The United States of King Midas...

In case you don't know the story, King Midas was granted one wish by Dionysus, and he wished that everything he touched be turned into Gold. He soon realized that he couldn't eat or drink, because everything he touched was turned into gold. Seeing his despair, his daughter hugged him, and she too turned into gold.

Starving and distraught, Midas begged Dionysus to take back his golden touch and to return everything to how it was. Dionysus made Midas wash his wish away in the river, and restored his daughter. King Midas then lived with less gold, but felt "richer" because he appreciated everything a lot more... He went back to being a regular King (!).

If you see The United States as King Midas, I think there are a few parallels we can see:

1- The U.S. has been king in many areas, but it hasn't been enough; our "golden touch" country has citizens who are homeless, starving, and sick. Our food industry poisons us because it creates more gold for the companies.

2- We reduce our citizens to assets or liabilities depending on whether they are producing or consuming- many of our citizens are virtual slaves, whose sole purpose is to work to pay off debts.

3- We are turning our children into golden statues, teaching them to get money-producing jobs over expanding their minds and finding happiness through their contribution to our kingdom.

The United States has had this "Golden Touch" for many generations now, as the sole purpose for doing anything in our culture is to create money. Just about everything we do has the "does it make money?" question attached, and it justifies products that kill like cigarettes, services that let people die, like health insurance, and entire industries that destroy our planet like logging.

I'm far from being one of these lefty-pinko-commie guys- I thoroughly believe in the profit motive- but I don't believe that the profit motive should be the ONLY question.

I think this generation can be the one that washes the wish for the golden touch from our bodies, and instead go back to the wish of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

If you like this post, you may also like "The Bottom Line Vs. Humanity"

The United States of King Midas...

In case you don't know the story, King Midas was granted one wish by Dionysus, and he wished that everything he touched be turned into Gold. He soon realized that he couldn't eat or drink, because everything he touched was turned into gold. Seeing his despair, his daughter hugged him, and she too turned into gold.

Starving and distraught, Midas begged Dionysus to take back his golden touch and to return everything to how it was. Dionysus made Midas wash his wish away in the river, and restored his daughter. King Midas then lived with less gold, but felt "richer" because he appreciated everything a lot more... He went back to being a regular King (!).

If you see The United States as King Midas, I think there are a few parallels we can see:

1- The U.S. has been king in many areas, but it hasn't been enough; our "golden touch" country has citizens who are homeless, starving, and sick. Our food industry poisons us because it creates more gold for the companies.

2- We reduce our citizens to assets or liabilities depending on whether they are producing or consuming- many of our citizens are virtual slaves, whose sole purpose is to work to pay off debts.

3- We are turning our children into golden statues, teaching them to get money-producing jobs over expanding their minds and finding happiness through their contribution to our kingdom.

The United States has had this "Golden Touch" for many generations now, as the sole purpose for doing anything in our culture is to create money. Just about everything we do has the "does it make money?" question attached, and it justifies products that kill like cigarettes, services that let people die, like health insurance, and entire industries that destroy our planet like logging.

I'm far from being one of these lefty-pinko-commie guys- I thoroughly believe in the profit motive- but I don't believe that the profit motive should be the ONLY question.

I think this generation can be the one that washes the wish for the golden touch from our bodies, and instead go back to the wish of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

If you like this post, you may also like "The Bottom Line Vs. Humanity"

The Bottom Line vs. Humanity

A woman's husband gets a terrible sickness, and is denied coverage from their carrier. The husband dies. The woman says "we were covered, but they decided not to pay- I thought they were here to help us."

WRONG. And that's the problem with our capitalist system:

It's focus is THE BOTTOM LINE- nothing else.

It assumes that the "best" business (meaning the one that helps the most people) will be rewarded the most. Under the classic capitalist idea that would be true, but it is NOT true in practice. I'm a BIG Ayn Rand fan and all of that, but there's no point in arguing theory versus truth.

The ONLY focus of a business is to count the profits, so it gets more investors, who want to grow their profits together, there is NO OTHER CONCERN.

That means if a product is dangerous, but it makes money- it is JUSTIFIED.
If a business kills people (or, more to the point, lets them die), it is JUSTIFIED.

The BOTTOM LINE is never looking out for Humans. It has NO concern whatsoever other than increasing itself. However, in our system, humans are also only looking out for the bottom line.

And it's time to change that.

I am thrilled to see so many companies coming out under the realization that the bottom line is not enough- that HUMAN BEINGS have to come first, and then profits second.

That does NOT mean there are no profits, it means they aren't FIRST.

How would YOU like to take part in something like that?

Try this: CLICK HERE.

The Bottom Line vs. Humanity

A woman's husband gets a terrible sickness, and is denied coverage from their carrier. The husband dies. The woman says "we were covered, but they decided not to pay- I thought they were here to help us."

WRONG. Here's the problem with out capitalist system:

It's focus is THE BOTTOM LINE- nothing else.

It assumes that the "best" business (meaning the one that helps the most people) will be rewarded the most. Under the classic capitalist idea, that would be true, but it is NOT true in practice. I am an HUGE Ayn Rand fan, but theory doesn't match up with truth.

The ONLY focus of a business is to count the profits, so it gets more investors, who want to grow their profits together, and there is NO OTHER CONCERN.

That means if a product is dangerous, but it makes money- it is JUSTIFIED.
If a business kills people (or, more to the point, lets them die), it is JUSTIFIED.

The BOTTOM LINE is never looking out for Humans, but Humans (in our system) are always looking out for the Bottom Line.

And it's time to change that.

I am thrilled to see so many companies coming out under the realization that the bottom line is not enough- that HUMAN BEINGS have to come first, and then profits second.

That does NOT mean there are no profits, it means they aren't FIRST.

How would YOU like to take part in something like that?

Try this: CLICK HERE.

The Bottom Line vs. Humanity

A woman's husband gets a terrible sickness, and is denied coverage from their carrier. The husband dies. The woman says "we were covered, but they decided not to pay- I thought they were here to help us."

WRONG. Here's the problem with out capitalist system:

It's focus is THE BOTTOM LINE- nothing else.

It assumes that the "best" business (meaning the one that helps the most people) will be rewarded the most. Under the classic capitalist idea, that would be true, but it is NOT true in practice. I am an HUGE Ayn Rand fan, but theory doesn't match up with truth.

The ONLY focus of a business is to count the profits, so it gets more investors, who want to grow their profits together, and there is NO OTHER CONCERN.

That means if a product is dangerous, but it makes money- it is JUSTIFIED.
If a business kills people (or, more to the point, lets them die), it is JUSTIFIED.

The BOTTOM LINE is never looking out for Humans, but Humans (in our system) are always looking out for the Bottom Line.

And it's time to change that.

I am thrilled to see so many companies coming out under the realization that the bottom line is not enough- that HUMAN BEINGS have to come first, and then profits second.

That does NOT mean there are no profits, it means they aren't FIRST.

How would YOU like to take part in something like that?

Try this: CLICK HERE.