Harvey » Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:33 am wrote:drstrangelove » Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:49 pm wrote:The costs we have suffered as a society to hide the effects of this inflationary monetary policy, to the extent it has been taken, have been transferred, with more fancy bookkeeping, to the rapid decline in quality of products we purchase and quality of environment we live in.
To keep the cost of living down, which is to say prices down, every single qualitative measure has been stripped away. And even still, we get price inflation beyond real wage growth.
If you want real price inflation, go purchase a proper quality product which is X5 the price of one most people can afford.
The more money created, the more inflation needs to be hidden in the destruction of goods, services, and environment.
They need to reduce the price of food, so create more food using chemical farming. More food of less nutrician at gradually higher prices and gradually declining human health.
Instead of organic materials like metals and woods, we now get plastics.
The list go on. And we have pushed this so far it is becoming untenable. Which means inflation can no longer be hidden, and the debt can no longer be tenable.
So they will end this cycle of quality destruction, and instead destroy the money supply and reset.
The assumption there is no inflation which is unmanageable is untrue. The inflation has been converted into quality destruction to keep prices down, but quality has been reduced about as far as it can go.
They have to keep pumping the food full of sugar because it has so little nutrician these days that it is almost rancid and people need a sweet tooth to taste something.
Good argument. Planned obsolescence is by itself one of the clearest indicators of something profoundly wrong with capitalism.
(On your last point, living in poverty most of my life has made me an excellent cook. And half of the ingredients can be found growing wild, by simply taking a short walk in the nearest bit of countryside or along the nearest water course.
I get extremely high from the food I prepare: a rich and subtle clarity arises. Partly by cooking at low temperature (preserves most of the delicate volatile chemicals in the plants) and in part by only using ingredients with little or no processing. For example, if you can make wine and you go for regular walks in early spring (you'll know where crocus' grow) with only a few crocus pistils, some cream and bit of durum wheat, you can make delicious pasta in white wine and saffron sauce. When cooked at the lowest possible temperature, every bite delivers a cool clear high that's very refreshing to experience. If you have a Bay bush nearby, simply adding a single leaf to a low temperature vegetable stock will do the same thing. You can use the resulting stock for almost anything.)
Hi Harvey, drstrangelove. I really don't feel the points raised by drstrangelove form a great argument. Indeed, I feel it wrong minded and will explain why, but first I want to comment upon something dsl wrote a while ago, that capitalism sought stasis in the marketplace. I strongly disagree with this as I believe capitalism thrives upon chaos.
"To keep the cost of living down, which is to say prices down, every single qualitative measure has been stripped away. And even still, we get price inflation beyond real wage growth."
Capitalists aren't concerned with the cost of living or in keeping prices down. In fact, they do their very best to raise retail costs to consumers as high as possible without losing market share to competitors. Their primary business concern is maximizing profits for their principals or stockholders and personal enrichment. Consumers can make a man a billionaire or put a company out of business. Has there ever been a time when inflation was in complete sync with real wage growth?
"If you want real price inflation, go purchase a proper quality product which is X5 the price of one most people can afford."
A bit unrealistic to suggest. Maybe try suggesting to folks to buy a loaf of bread.
"The more money created, the more inflation needs to be hidden in the destruction of goods, services, and environment."
Perhaps Elvis can make sense of this for me. I do not see the interest on US bonds as inflationary, or as a cause of the destruction of goods, services, and environment. I do feel and have written here I feel the international bond market will collapse before the 4th quarter of next year, and that would precipitate the collapse of society. A US revolution before is also another possibility.
"They need to reduce the price of food, so create more food using chemical farming. More food of less nutrician at gradually higher prices and gradually declining human health."
Once again, capitalists have no interest in reducing the price of food, but in charging consumers as much as they can without losing market share to competitors. Using chemicals for farming is to reduce costs to maximize farmers' and corporate growers profit. GMOS assure a returning customer base auto manufacturers would die for! Pay more for more nutritious foods or higher quality goods has always been the case, at least since the royalty put the pirates on the payroll. (and long before) Always and forever has wealth equated to privilege and excess, just about as long as we've had poor among us.
As Harvey has pointed out, some can find nutritious foods growing locally, the cost of which is only his time and energy.
"The list go on. And we have pushed this so far it is becoming untenable. Which means inflation can no longer be hidden, and the debt can no longer be tenable."
I don't believe inflation is "hidden." As I see it, it is in your face, always, when you are a consumer/ customer. It sure seems (US Govt.) debt has never be tenable, according to some.
"So they will end this cycle of quality destruction, and instead destroy the money supply and reset."
If there is a market for inferior products, they will continue being manufactured. I see no interest in destroying the money supply from anyone, but do see those seeking to convert it to a digital currency. The Great Reset is a Q story. But that doesn't mean a collapse will not occur.
dsl, you write from a place of comfort, as do I. In our worlds we complain about inflation; such a luxury. Millions other are starving and just hope their child will live another hour.