At about page 110 in Author Yang's Tombstone, the story of the great Chinese famine of 58-60, the Cult of Personality, referring to Mao emerges.
If one will step away from the ideological nonsense around one -ism is superior to another, the parallels are amazing. A leadership that knows nothing of economics, punishment for truth telling, all assets being aggregated into ever fewer hands, omnipresent surveillance and unspeakable violence, what is of value is exported and empty stores are reckoned overflowing. News black-outs. Anything Yang mentions we have our version over here.
We are careful not to have a Chairman Mao, yet, but one can see all of the elements in place where a Mao could emerge.
Estimates are rough, but some 30 million people are said to have starved to death those years. Probably 100 million had a very hard go of it. That leaves about 450 million who got along just fine. And that is the problem with these things, the vast majority gets along just fine. Problem? What problem?
USA has been all about collectivization the last 70 years, and especially the last forty. Get big or get out. Well, I advise getting out of the collective. Members of collectives had it the worst in Mao's China.
Make business. not quota. Expand production, and invest profits in the means of production, but have zero debt. You will be paid in credit, not money in USA. So convert what you believe to be "retained earnings" ie, money, into expanding means of production, so when the crash comes you don't have you financial assets wiped out (because you have none.) Rent, don't own for now, because land prices will fall, and when they do, it will be easy to buy dirt cheap. And if you can, warehouse out of the cities for now. Have zero debt, because when credit fails debt payment taken in credit will be demanded in money, in which your credit will be denominated.
Right now farmland is "worth" more than can be made on it. Bad food crowds out the good. Few farmers will pass on the farm to the family, but inheritance tax will wipe out any attempt anyway. So older farmers sell out for 5 million, and watch a millionaire tear down the farmhouse and build a tax-deductible winery.
Mao assumed the lead in a system where an elite lived exceptionally well while masses starved. We have all of the working parts in place, and paltry check on state extremism. Just add Mao.
Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
If one will step away from the ideological nonsense around one -ism is superior to another, the parallels are amazing. A leadership that knows nothing of economics, punishment for truth telling, all assets being aggregated into ever fewer hands, omnipresent surveillance and unspeakable violence, what is of value is exported and empty stores are reckoned overflowing. News black-outs. Anything Yang mentions we have our version over here.
We are careful not to have a Chairman Mao, yet, but one can see all of the elements in place where a Mao could emerge.
Estimates are rough, but some 30 million people are said to have starved to death those years. Probably 100 million had a very hard go of it. That leaves about 450 million who got along just fine. And that is the problem with these things, the vast majority gets along just fine. Problem? What problem?
USA has been all about collectivization the last 70 years, and especially the last forty. Get big or get out. Well, I advise getting out of the collective. Members of collectives had it the worst in Mao's China.
Make business. not quota. Expand production, and invest profits in the means of production, but have zero debt. You will be paid in credit, not money in USA. So convert what you believe to be "retained earnings" ie, money, into expanding means of production, so when the crash comes you don't have you financial assets wiped out (because you have none.) Rent, don't own for now, because land prices will fall, and when they do, it will be easy to buy dirt cheap. And if you can, warehouse out of the cities for now. Have zero debt, because when credit fails debt payment taken in credit will be demanded in money, in which your credit will be denominated.
Right now farmland is "worth" more than can be made on it. Bad food crowds out the good. Few farmers will pass on the farm to the family, but inheritance tax will wipe out any attempt anyway. So older farmers sell out for 5 million, and watch a millionaire tear down the farmhouse and build a tax-deductible winery.
Mao assumed the lead in a system where an elite lived exceptionally well while masses starved. We have all of the working parts in place, and paltry check on state extremism. Just add Mao.
Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
3 comments:
Since there's a bubble in farmland, what do you think about renting it?
Serfdom!
How about anyone not working their own land loses it? use it or lose it. Islam frees up any land not used for three years. sounds too long to me.
Serfdom!
How about anyone not working their own land loses it? use it or lose it. Islam frees up any land not used for three years. sounds too long to me.
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