I can't answer those questions. Economics like medicine is as much an art as a science, at least from the diagnostic perspective when dealing with chronic non specific illness. How much does the psychology of the patient influence outcome? Fear is highly contagious and that was one of the things Trump as a performing artist was very good at managing. As long as people thought that America could be made great again every economic problem was easier to address. It's one of the reasons Obama was such a horrible president, he was leading from behind. If that sounds moronic it is because it is. It speaks to people with civilizational fatigue.

One of things we have going for us is that every other civilization is in one way or the other tired as well. The clamp down by the Chinese government is not a sign of strength but weakness. The great reset isn't so much a revolution as admission of failure with a happy face pasted on. It's more of the same from people that have run out of ideas.

The people at Davos are not that much different than previous generations of elites. They have a paternal attitude mixed with some Marxist idiocy. You can see in the disaster that welfare had on its recipients, the failure of paternalism and how Marxism always ends up genocidal that the elites are grasping at straws. When the people who control things are this irrational predicting the future is difficult.

@wolfhnd I agree, however, all those points together may address the armed encampment DC has become and has committed to maintaining until September. A government running in fear of the elected projects concern with respect to its next move.

@toronto_Georgia

Sure, but having unleashed BLM and Antifa they have more than one side to worry about. It's why they dislike Bernie Sanders almost as much as Trump. Populism is populism independent of it's political leanings.

@wolfhnd So your take is the fencing and troops are to protect them from BLM and Antifa activity? To my mind these groups still don't justify the troops and fencing. This is a very insecure government afraid of what?
My issue is what action are they likely to take that would instigate substantial rebellion?

@toronto_Georgia

Elites are always afraid of populism. The fence says we are not you and you will never be one of us. The reason they worry about the right wing more is because of upward mobility. The way money influences status means someone like Trump who doesn't have establishment credentials can break the system side steps it's branding and gain real power. It doesn't help that the MAGA people because they are generally somewhat financially independent don't feel they need the establishment. As long as the establishment can have a slave class such as China and immigrants it's in their interest to financial ruin the working middle class. If you think you are important and someone says bug off you are not needed how would you respond?

They are going to push it until the quillotines come out. Just like the petite nobility of France it's all inherited power. And when the incompetence becomes evident and the pitchforks come out the members of the cabal will be each on their own. I'm not being literal of course but I do wonder why they are so arrogant.

There has been no competency sorting mechanism for two or three generations. Even those that ostensibly got ahead on their wits are generally exploiting the strong foundation laid by previous generations. I offer Bill Gates as an example, he simply won the lottery by getting his hands on IBM and Bell labs work. Certainly there is nothing remarkable about Jack Dorsey or Mark Zuckerburg. There is nothing particularly remarkable about most of the people at Davos. Most of them have a name or some other sort of pedigree that accounts for their prominence.

Capitalism is not doing its job of competence sorting.

@wolfhnd
Capitalism only works when corruption is not rewarded and when morals exist among the majority. Morals tend to be tied to a fear of (reverence for) God. I’m sorry to say morals began to erode exponentially when we decided we didn’t need God any more (kick Him out of schools, out of politics, and out of our lives.). The vast majority who lived as if they feared God has become the dwindling, tiny minority.

IMO