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What's Up With Renata's New Collaborative Economy?

9/17/2013

24 Comments

 
When WE think of a collaborative economy, it's usually something like this:
For some, it seems, WE'd be wrong. According to self-styled financial advisor and Port of Bellingham District 1 commissioner candidate Renata Kowalczyk, economics means something completely different from the tried and true principles that Nobel laureate Milton Friedman presents in the video.

While Renata's campaign website (cached) and press statements relay a reassuring tone to assure the public that she's grounded in the traditions and common sense of a free market and downright jazzed about the ability of the Port to invigorate the local economy, her rhetoric and slogans fail to reveal the full ideology that predominates her “Collaborative Economy Catalyst” website and her “5 Keys” promotional brief.

Picture
It appears that away from the campaign trail Renata (the only name shown on campaign signs) predicts that the economy will never return to "normal" (after what WE assume means the Crash of 2008). But she says there’s a "new normal" being created, The Collaborative Economy that she's a “catalyst” for. What would the "new normal" be, when it’s at home?  And who says that this “new normal” is desirable? Is the idea to get elected, then personally nudge the body of her "collaborative" economic theories and other transitions into public policy?  What are the "brand new rules" she has in mind?  She's fuzzy about 'em.

It's significant that beyond her campaign site, Renata writes about wanting “a new life in which connection and collaboration matter more than anything else."  That begs the question:  Which connections and what kinds of collaboration does Renata have in mind for the Port?  A little searching revealed that she's tied-in tight with BALLE and Sustainable Connections, and a private investment group known as WIN (Whatcom Investment Network). The first two are highly ideological and the third seems more than a little secretive about its operations.


[WE want to make a critical point up front: Free market economics is not some artificial or sophomoric construct dreamed up in dorms, or by a bunch of hippies in a (pot) smoke filled room somewhere. Healthy, vibrant commerce rests on natural law (specifically, human nature in this case) that plays out every day, regardless of anybody’s personal agenda, would-be financiers who might try to monopolize it, or regime mandates. Past, present or future, when powers govern against nature, they're bound to fail. From even before the First Thanksgiving, human history is littered with failed regimes that refused to acknowledge that simple truth.]

So... Renata waxes big on communal ("community") resource-sharing strategies, like “in kind” exchanges of goods and services, suggesting that collaborative transactions are somehow better and more satisfying than trading in cash. Sure, sometimes swapping goods and services makes sense (and it generally isn't taxable*). But often times you, or the person you want to do business with, won’t have anything that you want to exchange tit-for-tat. That's why trading with currency has long been considered a major advance beyond tribal economics. Cash (currency) is a token for trading-at-will that liberates one to obtain the goods or services that you do want. And with cash, you have a method of counting and saving, for measuring success, and keeping things straight. Without a means of measurement there can be no real accountability. A cash economy offers flexibility and vast opportunities; reverting to more primitive standards is regressive.

After eschewing cash, Renata then goes completely off the rails and celebrates a flaky transaction using Life Dollars. Micro-brew currency might be fine for a commune or a small subculture, but it seems odd that a serious contender for public office would be quite so uncritical about it.

Why are WE telling you this? We're concerned that Renata will bring some risky, untested and bizarre ideas to the Port, most particularly the collectivist agenda driven by her affiliations with Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and Sustainable Connections. These groups have been holding and promoting workshops led by Renata for quite some time; one was held just last week.  What services Whatcom Investing  Network  (WIN) provides as a "local lending network" we don't know, but Renata describes it glowingly in cash terms:

    "I participated in the creation of a local lending network that grows our local economy by making sure small businesses have access to capital they need, right in our community.  In its first year, we loaned out over a half million dollars."

[Documents forwarded to the Vator reveal that WIN’s investment operations have been under review by the State of Washington’s Department of Financial Institutions for about a year.  Check out WIN’s long trail of evasive tap-dancing here, and here, and here.] 

BALLE?  Like Sustainable Connections, BALLE blatantly pushes a globalist-collectivist agenda, with tentacles that reach well beyond local, despite the “localist” community-building image they promote. Their objective is to change the world, evidently without bothering with the consent of the people. How presumptuous is that? (Very.)  All this would be academic if its collaborators weren't itching to get mitts on a hefty lever of power, to shift things into some other gear.

The Port of Bellingham has a budget of $40-50 million annually (in greenbacks), and it’s not a social club or an agent for social change. It’s a public service agency that’s supposed to perform practical functions and provide uniform service. Git ‘er done, not change the world.

So WE think it's important for everyone to know what principles motivate the candidates running for this public office, and we think Renata's beliefs about society and the “new normal” are being soft-pedaled. WE have to ask:
  • Renata claims that she’s bringing ivy-league credentials in economics and a rich history of Wall Street experience to her candidacy. But then she says she’s rejected all that, to achieve a "new American dream". Which Renata would we get if she were elected, and which principles would she employ in office?
  • Does she feel that the people should control and define their government, or the opposite? She’s a relative newcomer (so new some would even say a carpetbagger). She wants this important seat for what reason?
  • Renata speaks of alternative currency and relying on "connections".  Would that limit the opportunities of the people that she and her affiliates don't connect with? Would the unconnected find themselves on a less than level playing field, unwelcome? Will collectivist (oops - collaborative) political litmus tests be added to Port policies?
  • Renata seems to prefer a cashless economy for many things. Would her brand of “collaborative" economics overlap into the use of public resources? Without dollars and cents accountability and auditability, all sorts of mischief can go undetected. That's the opposite of the kind of transparency in government that informed citizens want and demand. How will Renata's tenure be audited? Will she faithfully follow standard accounting rules, or side-step them as WIN seems to?
  • Are the “connections” of which Renata speaks tantamount to crony socialism, crony capitalism, or just plain favoritism? Without accountability, how would we be able to evaluate that? 

Are WE deliberately spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) here? You bet we are, and rightly so! And it will remain so, until the candidate answers such questions to everyone's satisfaction. 
Picture
Catalyst for what, exactly?
Even without FUD, there's good reason to feel that Renata's connections (sustainable or otherwise) are patently unpalatable to free market realists, countywide. (We're guessing the Tea Party was suckered.)

___________________
*an interesting dichotomy for those statist, illiberal control freak 'progressives', who never saw an expanding government bureaucracy they didn't like. Who will pay for it, if all the collectivists in their little communes are trading goods and services in kind, under the table and below the government radar? Oh yeah, the One Percenters, that's who.
24 Comments
Comrade X
9/17/2013 02:13:43 am

"Documents forwarded to the Vator reveal that WIN’s investment operations have been under review by the State of Washington’s Department of Financial Institutions for about a year. Check out WIN’s long trail of evasive tap-dancing here, and here, and here."

I just wonder if our local dead tree media would be remaining silent if this was a conservative political candidate being investigated by the State of Washington?

Reply
Pam
9/17/2013 11:14:37 am

We can continue to ignore that the U.S. economy has changed and needs to change further to deal with the challenges today. Perhaps old-school economic models like those presented by Milton Friedman worked in 1976 when he won the Nobel Prize. 1976...that's 37 years ago! A Forbes article this year commented on just one of Friedman's offerings as "The Origin of the World's Dumbest Idea" http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2013/06/26/the-orig….

The world is not going backwards. I know many top business people, companies, organizations, and individuals who have great success in collaboration. Strategic partnership and collaborative approaches do not rule out all competition or other approaches that work. As far as your, seemingly unfounded, comments about Renats Kowalczyk's participation in an investment network...her opponent Dan Robbins is part of the mysterious and exclusive Bellingham Angel Group of investors. Looking this up online brings up this info: "Membership to the Bellingham Angel Group is strictly invitational. ...an investor should have an individual or joint net worth of at least $1 million." That excludes 99% of us from this secretive and elitist Bellingham Angel investment group. Let's move forward and really tackle the problems of today rather than just looking to 40+ year old economic models that may not be working well anymore.

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Karl Uppiano link
9/18/2013 06:08:52 pm

Sir Isaac Newton formulated his law of gravity 327 years ago. It still works. Albert Einstein formulated his special theory of relativity 109 years ago. It still works. Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776. It's still true. That's the deal with natural law. You can't legislate it. It is what it is.

So the fact that Milton Friedman reiterated some 30 years ago the principles of the free market first identified by Adam Smith doesn't concern me much. These principles are based on human nature (as the article says), and human nature hasn't changed one iota in thousands of years. So I think we're good. What's not good is when politicians start trying to change the rules of the game without the consent of the governed.

I am not down with the idea that someone can get elected on false pretenses, and then start tweaking the dials, and laying an agenda on unsuspecting citizens. I'm glad these guys have blown the lid off this thing.

Incidentally, I did read "The Origin Of 'The World's Dumbest Idea': Milton Friedman" by Steve Denning. In it, Denning deliberately and derisively twists Friedman's words, deconstructing Friedman's arguments while (knowingly, I believe) trying to promote /his/ own foregone conclusion. Several commenters pointed that out.

The fact is, corporations do exist to make money. They are not in business to employ people; they employ people to stay in business. That doesn't mean they're not interested in their employee's well-being, or the quality of the product, or the satisfaction and enjoyment of making a really great product or service, or the importance of customer satisfaction. If any of those things fail, the corporation fails - unless it has an unfair market share, or government subsidies, or bailouts...

Anyway, stockholders are part owners of the company, and they will withdraw their support -- their investment -- in the company if it isn't making money for them: in other words, being successful is its purpose.

Milton Friedman was right, and Steve Denning is just being snarky. I didn't like the tone of the article, and I didn't find it factually compelling either.

On a related topic, I just noticed that Hillsdale College is offering "Economics 101: The Principles of Free Market Economics"

This is a free, ten-week, not-for-credit online course offered by Hillsdale College. With introductory and concluding lectures by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, the eight lectures at its core--by Gary Wolfram, the William E. Simon Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Hillsdale College--will focus on the foundational principles of the free market. Topics will include the relationship of supply and demand, the “information problem” behind the failure of central planning, the rise of macroeconomics under the influence of John Maynard Keynes, and the 2008 financial crisis.

Reply
Karl Uppiano link
9/18/2013 06:12:54 pm

"Economics 101: The Principles of Free Market Economics"

Register for the free online course: https://online.hillsdale.edu/econ101/register-01?=1

Skagit25
9/17/2013 08:07:55 pm

Spoken like a committed crony if I ever heard one. Strategic partnerships and collaboration don't rule out ALL competition? You hit it on the nosie there sweetheart. Rum deal for insidersand M-O-N-O-P-O-L-Y for short-listed vendors who have no intention of giving up their positions. It happens down here, it happens up there.

Want to see stagnation, go to England and France where people have a constant struggle making ends meet. Just got back from Norway and it was ugly, Why do so many people to come here fromlacesloike thtat? Fro econoic and intellectual freedom,that's why,

Reply
Matthew L. Aamot
9/18/2013 12:28:19 am

I have to disagree with you on a number of points. This is a biased hit piece, lacking in research and understanding. First, full disclosure, I am a Renata supporter. I met her through attending the Whatcom Investing Network meetings. This is not some nefarious group, as the hit piece wants to indicate. In fact, as someone with Libertarian leanings, I think you'd be quite pleased with the way they do things. Businesses (like mine) need capital to get started or grow. People locally would be interested in lending them money. Big government says, you can't do that, unless you are a millionaire. So, using elements of the law, groups like WIN make private loans to local people and businesses that they get to know through the meetings. There is a filing that businesses do through the state securities department, but this group is not some super secret nefarious liberal front group. (although most of the folks there are on the left.) They are secretive because that is what is required of them. You cannot just go out and publicize this to everyone - government interference. They've made loans to a local dairy farmer, to local entrepreneurs trying to get products to market, to a local group that didn't need the whole building for their offices and were able to turn it into a multi-office space with shared meeting rooms, sort of like the Regis company that Rush advertises for.Now for the other groups, there is certainly an idealistic slant to both BALLE and Sustainable Connections. I think that the core concepts of both groups have good points; some of the ways they go about things or some of the groups they associate with may not be. Ben Elenbaas is a member of Sustainable Connections - would you do a hit piece on him based on that connection? I think not. From my experiences in talking with Renata, I have been impressed with her business acumen, her creative talents to find ways that everyone can work together on issues. When a local fisherman's group said they would give her their support, she told them that she could not represent them at the port unless she actually knew what their job was like - so she went fishing with them on the bay for a few days. Now I am sure Mr. Robbins is a fine person - I've met him just in passing. But I am a little suspicious of someone who continues to run for office until they can find one they get hired for. I don't trust politicians... I think that Renata has a unique desire to be a steward of the public's interest as a Port Commissioner. I give her my recommendation. If anyone is interested in finding out for themselves and making their mind up, please get in touch with her personally - she'd be happy to talk with you in person. Don't get your viewpoint entirely from an article that is poorly researched such as this. Renata has done walks at the Port of Bellingham marina to talk with voters about her goals and what she would bring to the port. I know she has more coming up - if you'd like to hear more, check out her facebook page Renata For Port of Bellingham.

Reply
Ma Bear
9/18/2013 06:29:16 pm

Written like a true believer. Bernie Madoff had a huge following and was very convincing in person. I suspect that if WIN wants to operate as lending institution or investment group they should do whatever the law requires to safeguard investors and so forth. Do all of these collaborative investments bear fruit all the time, or do people every lose money?

Reply
Matthew L. Aamot
9/19/2013 03:46:07 am

As you can see, I am not hiding behind a pseudonym and am willing to stand behind the comments I submit. Please feel free to do the same. Ronald Reagan was very convincing in person and still has a huge following. Your point is? What I am pointing out, is that the writer of this article would better suit his audience by actually, in person, talking with Renata about her philosophy and business practices, rather than making suppositions and predictions based on her associations. If you want to be of service to your readers, do the legwork that allows you to come on here and debate about known issues, not what ifs and maybe-gonna-happens. Ask her hard questions - dig down to the root of what is bothering you. If, after that, you disagree with her - that is all we can ask for. But disagree with her on known items, not on what you think might be her intent. And feel free to take a stand publicly and lose the anonymity that affords you a voice without accountability. I disagree with Riley Sweeney on much if not most of his politics, but at least he is a local blogger that puts his name to what he writes, on his own blog anyways.

Comrade X
9/19/2013 07:46:30 am

Has WIN been in violation of the law and does it continue to be in violation of the law?

If the answer to either or both of those questions is or are yes than the public should be informed of these facts before voting for Renata Kowalczyk if she is in any way tied to those illegal activities.

Obeying the law should be a consideration for public office.

Reply
Comrade X
9/18/2013 02:00:26 am

Calling Milton Friedman "old school" while espousing Karl Marx philosophy of collectivism as something new is as hypocritical an argument anyone could ever make.

Individual freedom and the free enterprise type of government it creates has always been more successful than collectivism and the socialist type of government it creates and only those who have forgotten history would ever argue otherwise.

Instead of Pam recognizing the questionable investment operations of WIN’s that are being investigated by the State Of Washington she instead attacks another organization, this technique of changing the subject is something that someone like Saul Alinsky would have very much appreciated.

Reply
Whitney LeRoy
9/19/2013 08:40:04 am

For the sake of "responsible" citizen journalism, let's get a few facts straight - all of this is fully verifiable by all and I will be pleasantly surprised if this even gets published:

-On your About Us page you clearly state: "The Excavator digs deep with its investigative reporting, and offers editorial, free-speech opinion, but does not engage in (or tolerate) libel." OK the definition of Libel (google it): "A published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation". So, when you publish statements such as "Renata then goes completely off the rails" and "She’s a relative newcomer (so new some would even say a carpetbagger)" - these are derogatory and defamatory statements which constitute the Libel you do not tolerate. Or do you...? Hmm.

-The campaign website for Renata Kowalczyk is www.renataforport.com, and not the one you link to, which is her private business site. You can glean a lot about Renata's views running for public office on the campaign site, in addition to her social media presence which is very active, and her published interviews with leading local media, and documented debates and forums. An informed voter will look at and listen to what she stands for TODAY and for the FUTURE of our county's Port well-being, and not speculation as this post suggests so widely.

-The Russian doll you picture? What is that supposed to mean exactly? Renata is not of Russian origin, but of Polish origin, and fled the "failed regime" you mention for reasons you mention as well. Nothing like false advertising & subliminal messaging to sway the uninformed...The same goes of the picture of the Guerilla Lady. Really?? Do you know Renata personally? If you did, that photo makes no sense at all and is also a form of Libel.

-Collaborative Economy? Why is this such a scary and "dirty word"? Have you heard of the trends going on globally which impact us all? Look at a highly respected analyst who wrote precisely about this not too long ago- and he is not affiliated with Renata - your readers might learn a few things http://bit.ly/16JwL8I .

-As far as this statement "So... Renata waxes big on communal ("community"): I don’t believe I saw the word communal affiliated with Renata anywhere and again you insinuate community is a "dirty word"? Per Wikipedia- “The term community has two distinct commutative meanings: 1) Community can refer to a usually small, social unit of any size that shares common values. 2)The term can also refer to the national community or international community”. So let me think: What’s wrong with that??? Whatcom County is a community, Lynden is a community, Lummi Nation is a community so...I realize where you are going with the word COMMunity but really??? Irresponsible writing again.

-Lastly (otherwise this post could go on and on with inaccuracies and libel references)- you refer to "Renata's collectivist agenda driven by her affiliations with...Sustainable Connections" Uhm. OK so then this would assume that members of Sustainable Connections such as SSC, Lynden Tribune, Port of Bellingham, and Vacation Land RV must all be conspiring with Renata on "risky, untested and bizarre ideas to the Port". Really, again??

Oh, and did you know? The last name Kowalczyk in Poland is the equivalent of "Smith" here in the USA. Just a little longer to spell and pronounce. Hence "Renata for Port" to make it easier for everyone.

Folks, get your facts straight from trusted sources, reach out to the candidate directly, participate in the myriad debates and forums she is tirelessly attending. Then decide if this WE post makes any common sense.

Reply
WE Editors link
9/19/2013 02:27:09 pm

WE'll address your questions point by point.

WE think what her personal website says is at least as important as what her campaign website says if we are to get the real picture of who this candidate really is.

"Goes completely off the rails" is not a false statement; it's an opinion. An opinion about a statement she makes on her website about alternative currency. WE think that's completely off the rails, and wonder why a serious candidate for public office would be so uncritical.

Some have expressed the opinion that she's a carpetbagger, so that's a true statement as well. She doesn't have a lot of history here. She just swooped in with some associations that WE think do not reflect the views of many potential voters.

The Russian doll picture was not intended to infer Russia. WE know she's Polish anyway. But our real inference is that there is more than one Renata being sold, and we want to know how she will lead. Same with the "guerrilla lady" - she's in camo. What you see is what you get? WE don't think that's how she's being sold.

WE think a collaborative economy is the free market, not this bizarre thing that Renata is pushing.

WE think you know that "community" has taken on new semantics in the collectivist agenda "communitarian" is another. If you think we're putting too fine a point on it, don't worry: WE think it's collectivism, as being promoted by BALLE, Sustainable Connections, and others. And we don't approve.

Lastly, see the previous paragraph.

WE have no problem with Renata using her first name. WE merely mentioned that for context.

Reply
Whitney LeRoy
9/19/2013 03:18:08 pm

Thank you for publishing and commenting.

Riley Sweeney link
9/19/2013 08:48:31 am

I agree with Matthew - call Renata up and ask her if she agrees with any of this over-the-top assumptions.

Reply
WE Editors link
9/19/2013 12:44:42 pm

Renata's a big girl, she can post here. In fact, WE encourage it. Better yet, WE hope the voters will ask.

Reply
Doug Karlberg
10/16/2013 03:32:43 pm

I had the chance to interview each of the Port candidates personally. Since then, I have spoken with all of them extensively.

Let me share a few of my observations, but before I do first let me tell you something about my personal philosophy so that you can understand where I am coming from. I am economically conservative by nature. I like reading Thomas Sowell, a brilliant economist, as well as Peter Drucker who spanned economics and organizational and societal behavior. Two of the preeminent observers of business in the last century.

When it comes to money, I am not head in the sand bleeding heart liberal.

When first interviewing Renata I was worried about here socially liberal views, not that it truly mattered much as a Port Commissioner. I was worried that being socially liberal automatically made one economically liberal.

Anybody like Renata who grew up in communism, does not need to be told that communism and socialism have ultimately failed wherever they were tried. She is certainly a capitalist.

She currently counsels and assists small businesses start, grow, and survive. When I asked her about her green background and whether it is something we should be afraid of. She replied that she tells all her customers it is alright to be green, but you have to eat too.

Renata began to thin about running for Port Commissioner some time ago. Her first move was to meet the gal who is the Executive Director of the Port of Skagit County, which brings me to my second point about Renata - she does her homework.

As far as this collaboration hype. Most of what I saw was the willingness to recycle desks with a little paint, saving money on new and unneeded furniture. She is frugal to the core. Some of what I also saw was what I would call good old fashioned horse trading for goods and services that a startup company may not have the cash for. Give it any new fangled name you want, but in the end frugality and horsetrading has been around since Mesopotania.

She has the work ethic of a first generation immigrant, which she is. Think about the level of determination one has to have to leave your home country and land in the US with little money, and could not speak English. That takes determination.

Then to even get admitted to Columbia University's MBA program and complete it is an accomplishment in its own right. Columbia's MBA program is ranked #10 in the world, and not for teaching socialism. Columbia teaches capitalism better than almost any university in the world.

I normally vote Republican but the one place where I am comfortable voting either party is when they are handling money. I cannot find much difference between a Republican accountant and a Democratic accountant. Brian Sontag is my hero. He was an incredible public servant, and a Democrat.

Renata has considerable structured education in both accounting and economics. I am comfortable that if the fishermen need a new forklift, or folks want a new park, her first reaction will be to ask us how we propose to pay for our request.

Having someone with an MBA with a strong background in accounting and economics would be a first for a Port Commissioner. I am confident that two plus two will still equal four while she is in office.

Finally, our Port Commissioners have been a pretty cozy bunch. Part of the old boys club with local businessmen, and having a woman's perspective might be good to have for a change.

All in all she has out worked her opponent, which in my book counts for something, and she has a far better education for a Port Commissioner than any candidate that has ever run for the Port of Bellingham.

All of this together is why I have made the decision to vote for, and support her. Please consider joining me.

Reply
Comrade X
10/18/2013 04:32:39 am

Doug, why not tell us about all of the conservatives (since you are a conservative) that you are supporting in our upcoming elections and why and where previously you have endorsed them?

That way your claim of conservatism will hold a little more water.

Reply
Doug Karlberg
10/18/2013 05:15:48 pm

i provided you with my favorite economists, who are both staunch free market conservative economists.

I have yet to ever vote for a Democratic Presidential Candidate, nor a Democratic Congressman or Senator. Voted for a Democratic Governor - Nope, not ever.

I have voted for one Democrat repeatedly, and that was State Auditor Brian Sontag, who pioneered the use of performance audit which were very successful in exposing government waste. As far as I was concerned, while Sontag was officially a Democrat he acted more like a conservative.

Local races i tend to vote the person who i think is best qualified, and will respectfully listen to both sides, and then make a decision that represents what is best for all the people in Whatcom county, instead of what their party may be telling them to do.

Do you really need more, or do I qualify to be in your tribe, or club, or whatever you want to call it.

Does my voice count if you do not determine that iIam conservative enough to get into your club?

Reply
Comrade X
10/23/2013 03:38:02 am

Everyone has a right to their opinion but the fact is that you have yet to publicly endorse or given any evidence thereof of support for any of the many conservatives running for office in this county in this election except for your pretensions that the carpetbagger Renata the collectivist is somehow a conservative of which she is not. But you do have a right to your opinion.

Reply
Country Gal
10/26/2013 07:07:46 pm

Renata offered next to nothing but blather at the City Club forum. Group dynamics among people who dont know what theyre doing sounds downright dangerous. If Renata and McCauly win the Port will be toast.

Go look at the youtube which is here - copy and paste this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1qzg27wx_8

Reply
Doug Karlberg
10/29/2013 08:57:13 am

If you watch Dan Robbins, he will tell you stories of his oyster farms..

.... over and over and over again.

An four Industrial Technology in 1961 from Western versus,

a four year bachelors degree in economics graduating magna cum laude, and a two year Master's Degree from ivy league Columbia University.

Dan freely admits he just started thinking about Port issues 6 months ago, versus Renata who began studying for the Port Commissioner job 2 years ago.

A manager for Cost Cutter Toys, The Children's Company, and The Party Store versus,

a Vice President at Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan.

If one was not an ideologue, this decision would be a no-brainer.

Reply
Comrade X
11/5/2013 06:16:11 am

I disagree Doug, Renata being an ideologue does make it a no-brainer for those who support a free market.

BTW what college did Steve Jobs or Bill Gates graduate from?

IMHO Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs are a big part of why this country is screwed up right now so the question to be answered today is do we want our Port to get screwed up too?

Reply
Doug Karlberg
11/9/2013 03:57:20 am

Are you suggesting that most folks can skip college like Bill Gates and Steve jobs.

I do not understand your point. Jobs and Gates are the rare exception.

Further, you seem to be insinuating that someone who escaped Communism to Capitalism, is now against free markets.

I do not see any evidence whatsoever that Renata is against free markets.

You are correct that there is an ideologue in the room, and I believe that it is you.

Comrade X, what a childish name.

Take off your white hood and tell us your real name.

Comarde X
11/11/2013 12:06:27 am

Ever notice how when a progressive is losing an argument the next words out of their mouths is always racism related?

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