Hedo-Economics

Hedonism is the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good. Economics is the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind. So Hedo-Economics is the science whereby production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services are devoted towards an individual's pleasure and happiness.

This is the world that we live in today. A world devoted to the pursuit of happiness through unabashed materialism and Greed. A world of demanded immediate gratification. Greed is ok in the world of Hedo-Economics, because it helps one to secure pleasure and happiness.

People are quick to throw capitalism under the bus these days. The socialists claim that capitalism is ruining our lives. That capitalism has led to people's greed and anti-social behavior. I vehemently disagree, all capitalism does is create an economic system that allows individuals to secure private property, which gives them the ultimate control in the decision making process of how best to take care of their property. That creates ambition and gives people the right to self-determination, which creates stronger character.

Capitalism does not espouse any philosophies of lawlessness or anti-social behavior. To the contrary, for a marketplace to be created one needs to have a social network set up with rules and regulations. There have to be guidelines (laws) in order for the marketplace to function properly. Those guidelines have to be administered by a non-partisan body which represents all of the people who have an interest in the marketplace.

That is where the government has evolved. The government is supposed to be a non-partisan entity that allows the social network to function. The people (the social network, marketplace, citizens) are the individuals that should determine the laws. The government's job is to regulate and enforce the will of the people. As governments overstep their role, the marketplace gradually becomes more and more inefficient. Authoritarian governments do not have true marketplaces, but they do end up having black markets.

The Hound Knows that somewhere along the way our system has been derailed. Our system was never and will never be perfect, not because it was created or instituted by man, but rather because it is administered by man. We must not give up on our traditional social system just because it isn't perfect, the alternatives are much worse.

Instead we must castigate and shun the purveyors of Hedo-Economics. Greed is not good!!! Because their is no virtue in greed. It also isn't virtuous to punish everyone, because of what a few people have done to sabotage our way of life. We know the instigators and they must be held accountable. Under any system, if you arbitrarily allow anti-social behavior amongst a given class, then you will surely see that society devolve into chaos.

John Adams stated we are supposed to be "a nation of laws, not men." That means that no one should be above the law. NO ONE!!!

Ask yourself, should we not hold the purveyors of Hedo-Economics accountable? Should we not be held accountable when we personally practice financial Hedonism? Think about it. Parts of the 10 Commandments say that you should not make yourself an Idol, you shall not steal, and you shall not covet. To me these three commandments define Hedo-Economics. These people think they are Gods and they try to justify stealing from others, predominantly because of jealousy and greed.

We have to get back to Common Sense Economics. If you can't afford it, then don't buy it. You need a rainy day fund. You have to set goals and separate out the needs from the wants. Besides your house, your debt should be no more than 10% of your income. We as individuals, or as a social network, cannot consume our way to prosperity. That creates a personal Ponzi Scheme and eventually the bill will come due and your finances will collapse under the weight of the debt you accumulate.

Hounds Summation We as a nation are going to go through some pain. There is no way out of it. We cannot afford to play the finger wagging and pointing blame game. We have got to start a concerted grass roots effort to tell Washington and Raleigh that we are no longer going to sit back and watch them fritter away our future.

It does no good to talk to our own Congressmen and State representatives, when they are following Common Sense principles. We need to start harassing the representatives of other districts and let them know that when the glass house they have built gets shattered, then their actions will leave them as exposed as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. These Emperors have no clothing.