I’ve written before about this, but in the grand scheme of things, this being election season, the subject bears a repeat.
Two companies, both behemoths of their times had the same business model, close to a hundred years apart.
Sears and Amazon.
I have to actually back up on this a bit. Amazon started as a publishing house, or pretended to.
“I have a catalog of merchandise. You want shit. It might not be MY shit, but I know where to get it. Send me money…I send you stuff.”
Amazon actually got the money to do that from publishing. A friend in the industry tells me that the bookstore share of that latest $24.95 Stephen King novel you just had to have was around 60%. That applied to the local bookstore or big massive ones like Borders. Individual contracts varied, but that was the average.
No wonder America is mostly illiterate. Shit buddy…60% should be the AUTHORS share.. at least then we might be looking at better quality over shitty quantity.
Nah. It’s all a numbers game. when Amazon made their first Billion, they looked at the low hanging fruit that was Sears and saw that not only could they tell this bitch of America what to do, they could make her gladly sleep on the wet spot, and be thankful for it.
That seems to me to be what America is all about, or at least always was. See or have an idea and make it happen, only to have someone else come behind you with a similar idea understanding where you fucked it up…and put you out of business.
From the perspective of politics, it isn’t much different.
Republicans: “We decide you need this shit. You might not WANT it.. but you need it. it’s vital to our National Defense. Eventually, we’ll figure out how to pay for it down the road. Don’t worry about that right now.. as the guys that will get rich from it paid for my campaign. GO AMERICA!”
Democrats: “Look, we’ve identified a need, and we simply MUST fund it. It doesn’t matter to anyone that you didn’t see that need five minutes ago… it only means your racist and classist. Our plan involves taxing that rich motherfucker behind the tree that doesn’t pay his fair share.”
Neocons: “The market decides everything… except for when the market is wrong and disagrees with our policies. If that happens, it’s a Socialist plot”
Randite-Libertarians “Pay what you think something is worth, or don’t fucking buy it. If you fail, it’s because you’re an idiot with no morals or principals. Also, If your daughter gets raped, abortion is something you have to pay for out of your own pocket, and should still be illegal.”
Bomb-flinging Antifa: “Fuck the capitalist system! Hey, can you Venmo me $50 to pay for my monthly iPhone plane WiFi, which should be free?”
Generic America: “Ferfuckssake, 30% more this month for beef, 17% more for gas for my car, my health insurance is going up 17% next month… give me a fucking break already.”
What everything comes down to is a money problem.
THAT was in 2024. Last week silver hit $50/oz. In December of 24 it was $29.59
Imagine what your purchasing power if the MINIMUM wage was $50/hr.
Gold hit $4k an ounce this week.
Everything is based on a single principle, what somebody will pay for it. If your dollar buys less than it did the week before, either somebody is profiting insanely or the entire basis of your money is fucked.
Trump isn’t an election problem… He’s a multi-generational money trust problem. You trust grifters and get grift and graft.
Now we are engaged in a shutdown. A showdown between sides. It’s all idiocracy.
Oh, you’re worried about you kids being taught transgenderism? FUCK YOU. Recognizing whatever the Hell your kid decides their pronouns are represents about .001% of the teacher’s time: Shut the fuck up and learn the Algebra, Calculus and Differential Equations so we can beat China.
You’re worried we’re turning into a Fascist State? Shut the fuck up and teach history. Back in the day one of my history teachers JUST SO HAPPEND to also be the head of the “Maine Right To Life” Committee. He would say thing in class like “You have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…unless you’re a fetus. OH, SORRY!” As kids we knew what the score was, and laughed it away. At least credit your kids with the same intelligence as GenX. (Although the jury may still be out. You raised some stupid motherfuckers)
Worried about Democratic Indoctrination? Also, STFU. Think back to when you were a kid. As hard as the pendulum swings one way, it swings back ALMOST as much the other way the following generation. Look it up.
What we NEED to do is sit back for a second and think about what our model for America IS. Of late, we’ve tossed out the entire “Give Us Your Tired” thing on the Statue of Liberty in favor of “Give us $1 Million for and H1b VISA”
What do YOU want us to be.
Discuss.