The Disease and the Cure – a practical strategy - International Social/Political

Economic Values and Impending Collapse
by finch Thursday, Nov 23 2006, 4:02am
international / social/political / article

Foreboding has hit the ranks of private equity firms; try as they might to unload vast amounts of funds (monetary value is inextricably linked to the movement of those funds) they have been unable to spend/invest at a rate that would sustain value let alone increase real profits! The ‘healthy figures’ reflecting increased acquisitions/investments are on paper only – it ‘looks good’ at the moment!

The absurdly high amounts (trillions of dollars) concentrated in the hands of the few indicate the global economy is fast approaching financial saturation. Real and easily translatable returns/profits are becoming increasingly more difficult to ‘realise’ as bloated markets begin to sway and stagger from the weight of concentrated funds and a glut of overcapitalised players. The beginning of the end of Capitalism is indicated! Nothing outside of major military conflict (war) would be able to reverse the current trend and inevitable collapse. The ‘value’ of money and other value attributed ‘objects’ is about to evaporate.

Prudent citizens have begun to divest from fragile markets and turn to real value investments such as productive land, real estate, food production, water management and energy technologies – REAL VALUE objects in other words. However, it should be stressed that those investments must be DIRECT investments; the elimination of third parties eg, fund managers, agents, middlemen etc, is imperative if losses are to be avoided.

Today, speculative investments, stock markets etc, constitute financial suicide, value attributed objects such as gold, diamonds, currency, stocks, bonds, shares, etc, are to be avoided ‘at all costs’.

Sustainable communities based on mutual co-operation and mutual support offer the optimum survival solution. Recent storm activity (Katrina) has exposed the inadequate response of nations in situations requiring an immediate, organised, remedial response. Regardless of the well-known ineptitudes of the Bush regime, the fact remains that nations present as the most fragile and inefficient of all social organisations, not the least reason being that these societies are based on competitive rather than co-operative individual and family units.

The formation of a network of working communities in urban, regional and rural environments based on mutual assistance and the free exchange of resources, which each community is able to offer the other, provides the optimum social network in the present age of criminal leadership, instability and economic uncertainty. Complete self-sufficiency should be the realistic goal of each networked community.

Mutually supportive communities also provide an alternative to mainstream economic slavery. It becomes extremely problematic for activists and others opposed to the status quo to demonstrate/resist one day then work for the mainstream the next; viable alternative communities not only offer a haven but also oppose mainstream superimposed ‘realities’ by virtue of their existence.

The resilience and high survival rating of mutually supportive and co-operative communities is evident in the most dire of circumstances. After decades of ethnic cleansing and genocidal tactics by Israel and the recent morally deplorable attacks on South Lebanon, attacked communities IMMEDIATELY respond and begin to rebuild -- the criminal use of cluster-bomb weaponry notwithstanding. [It should be noted that we refer to the community model NOT the Islamist ideology.] Communities do not require religionist impositions or any other doctrinaire ideological impositions to form or function – the principal characteristics of all successful communities are MUTUAL SUPPORT AND MUTUAL CO-OPERATION.

Communities have proved themselves to be the most agreeable, efficient and successful social organisations in history.

We are ONE

Peace.

Aussies may target Bank
by cleaves Monday, Jan 17 2005, 5:24am
international / social/political / article

The recent [tsunami] tragedy in South Asia revealed the ugly face of Capitalism, specifically the behaviour of Australian banks in not waiving their parasitic fee imposition on financial donations to victims of the tsunami disaster. Let it be known where their priorities lie. Banks needed to be reminded before displaying some humanitarian empathy.

The behaviour of banks was not dissimilar to the sluggish 'actions' of the Bush regime, which failed to respond to the disaster in a timely manner. Only after a prompting from the local and international community did the U.S. begrudgingly offer a relative pittance of $35 million. This sum was soon revised to one billion dollars when the initial amount was compared to the hundreds of millions spent (daily) on the murderous Iraqi military intervention. Feigning generosity now does little to restore the little (if any) credibility the banks and U.S. administration may have had; the ugly real faces beneath the masks have been seen by all.

The Australian people are unanimous in their loathing of parasitic fee structures imposed by Australian banks; deregulation to this extent is clearly unwarranted. The latest display of self-serving avarice only increases hostility toward the banks, which has prompted the following retaliatory response strategy:

One Australian bank would be chosen at random and all financial support in the form of savings and credit accounts would be withdrawn on a given day and transferred to another banking institution (chosen at the discretion of the individual). This could occur after a commitment (to act) was given by at least one third of the population – this is considered the minimum number of participants required to impact a large bank permanently.

Banks may once again learn that it is a privilege to secure the support of the people. It is not a ‘right’ (under deregulation policy) to impose parasitic fees to compensate for the lack of trading skills and enhance share prices. It is the people who hold the viability of any listed institution in the palm of their hands. A consensus and commitment to act is all that is required from the people to realise their dominant role. This is an opportunity for all Australians to display the REAL Aussie spirit and cultural values of the ‘fair go’ and egalitarian ideal.

The above strategy could easily be organised on volunteer web sites; the registration of willing participants, counters and totals for each State, on mirrored servers and the co-ordination of the day of unified action is too difficult to implement. No bank today could survive a strategic coordinated attack/run of withdrawals! A much-needed lesson (for all banks) would be learnt, as the target bank would be selected entirely at random.

Those who would take self-serving advantage of the population may think it in their best interests to refrain from parasitic means to derive income in future.

Bankers and other financial racketeers would learn not to take for granted or undervalue the good will of the people at any time, but especially in times of crisis and humanitarian need.

If banks continued to impose unfair fee structures then another bank could be targeted until the point is driven home. The future viability of all banks remains in the hands of the people.

All that is required is your participation.

http://cleaves.zapto.org/news/story-350.html

Topics

Other Press

Cleaves on Disc/Stick