X-Message-Number: 33311
Subject: Re: CryoNet #33309 - #33310
From: David Stodolsky <>
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 12:27:52 +0100
References: <>

On 4 Feb 2011, at 11:00 AM, CryoNet wrote:

> To these excellent comments I would add that there is a brain drain from 
> professions that may create wealth to those mentioned that destroy it.


The real brain drain, from the life-extension point of view, is the diversion of
scientific manpower from life promotion to life destruction. Military 
expenditures result in the diversion on manpower and the industrialization of 
death. It also results in wealth destruction, but that is merely an intermediate
factor. 


> 
> People can make far more money in these professions than they can working in 
> wealth creating industries, unless they are actually the owners or managers 
> of these industries. The best example of the latter is Bill Gates, of 
> course, whose wealth far exceeds the wildest dreams of the most avaricious 
> of the non-productive professionals. But these super sucessful people are 
> extremely rare indeed. By and large, the non-productive professional earns 
> more than the productive one. In addition, the affluence of these 
> non-productive professionals encourages inefficient working practises, 
> making their clients pay even more for the services provided.
> 
> Over the past half century, the best way to make money was to discover how 
> to borrow it, and use the money you have borrowed to buy things whose 
> apparent cost is rising faster than your accumulating pile of debt and 
> interest. At some point you have to sell part of your portfolio to pay off 
> your debt, and you have got something for nothing. The losers are the savers 
> on fixed interest who were getting a below inflation return after tax, ie a 
> negative returen on their savings.


This analysis assumes that 'free enterprise' is an adequate description of what 
has happened in the last half century. However, the World economy is dominated 
by monopoly capital, which collects 'rents' from its control of 'markets'. All 
of the leading international flows - oil, weapons, drugs - are monopoly 
controlled. Bill Gates owes his fortune to the abuse of MS's operating system 
monopoly, as proven in numerous court findings.


dss

David Stodolsky
  Skype: davidstodolsky

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