Hello

The boycotting of grocery chains by suburban housewives because of 'high' prices, in the 1960s, proved 2 things:
1. The consumer COULD make themselves heard and get results.
and
2. After they flex their muscles a couple of times, they become, as the Great Middle Class always does, complacent.

I must point out to you gentlemen that the calibur of thinking on this subject, in this forum, is significantly higher than the 'average' American undertakes. And my speculation would be that it is higher than the 'average' person in ANY country.

I have lived and worked in 'average' conditions all my life. I have been involved with numerous small and medium sized business (AND I've worked in businesses that did direct interaction with WALMART, right here at the main offices in Bentonville), and my take on the motive of the 'average' person, be they consumer or business owner/CEO is that the whole thing is a GAME that THEY want to win. There is NO thought that goes ANYWHERE Near as deep as this duscussion thread....Only the notion that 'getting a good deal' is somehow attainable WITHOUT any consequences, or at least any SERIOUS consequences.

The 'Philosopher King' of the business world may exist, but he will be a RARE bird indeed. The 'common' mind set of the business world is to make as much money as possible ALL THE TIME. ALL thoughts and actions serve that end. And, I think, MOST business Heads are cumpulsive and extreem in their focus of that end.

In the end, the discussion of economics, perhaps, comes down to the differences between 'Making A Living', and 'Making Money'. The 'average' person has no REAL mechanism for Making Money, all the while the Popular and now Universal Notion is that Making Money is the 'good' thing to do, and if everyone is doing it, all over the world, at the same time, then Nobody will REALLY get hurt, at least not for very long. So just how do you Make Money at an hourly, or even salaried, job?

My bias is, of course, a result of the people I know and have known, having lived in the 2nd poorest county in the 2nd poorest state in America for 25 years. That is not to say that I am not traveled, or that I don't have 'Friends in the Real World'. It's just that the Noble sentiments and intellectualizations presented in this current thread appear to be talking about, but have completely overshot, just what THOSE PEOPLE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT actually THINK ABOUT THIS WHOLE ISSUE. I assure you it has NOTHING to do with 'Global' perspective. They don't understand much more about economics than 'will they make ends meet' this week or this month. Intelligence is not the issue, rather, the pressing Realities that we find ourselves forced to focus our intelligence on.

When a 'Thing' gathers sufficient mass and inertia, the amount of Energy required to Change the direction of that Thing can become greater than the available resource pool of expendable energy. Sadly, I see 'Business' as having achieved That mass and enertia. So, while Change is Always Possible, the likelyhood of Change occuring via the vector of 'The People' becomes Less Plausible over time. Perhaps This is the "Law of ism's"....Capitalism, Communism, Socialism......they ALL seem to get Bogged Down eventually, good or bad.

Thanks

David