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Sunday, October 6, 2013

Vested Interests



I was goofing off the other day, doing some light and humorous reading on the Internet. Sometimes I turn to Cracked.com for a few laughs. This time, however, it really put things in perspective for me. This article: 5 Seemingly Harmless Groups That Wield Terrifying Power, got me thinking.

Reading though the different examples, I came across something I didn't know before. There was a powerful “Ice Lobby,” that set back refrigeration and air conditioning for 60 years. In the days before refrigeration, ice was cut from northern lakes and shipped all around the country. That's how food and drink was kept cold back in the day. What I did not realize was that for 60 years, refrigeration technology existed. Only the vested interests of a powerful lobby from the ice industry kept it from being developed and widely used.

Suddenly many of todays problems came into focus. The world is a pretty screwed up place, but that's because there are powerful interests keeping it screwed up.

Here's just a few big ones:

Take the whole fossil fuel industry. Much of it can be replaced with renewables using off the shelf technology. Never mind all the alternative energy develops the industry bought the rights to and have suppressed. *yes, that's a real thing. They've used their considerable clout to keep us tied to a system that no longer makes sense.

The medical industry is a mess. To fix it would require a revamp from the ground up. Intuitively we know there has to be something wrong with a system that charges $20 for a couple aspirins. There's a lot of money being made with the current set up. Health care is not the focus. Making money is.

Money itself is a mess. There is something wrong with a system that concentrates so much wealth in the hands of so few who produce so little of value.

The whole “justice system.” The prison industrial complex is a powerful lobby. There's a lot of money being made locking people up. No wonder so many people in the US are in jail. It pays.

President Eisenhower warned about the Military Industrial Complex. It hasn't gotten any weaker since his day. Huge sums of money are being spent on things that do a lot more for company bottom line security than National security.

The whole homeland security gig has become another vested interest. The more fear, the more money security companies make.

Big agriculture is another one. I don't think we evolved to live on GMO grain, high fructose corn syrup, and chemically altered meat. Doesn't matter, as that's where the money is at.

These are all powerful forces, and they are holding us back. Just like the Ice Lobby, it's going to take years for these outdated systems to get replaced.

. . . or maybe it won't.

Every time someone puts a few solar panels, plants a garden, takes care of their own health, provides their own security, takes part in “unofficial” economic activities, and forms their own networks, they strike blows against the empire.

Maybe this time it's different. Good ideas can spread rapidly, without being mediated and controlled by the powers that be. Imagine if during the years of the Ice Lobby people had something like the Internet. People would be building AC units in their garage, improving the designs, and sharing their improvements. Southern Redneck engineering was up to the task. Just the promise of cool place to have a cold beer would have been motivation enough.

For me, freedom is my motivation. All those big vested interests do not have my freedom in mind, just the opposite. That's why I'm cutting them out of my life every chance I get.

And to think I was looking for a little light entertainment.

-Sixbears

17 comments:

  1. Dang, that took a serious twist; didn't it? But you're right.

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    1. That escalated quickly, but that's how it goes sometimes.

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  2. Pretty astute observations really.
    This would explain why they send armed SWAT teams to dairy farms, rip gardens out of peoples front yards and are trying to shut down peoples ability to buy goods directly from farmers.
    It cuts into Big Business' bottom line.

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    1. It's a bigger threat to the powers that be than we realize. That's why the response is so overwhelming.

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  3. You are so right.
    Nobody will look after you and your lovely wife Sixbears if You don't.
    Freedom has never looked so good.
    Grab yourself some today while limited stocks are available. And before the price skyrockets some more...

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    1. In this world we get as much freedom as we can grasp with our own hands, and our minds.

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  4. With less and less of it around, people can find ways to make their lives better. One good idea posted on the internet can spread like wildfire. Ideas are what the PTB are afraid of.

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    1. We'd best study and prepare as fast as we can. There's a battle for our lives. We should be part of the fight.

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  5. I recall reading in Wikipedia some time back about how a lot of towns years ago ripped out their downtown electric trolley systems due to pressure from the Fed Govt via GM wanting to sell bus fleets to towns, gas companies wanting to sell more fuel, and tire companies in it as well.

    Great post and sadly very true.

    Bigfoot in TX

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    1. I remember my grandfather telling me how great trolleys were. He could go very far for little money and the service was good.

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    2. Well actually that was then....now I bet it wouldn't be that great...what with all of the union trolley drivers and such.....

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  6. To find the root of any problem we have today, just follow the money...

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    1. It's still one of the most powerful Journalism tools -too bad they leave it in the tool box most days.

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  7. So I have always wondered; why do we have those HUGE windpowered windmills spinning away? Oh that's right, the government subsidizes the installation of those monsters! They also subsidize the electric lines that move that power to the grid.... Now, wouldn't it be better if each and every farm had their own windmill; generating enough or some of the electrical needs for that single farm? Now, I understand the farmers wouldn't really be able to afford those windmills (farmed for 30 years) But if all that money for the big 'uns went to a few farmers......seems like common sense to me. The K.I.S.S. method, keep it simple stupid.
    Steve

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    1. Most alternative energy works best small scale and close to where the power is used. 2/3 of generated power is lost from the transmission lines.

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  8. Good post. You told it as it is!!

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