Money, Money, Money...

[ozleicester]

Why is it, that money seems to be such a focal point on a football forum...

I can boo - i paid $32

He cost x million dollars and hes still shit.

He spent xx million $ and we havent been promoted.

Hes cut x $ off the wages bill - hes doing a good job.

He only cost x $ so what do you expect?

If i got paid x $ i wouldnt care

[FoxesAreBlue]

Jealousy.

[MooseBreath]

Money don't make my world go round...

...I'm reaching out to a higher ground

[Zingari]

I suppose money is the universal yardstick by which we all judge and are judged to a large extent

I know your question is “why†but I don’t really have an answer for that, other than its an abstract logic way to evaluate and compare.

Sorry

There is nothing quite as wonderful as money.

There is nothing quite as beautiful as cash.

Some people say it's folly,

But I'd rather have the lolly.

With money you can make a splash.

[purpleronnie]

Money don't make my world go round...

...I'm reaching out to a higher ground

[Captain...]

I don't care too much for money, cos money can't buy me love.

It can buy my prostitutes though, and that is sort of like love, and if you pay them enough they will say they love you, erm, so my point is, fvck you! Hippy!

[Dan]

Money is the root is all evil.

[Fox92]

Eyes down round and round

Let's all sit and watch the money go round

Everyone take a little bit here

And a little bit there

- Kinks.

[ozleicester]

Money, get away

Get a good job with more pay

And your O.K.

Money, it's a gas

Grab that cash with both hands

And make a stash

New car, caviar, four star daydream

Think I'll buy me a football team

Money get back

I'm all right Jack

Keep your hands off my stack

Money, it's a hit

Don't give me that

Do goody good bullshit

[FoxesAreBlue]

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much."

- Gordon Gekko

[Zingari]

Money is the root is all evil.

You missed out an important part of that quote .

(1 Timothy 6:10)

[Captain...]

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much."

- Gordon Gekko

Great quote but not one that is applicable in today's world. Greed got us to where we are now, greed fuelled the industrial revolution but now greed is destroying everything we worked so hard to create.

[MooseBreath]

Great quote but not one that is applicable in today's world. Greed got us to where we are now, greed fuelled the industrial revolution but now greed is destroying everything we worked so hard to create.

Yes, only this morning as I drove my new car along the freshly laid road to my newly built office to my job where I sit amongst engineers designing new things on new computers using new technology and new ideas I was thinking, wow, look at all this destruction, there's barely anything left.

[Captain...]

Yes, only this morning as I drove my new car along the freshly laid road to my newly built office to my job where I sit amongst engineers designing new things on new computers using new technology and new ideas I was thinking, wow, look at all this destruction, there's barely anything left.

Ah you're ok, so that means everything is ok, what a surprising point of view (incidentally destroying means it is in progress, and not already happened, present continuous).

And yet despite this utopian picture of life you paint, whole countries are on the verge of bankruptcy, global unemployment is rising,* energy reserves are running out, oil is predicted to run out in 40 years**, here in the UK child poverty and child obesity is increasing. All of these are largely attributable as consequences of greed.

But I'm glad you have a job, and a new car, and freshly laid roads to drive on, me too, I'm doing fine, so you're right there is nothing wrong with the world, there is no exploitation, collusion and corruption and if there is, fvck it, that's just progress, I'll call up comic relief and ask for 50p donation back.

* http://www.ilo.org/g...g--en/index.htm

** http://www.imeche.or...ill-oil-run-out

[MooseBreath]

Greed has ensured we have the technology to replace oil. Global GDP is rising. Global salaries are rising. Proper poverty is being wiped out. Some people are being left behind because they failed to keep up. I'm sorry for them, but the blame lies with them. And if their kids are fat then they can't be struggling that much. How do you equate easy availability of over consumption with things being destroyed?

[Captain...]

Greed has ensured we have the technology to replace oil. Global GDP is rising. Global salaries are rising. Proper poverty is being wiped out. Some people are being left behind because they failed to keep up. I'm sorry for them, but the blame lies with them. And if their kids are fat then they can't be struggling that much. How do you equate easy availability of over consumption with things being destroyed?

Greed has largely been responsible for alternatives to oil being held back, we don't currently have the technology to fully replace oil, and we are consuming it an ever increasing rate.

Proper poverty is not being wiped out, even in this country, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and the divide is greater now than it has been for many years.

On a national scale the debt of this country and many others is astronomical and increasing at an alarming rate, whereas private wealth of the richest is ever growing, and the tax contributions they are obliged to pay are being dodged.

I am not saying that anything has been destroyed yet, but if we carry on down this route then there is every possibility of going backwards, countries are on the verge of bankruptcy, and there is very little to show that we won't be joining them soon, our economy is stagnating and our credit rating has been decreased, that was Greece in 2009. You can bury your head in the sand if you like, you're ok so why should it matter, but there really is very little positive news about the economy in the UK at the moment, and it could seriously threaten our, including your, current way of life, the ones being left behind are us.

This is not all down to greed, but that was largely the reason why we had the banking crisis, and the global economic crisis, greedy bankers and politicians deregulating the industry and taking massive risks to line their own pockets. You can add a huge amount of incompetency to that.

[MooseBreath]

We do have the technology to replace oil. We've had it for years. We'll build it when it needs to be built.

The rest of your post is just banging on about the UK and the lack of growth. Some periods of low or no growth are natural and nothing to worry about in the long run. Most people in the UK are absolutely fine, most people who want to work have jobs, most people who have the desire and ability to increase their earnings can and will increase their earnings. It's all good for pretty much everyone. And that's in the UK where the economy is struggling, I won't bother pointing out the various countries which are on the process of achieving monumental improvements in living standarda due to greed driven capitalism

[leicsmac]

We do have the technology to replace oil. We've had it for years. We'll build it when it needs to be built.

The rest of your post is just banging on about the UK and the lack of growth. Some periods of low or no growth are natural and nothing to worry about in the long run. Most people in the UK are absolutely fine, most people who want to work have jobs, most people who have the desire and ability to increase their earnings can and will increase their earnings. It's all good for pretty much everyone. And that's in the UK where the economy is struggling, I won't bother pointing out the various countries which are on the process of achieving monumental improvements in living standarda due to greed driven capitalism

Why not implement the oil-replacing technology now, if it is more efficient and cleaner than what we have already?

And which countries are on the verge of monumental improvements in living standards due to capitalism at the present time? Would be nice to have an example or two.

[ADK]

Capitalism in the sense of encouraging people with capital to invest rather than hoard isn't a bad idea.

I do think our consumer society is horribly wasteful and that isn't really capitalism itself but the monetary system.

We can design lightbulbs which use less electricity and last for 10-20 years but they won't ever become popular because you need to constantly sell product to stay in business.

The electronics industry abounds with examples of products that are designed to fail. This allows them to sell you the same product again and again. Its hard to find any reason how this can be good for society, everytime you have to remake that product unnecessairly it is requiring several man-hours of work that could be used for something else.

In fact all businesses revolve around trying to make you buy their products, razor blades don't need to go blunt after two uses, but if they didn't, you wouldn't buy as many. This is wasteful in terms of global resources (raw materials, labour).

As Humans, we spend an awful lot of time doing things that really don't need doing and making things that really don't need to made. And anything that can't be sold for a profit dosn't get done or made regardless if it would improve our lives.

[leicsmac]

Capitalism in the sense of encouraging people with capital to invest rather than hoard isn't a bad idea.

I do think our consumer society is horribly wasteful and that isn't really capitalism itself but the monetary system.

We can design lightbulbs which use less electricity and last for 10-20 years but they won't ever become popular because you need to constantly sell product to stay in business.

The electronics industry abounds with examples of products that are designed to fail. This allows them to sell you the same product again and again. Its hard to find any reason how this can be good for society, everytime you have to remake that product unnecessairly it is requiring several man-hours of work that could be used for something else.

In fact all businesses revolve around trying to make you buy their products, razor blades don't need to go blunt after two uses, but if they didn't, you wouldn't buy as many. This is wasteful in terms of global resources (raw materials, labour).

As Humans, we spend an awful lot of time doing things that really don't need doing and making things that really don't need to made. And anything that can't be sold for a profit dosn't get done or made regardless if it would improve our lives.

Nail. On. Head. Agree with everything about this post.

[Captain...]

We do have the technology to replace oil. We've had it for years. We'll build it when it needs to be built.

The rest of your post is just banging on about the UK and the lack of growth. Some periods of low or no growth are natural and nothing to worry about in the long run. Most people in the UK are absolutely fine, most people who want to work have jobs, most people who have the desire and ability to increase their earnings can and will increase their earnings. It's all good for pretty much everyone. And that's in the UK where the economy is struggling, I won't bother pointing out the various countries which are on the process of achieving monumental improvements in living standarda due to greed driven capitalism

What technology is that? and why not build it now instead of becoming even more heavily indebted to oil rich nations? Or when you say we do you mean some other country will, and we can be indebted to them too?

Greed does not equal capitalism, this is not an anti-capitalist stance, true capitalism isn't about greed it is about growth, it is greed that I'm talking about, greed, not natural fluctuations in economy and markets, that has dropped us in the shit with this global crisis.

[Webbo]

In fact all businesses revolve around trying to make you buy their products, razor blades don't need to go blunt after two uses, but if they didn't, you wouldn't buy as many. This is wasteful in terms of global resources (raw materials, labour).

So how would you employ this now redundant labour if things didn't need to be made/sold anymore?

[FoxesAreBlue]

Wish I'd kept my mouth shut!

[Captain...]

So how would you employ this now redundant labour if things didn't need to be made/sold anymore?

More time for past times and social activities which benefit the society in place of the individual, or an increase in research as to survive companies would need to innovate.

I really don't know what would happen if we made things to last rather than to break, we wouldn't have a resource issue though, if it was a global change in policy and every country geared itself to improving the quality of life for all, rather than their bank balances, or if a country was able to be completely self reliant and block all imports then it could work. If not then it will fail as the market would be flooded by cheap crappy alternatives from abroad, which people will buy instead of better more expensive products, despite the potential false economy.

Essentially that would have been where communism would have headed, state controlled production of all consumer goods, ensure they are the best quality and will last a lifetime, function over form, and that they will be available to all, and all will work to have these things. Unfortunately communism was generally adopted by poor countries, often involved in wars and were unable to really produce anything of any quality, other than missiles.

[Webbo]

More time for past times and social activities which benefit the society in place of the individual, or an increase in research as to survive companies would need to innovate.

If people aren't working how do you pay for this leisure time?

I really don't know what would happen if we made things to last rather than to break,

Do you think you'd be happy with a 10 year old mobile phone or TV? A five year old computer?