Capitalism-A Love Story

Jeez...I had no idea the moral and ethic void in humanity was so deep. This is a big download, but an eye opener. At least it was for me.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232207/

Part 1:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0QIRCQXX
Part 2:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HCZNX83J
Part 3:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SCU92KIJ
Part 4:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KPTKH6I3

(All individually playable.)

Yeah great movie, saw this when it came out. Michael Moore was on point.

As far as I'm concerned, this is required viewing...

I miss the America that I saw flash in front of me...people with character, politicians whose purpose was the common good, a country whose greatest wealth was found in it's populace, not one's bank account...

I have no idea what I'm going to do...but what concerns me more, is: "What are the kids going to do?"
I see some sort of revolution coming...what kind of revolution, I don't know.

You can't fuck that many people for too long.

I grew up in the 70s. Born in the 60s, but remember the 70s. I saw the change in our country start in 1981, (cough, cough Reagan)...It has been since the 1980s that it has taken two people to support a household. It has been since the 80s that children have had to stay home locked inside their houses after school because their mother, also married, still had to work. This has led to childhood obesity, not video games. Video games are only a symptom. Fast food has become more the norm since the 80s as there is no one at home to cook. All of this is a great marker of the economy going on a downhill landslide. What happened a few years ago with the housing market is what pushed the economy to the edge. That WILL happen again at the end of the year when many of the 5 million people that our government has left for dead will foreclose. I was very saddened to find out in recent months that our government truly does not care about the people. It was almost a shock to me, I guess I was naive. I don't see our country recovering anytime soon. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

Just a contrarian view, I didnt get past "this is a big download" then I realized this must be the Michael Moore movie where he drives the Brinks truck around. (I was afraid his scruffly appearance and obese figure might be contagious so I obstained from viewing it) . Ironically our (EUC) detractors probably think most of the unemployed look like him. You probably missed the documentary a reporter did on Mr. Moore that showed the plush penthouse in New York City where he lives (sometimes he gives the impression that he lives in his parents basement in Flint Michigan), sounds like he may be one of the fat cats he is scantimoniously crusading against.

I would caution about feeling nostalgic about the "gold old days". I was a little kid in the 60s and it was great. However, I wouldnt go back to only 3 channels on a black & white TV, no internet, and not not being able to buy a computer for a few hundread dollars that has thousands of times more computing powrer than the one that went to the moon with the Apollo astronauts.

I came of age in the 70s and that was certainly a un-memorable decade at best. Double digit inflatoin and unemployment, gas lines , poor quality cars , poor US esteem around the world after the Iranian hostage crisis. Thats nothing to feel homesick for.

The 80s and 90s were the longest period of economic growth in our history if you were a saver or investor you did well. That growth recovered after 9-11 until the government institutionalized housing bubble popped and had reverberations throughout the economy that we expierence to this day.

Couples have dual careers now to support bigger houses, 2+ cars and the associated toys. Not because they have to .

We have it so much better today as a society. You can buy a new car today for about the same price as a new Chevy in 1961 (inflation adjusted) that is built better, is safer and has a computer. There is no inflation because the "evil" corporate retailers have no pricing power due to global competetive nature of our economy. In the 60s I could go to our family doctor in my small home town and a office visit was $6 and a housecall was $8. (That was great unless you woke up with a pain in your side and there was no MRI to diagnose you , if they couldnt find it with a X-ray they cut you open and "explored")
I'll take today's $50 dollar visit. (thank you ) . I could go on and on.

Most of us in the baby boomer generatoin think fondly of the "good old days" because our Depression era parents shielded us from all of the crap and realities of life while we were growing up. When we did grow up and finally realized that life is complicated and has its ups and downs, we somehow conclude that life has screwed us. I would content that there is a lot more to it.

You talk a lot about the things we "have," and I was referencing the things we "are."

sc4ram wrote:

Couples have dual careers now to support bigger houses, 2+ cars and the associated toys. Not because they have to .

.

SO NOT TRUE.

Sorry, I totally disagree with you sc4ram. I remember the 70s. The unemployment was high, it didn't last long and people weren't losing their homes left and right. As far as the long gas lines go, again, short lived and it turned out we never had a crisis to begin with. In the 80s 2 people did not have to work to support a household because the houses were larger, they had to because the houses were way more expensive per average paycheck. People in the 70s got paid more for the same jobs per ratio to living expenses. One example of this was my uncle. He worked at a print shop and able to support 5 children in a large 5 bedroom house, 2 car garage, with cars, all the latest conveniences and was also able to send all his children to college. My uncle was part of the generation that was called the 'Lucky' generation. This was the generation who served in WWII. This was one of the few times that our country was at it's economically best. ALL you needed was a decent job and you could support your family. Reagan ruined it all with his trickle down economics and our country has never been the same.

Nowadays, people can barely make enough money to feed themselves and pay utilities. These people are not living in large houses and do not have the latest gadgets. Right now, we have a high risk of millions of people becoming homeless due to lack of jobs and lack of unemployment insurance. This is the worst our country has ever been since the great depression and there is no end in site.

Our country will Never get back to the good old days, and that is a shame.

Well Shelia-

We must agree to disagree. You are one of the few people I have ever heard to think the 70s was a model decade. I have a much different recollection of the 70s than you, if you think those high rates of unemployment and gas lines didnt last long, then you must be satisfied with current economic environment with the recession about to complete its second year. In case you dont remember it wasnt only that the price of gasoline had increased 300%, it was that you couldnt get it without waiting in long lines, in some states there was rationing. I didnt recall that it was fake, I believe it was initally triggered by a Arab oil embargo in '74 and aggrivated by the Iranian hostage crisis of the late 70s. (You do agree with Ronald Reagan on one thing, he said the shortages in the late 70s were contrived too) That is great that your Uncle was able to support a family on print shop work, and it is true that he probably couldnt do that today, but technology has automated much of the print industry since then, which trended jobs like your Uncle's towards obsolesence. [For example I can use a print company's software today and easily create a business card design, send it to the vendor who can turn it into a printed card with little direct hands on activity]. Perhaps not good news for the print shop worker of the 70s, but great for the guys and gals who designed built and sold the computer hardware and software and other equipment to make this possible. And great for the small biz owner to have access to cheap business cards. (BTW, there is no buggy whip industry now either)

The world has changed, we have a global economy, we would have a global economy weather Reagan was President or not. (if you noticed Prez Clinton didnt try to reverse it, he expanded it with NAFTA in the 90s)

And dont forget about inflation , it was double digit for years in the 70s. Just remember if you have yearly inflation above 10% the value of your money will decline by more than a half in <5 years (no nostalgia there) . The interest rates were double digit as well (that was more of a issue in housing affordability than anything you are trying to pin on Reagan in the 80s) . Calculate a mortage payment on a 13% mortgatge rate, (it is not very affordable)

I came (drove) to Florida for the first time in '79 from NY, it was a quite precarious adventure to find a place on I-95 to fill up, some gas lines were backed up to the exit ramps. You can imagine the uncertainty that caused for the tourist biz here and business in general.

I moved to south Brevard County in '81, I remember you could buy a comfortable 1300 sq foot house for ~$40K, that creeped up to $50K -60K in the 90s and was pretty stable (I remember homeowners griping here for years that their property values never went up) until the post 9-11 housing boom . Anybody with a College education (and many without) could easily afford that. There was no housing affordability problem in the 80s, if anything, since interest rates were lower an mortgages were cheaper it was easier to buy a house. You were right , thanks to Reagan, high rates of the 70s ultimately were temporary. I remember in my first job in 1982, my tax cut was bigger than my raise. I was very greatful .
[You must of really liked the housing bubble of the 2000's, with liar, ninja and interest only loans, you didnt need a robust income at all to buy a house, you could buy 2 of them if you wanted to ]

If you are that nostalgic for those days in the 70s you may be in luck. Since we are not drilling any new wells for our own oil (the recent announcement of drilling by the Prez has to pass Congress and the states, and will be tied up for years before any action is taken) . We havent built any new refineries in a long time either (and are using more refined gasoline from off shore now) . There may be a gas line in your future yet.

If that doesnt happen soon enough for you, let me know. I might be able to locate a pair of polyester pants and a Saturday Night Fever sound track for you. Hope you have pleasent dreams about John Travolta.........