4 ms·
You're conflating better for apple (and shareholders) with better for the country overall.
by throwawaytea 3mo ago
You're conflating better for apple (and shareholders) with better for the country overall.
- matwood 3mo agoThe US economy has been one of the best performing economies ever, which has been great for the country overall. Deeper economic ties with other super powers is also a pretty good at keeping the peace. While there are some specific issues, it's hard to argue it hasn't been good for the country overall.
- smallmancontrov 3mo agoBest performing for whom? If the type of prosperity you want to point to is "stock market go up," we need to talk about who owns the stocks and who doesn't.
- parineum 3mo agoIt's been good for everyone. Quality of life in the US has risen with GDP.
- smallmancontrov 3mo ago"Let them eat growth!"
- parineum 3mo agoYou say that like economic growth hasn't led to cheaper food. We used to actually have starving people in this country, now we talk about "food insecurity".
- smallmancontrov 3mo agoAh, so now the bar has fallen to "people aren't literally starving (yet)." Amazing.
- parineum 3mo agoYes, "People aren't literally starving" is incredible progress for humanity. Progress which has coincided with the incredible wealth creation (not transfer, those things are different) of modern times. Would you prefer to go back to a time were people were literally starving?
- smallmancontrov 3mo agoThis argument, better articulated by Thomas Hobbes, would be right at home in 1651 were it was busy justifying the economic mismanagement of that time as well.
- parineum 3mo agoAnd what argument are you making? That starving is good?
- smallmancontrov 3mo agoNo, that you should advance your thinking past the 17th century.
- ChadNauseam 3mo agoNo, the bar has risen to "people aren't literally starving (anymore)." Amazing.
- wat10000 3mo agoPretty sure that's a rise of the bar, not a fall.
- kipchak 3mo agoIn terms of the country's overall health I think you could argue we've sold industrial capacity for wealth, and it's too early to say if it was a good trade. Reliance on China for Rare Earth Minerals is commonly referenced, [1] but China is in general a major supplier to the DoW, which negatively hampers our ability to for example credibly deter an invasion of Taiwan. Arguably Post WWII Pax Americana, which relies on industrial capacity, has kept the peace more so than economic interdependence. For example Pre WWI Germany and the UK were each others' largest trading partner, and a conflict was argued to be economically unthinkable. [2] It also increases the immiseration of those in the areas replaced[3], which is likely a contributor to rising populism and political instability. Most of this malaise is just hidden in places like the Rust Belt. [1]https://www.csis.org/analysis/rare-earth-export-restrictions-one-year-later https://www.csis.org/analysis/rare-earth-export-restrictions... [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Illusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Illusion [3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease_of_despair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease_of_despair
- Danox 3mo agoNot with Trump in power, most of our allies are looking for other places to do business.
- mullingitover 3mo agoYou make a great case for state capitalism, comrade!