Category: business ethics

The U.S. as ‘Lethal Laughing Stock’ (via James Fallows from the Atlantic)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is from James Fallows –

Yesterday I mentioned that governmental paralysis over the debt ceiling — a wholly artificial construct* being addressed with mainly incoherent arguments** — was already turning the strongest, richest country in the world into an international laughing stock, whether or not we reach the final disaster of a default.

Yes, that’s about right.

It’s easy to blame the ideology driven House or Representatives but the real villain is the President. Obama has established a reputation as a negotiator ever ready to cave under every imaginable circumstance, always willing to appear as the “adult in the room” no matter what has to be given up to maintain that image. But if that isn’t enough, we have a President celebrated for his eloquence who is constantly unable to rally the American people behind any major policy whatever. His speech this week should have laid out the shady blackmail being played out by the House, instead it’s a wimp suggestion to “call your congressman.”

I would like to explain something to Mr. Obama. My congressman is one of those people who are blackmailing him to do what they want on the budget. There is no threat I can imagine including physical violence that will change his mind. He could not care less what I think and probably even less what the President thinks.

I am a constituent of this person only in the most technical sense. In reality I am meaningless to him. His real constituency is Fox news, Rush Limbaugh, the Tea Party and talk radio. The President’s call for phone call activism is a waste of his and my time.

So, the train wreck approaches. Will the President cave? Of course – that’s almost his profession.

But that is not enough any more to stop default. There are too many competing plans and the Republicans Congress is split – unable to generate a majority for any one plan. Even if they can get it together in these last few days. any bill put together by these petty blackmailers, is dead on arrival in the Senate.

So, disaster is coming, kinds of a 2012 apocalypse on an early schedule.

James Pilant

 

Positive Thinkers: Why do they Feel more Pain and Earn Less? (via Positive Thinking is Totally Lame?)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Oh, thank God, somebody is willing to say it. Every time, I go to the book store I stare in total disbelief at a wall of books explaining that your mental attitude will bring you wealth, love and maybe stave off death.

I live in a strange world where actually being able to do things and think intelligently make you money. I live in a strange place where putting affirmations on the wall and repeating themselves to yourself at key moments in the day just makes you look odd.

Let’s stop thinking positive and start planning, working and doing. That’s where things happen.

James Pilant

Positive Thinkers: Why do they Feel more Pain and Earn Less? If you are like me and had the privilege of working with and knowing wealthy people (i.e. not people on $50K / Year Pretending, but people of say at least $5M+) – you would already know that “Extreme Positive Thinking” really only has a place for sca … Read More

via Positive Thinking is Totally Lame?

Coakley Steps up Probe into Foreclosure Fraud (via Marshfield Real Estate)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

The mortgage foreclosure crisis continues to grow. We are not talking about just the number of foreclosures. We are discussing active serious wrong doing on the part of banks and foreclosure companies. The use of the MERS electronic system to determine property ownership outside the States’ legal rules is a particularly egregious situation. A number of financial institutions on their own decided to dispense with hundreds of years of property law and create a system that passed title electronically. They did this without legislative or court approval and then proceeded to use it on millions of properties. We should not allow banking institutions to create law on the spur of the moment for their own benefit.

There is plenty of evidence that properties were foreclosed on that banks did not own. I call for justice. I call for a return of these properties to their rightful owners.

James Pilant

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is beefing up her investigation into foreclosure fraud, targeting a powerful lender-created company in Virginia that claims to be the official owner of tens of millions of mortgages nationwide. Yesterday, Coakley said she will ask county registers to provide information to see if Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., known as MERS, is violating Massachusetts laws related to property seizures. … Read More

via Marshfield Real Estate

An Economic Wake Up Call (via Here’s What Nancy Thinks)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Income inequality in the developed nations is almost exclusively an American phenomenon. As you can see from the graph, we are more equivalent to African nations with limited economic development in terms of income

Another interesting article is the graph on the origins of our budget problems. Please pay attention to the enormous role played by the Bush tax cuts in destroying revenue.

James Pilant

An Economic Wake Up Call I don't want a "share the wealth" society in the sense that Republicans like to threaten the people with… You have to admit, though, that there used to be a time when money made it to the top, the top would keep a little and spend the rest to grow their business by hiring new people and so forth. When the money trickled down, there was more money to trickle back up. Now, the mighty dollar is harder to come by because the money makes it to the t … Read More

via Here's What Nancy Thinks

Policy failures of the GOP: the debt could disappear if the rich paid taxes at 1960s levels (via Under the Mountain Bunker)

On By southwerkIn business ethics3 Comments

Well, yeah. I knew that.

James Pilant

Is anyone surprised by this? Yet discussion of increasing tax revenues from the wealthy and corporations is off the table,  no compromise, according to the teaparty Republicans. If Corporations And The Rich Paid Taxes At The Same Level As The 1960s, The Debt Would Disappear … [Institute for Policy Studies’ (IPS) Sam] Pizzigati cites an IPS paper from last spring to make the argument that if corporations and households making more than $1 millio … Read More

via Under the Mountain Bunker

Pictures—Ten Oldest U.S. Nuclear Plants: Post-Japan Risks (via Japan Nuclear Crisis)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Here are some new things (or old ones) to add to your worry list.

James Pilant

Pictures—Ten Oldest U.S. Nuclear Plants: Post-Japan Risks. Oyster Creek, New Jersey, September 1969 Nine Mile Point Unit 1, New York, November 1969 R.E. Ginna, New York, December 1969 Dresden Units 2 and 3, Illinois, April 1970 and July 1971 H.B. Robinson Unit 2, South Carolina, September 1970 Point Beach Unit 1, Wisconsin, November 1970 Palisades, Michigan, December 1971 Monticello, Minnesota, March 1971 Quad Cities Unit 1, Illinois, April 1972 … Read More

via Japan Nuclear Crisis

Japan Passes Law To Cleanse Internet Of ‘Bad’ Fukushima Radiation News (via THE INTERNET POST)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Predictable, I wonder why it took so long. As radiation is detected in larger and large amounts further and further away from the damaged nuclear plants, I guess things just started to get annoying. So, we’re just going to give all those nasty news agencies a good talking to!

James Pilant

Japan Passes Law To Cleanse Internet Of 'Bad' Fukushima Radiation News 'The supposedly free democratic nation of Japan, which supposedly values and promotes freedom of speech, has officially issued orders to telecommunication companies and webmasters to remove content from websites that counter the official government position that the disaster is over and there is no more threat from the radiation. The government charges that the damage caused by earthquakes and by the nuclear accident are being magnified by irresp … Read More

via THE INTERNET POST

Sunday Terminology: Nihilism (via CAFNepal)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I see plenty of nihilism around particularly in our multinationals. Much of what international corporations do falls into an area devoid of moral and often rational judgment as tangible economic benefits are often sacrificed to immediate speculation.

James Pilant

Sunday Terminology: Nihilism Nihilism: The rejection of objective moral values and structures, literally "nothingism." The nihilist is a skeptic about moral traditions and obligations and does not regard them as binding. A distinction should be made between the attitude of the reluctant or sorrowing nihilist, who finds nihilism terrifying but true, and the celebrative nihilist, who view nihilism as liberation from oppressive rules. Friedrich Nietzsche sometimes described nih … Read More

via CAFNepal

Unethical practices – hall-mark of failed organisations (via Corporate Thinking)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

“There is no charity more beloved to God than speaking the truth.”

An Islamic point of view in regard to the Murdoch scandals is here presented. I really liked it. Today, it would appear that appreciating the thought of other cultures and practicing tolerance toward them can result in a sentence of death from a right wing vigilante. Appreciation is merited by the followers of Islam and tolerance a hallmark of Western Civilization, perhaps more the ideal of Christian Civilization.

James Pilant

Lies, bribes, deception and cover-ups are hall-marks of many failed organisations. Unethical behaviour at the leadership level leads to breakdown of trust with shareholders, government and the public – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation found this out the hard way when Internet and phone hacking by its employees hit the headlines this month. Conrad Black of Hollinger Intl., Bernard Ebbers of WorldCom, Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco, Sanjay Kumar of Comp … Read More

via Corporate Thinking

Was the Norwegian atrocity strategic? (via Balneus)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I was wondering about this myself. Targeting an opposition youth camp is a leadership decapitation strategy. However, this author got the idea out before I did and developed it beautifully. Please give it a read.

James Pilant

I am suspecting that Breivik's targetting of the best and brightest youth of the left in Norway was not to strike terror – but to remove talent, to weaken the left. It's wiped a massive proportion of the talent the left has, talent about to enter real-world politics over the next decade. It has gutted the left's talent pool, effective for the next few generations: – the young talent so tragically removed would doubtless have had children and gran … Read More

via Balneus