTF - Obama bailed them out so they wouldn't go bankrupt.
Most people were against it but he helped them out anyway to keep them afloat and their workers employed. So how does this attack make any sense?

Also, Fiat said they "may eventually make all of [Jeep's] models in [China]."

I don't think that this was an attempt at deception by the Romney campaign, but the result of a VERY poorly worded article. The reporter meant to say that Jeep will be manufacturing Jeeps in China for the Asian market, and that all Jeep models may be available to Asian consumers at some point.

Chrysler DID go through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. A foreign auto manufacturer bought the majority of the shares from the U.S. (Fiat) and the new chairman of the newly formed Chrysler Group, LLC has said that they will be moving "Jeep output" to China as demand rises. >> ^Sagemind:

"Obama took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy" WTF - Obama bailed them out so they wouldn't go bankrupt.
Most people were against it but he helped them out anyway to keep them afloat and their workers employed. So how does this attack make any sense?

If you don't believe money exists, then you should have no problem giving me all of your money. I will give you 1000 angels and an invisible unicorn in return. Deal of a lifetime. PM me for my paypal address.

(In all seriousness, you should read up on economics. It sounds like Ron Paul has warped your understanding of economics.) >> ^vaire2ube:

im not watching because as i understand it, the debt only exists if you believe money really exists, and i dont think money as we are told exists really exists... they can put you in debtors prison but cant get blood from a stone... and as i understand it, the fiat currency we accept is totally unbacked by anything other than faith... and thats only good for making "bubbles"
yea i still pay my bills my cabin in the woods isnt built yet, whats your plan!

im not watching because as i understand it, the debt only exists if you believe money really exists, and i dont think money as we are told exists really exists... they can put you in debtors prison but cant get blood from a stone... and as i understand it, the fiat currency we accept is totally unbacked by anything other than faith... and thats only good for making "bubbles"

yea i still pay my bills my cabin in the woods isnt built yet, whats your plan!

>> ^zor:

What is that a yugo push starting it? Rock bottom.
That'd be a terrific punch-line, but because of the sidelamps I'm inclined to believe it's a Fiat 127 (which did serve as the basis for the Yugo).

>> ^kulpims:

hehe, my first car:) i always left my keys in the ingnition, didn't bother to lock the doors, ever


Outdoor?

In the late 70s, my dad went down to an auto wrecker and bought 2 Fiat 128s (a '76 and a '77 or similar), which the Lada always reminds me of. One had a completely obliterated front end, the other a destroyed rear end. He cut both in half, welded the good parts back together, and my mom drove it until the late 80s, when he rebuilt a year-old Ford F350 that my mother only allowed if he bought her a complete, undamaged car. The damn thing is still toodling around town somewhere...

I'll just respond to these in bulk, since it's quite a pile of manure.

The following state things happened that never happened:

>> ^lantern53:

First President to violate the War Powers Act.
First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.
First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
First President to terminate America's ability to put a man in space.
First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke-out on the reasons for their rate increases.
First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory.
First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-Corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.
First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.
First President to go on multiple global 'apology tours'.


The following he wasn't the first to do, or wouldn't have been if it weren't also part of the block above:

>> ^lantern53:

First President to violate the War Powers Act.
First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
First President to defy a Federal Judge's court order to cease implementing the Health Care Reform Law a duly passed Act of Congress.
First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.
First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect.
First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.
First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayer.
First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.
First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.
First President to take a 17 day vacation.


Many of these he not only wasn't the first to do, they were things Bush did when he was in office. Some, like "arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it" and "require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party" happened back when the founding fathers were still alive.

Let's see, what's left?

>> ^lantern53:

First President to spend a trillion dollars on 'shovel-ready' jobs when there was no such thing as 'shovel-ready' jobs.


There's a lot wrong with this one. First, it wasn't a trillion dollars. Second, "the President" didn't spend it. Third, "shovel-ready" was a term to describe projects that could begin work sooner rather than later, and amazingly enough, those existed. Fourth, this wasn't a "first" -- the New Deal was bigger when you adjust for inflation. Fifth, it was a big help to our sagging economy, and we should've done a second round of it.

But I do agree, the President deserves credit for getting the stimulus passed. So does the President -- the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the stimulus) is featured prominently in the video above.

>> ^lantern53:

First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States.


That's because Republicans in Congress came within seconds of forcing the US to default on its debt.

>> ^lantern53:

First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.


No argument from me on this one. Is this supposed to be a bad thing?

>> ^lantern53:

First President to repeat the Holy Quran tells us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.


I suspect if we check the record really carefully we can find Bush (Jr. or Sr.) saying something similar, but in any case is this supposed to be a bad thing?

President Obama's record is one he should be proud of. I was hoping he'd be able to do more, but honestly I underestimated the totally craven hostile bullshit that having a black Democrat in the White House brought out of the Confederacy. Excuse me, I mean the "Republican party."