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Ocryx and Joe
Ocryx and Joe see some scary headlines
There's a new economy coming- what are you doing to make it through the transition?
posted Nov 30, 2011
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With the latest news of trillions of dollars being given to banks and investment firms under the table, the western world is spending itself into a third-world economy. Although the transition will more than painful, there is hope on the other side. How will YOU make it through the transition to a new third-world market system?
Comments [42]
 by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 8:10am | always look on the bright side of life! A headline is just ink on paper. |
 by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 8:13am | I am looking on the bright side- there's a new economy on the other side of all this, where everyone is equal (except for the mega-rich, of course.) |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 8:34am | does this help? www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_emb... |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 9:44am | spending. Ha! maybe on dumb wars. How about we stop throwing away our money killing people and start making rich people pay their fair share? Maybe open up the libraries again? boingboing.net/2011/11/30/tom-the-dancin... |
 by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 10:00am | RR, when I point out some useless expenditures of tax money you become positively apoplectic. Yet you constantly point out expenditures that you think are useless. Maybe some of the people in the armed services are really nice people like the the woman who staples your art application forms together. Incidently, according to testimony before the library board, the MLK library was closed to free up money for the Reconcilation Park improvements. I thought that was something you liked? |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 10:02am | And the First Creek Library was closed because, um, er, the new Salishan was almost finished and suddenly you had people who wanted to use the library? Who knows. |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 10:10am | "according to testimony before the library board" so like public comment? dude anyone can say anything. WAR and Armed Services are two different things. |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 10:13am | Salishan doesn't need a library, people living in elaborate cribs don't have time to do no readin'! www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu6ok5ykyuQ |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 10:20am | The testimony which called out the city for transferring library funds to Reconciliation Park was provided, not during public comment but, rather by a library board member. Also, sorry I was unaware that the wars we are engaged in and the armed forces are unrelated. My bad. |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 10:21am | Incidentally, this particular strip which we posted today is most definitely looking beyond the local.
As the western world moves away from the strong middle class consumer-based society that we have enjoyed since the end of the second world war, we will have to make changes to adjust to the coming two-class system. Of course, there will be a crash in between systems, but one has to make it through the crash to thrive under the new coming market. I would recommend striking up friendships with Russian emigrees, and ask how they survived in a two-class system under Soviet rule. They have a wealth of knowledge on how to make the most of small garden plots when store-bought food is either scarce or too expensive, and how to stretch your meager stocks of store-bought food through creative recipe enhancements. They may also have excellent tips on how to deal with ration lines, and the best ways to work the black market. We can only hope that the ultra-rich develop a philanthropic streak, and share some of their wealth through tax-deductible libraries, hospitals, schools, and what-not for the masses, much as a few of them did in the late 1800's. At least the robber barons of the 19th century actually created something while they amassed wealth. |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 10:22am | Where did my paragraph spacing go? I might as well be writing in ALL CAPS. |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 10:23am | the bright side? more food for costumed vigilantes! www.king5.com/news/cities/tacoma/Thanksg... |
 by KevinFreitas on 11/30/2011 @ 10:49am | This video makes a point to help defend the 1% and is a good primer of that top tier of our soon-to-be 2 class system: |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 10:54am |
If those two could invest in a sharper looking wardrobe and knock off the vulgar language they could probably be trophy wives. |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 11:01am | Here's how the NEW ECONOMY works: "We are now taking applications for any Feed Tacoma participants who have lost their jobs and residence and would like a place to camp in our back yard. Bring your own camping trailer or tent, we will provide water hose access, an extension cord, and home-cooked meals three times a week in exchange for handyman help around the house, especially in building our counter-zombie defenses. Not quite up to Fredo City standards, but we will do what we can." |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 11:06am |
Someone explain to me why we are supposed to hate the people in third world countries who are only trying to earn a few dollars making goods which can be sold at affordable prices to struggling americans. In a rush to make sure that no American goes without an xbox or a cadillac escalde, let's try to remember that in some countries people eat insects off the ground for protein and drink sewage water. |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 11:07am | Fredo is half right- but that's where we will be in three years. Do you have your sewage water filters and insect skewers? You may need them. |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 11:13am |
This is as good a time as any to announce my new book, soon at your favorite bookstore:"Middle class lifestyles FOR DUMMIES." The ultimate guide for disparaging productive Americans. Price TBD |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 11:17am | here's an idea for turning our economy around: Why don't we set up a government program which will guarantee the mortgage loans of people who want a nice house to live in. And the applicants wouldn't have to actually fill out any paper work because that might be offensive to those with low or no income. The high demand for houses will mean that the borrowers can turn around and sell their new homes for huge profits and then buy even nicer homes. This will be a win win situation and I don't see any possible downside. |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 11:19am | don't hate people in third world countries. helping those people unionize will be hyper-excellent allies in the struggle for the new world order. Feeling nostalgic for the robber barons? Good! They are the reason for joining unions in the first place. perhaps in the NEW economy the unions will find new relevance. just like the old-timey secret societies and benevolent orders! HELLS BELLS comrades! don't sell that huge Elks building to the Walmart! they will need all that space for their NEO-elks members! |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 11:25am | you guys are so funny. also, don't believe everything you read in those 'buy gold' tri-folds |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 11:29am | Who said anything about buying gold? I believe we only mentioned sewage water filters and insect skewers. You can't eat gold. (except as very thin leaf on very expensive european truffles, but that more makes my point that breaks it...) |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 11:31am | humbug! The world owes me a living. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM1DgihKHVI |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 11:33am | The world doesn't owe me anything, but it would be nice to get certain services in exchange for taxes that we pay. That's not Socialist, is it? (We are serious about the yard space offer, however...) |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 11:41am | Build your zombie defenses now!
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by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 11:48am | We've met the zombies, and they are us! |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 12:01pm |
RR, have you talked to any Chinese factory owners to see if you could bring some union organizers over to talk to the workers? That might be a good starting point. |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 12:08pm | my anti-walmart cartoon is sending all the right messages. 世界工厂的工人出现！！ |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 12:10pm | 请在光荣的中国更高的最低工资法大厅。
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by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 12:12pm | 丰富的人的口味如水果卷美味了！吃他们的肉！ |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 12:42pm | If I wanted to commission the manufacture of 1000 commemorative coins and I got one bid from a non union shop for $500 and a bid from a union shop for $800...why would I select the higher bid? What if the most I was authorized to spend was $750? |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 1:32pm | Heh. Nice segue, Fredo. By the way, we don't have unionized private mints. You have a small handful of US private mints that produce domestic product, and several dozen US "mints" that have all of their product made overseas. The big problem we see in the private minting industry is that even the US Government prefers to purchase their official challenge coins (I'm talking the personal challenge coins of all the big wigs in the pentagon, major government intelligence agencies, and US congressmen and senators) from CHINA. Way to show the American people that you support US jobs, you jerks. Why? China is cheaper. After all, why support US industry when you can save a few bucks on an inferior product? |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 1:34pm | And if the US Government prefers to purchase inferior Chinese product in place of domestic US product, there really is no hope for this country. I can't help you, sorry. Close the doors and let's go home. |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 1:42pm | www.radioopensource.org/ha-jins-recovere...
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by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 1:50pm | The only thing that stands between us and the rest of the world in terms of manufacturing is our wage rate. Either we can lower our wage rates and begin building our manufacturing sectors, OR we can try to convince everybody else in the world to raise their wage rates to US standards. Those are the choices, it seems to me.
Which would be more productive, removing the minimum wage and prevailing wage laws and watch manufacturing ramp up, or blogging incessantly about the injustices in the world which are holding our country back? And while we're at it, would somebody tell me what the prevailing wage and minimum wage rates are for people who can't find work? |
by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 2:00pm | madness! |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 2:03pm | Well, since most of our non-union manufacturing jobs (I guess you can go ahead and picket me now- good luck with that) are pretty darned close to minimum wage, I don't know what we can do differently to be more competitive with China. Superior quality doesn't seem to make much of a difference to government buyers- they would rather pay less for inferior imported crap. Nobody - I mean nobody- is getting rich at our company. (of course, we have jobs with a steady paycheck- no complaints there!) |
by fredo on 11/30/2011 @ 2:15pm | "Nobody - I mean nobody- is getting rich at our company"
Understood. Sounds like you have a labor intensive business in a marketplace where labor intensive businesses are at a huge disadvantage. Your alternative is to increase productivity through technology or through better workplace organization. If an American mint employee earns $10 per hour versus a Chinese mint employee earning $1 per hour (all hypotheticals), then the American needs to produce at a rate somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 10 times that of the Chinese for the American market. Manufacturing will not move here until there is some sort of equilibrium involving wage and production rates. |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 2:21pm | We have recently invested heavily in state-of-the-art highly automated engraving equipment in order to reduce some of our production costs and increase efficiency- all without cutting any jobs. (Of course, we had to move our manufacturing to Nevada becaese we could no longer afford to manufacture in Washington state, but that's a different thread.) We take pride in our work and produce a superior product.
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by NineInchNachos on 11/30/2011 @ 3:08pm | is it easy to find artistic talent in the libertarian land of prostitutes ? and do they have a city arts commission ? |
 by Thorax O'Tool on 11/30/2011 @ 3:20pm | Gold... Don't listen to the goldbugs for one reason. Gold IS money. It's value is typically inverse to that of fiat currencies (especially the dollar in our case). What does that mean? Simply that gold is a hedge against inflation. If you bought gold at $1000 3 years ago and sold it today at $1700, then it looks like you "made" $700. You didn't. It means that your $1700 today has the same amount of value as your $1000 did 3 years ago. Gold is a currency hedge because it IS money. Remember that. I'm not saying don't buy gold. I'm saying take into consideration that monetary policy (not so much supply) affects gold price. If the FED/Government do something positive for the currency, gold prices drop. If they print and spend, gold goes up. |
by The Jinxmedic on 11/30/2011 @ 3:38pm | @thorax: Gold has always been a hedge, not an investment. Silver can be more volatile- so if you have money to play with, you can easily profit from silver swings.(but these are SHORT TERM profits- also known as "gambling").
@NiN: Most commercial artists in the "Libertatrian land of prostitutes" (as you so eloquently put it), already work for higher salaries in the gaming industry. That's why most of our artists work from the Federal Way office. (Even the boss would rather it be a downtown Tacoma office, but there you are.) |
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