The Next Robber Barons

<....magnets....>

magnates

Thanks for the correction. I knew it was wrong, but my spell checker didn't offer an option.

Oil and mining barons.

Let's see, make as much profit without regard to long term impact then when there's a crisis let the masses absorb the blow. Hey, it worked for the sub-prime mortgage folks.

It's called stealing but when you do it right not too many people notice.

There is a growing movement in rural Australia about the extraction of coal stream gas from agricultural areas and the apparent eas at which the state Govt is allowing these companies to come in and do this. The land will not be in a state for cropping afterwards I believe, but could be wrong.

This land is some of the best cropping land in Aust. Expect to see further debate as jobs v food argument escalates. Minerals are worth more than food at present and the state govt makes heaps out of mining.

"The meek shall inherit the world." But of course only after it has been pillaged and is no longer worth anything. It's Robin Hood in reverse. Steal from the poor and give to the rich. Except they call it "Stimulating investment." BOHICA

If you study your history, you will see that one of the first "Robber Barons" brought down by the Sherman Anti-trust act, was, in fact an oil baron (John D. Rockerfeller, Standard Oil of Ohio)...The first application of the Sherman Anti-trust law was to bring down a railroad union headed by Eugene V. Debs, hardly a robber baron in the traditional sense...

Nah! They can't hold a candle to the US congress of 2009 but we can fix that come november

Next to come in this sequence are

a. the software companies

b. the drug and "health" companies.

RHABE

You're so right but the drug companies have been with us all along pushed into our sphere by their proxy"FDA". How long can we tolerate this conundrum without jettison this aberration?

Software companies are not restricted though there are bounds an we c an experiment if they wish to ply their wares.

Dude, if you are jealous of the oil companies profits, buy some stock.

So you are saying 'if you can't beat 'em join 'em'? Let's also remind the kids in the inner cities that if the police can't keep the streets safe, join the local gang. I think there is a difference between 'profits' and 'loot'.

Railroads got this title because the companies received huge tracks of land from the Us government for developing the railroad, which was forcibly taken from the land owners who occupied the land prior to the railroads. This government sanctions forced theft of peoples land to supply alignment opportunities for railroads led to some of the violence after the Civil War against railroads in places like Missouri (e.g. Jesse James).

The real modern robber barons are the "too-big-to-fail" banks. Took our money twice... first in the derivatives boondoggle and then again when OBushama kicked down a few million million. They're still taking too....

Yep - No one remembers the depression of 1920 because though just as severe as that of 1929 it was over very quickly aminly due that the goverment nor did the fed do anything but let the chips fall where they may.

Like the man said history has proven that we learn nothing from history.