Utopia Talk / Politics / holy shit!

Sam Adams rank	Tue Apr 21 17:51:19 A politician said something intelligent. German Chancellor Merz: "With 450 million consumers, we are already larger than the United States. We must break free from what is holding us back. We are being slowed down by labor costs, energy prices, taxes, and social contributions."
Pillz rank	Tue Apr 21 18:27:41 Another 50 million refugees will fix it
Sam Adams rank	Tue Apr 21 18:47:28 Merkel is probably the second worse German ever. Karl marx is hard to beat... Lol
Seb rank	Tue Apr 21 19:14:38 "We are being slowed down by labor costs" If your plan for prosperity is to make everyone poorer is that really going to help? The only real way to decrease labour costs in proportion to revenues without cutting wages (which decreases demand) is to increase population. This both reduces wage growth through labour market supply/demand but also increases demand (more people, more aggregate demand). "energy prices" Very true, but what's driven the energy price rises? Dependency on fossil fuels. Renewables are raking it in. A European civil nuclear program would be a good idea. " taxes, and social contributions."
Seb rank	Tue Apr 21 19:21:44 "taxes and social contributions" - aren't really holding back growth. Rather it's sustained it both in terms of public investments (e.g. maintaining and building roads is always good for growth and delivers large positive RoI) or by sustaining demand and preventing recessions becoming deflationary spirals and economic scarring. A quick look at US macro and UK macro and Eurozone macro since 2008 shows that public investment and countercyclical stimulus (including welfare) boosts growth; austerity and tax cuts doesn't and in fact can lead to protracted stagnation. The US is weird in that it can both continue to splurge on public spending while waffling about austerity and cutting taxes because of the dollar reserve status. The eurozone could have a slice of that exorbitant privilege if it allowed joint borrowing backed by the ECB. But also notice how all the economic benefits of growth accrue to capital and median wage is very flat. The question is whether there population is there to serve the economy or vice versa. Most Europeans would say the latter.
jergul rank	Tue Apr 21 19:54:05 Merz. Deficit spending. If you want to be like the US.
jergul rank	Tue Apr 21 19:54:35 (that is forbidden by the constitution in Germany amusingly).
jergul rank	Tue Apr 21 20:05:54 increase productivity* Surely?
murder rank	Tue Apr 21 23:58:05 "If your plan for prosperity is to make everyone poorer is that really going to help?" It will help the rich. -
Sam Adams rank	Wed Apr 22 00:40:15 "But also notice how all the economic benefits of growth accrue to capital and median wage is very flat." Hmmm that's interesting when every single source on the matter says this: "US median wages have consistently outpaced UK wages over the long term" Oh no So despite being more unequal the US still smokes you off the charts even on median wage? Imagine how much better still US wages are at the high skill level? How do you possibly see this data and continue making the same terrible choices seb?
Habebe rank	Wed Apr 22 04:42:25 Idk if wanting lower wages is a good thing.
Sam Adams rank	Wed Apr 22 05:37:05 Cost of labor isn't necessarily lower wages. If you lower red tape, taxes, and housing costs then labor becomes cheaper while the worker gets the same. Likewise by using more modern automation you can decrease the relative cost of labor per unit production without impacting the workers. But yes lower wages is rarely a good thing. Unless it's the mooching class.... Journalists. Lawyers. Activists, etc. we want to lower their wasteful and anti productive wages.
Seb rank	Wed Apr 22 07:36:31 NaMBLA: The difference being we have been pursuing austerity and spending cuts since 2008, and you have until lately pursued stimulus and deficit spending. I literally told you to compare US, UK and EU in my first post. Are you stupid or something?
Seb rank	Wed Apr 22 07:40:16 NaMBLA: "If you lower red tape, taxes, and housing costs" So: if you reduce workplace safety, build smaller, cheaper houses, less safe homes. N.b. tax cuts we addressed already. Does this sound like prosperity or trying to go back to the 19th century. Nope.
jergul rank	Wed Apr 22 09:40:28 "until lately" What? You think the US is not pursuing stimulous and deficit spending now? Google Z1 gov
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