Almost all public companies = Great Satan.  When your priority is shareholders over customers you lack an understanding of capitalism.  The individuals paying for a service are ALWAYS more important than nameless, faceless "owners".  It works like this.

1. Customer
2. Staff (good staff make happy customers)
3. Shareholders. 

The Tesla is a beautiful car AND there are charging stations which allow me to travel to Vancouver (my federal masters are in Burnaby).  So travel would, in theory, be free as the charging stations are free.  Unfortunately the cars are too expensive especially with the dollar.

But gas is 69 cents anyway!



 

I have RSP's Fausto. Not a single one has any investments in stocks of any companies.  I own "no stocks".  I'm told all too frequently by "investment people" in the know I'm making a mistake.  I could earn so much more if I just....

If I really wanted a return on my investment wouldn't it make more sense for me to involve myself with organized crime?  Do you imagine that a politician or 1% business type is somehow more ethical than the leader of some organized crime syndicate?  The only real difference is how they paint the picture & convince the masses.  Is the drug dealer back in my old 'hood any less ethical than the guy who bought out a pharma company & raised the prices of an AIDS/cancer drug by 5000%. 

I believe in capitalism.  All in all it's an efficient system that allows those with motivation to shine.  But this isn't capitalism bud.  This is a twisted form of mercantile-ism where corporate power buys political support. 

As for the numbered employee, well what's to say that's not going to be you sometime?  I am highly skilled with just 2 things in life.  Computer security and guns.  What if we build a system based on those pillars? A system where I can easily commandeer a computer, upload stolen child porn on it & then have the individual arrested.  Don't kid yourself, that happens. 

If you build a dog eat dog system, you will have winners and losers.  You seem to imagine all the winners are somehow "good folks" or that it's just business.  El Chapo, the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel was a hard working capitalist..

There is a blurred line between good and bad Fausto. You can't be a little big pregnant.  What is that line? Where does integrity start & stop? 

Last edited by Hathaway (February 1, 2016 12:01 AM)

Equating it with crime lords isn't a bit of a journey. It's just an extreme example. Mostly.  But for you to imagine that somehow people don't cross the line knowingly is .. well .. naive.  Industrial espionage is rather commonplace.  Then there are those who manipulate social media to cause gyrations in the stock market & profit. And companies regularly do "penetration testing" and "social engineering" on their own staff but will do surveillance on rivals in the hopes of using the information for extortion and intimidation. Sound legal to you?

Some time back I had a Financial executive invite me out to have a chat.  Off the record.  Official business but off the record.  The individual was concerned because some person online was talking shit about the company.  I gathered the shit was a little bit too close to the truth.  The task at hand was way outside of my boundaries (and illegal).  Very illegal.  Of course I declined but there will be others who do not. There are lots of them.  You don't have to break a guys bones to take him down and ruin his life. 

The "legal line" is often very blurred.

As for the investment people I'm aware they're professionals & they're right. But I'm not interested. Do I need more money? Is the sum total of the game acquiring as much as possible?  I simply have no interest in supporting the concept.  I have one long term goal dude.  To get off the grid.  And stay off.  That's my retirement.  It can't come soon enough.