Wealth, Libya, & Illusions.
August 28th, 2011
What if this is all an illusion? Many times on psychotropic substances I have watched the universe dissolve and reemerge out of seeming nowhere. I have seen reality become reduced to my self, and this self the only reality left. Scared that this was it, that I was going to be stuck with nothing but the self knocking around an empty universe when my fortune would change and some bird of paradise would come by and remind me that, yes there is a world outside of the imagination (these were usually late night ventures exploring the inner realms in a room without companions).
Mostly I realize it's just me. My motor is running down.
I spent all morning working on a story. Rewriting, getting into it. Not questioning its validity until I got done, and then I thought of another completely different way to handle the tale. I let it sit. Second guessing myself always gets me in trouble. The best thing is to let it gel for a day and then come back and if it still seems like a good idea, then go for it.
But now my brain is tired and the computer is hot and uncomfortable in my lap. I read somewhere that letting the computer sit on your flesh for too long causes burns and sterility.
This link to an article about the subject is a bit dated but it is interesting.
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/hotlaptops.html
So where is Gaddafi? Today I read that the Guardian is reporting that British, French and Qatar and other special services troops were in Libya and had planned several successful actions by the rebels. They also had improved contacts between the rebel troops and the NATO planes to insure better ground-air target coordination. This does not sound in the least like it was meant to solely protect citizens. This was covert warfare not very well hidden. It would have been nice if the Guardian had released this information before the commitment of force.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/23/sas-troopers-help-coordinate-rebels
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/25/libya-conflict-british-french-soldiers-rebels-sirte
There is not even a hint of irony in the reporting.
It is the same old story, they lie, say oh no, we won't do that, and then it turns out they did. In this case they are covering it up with an all is well that ends well sort of brief. Has it ended well? Depends on how you define a happy ending.
Personally if the Libyan people want to get rid of a dictator, I say more power to them. Whether you like Gaddafi or not, he was in power for a long time and forty years is probably too long for anyone to be in office. Too bad he didn't go voluntarily. It seems he couldn't comprehend that some of the Libyan people, perhaps even the majority simply don't want him around anymore.
That is why we need periodic elections and recall processes in place. Even with our electoral process in place here in the USA we have big problems that are not getting resolved because of bottle necks at the top where money, well placed can hold up needed reforms or change for decades. Largely because the system was designed for a much smaller republic with a population one 100th of what it is now. It needs to be revised for modern conditions to counteract the influence of big money, but it won't happen as long as big money has its fingers throttling the neck of the electorate i.e. Congress.
Democracy may not be the best form of government. The Chinese have something of a benevolent dictatorship. Rule by a party that claims to rule in the name of the people's interest. Compared to India, China is a lot more efficient. But both countries have masses of poor people and large areas where peasant farmers are the rule. Both countries are taking a risk allowing a moneyed class to develop and enjoy ostentatious wealth while millions get by on little or nothing. They are playing with fire, as they gamble that they can develop fast enough to keep these millions occupied and at least give them the hope of a chance for a piece of the capitalist pie. It is an old carrot and stick game. People keep falling for it.
It's anybody's bet if we will be able to satisfy those millions before we run out of resources. Another way to deal with the problems would be to decide to distribute it all equitably and see what kind of a standard of living we would all have if that were done. The rich hate this idea.
From Wikipedia. Read it and weep.
A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at United Nations University reports that the richest 1% of adults alone owned 40% of global assets in the year 2000, and that the richest 10% of adults accounted for 85% of the world total. The bottom half of the world adult population owned 1% of global wealth.[10] Moreover, another study found that the richest 2% own more than half of global household assets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_wealth
The current GDP is about $65 Trillion dollars a year. There are almost 7 billion humans or about $9286 each. The IMF says the average income was about $10,886. Right between the average for Costa Rica and Iran according to their figures. With adustments for local costs of living I wonder if we could manage on that?
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/05/world_gdp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
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