I didn't really know too much about our system until I saw this video. So apparently we can't do a single thing about the debt we're in, and it doesn't matter who we elect, because nobody is facing the real issue.
I think regulation is needed to fix this issue, because if you look at Denmark, they were all fine before their government started getting less strict with regulations.
I'm still watching the video, but I'm very suspicious of anybody who claims people don't teach something because "they have the power and they don't want you to know". Edit: Ugh. Now I'm upset I watched at all. Conspiracy theory "us against them" fallacies:
Watched. Although I'm by no means a high level economist, the fundamental flaw is that he's pegging it all on the left side. Sure, that is going to happen, but not to the extent he portrays. And his argument that they are hiding it seems equally flawed.
On June 06 2011 13:24 MoreFaSho wrote: I'm still watching the video, but I'm very suspicious of anybody who claims people don't teach something because "they have the power and they don't want you to know". Edit: Ugh. Now I'm upset I watched at all. Conspiracy theory "us against them" fallacies:
The guy is not a conspiracy theorist, I'm not sure what you're talking about. He has worked many years for the government, and has taken millions of economics courses.
edit: you might as well point of where he's wrong, because "he's a conspiracy theorists, he HASS to be stupid" really isn't helping you.
This video makes no sense, he fails to really explain what balance sheets are and then goes on about how government debt must grow exponentially along with private debt because of some vast banking conspiracy... or something like that.
Short rebuttal: From a business perspective debt or capital allows you to create value and through that you can pay back the debt as long as your return is sufficient. Government debt is a result of various fiscal, social and foreign policy decisions, not really some vast money conspiracy.
On June 06 2011 13:38 TheFrankOne wrote: This video makes no sense, he fails to really explain what balance sheets are and then goes on about how government debt must grown exponentially along with private debt because of some vast banking conspiracy... or something like that.
Short rebuttal: From a business perspective debt or capital allows you to create value and through that you can pay back the debt as long as your return is sufficient. Government debt is a result of various fiscal, social and foreign policy decisions, not really some vast money conspiracy.
This. He's arguing that the economy is a zero sum game, much as the pre-classical (non economist) economists did. He ignores the fact it is not a zero sum game, so there is room for growth. (And an increase in released money)
He has worked many years for the government, and has taken millions of economics courses.
This is exactly the kind of reassuring references that I look for when I want to believe in someone's discourse...
Sarcasm aside, I really don't understand how anyone can take seriously anything prefaced with phrases like "The One Secret No One Knows!" or "What They Don't Want You To Find Out!". You wouldn't click on a random e-mail with the subject header "The One Secret to 14" Penis" or "The Stock Rich People Don't Want You to Find Out"; why would you listen to someone whose only claim to credibility is "working for many years fort he government; and has taken millions of economic courses".
As for the video itself I had to stop after he started explaining bank balance sheets as his gross oversimplification of the entire thing caused several of my brain cells to run screaming in terror.
The video only explains half of the balance sheet and doesn't take the fact that people have to decide whether or not they will borrow into consideration. People don't participate in trade (Or in this case borrow) unless they are going to benefit more from the trade than it will cost them. Moreover, the video is an extremely simplified model of what really goes on.
I don't know what the fuck this guy's strange fascination is with balance sheets. He talks as if the fact that debt is a liability proves by itself that the monetary system is fundamentally designed to funnel power to the bankers. Of course debt is a liability in that it's money you will have to give away in the future, but of course debt is only half of the concept of taking out a loan. The other half is that you get a big boost of money temporarily, which you can use to make greater immediate investments which may in fact end up giving you more value, even directly in the form of money, than you have to pay back to get rid of the debt. People who carelessly and mindlessly go into debt because they think of the bank as a magic place where they'll just give you money for free are obviously going to screw themselves over, but it's not as if that childish misconception is the only thing that attracts anyone to take out loans. He talks about banks creating wealth for themselves by just arbitrarily writing it onto their own balance sheet, but the simple fact is that banks create wealth by providing a service in exchange for a fee at mutual advantage, just the way businesses are supposed to.
I couldn;t finish this. It seems really dumb and oversimplified too much. He's acting like people only ever get assets by borrowing them from the banks, but that just isn't true. On an individual level, people work and make money for it. On a societal level there is production, i.e. growing food/building properties/etc.
I think the financial system is pretty messed up, but this isn't how.
On June 06 2011 13:48 phyren wrote: I couldn;t finish this. It seems really dumb and oversimplified too much. He's acting like people only ever get assets by borrowing them from the banks, but that just isn't true. On an individual level, people work and make money for it. On a societal level there is production, i.e. growing food/building properties/etc.
I think the financial system is pretty messed up, but this isn't how.
You forgot the highest level, where people print ink on paper and are paid trillions for it.
On June 06 2011 13:48 phyren wrote: I couldn;t finish this. It seems really dumb and oversimplified too much. He's acting like people only ever get assets by borrowing them from the banks, but that just isn't true. On an individual level, people work and make money for it. On a societal level there is production, i.e. growing food/building properties/etc.
I think the financial system is pretty messed up, but this isn't how.
You forgot the highest level, where people print ink on paper and are paid trillions for it.
Can you document specific cases of people or banks earning trillions?
the video itself ignored some fundamental problem in "the bank raising money by themself". There are rules for a country to increase the asset WHICH later on decided how much "cash" a country can actually have. Those are controlled by the world bank and calculated by GDP and such. You really cannot describe the problem US dealing with right now in a 12 minutes video i dont think.
On June 06 2011 13:48 phyren wrote: I couldn;t finish this. It seems really dumb and oversimplified too much. He's acting like people only ever get assets by borrowing them from the banks, but that just isn't true. On an individual level, people work and make money for it. On a societal level there is production, i.e. growing food/building properties/etc.
I think the financial system is pretty messed up, but this isn't how.
You forgot the highest level, where people print ink on paper and are paid trillions for it.
Can you document specific cases of people or banks earning trillions?
On June 06 2011 13:48 phyren wrote: I couldn;t finish this. It seems really dumb and oversimplified too much. He's acting like people only ever get assets by borrowing them from the banks, but that just isn't true. On an individual level, people work and make money for it. On a societal level there is production, i.e. growing food/building properties/etc.
I think the financial system is pretty messed up, but this isn't how.
You forgot the highest level, where people print ink on paper and are paid trillions for it.
Can you document specific cases of people or banks earning trillions?
Why?
Because the same way this guy taking "millions" of econ courses is unreasonable because of how many classes get you a degree, people being paid trillions is unreasonable because the richest people are worth, afaik billions.
On June 06 2011 13:48 phyren wrote: I couldn;t finish this. It seems really dumb and oversimplified too much. He's acting like people only ever get assets by borrowing them from the banks, but that just isn't true. On an individual level, people work and make money for it. On a societal level there is production, i.e. growing food/building properties/etc.
I think the financial system is pretty messed up, but this isn't how.
You forgot the highest level, where people print ink on paper and are paid trillions for it.
Can you document specific cases of people or banks earning trillions?
Why?
Because the same way this guy taking "millions" of econ courses is unreasonable because of how many classes get you a degree, people being paid trillions is unreasonable because the richest people are worth, afaik billions.
People is plural, though honestly you aren't going to find any kind of documented net worth for the richest people in the world.
I watched a film on this very topic. It goes into a lot more depth of this kind of concept obviously. Lemme see if I can find it: Actually it was a couple different films. Collapse and IOUSA and somewhat related is the film called The Corporation
"a balance sheet is a t-shape sheet with assets on the left and liabilities (debt) on the right" "100k asset 80k liability"
okay let me say it this
the reason its called a balance sheet is because things on the left = things on the right. its an accounting tool that is used to prevent people with fiddling with numbers and to give outsiders (and insiders) a better idea of the financial health of the company.
So having 100k in assets and 80k in liabilities tells me that either you have 20k in shareholder's equity, or you're a fucking idiot trying to use an ACCOUNTING TECHNIQUE to explain ECONOMIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
"an asset is something that makes money"
seriously if anybody actually believes what this guy is saying they need to go take high school accounting 101 so they can see what this guy is doing. This is like taking the theory of evolution and using it to justify killing or sterilizing people based on genetics. Oh wait that's called eugenics.
seriously my mind is so blown here that i have to edit my post twice just to comment on how utterly mindblown i am about this video