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Space Travel On Earth - ET3 @ ZDay 2013 LA

Yes, it's Corporatism. But Capitalism Isn't Going to Save Us

"What we have now is not capitalism. It's corporatism. We need a return to true free market capitalism!"

You've probably heard this statement a few times, especially if you spend any time frequenting any alternative media or groups that aren't left wing in nature. It's the maxim of libertarians and conservatives disgruntled with the current system.

It's time to put this delusion to bed.

The idiom is correct in one aspect - what we have now is corporatism. But what its proponents fail to understand is how this came about. This is not a case of "capitalism going wrong", and if we just "do it right" things will be better.

"Corporatism" is the inevitable result of capitalism!

Don't agree? Just think for a minute how it came about. How did companies get so big? How did they get so powerful that they could take over the government, creating laws to make them even more powerful?

Here's a clue, it wasn't some lucky accident. Money makes money, and money buys power. Accumulation is self perpetuating. In a "free" market, eventually, some corporations are going to grow so big they become monopolies. And the more free the market, the more likely this becomes.

Once a couple of companies are big enough, they can start taking over the governments. It can start with good old fashioned bribery, then lobbying, then they get bolder and bolder until they're writing their own bills. Or even printing the money which is the reserve currency of the whole planet...

Again, this is not some lucky fluke. What do you expect to happen when corporations get richer than governments?

We can't fix this by "getting money out of politics", because as long as there is an incentive for corporations to control the rules which restrict their wealth accumulation - it will always find a way in.

We're not going to fix the problem of corporatism with a return to free market capitalism. Free market capitalism is what caused corporatism in the first place!


Image by Ryan Van Lenning

Will Bitcoin Change the Balance of Power?

Bitcoin has gone through the roof in recent weeks, hitting US$72 as I write this.

Now, in the past, nothing has ever gone up like this and not come crashing down in a similar fashion. But Bitcoin is uncharted territory. It's unregulated and unmanipulable. At the same time, it's completely fictional and is only as strong as people's faith in it.

What worries me most about Bitcoin is its potential to put a lot of power into the hands of people who may or may not be criminals. This is not only bad because of the potential power balance shift, but also because of the war that it may provoke between the underground and the authorities - a war that the public will be in the crossfire of.

I cannot see the Rothschilds sitting back and letting the empire they've taken centuries to build come crashing down in a matter of weeks due to the public beating them at their own game. Rest assured they will have a plan to either undermine/destroy Bitcoin, or become the most powerful force within it.

The link between tenable resources (oil, gas, gold) and monetary currencies of all kinds is the real point of control for the value of these currencies, and therefore the balance of power. Despite Bitcoin being a true open market, this link is still not in the hands of the people.

The Bitcoin revolution is just beginning. It has the potential to hit $1 million dollars or more, but this can't happen without causing a severe upset in the world order and having immense implications for the banking system.

The ride to the top is going to be a bumpy one.

Cyprus, the Catalyst

Trust takes a long time to build up, but can be destroyed in an instant.

We all know what's currently going on with Cyprus. Even the mainstream media couldn't leave this alone and the story permeates every household and coffee room in the land. It has a personal edge to it, it is an unprecedented outrage.

Stock markets across the world have taken a hit as a result, but spectators are quick to downplay it as an "overdue correction" following weeks of bubble expansion. I think the stock markets are happy to keep playing the game as long as they can, they're winning it at the moment. But once the dominoes start falling, nothing is going to stand in the way.

Any sensible person knows, despite the illusory image of the financial markets, that the world economy is in big trouble. The stock market's gains are nothing but a short term cash grab. There is no recovery happening and there never was. It's just a way to take more from the people while there's still more to take.

A perfect storm has been forming for some time. The unfathomable derivatives bubble, massive debt across Europe and America, austerity, the Bitcoin boom, China's property bubble, even Australia's stalling economy all signs that we're living on borrowed time.

Even if the IMF and ECB don't go ahead with the proposed bank levy, the psychological damage is already done. If this doesn't trigger bank runs across at least Southern Europe, I don't know what will. The trust in banks is gone. Cyprus's economy wasn't even that bad, so people will understand that their money isn't safe no matter where they are.

Could this action have undermined confidence in banks across the world? Could this be the trigger for all out bank runs which become the first domino in the ultimate financial collapse?

What Really Happened? All Wars Are Bankers Wars

Why Are There No Good People in Power?

Why are all of our political leaders assholes?  Why are they all sleazy, underhanded, at least slightly evil, and most of the time, criminally incompetent?

Where are the nice leaders? Where are the leaders who inspire? The leaders who change things for the better? Why has there been the need for so many hung parliaments in the last few years - all over the world?

Most readers of this blog will be well aware of the reasons for this.

But many people, including your friends and family, may not be.

I think it's useful to plant this little seed of skepticism. Given this question, in time, most people will come to realise the answer on their own.

Integrated Nature Podcast

I'd just like to give a shout out to my buddies Chris and Sonny here in Melbourne who have created a very entertaining, interesting and informative soap box podcast.

This introduction episode talks about Australia, world news, and education. Other episodes discuss copyright and planned obsolescence.


Integrated Nature YouTube Channel