First Blog

  Davos – in a nutshell . The World Economic Forum, an association mostly of billionaires, meets annually in Davos, Switzerland to discuss all things economic. Lately, it's been mostly about climate change. Thousands of rich people attend. Yes, the conference is much about money.  Here is a brief description of the attendees.  1.       Billionaires wanting to cash in on climate change. 2.       Millionaire industrialists paying homage to billionaires, looking for crumbs. 3.       Governments sucking up to anyone. 4.       Movie stars hoping for relevancy beyond their fictional existence. 5.       News people hoping for a prize interview. 6.       Working girls working.

An interesting twist on globalism.    The suggestion is globalism is responsible for the rise of the super-wealthy billionaires. Look at the leaders of such global companies such as Alibaba, Amazon, Facebook, Bloomberg, Huawei, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), and more.  All are operated or controlled by billionaires who have super-vast fortunes only because they are global. Nationalism, which reduces the globalist reach, also has billionaires, but much smaller in scale. When you can market your stuff worldwide, you have multiples of normal profit.

One way to understand any topic is to better understand its opposite or an alternative.   For example, to understand the nature of gravity, it is useful to imagine no gravity.   To understand the qualities of a good teacher for example, think first of the qualities of a bad one.   This prescription - too see me, first see me not - gives broad outlines and shapes, while not rendering fine detail. In this first installment of a new sequence of micro-essays, we consider the differences between… Today, we consider the politician and two new breeds, those coming from business accustomed to deals plus things money can buy, and those emerging from the basement mimeograph machine accustomed to running off provocative missives to save the world. Caution . If you lean left or right, you may not like what’s to come. Businessmen think in terms of deals and profit (i.e. money). If dollars are involved all come to their normal levels of wishing for more. Thus, between them understanding

Has President  Trump not only bypassed the establishment of his party, but inspired others of extreme wealth to grab at the ultimate brass ring?    There is an undertow in this country that politicians are most expert at achieving nothing of greatness.    There may be a growing belief that the Presidency should be held by someone who understands how to administrate an ultra massive organization.    So far, we have a few possibles for 2020. Donald Trump – Republican Howard Schultz - Democrat Tom Steyer – Progressive Jaime Diamond – Unknown Michael Bloomberg - Independent The presidential days of the old-style college professor, simple socialist, senator, or even governor may be gone.  In marches a new group, already robed in royal purple, ready and perhaps able to command the helm of a ship essentially too big for anyone of modest means.

Left and Right are Unified.  How's that?     You may think the Left represents Trump resistance while the Right represents a reversal of Obama policy.  But in the current tax bill, both sides, particularly those at the top, are true amigos .  You see, there is no mention whatever of the capital gains tax rate.  This is where the billionaires really clean up.  Roughly speaking, if you pay taxes of  $6 on earnings of $20, you will pay only $3 is that money arrived as capital gains.  This is how the billionaires make their big money. They might have no income – just capital gains. The billionaires of both extremes are funding their oppositional campaigns using money generated this way. Moreover, the government is indirectly funding all through tax relief the purely oppositional programs of both sides of the ideological debate.  The Kochs, Soros, Buffet, Stires, and hundreds more are included. Thank you, Uncle Sam. In the meantime, it really does help to have a tax-exempt foun

Stock market man.  Suppose I’m worth billions, and have a reputation for picking stock market winners.  What can I do without thinking too much?   A.  I could continue my work, carefully analyzing markets and companies to make my investment decisions.  Maybe too much thinking. B.  I could identify potential sectors or companies, possibly lacking in current market attention, but with some potential.   Then, I could take a huge position with millions upon millions.   The market would take this in advisement and while not really knowing why it is important, would try to pile-on, on the basis of what we’ll call a “position testimonial.”   While pundits would explain why, they and others would also buy, driving up the price even more.   My investment of $300m might increase almost overnight to $350m.  This is what you can do with huge cash reserves.  Change the perception. Change the market. Enhance your investment. This is a totally legal form of market manipulation.  No insid

The latest news on the campaign front is that Martin Bloomberg, Warren Buffet, and Mark Cuban have come out in support of Hillary Clinton.   These three billionaires have supported their choice candidate. Great.  Last week, it was Bernie Sanders making the pitch for her support.  The profound difference between the billionaires and the lonely Sanders is profound.  Great. What can they have in common? The three represent wealth and more wealth for themselves.  The lone alternative represents more resources for the little man.   What do they have in common? The have found resonance, maybe the brass ring of negative campaign attacks.  Resonance implies a low energy force input surviving and growing in magnitude in force.  They have found a small matter that catches on and grows without further energy input.  Cal the candidate a Presbyterian, and no one cares.  There is little effect.  But call the candidate a war monger, and many will take this as the key issue to rally round or its opp

Here are a couple of comments you may not have heard before.  The left and the right extremes.  Each has locked him or her self into cubicles and thrown away the keys.  Nothing except highly polarized information sustaining their viewpoint can penetrate their view-ports.  Of course, there are constant visits by their clergy to keep them pure, and to review the catechism.  When you enter one of the cubicles, you have a life sentence .   Can you image one on the far right saying, “You know that idea of Obama on health care makes sense.  I could go with it.”  Or someone from the far left, saying “The surge of Bush in Iraq actually had a benefit and began to stabilize the area.” Never, never, and never. Said the lefty to the righty, “My billionaires are honest, trustworthy, and brave.  Yours are dishonest money grabbing capitalists.”  Said the righty to the lefty, “My billionaires are simply trying to preserve the best form of government that has ever been.  Yours are closet comm