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Finance is a scam

Finance is a scam

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@no1marauder said
No such thing exists:

"The free market doesn’t exist. Every market has some rules
and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market
looks free only because we so unconditionaly accept its
underlying restrictions that we fail to see them. How ‘free’ a
market is cannot be objectively defined. It is a political
definition. The usual claim by free-market econom ...[text shortened]... nding capitalism."

https://www.rethinkeconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/23things-24-33.pdf
Its the market then. It is what the American people accept as the 'market'. Play around with words all you like, but if you look at the facts you will see that in the free world, the free market is the reason for the success of all these economies. Whenever and wherever governments interfere with the freedom of market capitalism there is failure, and people like you and wildgrass [and a few other socialists around here] are proponents of failure.

US GDP/capita = $86,000 [free market]
Russia GDP/capita = $14,000 [govt controlled market]

Just a slight interference makes a big difference:

EU GDP/capita = $62,000 [free market]

[All PPP adjusted]

The US is so prosperous it even gives grants to some of these so-called big European economies. Last year the US gave the UK, $750,000,000 US, for security and weapons development.

Does anyone give anything to the US? Does the US beg anyone for help?
You know why?
The US is probably the only real symbol of free market capitalism left.


@no1marauder said
How many lawyers do you meet at the high school you attend?
Now you are writing like arkturo poster


@Rajk999 said
They are all getting paid exactly what they deserve.
A kite just blew right over their heads on that one


@no1marauder said
According to whom?
Simple. It is what the job pays. A bricklayer job pays $20/hr. The job of his supervisor pays $90k a year.
another answer would be that the pay would be according to whoever pays it?

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@Rajk999 said
Its a scam only in your mind because you do not understand what the free market does. Its not about morals, or even distribution of income and feeling sorry for the poor. Its about who and what gives the maximum return on investment for scarce resources. After you have that then the government can do the necssary to ensure it gets shared around.
You describe an idealized, infantile version of what actual capitalism is and should be. Maybe an example will help you understand how finance is being used to scam Americans across nearly every sector of our lives.

One of the scams currently being run (legally) on Americans deals with youth sports. Private equity firms take advantage of the "non-profit" status, buy up all the local sports, leagues, monopolize entire neighborhoods, and then jack up fees from $40 to nearly $3,000 per kid. They convince local officials to build them stadiums and practice facilities, and artificially inflate the value of their company for investors. When they are finally caught holding the bag, they sneak out the backdoor with the profits and leave a community with no choice but to either pay out their rears or go home.

Everything is made worse, except the equity firm, who just move on to the next community like locusts, destruction is the goal.

Obviously this is one small example but it's happening everywhere.

https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/a-desert-oasis-for-youth-sports-was-built-on-a-financial-mirage-1515625a


@wildgrass said
You describe an idealized, infantile version of what actual capitalism is and should be. Maybe an example will help you understand how finance is being used to scam Americans across nearly every sector of our lives.

One of the scams currently being run (legally) on Americans deals with youth sports. Private equity firms take advantage of the "non-profit" status, buy up a ...[text shortened]... w.wsj.com/finance/investing/a-desert-oasis-for-youth-sports-was-built-on-a-financial-mirage-1515625a
Take it to the ombudsman.

No system or country is perfect. The US is still far ahead of almost all the world economies. Nobody is going to come close to becoming world leader in the next 100 years. The reason you cannot see that is because your mind is focussed on the negative, and you have almost no knowledge of life outside of the US.


@Rajk999 said
Its the market then. It is what the American people accept as the 'market'. Play around with words all you like, but if you look at the facts you will see that in the free world, the free market is the reason for the success of all these economies. Whenever and wherever governments interfere with the freedom of market capitalism there is failure, and people like you and wil ...[text shortened]... for help?
You know why?
The US is probably the only real symbol of free market capitalism left.
Only massive government intervention rescued capitalism in the 1930s (this is quite besides the point that private property, the very basis of capitalism, can only exist because of government regulations).

"Free market" is basically an aphorism trying to hide the fact that prices and wages are mainly determined by those who have economic power over others. And that power is maintained by force/threat of force.

GDP per capita isn't a very accurate measure of economic well-being as it ignores distributional factors. But even at that several countries have higher GDP in 2026 than the US. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gdp-per-capita-by-country

Median wealth per person shows the US behind most advanced Western and European countries trailing even Spain and Italy. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wealth-per-person-by-country-2025/

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@AverageJoe1 said
Simple. It is what the job pays. A bricklayer job pays $20/hr. The job of his supervisor pays $90k a year.
another answer would be that the pay would be according to whoever pays it?
And this came down on tablets at Mount Sinai?

Yes, pay is set by whoever pays it. That is, those with economic power over others. There's nothing "free" about it; the system is inherently coercive.

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@no1marauder said
And this came down on tablets at Mount Sinai?

Yes, pay is set by whoever pays it. That is, those with economic power over others. There's nothing "free" about it; the system is inherently coercive.
Don’t get Sinai. But I am sure this did not come down from there, TDS has got you

The pay is set by whoever pays it. The next two sentences in your post above, follow me here, have nothing to do or to follow up with that statement. Why would you say that. If I ask you to how my garden, I will decide how much I pay you and you can accept it or not.
This has been going on for at least 10,430 years. I have no idea what you mean about the last two sentences. You truly are overwhelmed by TDS..
Could it be that you thought you were responding to another post, like maybe from Susie Ann or sun house?

Hey Susie,Ayn, if you are not there, it is not our fault that your name is not picked up by spellcheck. You could change it.?


@no1marauder said
Only massive government intervention rescued capitalism in the 1930s (this is quite besides the point that private property, the very basis of capitalism, can only exist because of government regulations).

"Free market" is basically an aphorism trying to hide the fact that prices and wages are mainly determined by those who have economic power over others. And that pow ...[text shortened]... trailing even Spain and Italy. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wealth-per-person-by-country-2025/
With all that the EU will never rise to a state of being a world power, and will always trail behind the US.

Here is why. ..
- The US has more billionaires per capita than any other nation... a good indicator of more money going into investment / R&D spending.
- The EU pumps far more money into welfare than the US - dead money as far as the future is concerned
- Capital in the US is directed into more investment goods [the source of future income], than in the EU.
- The EU still benefits from US aid, while there is no reciprocal aid to the US.

So your high median income figures is just another way of saying we are to remain 2nd rate for the next 20 years.


@Rajk999 said
Take it to the ombudsman.

No system or country is perfect. The US is still far ahead of almost all the world economies. Nobody is going to come close to becoming world leader in the next 100 years. The reason you cannot see that is because your mind is focussed on the negative, and you have almost no knowledge of life outside of the US.
Stopping locusts isn't socialism, you dolt.


@AverageJoe1 said
Don’t get Sinai. But I am sure this did not come down from there, TDS has got you

The pay is set by whoever pays it. The next two sentences in your post above, follow me here, have nothing to do or to follow up with that statement. Why would you say that. If I ask you to how my garden, I will decide how much I pay you and you can accept it or not.
This has been ...[text shortened]... not there, it is not our fault that your name is not picked up by spellcheck. You could change it.?
WTF are you talking about with your mythical TDS? I didn't mention that moron at all.

As Adam Smith pointed out:

""In the long-run the workman may be as necessary to his master as his master is to him, but the necessity is not so immediate."

This imbalance in economic power, where the worker must either accede to the owner's conditions or eventually starve, means the system is hardly "free".


@no1marauder said
WTF are you talking about with your mythical TDS? I didn't mention that moron at all.

As Adam Smith pointed out:

""In the long-run the workman may be as necessary to his master as his master is to him, but the necessity is not so immediate."

This imbalance in economic power, where the worker must either accede to the owner's conditions or eventually starve, means the system is hardly "free".
OK, you are a socialist. We all know that. We are capitalist. So you cannot throw out little sentences like that like that will change our minds or change the economy of this country. Write a meaningful post for God sake.

OK, if you want, marauder is on the record as saying he is he does not have Trump Derangement Syndrome, my bad.

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@Rajk999 said
With all that the EU will never rise to a state of being a world power, and will always trail behind the US.

Here is why. ..
- The US has more billionaires per capita than any other nation... a good indicator of more money going into investment / R&D spending.
- The EU pumps far more money into welfare than the US - dead money as far as the future is concerned
- Capit ...[text shortened]... median income figures is just another way of saying we are to remain 2nd rate for the next 20 years.
No reciprocal aid to the U.S.?!?!?!!! There is NO aid to the U.S. geez.
This would give rise to many topics, but I want these fairies on this forum to know that if they are not careful l, and we do not eradicate Iran, like rats, , they, who kill people for no reason, thousands of their own citizens, will unleash their thousands of missiles into this country when Trump is gone, while Newsom is having his sorbet for dessert at the White House. You think I’m being cute? Do you see the Kamala woman handling any dam thing? Your children are at stake. Funny I will be leaving a lot of money to my children, but I grieve that that Money will mean iSHIYTe when that happens.


@no1marauder said
WTF are you talking about with your mythical TDS? I didn't mention that moron at all.

As Adam Smith pointed out:

""In the long-run the workman may be as necessary to his master as his master is to him, but the necessity is not so immediate."

This imbalance in economic power, where the worker must either accede to the owner's conditions or eventually starve, means the system is hardly "free".
There is no such thing as 'balance of economic power' in any economy. You and wildgrass, both stupid socialists, just hate the rich, while at the same time enjoying the benefits of living among the rich, but complaining like hypocrites. Youall need a stint in Cuba.