The Overhauling Keynesians
In the summer of 1944, a group of men finalized a system to overhaul and provide a method for financial stability. A team of economists, led by John Maynard Keynes, prescribed that the international method of trade should be tied to one country's datum point - and that datum point would provide a staple to the gold standard and result in the free, fair exchange of currencies and commodities - - all in the just order to re-build our world after we had torn it apart - - the Bretton Woods system was adopted. We could finally trade a dinar for a dollar, and a rupee for a ruble.However upon that signing, a new bridge hurdled across the obstacle - the thirst for the consumer economy found a link across an ocean, and a line across a channel. It triggered a new boom and bust cycle - - and one that that has been terribly impossible to pop... The bubble has just kept growing and growing and growing... but all bubbles do pop - - and as the old adage goes - - the bigger they are, the harder they will ....
Broadcasting Harmonic Harmonics
During the time that the international economic map would be etched in stone, another development was par for the course in small steps for mankind. On September 4th, 1951, Harry S. Truman announced nationwide to numerous television households that a treaty had been reached with the Japanese. As ironic as it was that the announcement that the Atomic Bomb was defused through a technology that inherited its principles, the monumental occasion was more in the fact that for the very first time - - you could see someone from across the planet... You could see someone talking from 3000 miles away - - at the same point in space - - and the same point in time... The monumental occasion, was that our minds could see what others did - - see what others looked like - - and see what others wanted....For the very first time, we announced to the world that we had the capability to destroy ourselves, while making the statement that our growth had gone global, and that disputes could be settled with a silent stir and a low bang. The boom was born with the loudest bang from the incorrectly named fission-induced annihilator. From one bang to the another - we turned the page on our social evolution - the boom began with our broadcasted blunders. The Fifties are when it truly began. This was the communication revolution.
That's One Small Step
Shortly after the hallowed speech by President Truman, our consumption found a new way of spreading. National broadcasters spread like wildflowers through the spring bloom - - 98 stations suddenly reached over 7,000,000 households - - and with the economic stability pressed by rebuilding nations - - we bred. We bred and we bred in the way of panting wabbits. The boom of technological global communications bred a global link that to this day has evolved into truly a one-world mentality. In was in the 1950s that we finally woke up and realized we had Jones' to the left, and Lings to the Right, and we all wanted to keep up with every single one of them. We finally woke up that a consumer economy could not only be local - - it could be global.
By the time the 60's rolled around, we had the Beaver, we had Ed, we had Lucy, we had Amos, we had Andy, we had Pop, we had Rock, we had the Blues and we had Country. Our international talents, treats and jokes and jives could be seen and heard by all. We could buy, we could drink - - we could talk and we could listen. The 60's were a groovy time and talkative time - - all instigated by the communication revolution. We would spend. We would work. And we would communicate. Our history etched in stone.
As decades passed, Keynesian economics persisted. The 70's saw signs that outside growth influences into the model needed to be accounted for - - an oil shortage proved time and time again that derivatives from the system would cause shakeups and meltdowns. But the system was strong - - built to last as long and money was printed and money was borrowed. And what the 70's truly saw was a consumer economy hard at work...
It wasn't necessarily a smooth ride, but when people spent hard-earned money, all the while borrowing from the nice lady at the bank, we would carve out a perceived measure of growth, all of which would indicate to us that our economy is sound - - and our spending is prudent - - we were on a growth path.
The path was further aided by the fact that with our new-found culture - - one of cars, flash bulbs and luxury - - we would always be chasing the American Dream. We found a way for everyone in the country to never stop shopping, searching and selling out - - because everyone was doing it, and we wanted to jump off the bridge too....
Blip to Bubble to Burp to Bump to Bulls to Bears to Bursting
As the 80's turned into the 90's, a small little blip to the bubble began to burp. A bump, perhaps. Or maybe a bull. Yes bulls and bears, buttons and budgets. The blip was an on switch to a network that would known as the http://www.
A second wave in our communication revolution. And the revolution was on. It was on like Donkey Kong.
And so now, we go mainstream
So here we are now. Skip another two decades. And here we are.The Keynesian economic model is in front of us. Hanging on by any beltstrap and bootlegged derivative it can support. It has bubbled and bullioned. It is bursting and ballooning. The fundamentals of debt and spending have potentially reached a limit. And it is because we cannot control ourselves. We have to spend.
We spend to eat. We spend to shelter. We spend to impress and we spend to instill fear. We spend and we spend and we spend. The potential flaw in the Keynesian economic model isn't that governments can print money to borrow money so we spend money - - it is that we can't stop spending money. We want EVERYTHING. And it is because EVERYTHING is on display in front of us. Two-clicks away from a new dishwasher. Easy-peazy lemon squeezing dishwasher. Two clicks.
So here we are now. With a shit-stew of austerity, salaries, cut-backs, derivatives, MBS and BSer.
We've linked our selves into everyones backyards and kitchen sinks, and we want the same and more.
We are etching our stones in debt and we can only blame ourselves. We need an erosional forces to wipe out the etchings and start with a clean slate. We need a new model. We need a new device to balance, to budget, to burst this bullshit pile of shit stew that we've concocted. It reeks.
