Scientists Warn the UN of Capitalism's Imminent Demise

[Gary D]

4 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I hear what you are saying about popular leaders, but I maintain they had the same pile of crap to work with, the same wars and economy as the other leaders, and yet somehow they made people happy to be in their own little pile of crap.  That, to me, is "a politician who is skilled at convincing people they are happy".  Take Winston Churchill, he led the country through a war that devastated the country and the economy for years to come and had the people singing his praises while he was doing it.  Great leader.

Churchill was a great war leader but outside of the war he was as crap as the rest of them.

[StayAtHomeDad]

10 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

There is a fine line between greed and ambition.  It has been my experience that greedy people and/or companies eventually fail while ambitious people and/or companies become so successful that they often need to be regulated to give other people a chance.  The most successful people/companies are that way because they are smarter and hungrier and more willing to do what it takes to win.  This leads me to a question.

I am not sure about that. Take American pharmaceutical companies, for example. They charge exorbitant prices for medicines and drugs in Western countries, and then sell the same "branded" medications in "poorer" countries for much less. Is that because they are being helpful by reducing prices in areas where people can't afford as much? Or, are they gouging customers in countries where people can pay more? Like I said, I don't know.

For instance, one of the medications I take daily costs  P63.00 (or about $1.18) for each piece. So, about $35 for a one-month supply. In the U.S., the cheapest price I could find is about $380 for a one-month supply. The one sold here is not a generic either, as this particular medicine is not yet available as a generic. The medicine is only sold in the Philippines by Mercury Drug, so I don't think it's a fake. Further research also showed that the same drug is available in other countries for about the same price as the Philippines price. But, not in U.S., Canada (although a bit lower than U.S.), or the other major English-speaking countries, U.K, Australia and New Zealand.

I think Big Pharm is a perfect example of "greed" with major companies. Yeah, I get that they need to recoup their research and development costs. Still, the markup in the US and other Western countries is staggering, to say the least. Medicine and drug pricing is one area where Western countries could learn a thing or two from poorer Asian countries. Prices here for legitimate drugs and medicines are highly regulated and provide a great benefit to the population as a whole. There is some small-scale subsidizing being done for some medicines; that's true. Still, with most drugs, the pricing simply reflects the atmosphere in the local market. People can't pay 500 or 600 Pesos per day for a drug, so companies don't even try to charge that much.

The quality of medical care in the Philippines may not be as high as in the U.S or other countries, but long-term maintenance and care is certainly a whole lot cheaper. That's for sure. Having said that, medical care in the Philippines is improving. And, with PhilHealth and cheap prescriptions, making the most of one's remaining years might actually be doable for a lot of people (especially expats.)

Just my two cents.

Edited August 29, 2018 by JeSsDaDdY

[Guy F.]

9 hours ago, GeoffH said:

 

I don't disagree with what you're saying... but the way you're phrasing their actions is a bit 'glass half empty' and I prefer my 'glass half full'    

That glass is twice as large as it needs to be.

[Dave Hounddriver]

3 hours ago, JeSsDaDdY said:

I think Big Pharm is a perfect example of "greed" with major companies.

You are not alone there.  I like to think they are ambitiously using their profits to research cures for other ailments but many believe it is just greed.  Probably some of both.

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, JeSsDaDdY said:

Still, the markup in the US and other Western countries is staggering, to say the least.

I suspect that their costs in the U.S. are much higher due to legal costs.  The legal system and too many millions of lawyers is a big part of the outrageous cost of medical in the U.S.

I'm not arguing that the high U.S. medicine costs are completely justified, but there some other factors to consider.

[Reboot]

Quote

Scientists Warn the UN of Capitalism's Imminent Demise

Anyone talking about the end of capitalism should read an old dead German economist by the name of Joseph Schumpeter.

Capitalism is like a Phoenix. It is ALWAYS destroying itself, and at the same time, ALWAYS being born anew.

Scientists lack the intelligence to replace that which is embedded in the Universe. Adam Smith's Invisible Hand rules the worlds.

[Reboot]

Quote

"Economies have used up the capacity of planetary ecosystems to handle the waste generated by energy and material use"

Thomas Malthus was talking like this 200 years ago.

Paul Ehrlich was riling up the sheeple with this garbage more than 40 years ago.

We aren't supposed to be alive today. At least not 7 billion of us.

No way the planet could support us. 

Here we are.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Reboot

[GeoffH]

5 minutes ago, Reboot said:

Thomas Malthus was talking like this 200 years ago.

Paul Ehrlich was riling up the sheeple with this garbage more than 40 years ago.

We aren't supposed to be alive today. At least not 7 billion of us.

No way the planet could support us. 

Here we are.

 

The planet will be ok and humanity will be (sort of) ok as long as population growth is an S curve (which it is in most 1st world countries).

But that doesn't mean that the standard of living isn't heading downwards (generally it is) and that trend is set to continue, surviving and quality of life are NOT the same thing.

I really don't think I'd like to live in the world that's going to be around in 50 years time...

 

[StayAtHomeDad]

33 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

I suspect that their costs in the U.S. are much higher due to legal costs.  The legal system and too many millions of lawyers is a big part of the outrageous cost of medical in the U.S.

I'm not arguing that the high U.S. medicine costs are completely justified, but there some other factors to consider. 

That's a good point. People in the States do have a tendency to be "sue-happy" about almost anything. But, that's an argument for another day and topic, I guess.

Edited August 29, 2018 by JeSsDaDdY

[StayAtHomeDad]

7 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

I really don't think I'd like to live in the world that's going to be around in 50 years time...

I don't care. I want to be here. Want to see grandbabies and great grandbabies. It could be total anarchy for all I care. I want to live as long as possible. I don't want to outlive my child. Still, besides that, I wanna be here when she's 70. Better go on that diet again I reckon.