4 ms·

No matter what the government (or anyone) does, the same process will repeat itself over and over again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania http://en.wik

• InVerse 18y ago
  maybe. it would be interesting to see what trends occur in vastly different cultures than the western individualistic, self-centered one. for example, the Great Law of the Iroquois states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." i am completely ignorant of Iroquois economy and lifestyle otherwise. nonetheless, the optimist (or perhaps sci fi reader) in me imagines a (near?)-future in which people are motivated not simply be money, but also by joy, inclusiveness and sustainability. the effectiveness of rules depends on cultural context (or complete domination of free will).
• bwd 18y ago
  Actually, I think a slightly different process will appear each time. Different enough that people will not recognize it for what it is except in hindsight. Since regulation is most effective as a reaction to a problem, perhaps we should accept that there is very little we can do to stop these sorts of things and concentrate on preparing ourselves to weather the storms when they appear.
  • fallentimes 18y ago
    The best indicator? "This time it's different." -1980's Leverage Buyout Craze (RJR Nabisco) coupled with junk bonds -Dotcom Bust -Day trading -Too much leverage (Long Term Capital Management and repeated today) -Mortgage back securities -People making 50k per year buying 500k homes