Do you have "buyer's remorse" about adult life?

[beechnut79]

(06-10-2016, 09:21 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: What we often think of as prosperity in America is people selling out their dreams cheaply. By doing so people make possible the extreme wealth, power, indulgence, and ostentation of people as exploitative as feudal lords.

Employer, Family, God, and Home... such is what my parents impressed upon me as the objectives of life.  In that, there is no room for "I" or "Individuality". Maybe not "Imagination". "Independence",  or "Innovation", either.

On another website there is a piece about how economic globalization has proven to be the wrecking ball of the American Dream. Was that over-hyped to begin with? Probably so. We all know now that minorities and gays and anyone whose leanings were toward the Communist side did not share in the so-called dream. But mainstream folks are worried sick that it is now being threatened. (Actually the threatening started some three decades back if not a bit more) In fact in the intro to the T4T book it was mentioned that Boomers by and large were worrying that the American Dream which was there (solidly) for their parents and still there (barely) for them, will not be there for their children. We are now seeing that prophecy come home to roost in a substantial number of the Millennial Generation who are saddled with hefty student loan debt all the while being stuck in primarily low-wage jobs. They can't begin to think about such long-time stepping stones as buying homes and starting families. And besides, many will be unlikely to escape their situations save for an extreme stroke of luck such as a lottery payout. There were labeled Generation Limbo, and from all of this I was able to create the perfect acronym for limbo. Lower Income Mostly Beyond Overhaul.

[radind]

(06-13-2016, 01:07 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(06-13-2016, 01:00 PM)radind Wrote:

(06-13-2016, 11:46 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(06-13-2016, 05:24 AM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(06-13-2016, 01:56 AM)taramarie Wrote: You guys make enough "stuff" but people do not have the money to buy necessities and many are in debt. I believe that is what many are focusing on as the most important thing of all. Survival in hardship.

The economic elites have found how to control people so that they believe that nothing matters except that the elites get whatever they want -- which is everything. Around 1980 we largely Americans sold out to the concept that we are are nothing more than our basest drives. We allowed ourselves to be atomized in return for some vague promises of economic gain. Everything is about lucre.

We enter a Crisis Era because of the bad practices that have developed since the last Crisis, vices that have become nearly sacred. Yet those vices degrade us. Most arise from the 3T -- bad business practices and bad mass culture. One big contributor to our misfortune is the debasement of education, mostly from the Awakening-era "Multiversity". The idea that the college student wants to go as quickly into specialized training or to experience a watered-down grad school instead of developing some wisdom from millennia of experience best taught as the liberal arts has ensured that people, however technically proficient they may be, lack the wisdom even to recognize the virtue of reciprocal kindness. Life becomes little more than personal manipulation.

"Ship it", "sell it", "cut the deal". Of course it is all pragmatic. But what if "it" all depends upon the degradation of human existence?

That is all correct. We focus on economic gain, justified by and geared toward gain for the elite. We end up with neither real life, wisdom and culture OR economic gain. We forget our millennia of experience, which includes the teaching of the one we once revered as our spiritual leader: seek first the Kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all else will be added.

A verse that I like.

Quote:Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6,ESV

I'm not sure which verse you are saying you like.

But obviously, what Jesus was saying in John 14 is that the way is to know that you are God.

John 10:34: Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are "gods"'?

Using the Bible or the Koran as an excuse for prejudice against gays or those of other religions, is not acceptable. Using sacred texts to claim that yours is the only true religion, is not acceptable. The results of accepting it: what we saw in Florida yesterday.

I thought that is was clear that I was referring to verse 6 in John 14. 
I did not mention anything about prejudice.  I do claim to be a Christian and we clearly have different worldviews.
It does appear to me that many of the ones conducting terrorists acts are associated with Islam and I agree that such evil acts of violence should be rejected by any religion.

As you might expect, I do not agree with your interpretation on John 14. Following are notes from one commentary.

Quote:Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
10:31-38 Christ's works of power and mercy proclaim him to be over all, God blessed for evermore, that all may know and believe He is in the Father, and the Father in Him. Whom the Father sends, he sanctifies. The holy God will reward, and therefore will employ, none but such as he makes holy. The Father was in the Son, so that by Divine power he wrought his miracles; the Son was so in the Father, that he knew the whole of His mind. This we cannot by searching find out to perfection, but we may know and believe these declarations of Christ.

[pbrower2a]

(06-13-2016, 02:59 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(06-10-2016, 09:21 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: What we often think of as prosperity in America is people selling out their dreams cheaply. By doing so people make possible the extreme wealth, power, indulgence, and ostentation of people as exploitative as feudal lords.

Employer, Family, God, and Home... such is what my parents impressed upon me as the objectives of life.  In that, there is no room for "I" or "Individuality". Maybe not "Imagination". "Independence",  or "Innovation", either.

On another website there is a piece about how economic globalization has proven to be the wrecking ball of the American Dream. Was that over-hyped to begin with? Probably so. We all know now that minorities and gays and anyone whose leanings were toward the Communist side did not share in the so-called dream. But mainstream folks are worried sick that it is now being threatened. (Actually the threatening started some three decades back if not a bit more) In fact in the intro to the T4T book it was mentioned that Boomers by and large were worrying that the American Dream which was there (solidly) for their parents and still there (barely) for them, will not be there for their children. We are now seeing that prophecy come home to roost in a substantial number of the Millennial Generation who are saddled with hefty student loan debt all the while being stuck in primarily low-wage jobs. They can't begin to think about such long-time stepping stones as buying homes and starting families. And besides, many will be unlikely to escape their situations save for an extreme stroke of luck such as a lottery payout. There were labeled Generation Limbo, and from all of this I was able to create the perfect acronym for limbo. Lower Income Mostly Beyond Overhaul.

We got promises of cheap stuff in return for seeing wages slashed. But some things would not get cheap. Cost-loading has become the norm in anything with a monopolistic component.

The irony is that we could be entering the true post-industrial society in which scarcity becomes an irrelevance, and the only poor people are those unwilling to work. Economic rent (easy income for the well-connected Right People) has become a huge part of the American economy. Now people are poor (or will become poor) if they are not connected to the Master Classes.

[beechnut79]

(06-13-2016, 01:56 AM)taramarie Wrote:

(06-12-2016, 11:58 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(06-12-2016, 12:43 PM)taramarie Wrote:

(06-12-2016, 12:02 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(06-12-2016, 01:16 AM)taramarie Wrote: [quote pid='2702' dateline='1465707586']
Agree but NOT to the point where it sacrifices economic efficiency and rationality. That is illogical. You want another crash go right ahead.

Short-term efficiency at the cost of human happiness, let alone the survival and health (mental as well as physical) of those who actually do the work, is suspect.

Our productive capacities are great enough that we do not need poverty -- and we do not need to drive people to physical exhaustion just to get productivity.  We are at the stage at which we cannot get more prosperity from more production of stuff. We do not need more junk for the landfill or even more clutter.

Sustainable happiness is the measure of a wholesome life.

Obviously you have never been in financial strife.

I am in great fear of losing everything. You do not understand the economics of the nursing home business in America.  

If we get good economic measures in return for gross inequity and a climate of fear, then something is wrong -- most likely with the economic elite. The MBA culture that formed around 1980 was a rejection of humanistic values that make life tolerable for non-elites. People who believe that no human suffering is in excess so long as the Right People get what they want (basically everything not necessary for animal-like survival for everyone else, as in fascist and feudal orders).

We make enough stuff. We do badly at creating happiness because the ideology of American elites well suited to the sweat-shop level of economic development.

You guys make enough "stuff" but people do not have the money to buy necessities and many are in debt. I believe that is what many are focusing on as the most important thing of all. Survival in hardship.
[/quote]
Your second paragraph reminds me that today's economic climate is so reminiscent of a holiday observed at the end of every October. Treats for the rich and powerful; tricks for most of the rest of us. When the whole MBA craze was on, to some extent the Me Generation culture no doubt helped push that along. The dark side of things didn't come home to roost for a while, but the scholarly types and those who hadn't yet sucked up to what was happening had already figured it out by 1987, by which time we had the largest homeless population since the Great Depression. The one thing which has prevent Great Depression II so far? No doubt it's consumer credit. This Christmas how about coming up with an adult letter to Santa requesting a world that feels a little less stressful?

[Ragnarök_62]

So, here we are, middle aged and all and here's a brief casualty report from H1-B's . I bet most casualties are mid aged GenX.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Souther...id/626335/

Oh, and a fuck you Disney, go burn in hell.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/las....html?_r=0

http://www.cio.com/article/2430799/it-or...-fire.html

https://layoffblog.wordpress.com/category/h1b/
http://business.blog.myajc.com/2015/10/1...-overseas/


http://www.report9.com/news/h1-b-visas-c...in-us/550/

Oh, but it gets cute, just wait for the blow-back.

executive order  13603 Wrote:The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 16, 2012
Executive Order -- National Defense Resources Preparedness
EXECUTIVE ORDER
NATIONAL DEFENSE RESOURCES PREPAREDNESS
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. App. 2061 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
PART I  -  PURPOSE, POLICY, AND IMPLEMENTATION
Section 101.  Purpose.  This order delegates authorities and addresses national defense resource policies and programs under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (the "Act").
Sec. 102.  Policy.  The United States must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency.  The domestic industrial and technological base is the foundation for national defense preparedness.  The authorities provided in the Act shall be used to strengthen this base and to ensure it is capable of responding to the national defense needs of the United States.
Sec. 103.  General Functions.  Executive departments and agencies (agencies) responsible for plans and programs relating to national defense (as defined in section 801(j) of this order), or for resources and services needed to support such plans and programs, shall:
(a)  identify requirements for the full spectrum of emergencies, including essential military and civilian demand;
(b)  assess on an ongoing basis the capability of the domestic industrial and technological base to satisfy requirements in peacetime and times of national emergency, specifically evaluating the availability of the most critical resource and production sources, including subcontractors and suppliers, materials, skilled labor, and professional and technical personnel;
©  be prepared, in the event of a potential threat to the security of the United States, to take actions necessary to ensure the availability of adequate resources and production capability, including services and critical technology, for national defense requirements;
(d)  improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the domestic industrial base to support national defense requirements; and
(e)  foster cooperation between the defense and commercial sectors for research and development and for acquisition of materials, services, components, and equipment to enhance industrial base efficiency and responsiveness.
Sec. 104.  Implementation.  (a)  The National Security Council and Homeland Security Council, in conjunction with the National Economic Council, shall serve as the integrated policymaking forum for consideration and formulation of national defense resource preparedness policy and shall make recommendations to the President on the use of authorities under the Act.
(b)  The Secretary of Homeland Security shall:
(1)  advise the President on issues of national defense resource preparedness and on the use of the authorities and functions delegated by this order;
(2)  provide for the central coordination of the plans and programs incident to authorities and functions delegated under this order, and provide guidance to agencies assigned functions under this order, developed in consultation with such agencies; and
(3)  report to the President periodically concerning all program activities conducted pursuant to this order.
©  The Defense Production Act Committee, described in section 701 of this order, shall:
(1)  in a manner consistent with section 2(b) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2062(b), advise the President through the Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy on the effective use of the authorities under the Act; and
(2)  prepare and coordinate an annual report to the Congress pursuant to section 722(d) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2171(d).
(d)  The Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other agencies, shall:
(1)  analyze potential effects of national emergencies on actual production capability, taking into account the entire production system, including shortages of resources, and develop recommended preparedness measures to strengthen capabilities for production increases in national emergencies; and
(2)  perform industry analyses to assess capabilities of the industrial base to support the national defense, and develop policy recommendations to improve the international competitiveness of specific domestic industries and their abilities to meet national defense program needs.
PART II  -  PRIORITIES AND ALLOCATIONS
Sec. 201.  Priorities and Allocations Authorities.  (a)  The authority of the President conferred by section 101 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071, to require acceptance and priority performance of contracts or orders (other than contracts of employment) to promote the national defense over performance of any other contracts or orders, and to allocate materials, services, and facilities as deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense, is delegated to the following agency heads:
(1)  the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to food resources, food resource facilities, livestock resources, veterinary resources, plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer;
(2)  the Secretary of Energy with respect to all forms of energy;
(3)  the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to health resources;
(4)  the Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation;
(5)  the Secretary of Defense with respect to water resources; and
(6)  the Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials.
(b)  The Secretary of each agency delegated authority under subsection (a) of this section (resource departments) shall plan for and issue regulations to prioritize and allocate resources and establish standards and procedures by which the authority shall be used to promote the national defense, under both emergency and non-emergency conditions.  Each Secretary shall authorize the heads of other agencies, as appropriate, to place priority ratings on contracts and orders for materials, services, and facilities needed in support of programs approved under section 202 of this order.
©  Each resource department shall act, as necessary and appropriate, upon requests for special priorities assistance, as defined by section 801(l) of this order, in a time frame consistent with the urgency of the need at hand.  In situations where there are competing program requirements for limited resources, the resource department shall consult with the Secretary who made the required determination under section 202 of this order.  Such Secretary shall coordinate with and identify for the resource department which program requirements to prioritize on the basis of operational urgency.  In situations involving more than one Secretary making such a required determination under section 202 of this order, the Secretaries shall coordinate with and identify for the resource department which program requirements should receive priority on the basis of operational urgency.
(d)  If agreement cannot be reached between two such Secretaries, then the issue shall be referred to the President through the Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor and the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.
(e)  The Secretary of each resource department, when necessary, shall make the finding required under section 101(b) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071(b).  This finding shall be submitted for the President's approval through the Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor and the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.  Upon such approval, the Secretary of the resource department that made the finding may use the authority of section 101(a) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071(a), to control the general distribution of any material (including applicable services) in the civilian market.
Sec. 202.  Determinations.  Except as provided in section 201(e) of this order, the authority delegated by section 201 of this order may be used only to support programs that have been determined in writing as necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense:
(a)  by the Secretary of Defense with respect to military production and construction, military assistance to foreign nations, military use of civil transportation, stockpiles managed by the Department of Defense, space, and directly related activities;
(b)  by the Secretary of Energy with respect to energy production and construction, distribution and use, and directly related activities; and
©  by the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to all other national defense programs, including civil defense and continuity of Government.
Sec. 203.  Maximizing Domestic Energy Supplies.  The authorities of the President under section 101©(1) (2) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071©(1) (2), are delegated to the Secretary of Commerce, with the exception that the authority to make findings that materials (including equipment), services, and facilities are critical and essential, as described in section 101©(2)(A) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071©(2)(A), is delegated to the Secretary of Energy.
Sec. 204.  Chemical and Biological Warfare.  The authority of the President conferred by section 104(b) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2074(b), is delegated to the Secretary of Defense.  This authority may not be further delegated by the Secretary.
PART III  -  EXPANSION OF PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY AND SUPPLY
Sec. 301.  Loan Guarantees.  (a)  To reduce current or projected shortfalls of resources, critical technology items, or materials essential for the national defense, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense, as defined in section 801(h) of this order, is authorized pursuant to section 301 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2091, to guarantee loans by private institutions.
(b)  Each guaranteeing agency is designated and authorized to:  (1) act as fiscal agent in the making of its own guarantee contracts and in otherwise carrying out the purposes of section 301 of the Act; and (2) contract with any Federal Reserve Bank to assist the agency in serving as fiscal agent.
©  Terms and conditions of guarantees under this authority shall be determined in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  The guaranteeing agency is authorized, following such consultation, to prescribe:  (1) either specifically or by maximum limits or otherwise, rates of interest, guarantee and commitment fees, and other charges which may be made in connection with such guarantee contracts; and (2) regulations governing the forms and procedures (which shall be uniform to the extent practicable) to be utilized in connection therewith.
Sec. 302.  Loans.  To reduce current or projected shortfalls of resources, critical technology items, or materials essential for the national defense, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 302 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2092, to make loans thereunder.  Terms and conditions of loans under this authority shall be determined in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of OMB.
Sec. 303.  Additional Authorities.  (a)  To create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore domestic industrial base capabilities essential for the national defense, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 303 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093, to make provision for purchases of, or commitments to purchase, an industrial resource or a critical technology item for Government use or resale, and to make provision for the development of production capabilities, and for the increased use of emerging technologies in security program applications, and to enable rapid transition of emerging technologies.
(b)  Materials acquired under section 303 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093, that exceed the needs of the programs under the Act may be transferred to the National Defense Stockpile, if, in the judgment of the Secretary of Defense as the National Defense Stockpile Manager, such transfers are in the public interest.
Sec. 304.  Subsidy Payments.  To ensure the supply of raw or nonprocessed materials from high cost sources, or to ensure maximum production or supply in any area at stable prices of any materials in light of a temporary increase in transportation cost, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 303© of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093©, to make subsidy payments, after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of OMB.
Sec. 305.  Determinations and Findings.  (a)  Pursuant to budget authority provided by an appropriations act in advance for credit assistance under section 301 or 302 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2091, 2092, and consistent with the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as amended (FCRA), 2 U.S.C. 661 et seq., the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority to make the determinations set forth in sections 301(a)(2) and 302(b)(2) of the Act, in consultation with the Secretary making the required determination under section 202 of this order; provided, that such determinations shall be made after due consideration of the provisions of OMB Circular A 129 and the credit subsidy score for the relevant loan or loan guarantee as approved by OMB pursuant to FCRA.
(b)  Other than any determination by the President under section 303(a)(7)(b) of the Act, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority to make the required determinations, judgments, certifications, findings, and notifications defined under section 303 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093, in consultation with the Secretary making the required determination under section 202 of this order.
Sec. 306.  Strategic and Critical Materials.  The Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Interior in consultation with the Secretary of Defense as the National Defense Stockpile Manager, are each delegated the authority of the President under section 303(a)(1)(B) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093(a)(1)(B), to encourage the exploration, development, and mining of strategic and critical materials and other materials.
Sec. 307.  Substitutes.  The head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 303(g) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093(g), to make provision for the development of substitutes for strategic and critical materials, critical components, critical technology items, and other resources to aid the national defense.
Sec. 308.  Government-Owned Equipment.  The head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 303(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093(e), to:
(a)  procure and install additional equipment, facilities, processes, or improvements to plants, factories, and other industrial facilities owned by the Federal Government and to procure and install Government owned equipment in plants, factories, or other industrial facilities owned by private persons;
(b)  provide for the modification or expansion of privately owned facilities, including the modification or improvement of production processes, when taking actions under sections 301, 302, or 303 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2091, 2092, 2093; and
©  sell or otherwise transfer equipment owned by the Federal Government and installed under section 303(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093(e), to the owners of such plants, factories, or other industrial facilities.
Sec. 309.  Defense Production Act Fund.  The Secretary of Defense is designated the Defense Production Act Fund Manager, in accordance with section 304(f) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2094(f), and shall carry out the duties specified in section 304 of the Act, in consultation with the agency heads having approved, and appropriated funds for, projects under title III of the Act.
Sec. 310.  Critical Items.  The head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 107(b)(1) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2077(b)(1), to take appropriate action to ensure that critical components, critical technology items, essential materials, and industrial resources are available from reliable sources when needed to meet defense requirements during peacetime, graduated mobilization, and national emergency.  Appropriate action may include restricting contract solicitations to reliable sources, restricting contract solicitations to domestic sources (pursuant to statutory authority), stockpiling critical components, and developing substitutes for critical components or critical technology items.
Sec. 311.  Strengthening Domestic Capability.  The head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 107(a) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2077(a), to utilize the authority of title III of the Act or any other provision of law to provide appropriate incentives to develop, maintain, modernize, restore, and expand the productive capacities of domestic sources for critical components, critical technology items, materials, and industrial resources essential for the execution of the national security strategy of the United States.
Sec. 312.  Modernization of Equipment.  The head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense, in accordance with section 108(b) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2078(b), may utilize the authority of title III of the Act to guarantee the purchase or lease of advance manufacturing equipment, and any related services with respect to any such equipment for purposes of the Act.  In considering title III projects, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense shall provide a strong preference for proposals submitted by a small business supplier or subcontractor in accordance with section 108(b)(2) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2078(b)(2).
PART IV  -  VOLUNTARY AGREEMENTS AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES
Sec. 401.  Delegations.  The authority of the President under sections 708© and (d) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2158©, (d), is delegated to the heads of agencies otherwise delegated authority under this order.  The status of the use of such delegations shall be furnished to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Sec. 402.  Advisory Committees.  The authority of the President under section 708(d) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2158(d), and delegated in section 401 of this order (relating to establishment of advisory committees) shall be exercised only after consultation with, and in accordance with, guidelines and procedures established by the Administrator of General Services.
Sec. 403.  Regulations.  The Secretary of Homeland Security, after approval of the Attorney General, and after consultation by the Attorney General with the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, shall promulgate rules pursuant to section 708(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2158(e), incorporating standards and procedures by which voluntary agreements and plans of action may be developed and carried out.  Such rules may be adopted by other agencies to fulfill the rulemaking requirement of section 708(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2158(e).
PART V  -  EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL
Sec. 501.  National Defense Executive Reserve.  (a) In accordance with section 710(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(e), there is established in the executive branch a National Defense Executive Reserve (NDER) composed of persons of recognized expertise from various segments of the private sector and from Government (except full time Federal employees) for training for employment in executive positions in the Federal Government in the event of a national defense emergency.
(b)  The Secretary of Homeland Security shall issue necessary guidance for the NDER program, including appropriate guidance for establishment, recruitment, training, monitoring, and activation of NDER units and shall be responsible for the overall coordination of the NDER program.  The authority of the President under section 710(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(e), to determine periods of national defense emergency is delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
©  The head of any agency may implement section 501(a) of this order with respect to NDER operations in such agency.
(d)  The head of each agency with an NDER unit may exercise the authority under section 703 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2153, to employ civilian personnel when activating all or a part of its NDER unit.  The exercise of this authority shall be subject to the provisions of sections 501(e) and (f) of this order and shall not be redelegated.
(e)  The head of an agency may activate an NDER unit, in whole or in part, upon the written determination of the Secretary of Homeland Security that an emergency affecting the national defense exists and that the activation of the unit is necessary to carry out the emergency program functions of the agency.
(f)  Prior to activating the NDER unit, the head of the agency shall notify, in writing, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism of the impending activation.
Sec. 502.  Consultants.  The head of each agency otherwise delegated functions under this order is delegated the authority of the President under sections 710(b) and © of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(b), ©, to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation and to employ experts, consultants, or organizations.  The authority delegated by this section may not be redelegated.
PART VI  -  LABOR REQUIREMENTS
Sec. 601.  Secretary of Labor.  (a)  The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other agencies, as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Labor, shall:
(1)  collect and maintain data necessary to make a continuing appraisal of the Nation's workforce needs for purposes of national defense;
(2)  upon request by the Director of Selective Service, and in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, assist the Director of Selective Service in development of policies regulating the induction and deferment of persons for duty in the armed services;
(3)  upon request from the head of an agency with authority under this order, consult with that agency with respect to:  (i) the effect of contemplated actions on labor demand and utilization; (ii) the relation of labor demand to materials and facilities requirements; and (iii) such other matters as will assist in making the exercise of priority and allocations functions consistent with effective utilization and distribution of labor;
(4)  upon request from the head of an agency with authority under this order:  (i) formulate plans, programs, and policies for meeting the labor requirements of actions to be taken for national defense purposes; and (ii) estimate training needs to help address national defense requirements and promote necessary and appropriate training programs; and
(5)  develop and implement an effective labor management relations policy to support the activities and programs under this order, with the cooperation of other agencies as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Labor, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the National Mediation Board, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
(b)  All agencies shall cooperate with the Secretary of Labor, upon request, for the purposes of this section, to the extent permitted by law.
PART VII  -  DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT COMMITTEE
Sec. 701.  The Defense Production Act Committee.  (a)  The Defense Production Act Committee (Committee) shall be composed of the following members, in accordance with section 722(b) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2171(b):
(1)   The Secretary of State;
(2)   The Secretary of the Treasury;
(3)   The Secretary of Defense;
(4)   The Attorney General;
(5)   The Secretary of the Interior;
(6)   The Secretary of Agriculture;
(7)   The Secretary of Commerce;
(8)   The Secretary of Labor;
(9)   The Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(10)  The Secretary of Transportation;
(11)  The Secretary of Energy;
(12)  The Secretary of Homeland Security; 
(13)  The Director of National Intelligence;
(14)  The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency;
(15)  The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers;
(16)  The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and
(17)  The Administrator of General Services.
(b)  The Director of OMB and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall be invited to participate in all Committee meetings and activities in an advisory role.  The Chairperson, as designated by the President pursuant to section 722 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2171, may invite the heads of other agencies or offices to participate in Committee meetings and activities in an advisory role, as appropriate.
Sec. 702.  Offsets.  The Secretary of Commerce shall prepare and submit to the Congress the annual report required by section 723 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2172, in consultation with the Secretaries of State, the Treasury, Defense, and Labor, the United States Trade Representative, the Director of National Intelligence, and the heads of other agencies as appropriate.  The heads of agencies shall provide the Secretary of Commerce with such information as may be necessary for the effective performance of this function.
PART VIII  -  GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 801.  Definitions.  In addition to the definitions in section 702 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2152, the following definitions apply throughout this order:
(a)  "Civil transportation" includes movement of persons and property by all modes of transportation in interstate, intrastate, or foreign commerce within the United States, its territories and possessions, and the District of Columbia, and related public storage and warehousing, ports, services, equipment and facilities, such as transportation carrier shop and repair facilities.  "Civil transportation" also shall include direction, control, and coordination of civil transportation capacity regardless of ownership.  "Civil transportation" shall not include transportation owned or controlled by the Department of Defense, use of petroleum and gas pipelines, and coal slurry pipelines used only to supply energy production facilities directly.
(b)  "Energy" means all forms of energy including petroleum, gas (both natural and manufactured), electricity, solid fuels (including all forms of coal, coke, coal chemicals, coal liquification, and coal gasification), solar, wind, other types of renewable energy, atomic energy, and the production, conservation, use, control, and distribution (including pipelines) of all of these forms of energy.
©  "Farm equipment" means equipment, machinery, and repair parts manufactured for use on farms in connection with the production or preparation for market use of food resources.
(d)  "Fertilizer" means any product or combination of products that contain one or more of the elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for use as a plant nutrient.
(e)  "Food resources" means all commodities and products, (simple, mixed, or compound), or complements to such commodities or products, that are capable of being ingested by either human beings or animals, irrespective of other uses to which such commodities or products may be put, at all stages of processing from the raw commodity to the products thereof in vendible form for human or animal consumption.  "Food resources" also means potable water packaged in commercially marketable containers, all starches, sugars, vegetable and animal or marine fats and oils, seed, cotton, hemp, and flax fiber, but does not mean any such material after it loses its identity as an agricultural commodity or agricultural product.
(f)  "Food resource facilities" means plants, machinery, vehicles (including on farm), and other facilities required for the production, processing, distribution, and storage (including cold storage) of food resources, and for the domestic distribution of farm equipment and fertilizer (excluding transportation thereof).
(g)  "Functions" include powers, duties, authority, responsibilities, and discretion.
(h)  "Head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense" means the heads of the Departments of State, Justice, the Interior, and Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the General Services Administration, and all other agencies with authority delegated under section 201 of this order.
(i)  "Health resources" means drugs, biological products, medical devices, materials, facilities, health supplies, services and equipment required to diagnose, mitigate or prevent the impairment of, improve, treat, cure, or restore the physical or mental health conditions of the population.
(j)  "National defense" means programs for military and energy production or construction, military or critical infrastructure assistance to any foreign nation, homeland security, stockpiling, space, and any directly related activity.  Such term includes emergency preparedness activities conducted pursuant to title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq., and critical infrastructure protection and restoration.
(k)  "Offsets" means compensation practices required as a condition of purchase in either government to government or commercial sales of defense articles and/or defense services as defined by the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq., and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, 22 C.F.R. 120.1 130.17.
(l)  "Special priorities assistance" means action by resource departments to assist with expediting deliveries, placing rated orders, locating suppliers, resolving production or delivery conflicts between various rated orders, addressing problems that arise in the fulfillment of a rated order or other action authorized by a delegated agency, and determining the validity of rated orders.
(m)  "Strategic and critical materials" means materials (including energy) that (1) would be needed to supply the military, industrial, and essential civilian needs of the United States during a national emergency, and (2) are not found or produced in the United States in sufficient quantities to meet such need and are vulnerable to the termination or reduction of the availability of the material.
(n)  "Water resources" means all usable water, from all sources, within the jurisdiction of the United States, that can be managed, controlled, and allocated to meet emergency requirements, except "water resources" does not include usable water that qualifies as "food resources."
Sec. 802.  General.  (a)  Except as otherwise provided in section 802© of this order, the authorities vested in the President by title VII of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2151 et seq., are delegated to the head of each agency in carrying out the delegated authorities under the Act and this order, by the Secretary of Labor in carrying out part VI of this order, and by the Secretary of the Treasury in exercising the functions assigned in Executive Order 11858, as amended.
(b)  The authorities that may be exercised and performed pursuant to section 802(a) of this order shall include:
(1)  the power to redelegate authorities, and to authorize the successive redelegation of authorities to agencies, officers, and employees of the Government; and
(2)  the power of subpoena under section 705 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2155, with respect to (i) authorities delegated in parts II, III, and section 702 of this order, and (ii) the functions assigned to the Secretary of the Treasury in Executive Order 11858, as amended, provided that the subpoena power referenced in subsections (i) and (ii) shall be utilized only after the scope and purpose of the investigation, inspection, or inquiry to which the subpoena relates have been defined either by the appropriate officer identified in section 802(a) of this order or by such other person or persons as the officer shall designate.
©  Excluded from the authorities delegated by section 802(a) of this order are authorities delegated by parts IV and V of this order, authorities in section 721 and 722 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2170 2171, and the authority with respect to fixing compensation under section 703 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2153.
Sec. 803.  Authority.  (a)  Executive Order 12919 of June 3, 1994, and sections 401(3) (4) of Executive Order 12656 of November 18, 1988, are revoked.  All other previously issued orders, regulations, rulings, certificates, directives, and other actions relating to any function affected by this order shall remain in effect except as they are inconsistent with this order or are subsequently amended or revoked under proper authority.  Nothing in this order shall affect the validity or force of anything done under previous delegations or other assignment of authority under the Act.
(b)  Nothing in this order shall affect the authorities assigned under Executive Order 11858 of May 7, 1975, as amended, except as provided in section 802 of this order.
©  Nothing in this order shall affect the authorities assigned under Executive Order 12472 of April 3, 1984, as amended.
Sec. 804.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
©  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
 March 16, 2012.

1. Disclaimer.  Yeah, this is fodder for conspiracy groups, but the meat of said act has been in force since the 1950's.

2. As for the bolded stuff, I guess all of those H1-B's will get sucked into the bureaucratic machinations since the folks they replaced are like moi, are effectively deskilled.  I rather doubt they'll need garden skills or newspaper skills like stickering newspapers for mail out. I'd reckon a lot of fellow H1-B'ds are now fast foodie folks whose skills are as useless as mine wrt "strategic skills".    Heh, heh, blowback's a bitch, man. I'm also medicated and am no use for the selective service stuff. I'm probably too old also.

3. Training:  After 8 years so far of no computer type work, I'm most likely too far gone.

4. Video required for defense preparedness crap out.

[Ragnarök_62]

(06-20-2016, 12:21 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: [quote='Rags']

<snip>

1. Disclaimer.  Yeah, this is fodder for conspiracy groups, but the meat of said act has been in force since the 1950's.

2. As for the bolded stuff, I guess all of those H1-B's will get sucked into the bureaucratic machinations since the folks they replaced are like moi, are effectively deskilled.  I rather doubt they'll need garden skills or newspaper skills like stickering newspapers for mail out. I'd reckon a lot of fellow H1-B'ds are now fast foodie folks whose skills are as useless as mine wrt "strategic skills".    Heh, heh, blowback's a bitch, man. I'm also medicated and am no use for the selective service stuff. I'm probably too old also.

3. Training:  After 8 years so far of no computer type work, I'm most likely too far gone.

4. Video required for defense preparedness crap out.

X_4AD_84 Wrote:An H1B needs to get a Security Clearance, wait a minute, how does that work. It doesn't. I think you are interpreting this wrongly. There are very few H1Bs working in defense. If defense contracting goes into actual war mode (ala WW2) it will be a boon to Citizens who are not security risks. Seems like a great deal, when can I begin?

If you're still working in computers then there's no deskilling going on. However, like I mentioned in item #2, which applies to the folks mentioned in the links I provided and myself, the longer you're no longer working in some computer science related field, you get deskilled. That's why , along with age discrimination a whole set of other folks are working in some low skill field. It's been almost 8 years since I've touched a corporate firewall.  Care to hazard a guess on how much of that stuff I can still readily recall? Updating my skills is dumb because it's only 8 more years until I can just opt for SS and of course an 8 year career isn't worth whatever it costs for said updating.
I suppose that act got updated because there's most likely a gut feeling it will be used in the near future, either for war or for some domestic economic collapse. So... it is for that reason  that the current MBA craze of using H1-B's will present a long term clusterfuck. You're right that the defense field does use cyber security experts, but getting more from where-ever is the problem. This field isn't an easy one where just anyone can do it. It's one of those college situations where there are classes that once the  midterm is over, half or more of the class disappears.
Another example is organic chemistry. That one had a 25% survival rate after mid term. That class was my all time record drop record I've ever been through.

[pbrower2a]

(06-12-2016, 04:36 PM)Mikebert Wrote: The various accounts are interesting.  My own story was simple.  Grade school sucked.  High school was better.  College was better still.  Graduate school even better than that, so good I thought it would suck when I got out in the "real world" because "they" would demand "results" as Dr. Venkman says in Ghostbusters.  But it turned out to be better than school.  All my like stuff just gets better and better.  Eventually old age will set in and make me a senile old drooling geezer like my grandfather ended , but my wife thinks I am going to dodge that bullet too.  She is WAY smarter than I, so I pay a lot of attention to what she thinks (as well as because she is my wife and I want to live ).

So things have been pretty good.

(06-13-2016, 02:47 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(06-09-2016, 05:53 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(06-09-2016, 04:40 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: For some generations, adulthood is the Holy Grail. For such cohorts, it is a time of self sufficiency, rich rewards for hard work, and seemingly limitless opportunities. For others, it is an unending nightmare of shattered dreams, limits to growth, and a nasty ride down the razor blade of life culminating in death and decay. Identify your cohort and tell me your view.

I'm a late-wave Boomer, and I graduated from college (which was then relatively cheap), only to find that the Vietnam-era draft-dodgers had beaten me to all the desirable opportunities. What was left? The crap jobs of the 1970s -- fast food, retail sales, and work in sweat-shop factories. I could never get on track. Once one takes those crappy jobs one's career potential is gone. Some times I wish I had never been born. The only good thing to say about the last forty years is that we have had some really-cheap entertainment. Mass low culture has become the opiate of the masses in the sense that Karl Marx saw religion as the opiate of the masses.

At the least the oppressed prole toiling in a sweatshop had no obligation to express how happy he was to hold the job that he had. Today the prole often is obliged to suffer with a smile in jobs that show how degraded his life is. In that respect workers in the service jobs have it far worse, at least existentially, than the millhands of early capitalism. But that said, people addled on stupefying bilge might see nothing wrong.  

I could almost think of the plot of a dystopian novel in which a repressive and exploitative regime offers entertainment but little else as a reward for pliancy. If one is a double-high-ninety in verbal and mathematical aptitude, then that is the worst possible world. Most nasty systems co-opt people like me. Unfortunately that plot looks so much like reality that it would be a bore.

The rules changed for young workers around 1978. Before then college graduates could usually expect good pay in interesting work unless they went to some diploma mill. After that they were qualified to do the sorts of work that high-school graduates got. What has changed? A college education has become not only a way to qualify for jobs that used to require a high-school education, but also a means of beginning adulthood deeply in debt.

The last line reminds me of the line from the classic song "Sixteen Tons" - I owe my soul to the company store. Didn't think about this one, but most of us NOT carrying student loan debt nevertheless owe our souls to the credit card issues, mortgage holders and where we have car loans at. Meaning: the more things change; the more they stay the same.

"Sixteen Tons" was the #1 hit on the day that I was born. Amazing coincidence!

I actually had the program showing the #1 song on any day from the start of the 20th century on.

[Kinser79]

Late Wave Xer. And I have no nostalgia for my younger years other than that the culture was some what better and it was easier to make a living, we can blame Shillary's philandering husband for wrecking that in 1996 though.

That being said...the TL;DR version of my life reads like such.

Young childhood sucked, when my sperm donor wasn't in prison he was partying until he found Jezus and started conning people with religion instead of cocaine.  Mother was largely absent with her schooling.

Late Childhood sucked, uber religious father and work-a-holic mother.  That said my neglect could have been worse, I had cloths, food in the fridge and a bike to come and go as I pleased.

Young Teenage years really sucked but they do for everyone always and worst for gay teens.  My straight friends didn't have to hide their interests in girls and such.

Late teenage sucked even after I came out. 

Spent most of my 20s in the military.  A lot of hurry up and wait and even more of shear boredom.  I began to read philosophy after having watched Das Boot for the 5898518th time.  Did get some nice shore leave though.

Since I left the military life has been good.  Got a BF of 10+ years, and while not perfect I am comfortable and should be able to cash out right before the 2T hits and the world goes to hell.

[The Wonkette]

(07-24-2016, 09:25 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Late Wave Xer. And I have no nostalgia for my younger years other than that the culture was some what better and it was easier to make a living, we can blame Hillary's philandering husband for wrecking that in 1996 though.

Um, you realize that the economy was thriving in the late 1990s, don't you? Wages rising even for low-income people, unemployment at 30-year lows?

[Galen]

(07-24-2016, 03:42 PM)The Wonkette Wrote:

(07-24-2016, 09:25 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Late Wave Xer. And I have no nostalgia for my younger years other than that the culture was some what better and it was easier to make a living, we can blame Hillary's philandering husband for wrecking that in 1996 though.

Um, you realize that the economy was thriving in the late 1990s, don't you?  Wages rising even for low-income people, unemployment at 30-year lows?

Like so many things, it depended who you were.  If you held financial assets such as stocks and paid attention you could ride the Fed fueled stock bubble until it ended.  You are discounting the effects of inflation on the low end of the income scale.  It was hard to acquire enough assets in the type of job an Xer was likely to have then.

[Kinser79]

(07-24-2016, 03:42 PM)The Wonkette Wrote:

(07-24-2016, 09:25 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Late Wave Xer. And I have no nostalgia for my younger years other than that the culture was some what better and it was easier to make a living, we can blame Hillary's philandering husband for wrecking that in 1996 though.

Um, you realize that the economy was thriving in the late 1990s, don't you? Wages rising even for low-income people, unemployment at 30-year lows?

I did say that it was somewhat easier to make a living. NAFTA, CAFTA, and etc did not have immediate negative effects. That being said the "prosperity" of the 1990s has a great deal to do with where one is in their life role at that point in time. Being such a late wave Xer--almost Millie--there was no way for me to have the assets that lead to the feeling of prosperity.

Furthermore being black our levels of prosperity have always been lower than that of whites, in spite of and often because of the welfare state.

(07-26-2016, 12:27 AM)Galen Wrote:

(07-24-2016, 03:42 PM)The Wonkette Wrote:

(07-24-2016, 09:25 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Late Wave Xer. And I have no nostalgia for my younger years other than that the culture was some what better and it was easier to make a living, we can blame Hillary's philandering husband for wrecking that in 1996 though.

Um, you realize that the economy was thriving in the late 1990s, don't you?  Wages rising even for low-income people, unemployment at 30-year lows?

Like so many things, it depended who you were.  If you held financial assets such as stocks and paid attention you could ride the Fed fueled stock bubble until it ended.  You are discounting the effects of inflation on the low end of the income scale.  It was hard to acquire enough assets in the type of job an Xer was likely to have then.

Indeed. I think this stems from a fundamental economic illiteracy caused by the ideology that inflation is merely rising prices and not that inflation is increases of the supply of money relative to the supply of goods and services.

[Galen]

(07-26-2016, 02:51 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Indeed.  I think this stems from a fundamental economic illiteracy caused by the ideology that inflation is merely rising prices and not that inflation is increases of the supply of money relative to the supply of goods and services.

In economics the definition of inflation has always been an increase in the money supply.  Consumer price increases are only one of many possible outcomes.  In the twenties there was massive inflation but it did not appear in the CPI and so economists of the time thought everything was just fine.  Ironically, only Mises realized that there was going to be a bust part of the cycle.  Curiously, a very prominent economist by the name of Irving Fisher managed to go broke along with everybody else because he thought the economy had reached a new era of permanent prosperity.

A word to the wise, when publications start talking about a new era of prosperity then get the hell out of the market and into some tangible assets.  That little meme always marks the end of the boom cycle.

[Warren Dew]

Trailing edge boomer, born 1960.

All through childhood, I wanted to be an adult.  I resented having to sit at the children's table at Thanksgiving, I hated the regimentation and pointlessness of public school, and I looked forward to the day when I'd be in charge of my own life.

Then I went to college nowhere near home, and after getting over a few seconds' fear on realizing that my parents wouldn't be there to catch me if I failed to get something done, I started taking responsibility for my own life.  I managed to graduate on time, and without any debt except for a four year obligation to the military to repay my ROTC scholarship.

Thanks to the ROTC scholarship, I had an automatic job on graduation, and didn't realize until later that many of my nonmilitary compatriots had trouble due to the recession Carter turned over to Reagan.  Reagan quickly fixed that, though - with some belated help from Carter's appointee Volcker - and any of my compatriots that actually wanted to work, which was by no means all of them, did well through the Reagan boom of the following two decades.

I did have a tough period of unemployment during the Bush the Elder recession after declaring myself part of the peace dividend and moving back to the city where all my friends were, but weathered it by spending the appreciation in the condominium I'd bought in 1986 and sold in 1990.  Once I had a job, bought a large house to replace the condominium, with help from my Silent generation parents for the down payment since I'd spent the equity from my condominium.  At my next job, I started a shift from the nuclear engineering I'd thought to be cutting edge technology when I was in high school, to software engineering, which was actually much more interesting to me.  I had another year or two of unemployment in the mid 1990s but survived by spending the ongoing gains in my IRA - another example of lean years - for me - cushioned by savings from my good years.

Got married, interesting time as a software contractor through two boom and bust cycles, had three wonderful Quiet generation kids.  Currently some credit card debt, but lots of equity in reserve in the house I'd bought in 1990, so barring a generational crisis, I'll survive financially.

So basically, adulthood has been pretty much what I envisioned - I get to make my own decisions, and get to live with the consequences of those decisions.  I would never go back to being a child.

[pbrower2a]

(07-26-2016, 03:07 AM)Galen Wrote:

(07-26-2016, 02:51 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Indeed.  I think this stems from a fundamental economic illiteracy caused by the ideology that inflation is merely rising prices and not that inflation is increases of the supply of money relative to the supply of goods and services.

In economics the definition of inflation has always been an increase in the money supply.  Consumer price increases are only one of many possible outcomes.  In the twenties there was massive inflation but it did not appear in the CPI and so economists of the time thought everything was just fine.  Ironically, only Mises realized that there was going to be a bust part of the cycle.  Curiously, a very prominent economist by the name of Irving Fisher managed to go broke along with everybody else because he thought the economy had reached a new era of permanent prosperity.

A word to the wise, when publications start talking about a new era of prosperity then get the hell out of the market and into some tangible assets.  That little meme always marks the end of the boom cycle.

An increase in the money supply without an increase in production (even if the increase is solely the result of an increase in population) is inflation. An increase in productivity without an increase in the money supply (even if the only increase in productivity is from population growth) is deflationary.  The gold standard practically ensures deflation with population growth.

The 1920s were not fine; they were a true slum of a decade. Living standards failed to keep up with productivity, the increase in productivity largely the result of electrification of manufacturing. Consumer demand failed to keep pace with productivity; that is one cause of the Great Depression, really a correction of that reality. Employers could drive wages down at will in the 1920s but could no longer get away with that in the 1930s. Note well the paucity of nostalgia for the Roaring Twenties even in the brutal early 1930s. People blamed the Roaring Twenties for their hardships.

Although securities prices were far down in 1939 from where they were in the speculative boom of 1929, life was generally better for Americans in 1939 than in 1929. Economic elites who had lorded it over the American worker in the 1920s? They were worse off, but who cared then other than themselves?

Our problem is that we produce lots of consumer goodies cheaply but basic needs dearly. We have huge imbalances between elite indulgence and mass hardship. Maybe things aren't quite as severe as in a plantation society, a feudal order, or a fascist regime -- but we may be headed that way (especially if we get Donald Trump as President and single -party government by people who believe that no human suffering is in excess so long as it rewards elites.

A wholesome society rewards difficult-but-necessary traits like toil, enterprise, innovation, and integrity. A sick society rewards birth, bureaucratic power, corruption, and connections. I can assure you that a vote for Donald Trump is not a vote for toil, enterprise (he simply exploits scarcity), innovation, and integrity.

[The Wonkette]

(09-26-2016, 12:22 AM)Warren Dew Wrote: Trailing edge boomer, born 1960.

(snip)

Got married, interesting time as a software contractor through two boom and bust cycles, had three wonderful Quiet generation kids.  Currently some credit card debt, but lots of equity in reserve in the house I'd bought in 1990, so barring a generational crisis, I'll survive financially.

So basically, adulthood has been pretty much what I envisioned - I get to make my own decisions, and get to live with the consequences of those decisions.  I would never go back to being a child.

Interesting post, and I agree with you -- childhood sucked.

Question -- what is a "quiet generation" kid?  Someone born in the aughts?  If so, they should be in or approaching the dreaded middle school years.  Chin up, you'll survive. 

[pbrower2a]

Undiagnosed Asperger's messed up my personal life about as badly as alcoholism or drug addiction except for making me excessively cautious and perhaps self-righteous. I would have lived very differently and enjoyed a far richer life had I known about it. I might have made different choices in education and vocation.

I could have been a role model and not an example of how badly someone could waste talent. Today I am lonely, nearly broke, and stranded in a hick town in the rural Midwest. What I thought was individual eccentricity is simply expressions of a syndrome. I am now old enough that I have little to which to look forward except for an Afterlife or reincarnation in one of the most merciless of economic orders. I have cursed God for my plight instead of bad luck and the incompetence of others.

I have a conscience; I am not lazy; I have enough self-control to avoid problems that many 'healthy' people get into. I can be trusted with promises, with assets, with legitimate secrets, with the welfare of vulnerable people, and with safe use of hazardous equipment. I could have found life precious instead of nasty.

Yes, American capitalism since about 1980 has been perverse... but it still allows some opportunities for talented people who apply themselves well. I could have found a satisfying niche had I known that I had a problem, for I had the means of dealing with something that I understand all too late.

[Warren Dew]

(09-26-2016, 11:11 AM)The Wonkette Wrote:

(09-26-2016, 12:22 AM)Warren Dew Wrote: Trailing edge boomer, born 1960.

(snip)

Got married, interesting time as a software contractor through two boom and bust cycles, had three wonderful Quiet generation kids.  Currently some credit card debt, but lots of equity in reserve in the house I'd bought in 1990, so barring a generational crisis, I'll survive financially.

So basically, adulthood has been pretty much what I envisioned - I get to make my own decisions, and get to live with the consequences of those decisions.  I would never go back to being a child.

Interesting post, and I agree with you -- childhood sucked.

Question -- what is a "quiet generation" kid?  Someone born in the aughts?  If so, they should be in or approaching the dreaded middle school years.  Chin up, you'll survive. 

"Quiet generation" is how I refer to postmillenials.  "Homelander" assumes the fourth turning started with and would be primarily shaped by 9/11, and I'm unconvinced that's accurate.  My kids were born in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

[Warren Dew]

(09-26-2016, 09:29 AM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(07-26-2016, 03:07 AM)Galen Wrote:

(07-26-2016, 02:51 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Indeed.  I think this stems from a fundamental economic illiteracy caused by the ideology that inflation is merely rising prices and not that inflation is increases of the supply of money relative to the supply of goods and services.

In economics the definition of inflation has always been an increase in the money supply.  Consumer price increases are only one of many possible outcomes.  In the twenties there was massive inflation but it did not appear in the CPI and so economists of the time thought everything was just fine.  Ironically, only Mises realized that there was going to be a bust part of the cycle.  Curiously, a very prominent economist by the name of Irving Fisher managed to go broke along with everybody else because he thought the economy had reached a new era of permanent prosperity.

A word to the wise, when publications start talking about a new era of prosperity then get the hell out of the market and into some tangible assets.  That little meme always marks the end of the boom cycle.

An increase in the money supply without an increase in production (even if the increase is solely the result of an increase in population) is inflation. An increase in productivity without an increase in the money supply (even if the only increase in productivity is from population growth) is deflationary.  The gold standard practically ensures deflation with population growth.

The 1920s were not fine; they were a true slum of a decade. Living standards failed to keep up with productivity, the increase in productivity largely the result of electrification of manufacturing. Consumer demand failed to keep pace with productivity; that is one cause of the Great Depression, really a correction of that reality. Employers could drive wages down at will in the 1920s but could no longer get away with that in the 1930s. Note well the paucity of nostalgia for the Roaring Twenties even in the brutal early 1930s. People blamed the Roaring Twenties for their hardships.

Although securities prices were far down in 1939 from where they were in the speculative boom of 1929, life was generally better for Americans in 1939 than in 1929. Economic elites who had lorded it over the American worker in the 1920s? They were worse off, but who cared then other than themselves?

Our problem is that we produce lots of consumer goodies cheaply but basic needs dearly. We have huge imbalances between elite indulgence and mass hardship. Maybe things aren't quite as severe as in a plantation society, a feudal order, or a fascist regime -- but we may be headed that way (especially if we get Donald Trump as President and single -party government by people who believe that no human suffering is in excess so long as it rewards elites.

A wholesome society rewards difficult-but-necessary traits like toil, enterprise, innovation, and integrity. A sick society rewards birth, bureaucratic power, corruption, and connections. I can assure you that a vote for Donald Trump is not a vote for toil, enterprise (he simply exploits scarcity), innovation, and integrity.

Living standards improved in the 1920s, if not as fast as productivity.  It was in the 1930s that wealth inequalities really started skyrocketing.  Even then, unionization was about protecting what the unionized workers had by keeping the nonunionized workers down.

[The Wonkette]

(09-27-2016, 09:35 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(09-26-2016, 11:11 AM)The Wonkette Wrote:

(09-26-2016, 12:22 AM)Warren Dew Wrote: Trailing edge boomer, born 1960.

(snip)

Got married, interesting time as a software contractor through two boom and bust cycles, had three wonderful Quiet generation kids.  Currently some credit card debt, but lots of equity in reserve in the house I'd bought in 1990, so barring a generational crisis, I'll survive financially.

So basically, adulthood has been pretty much what I envisioned - I get to make my own decisions, and get to live with the consequences of those decisions.  I would never go back to being a child.

Interesting post, and I agree with you -- childhood sucked.

Question -- what is a "quiet generation" kid?  Someone born in the aughts?  If so, they should be in or approaching the dreaded middle school years.  Chin up, you'll survive. 

"Quiet generation" is how I refer to postmillenials.  "Homelander" assumes the fourth turning started with and would be primarily shaped by 9/11, and I'm unconvinced that's accurate.  My kids were born in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Ah, you're an older Dad. They are young and definitely new adaptives.

[pbrower2a]

(09-27-2016, 09:38 AM)Warren Dew Wrote: Living standards improved in the 1920s, if not as fast as productivity.  It was in the 1930s that wealth inequalities really started skyrocketing.  Even then, unionization was about protecting what the unionized workers had by keeping the nonunionized workers down.

Here is a link to a chart of measures of economic inequality in America. Economic inequality mostly had peaks late in the 1920s (the Great Depression corrected that -- harshly) and in very recent years, when the political climate established policies intended largely to enrich and pamper those already rich.

http://www.chartbookofeconomicinequality...untry/usa/

I see some patterns:

1. Economic inequality peaked just before the economic meltdowns beginning in 1929 and 2007.

2. The strengthening of unions in the 1930s apparently reduced much of the economic inequality of the time.

3. World War II may have equalized economic conditions at the least among white ethnic groups, with Polish-Americans, Italian-Americans, and Irish-Americans becoming as well-off as WASP groups after having generally been poor people. Military service of such groups gave many of them opportunities to prove themselves capable of more than servile or raw labor. After World War II many entered the middle class. Such was less so with blacks and Hispanics.

4. 3Ts are times of maximal inequality. The times promote speculation that eventually gets stupid. Recent years suggest a concerted effort by elites to prevent any reduction in economic inequality and even to enhance it (especially by eviscerating the labor unions). Of course, one can see a difference between the Missionary Generation (many of which were genuine reformers) and Boomers (elites of which seem to operate on the belief that no human suffering is in excess so long as it turns, enforces, or pampers elites). The worst exploiters in history treat people badly yet demand that others see their exploiters as benefactors (think of planters in the Old South).

PREDICTION:

The intense inequality of recent years will probably become less severe as X adults replace Boomers in executive roles. Reactive adults might be much more greedy and materialistic than other generations, but that does not mean that their elites are as successful as Idealists in creating convincing rationales for their enrichment and indulgence. They will not get away with greed (unless they have truly created wealth) as other generations. X is much more entrepreneurial than other generations, and its entrepreneurs are likely to succeed at far lower levels than even the executive elites who grab much of the income in America for treating others badly. Add to this -- Millennial adults are practically socialists and can be expected to so vote.

More entrepreneurialism implies lower -- not higher -- profit margins and less concentration of wealth and income than otherwise.