Economy

A 21-post collection

Challenge #02704-G147: The Dying of the Might

They were wealthy. Beyond wealthy. They owned two space stations and an entire solar system, and ran these places harshly. Those that displeased them lost their jobs and were often left in ruin, even for the smallest infractions. Entire families sent into desperate poverty and isolation just because a single member made a mistake on the job.

And for them? Life was excellent. They had everything they could ever need or want. They lived in utter luxury. They had more Time than they could ever spend and had a devil-may-care attitude toward the rest of the universe. But you know what they say about how all parties must end? The people, tired of mistreatment, refused to work. Found other jobs. Some who knew the products they produced found a way to make knockoffs that were just as good, in fact in some ways better, than the original, and sold them for far less. Business partners and trade deals began to dry up as people found other ways to live.

Even the solar system they owned, the sun suddenly going unstable and the people that lived there all desperately fleeing until no one remained on the one inhabitable planet. The unstable sun flaring out, it had a previously unknown 20,000 year cycle of stability, then severe solar storms that lashed the entire system, before returning to a stable, calm, course. This sudden stormy period ruined them. Their finances slowly dried up, the life of luxury and constant spending suddenly curtailed, they began having to sell many of the luxuries they took for granted. Now, they had to live the life they had forced upon so many others. But could they? -- Anon Guest

My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:/ Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! -- Percy Bysshe Shelley.

It's a conspiracy. It has to be a conspiracy. Those losers in the CRC were behind it for sure. They stole my living resources. They took everything away from me. I'd sue them, but... listen. If you listen, you'll see how unfair things were.

I owned the system. I made the rules. It was mine. I was the law. I had all the "immortality" treatments and gone corporate. I had every Second of Time. I used the rules, then I made the rules. It was mine I could live forever and own the universe if I wanted.

Then those idiots stole it all.

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Challenge #01938-E114: Shark Generosity

Temptation comes in many forms, 30% off for one. -- Knitnan

Sale season was something Shayde was used to happening during the new financial year. Something that this new age didn't have. What they had, instead, was tax season. Which lead to the tax season charity sales. Excess stock that the companies could no longer afford to store, was to be sold at a discount to those who could otherwise not afford it.

Shayde, who could afford anything she liked now-a-days, still

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Challenge #01901-E077: Ordering the New World

The bookkeeper of a new evil organisation to their superior:

I'm sorry but no, a "giant robot of doom with lasers that go pew pew" is not feasible. Because not only it sounds silly, but we lack the funding. And no, I won't allow any medium or high destruction plan as long as you didn't find a way to increase our income. If you want to blow things up, I'll only allow dynamite. And we can't pay more than 5 minions at

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Challenge #01835-E011: The Caring Gap

Their world was games, and Facebook and selfies. Then they wound up in an emergency ward and discovered electric lives are no substitute for the real thing. -- Knitnan

[AN: You clearly have no understanding of modern connectivity. AKA: "You dang kids get off of your social media and get a real life!" ::shakes cane::]

Alice was technically a Cam Girl and technically a Gamer. In reality, that meant grinding assorted games for a pitiful income per game per hour, and taking

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Challenge #01772-D311: The New Landlord

You once wrote an Instant about a Company owning 99.99% of the World. What they wouldn't realise is "If you own it, you have to fix it. Lousy Hospital, Education, Roads, transport. It's Your responsibility. enjoy!" government retires. -- Knitnan

When you've just bought the world, you never expect it to be a fixer-upper. The previous administration neglected to mention things like noisy and annoying tennants. Rising damp. The fact that the heating needed to be fixed. And they had the

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1 2 3 What are we fighting for? I was just on the phone to MeMum, yesterday, about the minimum wage in the States. She was stunned that...

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What are we fighting for?

I was just on the phone to MeMum, yesterday, about the minimum wage in the States. She was stunned that folks are forced to get by on $7.50 an hour.

She was even more stunned when I told her that that’s what some folks are fighting to get.

It’s pretty bad when you have to explain to a grandmother that the richest country on Earth, filled with the most

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Dear Moneymakers, (an open letter)

And by this, I mean all corporate “persons”, executives, super-rich and basically, everyone who is making their money by just having money.

You’re doing it wrong.

Current economic theory states that if you give enough money to the already-rich, some of it will inevitably “trickle down” to the lower classes, the world will become everyone’s oyster and we’ll all be knee deep in pearls.

Everyone not amongst the already-rich knows this theory

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One important lesson on economics from someone who's picked up on a few things...

Put basically: If they’re offering it to plebes like you, the bubble is about to burst.

There are numerous economic bubbles in past and present. The stock bubble. The internet bubble. The housing bubble. The quantum chocolate bubble. Okay, I just wish there was a quantum chocolate bubble…

The point is, bubbles are just like pyramid schemes. Sooner or later, they’re going to run out of people to sell it to and the whole shebang is going

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Tax Receipt Not Going Far Enough

I’ve been seeing a lot of retweets endorsing the idea of a “tax receipt”, a document telling you, the taxpayer, where your tax dollars are going.

I say it’s a good first step.

A better move would be a Tax Vote. You fill out the form declaring whatever and indicate exactly where you want your dollars to go. And list them in order of importance.

THAT would be a government of true democracy.

Just think about

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Economies of Scale

So I revealed to hubby my determination to grow our own fruit and veg, yesterday (I write these in advance, so I don’t have to fret about having something to write about) and offered him some input into the process. He said, grow tomatoes, carrots and lettuce.

Lettuces like things so swampy, I was thinking about a hydroponics setup, so I don’t drown the tomatoes and carrots.

If you don’t buy a kit and grow them

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A Bit More on Gridle$$

The real point of Gridle$$ as a means of protest is this:

We are not giving money to any corporation.

We are no longer buying their bullshit. In any form.

If we’re paid, we’re keeping our pay. We’re giving it to actual people who worked to produce the things we need.

We are not buying petrol/gasoline to run our cars because we have bikes. That we repair ourselves.

We are not buying fashionable brand clothing

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Why Bipartisan Politics Fails

Put succinctly: they spend too much time fighting and not enough getting shit done.

I don’t follow American Politics very closely. I can’t tell the difference at a glance between Republican and Democrat. All I know is one lot (generally) cheats on their spouses and the other lot (generally) embezzles from public funds.

Back in the days before corporations could buy politicians, the folks you elected were supposed to represent their electorate based on what the majority desired.

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