Sky is falling again, 12768th time since I joined

[MinneapolisMatt]

RANT FUCKING ON


You know, I have been a staunch member here since 2004, and I love the discourse we have.

And yet, about once a week, we have a top rec list post of some person who has the right wing running scared, or wall street quaking in their boots because something major is happening.

Well you know what? It rarely, it ever happens. I love dearly the fact that these types of articles see the light of day here, and would be even more grateful if more than 3-4 of them have proven fruitful. The fact of the the matter is the system is so entrenched, and these authors are so marginalized (NOT BY ME - SEE GLENN GREENWALD), that it's disheartening.

I'd LOVE to see see Thomas Picketty's article go fucking viral, but you know what? IT WON'T. They never do. Why is it? Why? You need to think very hard about that.

We have had hundreds of articles that should have gone viral since 1996 and they haven't. Think about it.

You can bash me me all you want, but I've been around this rodeo enough times that unless a metaphorical car crashes full of the top 10 news owners in the world happens, nothing ever fucking changes.

RANT FUCKING OFF.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. That will change under President Warren

We'll start fighting - and winning - again.

[joshcryer]

6. I hope she runs.

She'll put up a good fight. Could even pull an Obama. But she needs to announce sooner rather than later. Obama announced before Clinton in 2007 (she reportedly angrily got up in his face over that, but I swear I can't find the report so I can't back it up).

[pipi_k]

14. She said...

in fact, repeatedly insisted...that she will not be running...

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/us_politics/2014/04/elizabeth_warren_insists_she_wont_run_for_president

[joshcryer]

15. I know.

[Journeyman]

2. . . . and a very merry Fritzmas to you and yours!

[msanthrope]

9. 24 business hours. It's coming!!! nt

[JayhawkSD]

3. I am seventy years old

I have seen predictions of trends and events that will "end democracy as we know it" and elections that "are the most important election in history" dozens of times. They didn't and they weren't.

This nation has endured for more than 230 years. It has survived global wars, a massive civil war, traitors, and natural disasters that stagger the imagination. Do you really think that a bunch of nuts with teabags hanging from their hats is going to drag us down? Get real. We are a whole hell of a lot more durable than that. We will have our ups and downs, we will have high points and low points, but we will endure.

How can we brag with one breath that we are the greatest nation in the world, and with the next breath predict that the next election will destroy the country? We can't. Hysteria is the product of a lack of faith in the endurance of a great nation.

[moondust]

4. The thing about Picketty

is that some big name economists are praising the book as kind of a watershed. It's based on a lot of historical data. Piketty himself spoke at CUNY last week followed by live commentary by Krugman (one Nobel prize), Stiglitz (two Nobel prizes), and others, so maybe other universities will pick it up for economics, business, sociology, anthropology, American Studies, and/or other coursework.

At a minimum it seems to be a pretty big log on a growing fire.

[adirondacker]

5. I went to Barnes and Nobles in my quite right town to pick up a hard copy of Capatilism...

It was sold out! Even though the computer said it was available. When I asked an employee, she knew all about it and said a new shipment would be in May 8th. Amazon is sold out as well. I never realized that so many people were interested in economics. That's a good thing.

[blkmusclmachine]

7. I'm STILL WAITING for the voting machines to be regulated/open sourced, ever since Bush v Gore, 14

years ago...

[Bluenorthwest]

8. We don't use any 'voting machines'.

Not one in the State.

[Javaman]

10. faux outrage, faux bravado, faux joy are the part and parcel of DU.

so what else is new.

[Make7]

11. Amazon Best Sellers in Books: #1 is 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century'

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/

[IDemo]

12. Come on

It will be Fitzmas any day now.

[The_Commonist]

13. Actually, I think the Picketty book IS going viral.

And it surprises me.
I had a number of friends discuss it on Facebook yesterday, which I found unusual.
Even someone IRL mentioned it, which blew my mind.

But yeah, you're totally right.
Everyone will forget about it by tomorrow, and there will never be a global wealth tax.