this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2024
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[–] [email protected] 175 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Ayn Rand didn't stop smoking after she'd been warned about the risks.

Because her books weren't selling, she ended up on social security, a program she'd mocked when healthy.

To her admirers she is a model of the power of intellect and the glory of self reliance and independence

[–] [email protected] 86 points 3 weeks ago (31 children)

"The only moral use of [thing I disapprove of] is my use of [thing I disapprove of]."

A quote that may have originally been about abortion, but applies to most things that serial disapprovers disapprove of.

See also: "Do as I say, not as I do." or as it usually is these days: "Do as I say. I am also doing as I say and if think you see me doing otherwise, no you didn't."

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 weeks ago

Can I be tired of how relevant it still is?

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Too bad people began to worship her instead

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The problem is that in a closed economy, an increase in production without increased consumption will result in over production and closed down factories.

It isn't in capitalist's long term interests to increase production and cut wages across an entire economy. Having a very high net savings rate (whatever you don't consume is by definition, savings) is not a good thing as a country.

America's early growth was based on being a high wage and high consumption country.

However, in an open economy, you can export your excess savings (and underconsumption) to other countries. This was an issue during the great depression (called "beggar thy neighbour").

It is a big problem in the global economy right now with China, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, Denmark, etc. all having stagnant or low consumption shares of the economy while exporting their net savings to persistant trade deficit countries like the United States, UK, Australia and Canada (noting Australia and Canada sometimes have surpluses when commodity prices are high).

It relies on the net deficit countries being willing to accept net capital inflows and all the issues with having persistent trade deficits (deindustrialisation, high debts, etc.) forever, which isn't possible.

So in short, increasing profits and cutting wages (and/or the overall workforce) might work for an individual greedy douchebag but it is a terrible thing for the entire economy.

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