Roy Schestowitz wrote:
__/ [ Paul.Bramscher@xxxxxxxxx ] on Tuesday 20 March 2007 15:25 \__
The whole globalization game is predicated on captive populaces,
divided-and-conquered, unable to offshore the cost of their housing in
the way that corporations can offshore the cost of everything (taxes,
labor, buildings/factories, etc.). It's literally a Western racket,
and not new to globalization.
The progression here is simple to see. Those at the top reduce costs by
employing cheaper labour -- wherever it may be -- at the expense of the
middle class, which is left unemployed. Gates' endeavours to have unlimited
visas in the States is either economic suicide or a recipe for return to
Medieval Ages.
A bit of both. They're probably banking on, eventually, shifting their
consumer market (as well as labor market) from the West to the East.
That is, they're gambling that the Indians and Chinese will become the
greatest consumers of Microsoft (and perhaps so-called American products
in general). This is quite unlikely, as linux has matured long before
M$ has lowered its prices within spitting distance on the Indian
subcontinent, Asia and Africa.
The OS should be free/open/common-carrier. I have no problem with
companies/individuals writing linux games, art, even applications for a
price tag. Let the market decide what wins and loses. But when the OS
itself is bottled up, even the most idealistic pro-capitalist
Libertarian (ESR comes to mind) is at a loss.
The funny thing about a neo-medievialism is that people today are
literate and mobile, population densities are much higher, superstition
is on the decline, etc. It's clear to me, anyway, that a
neo-medievialism will fail profoundly, rendering some sorts of currency
worthless as a critical numerical mass of people simply reject its basis
wholesale.
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