The Truth About Robber Barons
 

http://mises.org/story/2317

Now Merrylander, I'm not posting this article in an attempt to piss you off.

I think that it's an interesting read, and it looks at history from a different perspective than what is considered to be conventional wisdom.

I'll admit, sometimes I post bullshit, most of the time on purpose, sometimes by accident. But I also post serious articles, and this is one.

Make of it what you wish,

Chas

it's to much to read on line, I am printing it out, then I'll comment. :eek:

Wouldn't load for me....This crap compooter I got 'n' all...(grin)

Ya'll still usin' 3.11 down there in Dogpatch?

Chas

Naw, I fergit which one it is...Damn handle on the crank I use to generate the "lights" broke, too...Actually, we have Charter Communications cable & "hi-speed" internet...They pester me all the time to add their Fone service, too, but they can't keep the Innernet & cable goin' all the time, I'll be dashed if I'm gonna add their tinker-toy phone service, too...

Interesting read and I would suggest that there are few 'market capitalists' left these days. Utopia as envisaged by many people in the past would also be delightful save for one problem - people.

People are corruptible, always have been always will be, possibly why the Framers of the Constitution wanted checks and balances. I imagine that after a long hot summer in Philadelphia they were tired else they may have taken the time to write the rules for Congress instead of allowing Congress to write its own rules. That is quite possibly where our government broke down.

If i had the time and inclination it would be easy to write a similar chapter with the opposite spin.

I would however recommend that todays "entitled" corporate executives remember the words of Mr Hill, "We have got to prosper with you or we have got to be poor with you."


I would offer Bill Gates and Warren Buffet as examples of modern day responsible business leaders. Just as your article holds Hill and Rockefeller in high esteem during the industrial era the same may be said of Gates and Buffet today. However these folk are clearly not representative of the industrial era nor the new millennium entitled crowd.

thanks

Buffet yes, Gates - hell no. He is the joker who wants unlimited H1B visas.

He's the best we got. I feel confident that I can craft a story about him to make him a model capitalist as was done with Hill in this piece.

I still recall seeing the picture of the entrance to the Microsoft campus. There were three flagpoles, the tallest one had their house flag on it the two shorter ones carried the State flag and the Stars and Stripes. AT&T said "Reach out and touch someone", Gates says "Reach out and crush someone."

see, he is a great capitalist ;)

I think the whole premise of the article is that someone already HAS written a similar chapter with the opposite spin, and it has been accepted as fact for years. The author was simply pointing out that what has been accepted as fact may not be completely true.

As far as Bill Gates being a model corporate citizen, I must disagree. I've always thought Win 3.11 was his best operating system, and would still be using it if possible. And you can't tell me that it couldn't have been improved so that it was still current. But Microsoft dropped it, which not only forced me, and millions, to buy his new operating system, but his new software as well. And Microsoft is doing it with Vista, and attempting to do it with their latest operating system.

I don't like a company which sells me something, then drops support for it, thus forcing me to buy their latest product. Quickbooks is the same way, and if I didn't have close to 15 yrs of financial records on their software, I'd dump 'em in a heartbeat.

Not only does Microsoft pull the rug out from under you on a regular basis, they've attempted to crush their competition...remember the browser wars? These predatory bastards are going to drive me into the Apple camp, and I don't particularly want to go there.

Gates claim to fame was the fact that he sold his software under license (like Coke-a-Cola) instead of trying to produce everything he sold...like Apple did. A lot of people claim Apple has the superior product.

Chas

I agree with you on most points. I think it safe to say that human nature makes to much power and wealth in one hand GENERALLY dangerous to all others.
I am sure there are responsible people in business today just like back then. I also believe the government issuing incentives to business does not change the character of a man as suggested in this article.

And an arrogant SOB, you do not fly your personal house flag higher than the Stars and Stripes.

I suppose we can clearly see where Mr. Gate's loyalties lie.

Besides, the bastard will set you up and knock you down. Where the hell's Teddy Rosevelt when we need him...here's a trust that needs it's ass busted good and hard.

And I don't like this sort of thing,

Chas