I hate waking up to the radio.

[PeaceProgProsp]

The day before yesterday I had some FM station on. The DJs -- a man and a woman -- were talking about how breast implants go bad and women have to get a second set after a couple years. The woman DJ's says, "Oh, so what. It's good for the economy."

Yes. Bend over you stupid consumer! Spend! Did you hear me!!! SPEND!!! And I don't want to hear any shit about "warranties of quality."

Who care's if you're poor so long as the corporations are rich. It's a sacrifice we must all make.

This morning I woke up to an NPR story about limitations on law suits against corporations. Something like, states want to cap them at a percentage of corporate income (10%!). Hello SHELL CORPORATION! Now is that corporate income after paying out dividends and salaries? Is that IBTBSFU?

I can't wait to wake up tomorrow!

Ugh.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

1. Bad way to start the day...

I'd get an alarm clock/radio/cd player and wake up to something uplifting.
Chuck what you have out the window!

[PeaceProgProsp]

2. NO! More consumption isn't the answer!!!

:)

I can't buy happiness.

[Hammie]

3. How many poor people are getting breast implants?

[AP]

5. We'll all be poor if we keep buying crap that breaks or doesn't last and..

...the response is, "don't complain, go out and pay for another one...that will be worthless soon...it's good for the economy."

You had some money when you bought the crap the first time but you won't have much money after you pay for it a second time out of a sense of duty, or whatever.

[Hammie]

6. If you go out and buy another one of the same thing

because the last one was crap and broke, then you deserve to be poor.

[AP]

7. Which is probably why stupid FM DJs have to tell people to do it because

it's patriotic.

Any sane person would consider hiring a lawyer so they could sue -- oops, but that will only get you 10% of the companies earnings after deductions for EVERYTHING. So, once you cover your own damages, you'll be poor.

[LTR]

4. Switch to alarm setting

Can't be any worse than what you're waking up to now.

[PeaceProgProsp]

8. I tried the shortwave today. A BBC story about filming movies in

a tiny town in Sweden.

I guess I can live with that. Not exactly a sharp turn to the left to counter the BS of the last two mornings, but, at least, a reprieve.

[Hammie]

9. Earnings

"Now is that corporate income after paying out dividends and salaries?"

Earnings (income) are revenue minus expenses. Simple huh? Salaries are expenses. Dividends are not expenses. Dividends are the part of earnings that are returned to the owners of the corporation (the stockholders). The earnings that are not returned to the stock holders are called... Wait for it... "Retained Earnings"

[PeaceProgProsp]

10. Hello? Do you understand my point?

I presume you do, and you're just spinning here.

Corporations obviously have a lot of control over how and to which entities they are able to realize earnings.

They could put all their, say, intellectual property rights into a holding company, and then have an entitty that licenses all those rights at huge markups. That entity could assume all the risk. When they're sued, and it's limtied to 10% of their earnings, they'll have reduced those eanrings by business expenses that only exist because they've organized their company specifically to reduce the earnings of the part of the company that has assumed the risk.

And they'll reduce those eanrings further by paying high salaries to executives.

I know you understand the point.

Hey, what corporation do you work for? Just curious.

[Hammie]

11. I understand your point.

You're just wrong.

Companies don't organize themselves to minimize their earnings. The organize themselves to maximize their earnings.


Remember Enron. Enron mis-stated its earnings. Did they understate their earnings? No the OVERSTATED their earnings. Not only are corporations expected to maximize their earnings they are expected to grow them year over year.


As far as which corporation I work for, please review the board COC