Tuesday, August 18, 2009

More Evidence on Aristocracies

History is littered with the wrecks of nations destroyed by the growth of power & wealth of their aristocracies at the expense of the common man and the central government. Examples are the Roman republic, Byzantium, the Mameluke empire, and the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania.

My recent readings on ancient Sparta show it to be another victim of them. To be a full citizen of Sparta, a man had to be able to contribute a fixed amount to the common mess - essentially his military-social unit. Originally land was held in common by the state and worked by state slaves called Helots. A male child deemed healthy was given a plot of land to support him and his family. The slaves worked the land while he trained as a full time soldier.

Over time, this land became inheritable. Through marriages and attrition in wars, the rich families gained control of more and more land. Casualties in war left wealthy widows and removed that land from the support of soldiers. Fewer and few men could make the required contribution to the mess, resulting in fewer and fewer full citizens of Sparta. Land and citizenship reform could have solved this serious problem, but the aristocracies prevented it to keep their power.

Around 490 BC at the time the Persian wars began, there were 8,000 Spartan soldiers. A bit over 100 years later, there were only around 1,000. This was a disastrous decline in manpower of group that sustained the "Spartan way of life". Weakened, Sparta was defeated for the first time in battle by Thebes and lost control of one half of its territory and eventually its allies melted away.

Sparta was destroyed by the greed and lust for power of its own aristocracy.

One "unintended consequence" of this financial crisis has been a serious weakening of the growing wealth and power of the nascent US aristocracy. That class began to grow in the 1990s in the technology boom. Tech billionaires began to buy up all the beautiful land and sites, often fencing them off from the common man. And in this last boom, the hedge fund billionaires were doing the same thing. They lobbied for repeal of laws preventing perpetual trusts so they could create family dynasties. This was a serious, developing problem. Perhaps now some changes can be made to prevent them from seriously damaging US social cohesion.

Actions

I am doing nothing. Je ne fais rien. The futures are bouncing a bit this morning. On a further drop to 950 for the S&P, I'll build a list of re-buys.

Word of the Day

"Oliganthropy" - noun [$1000]; from the Greek combining form, "Oligo-"
Oligo- means small, little, few in forming nouns.
Oliganthropy means the state or quality of having few men.
Sentence: Growth in power of the aristocracy in ancient Sparta created increasing oliganthropy over the decades for the fifth and early fourth centuries BC, eventually fatally weakening the nation.

49 comments:

Bunkerman said...

Washington Post reports the SEC on Monday delayed a decision on whether to put in place new measures to limit short-selling stocks

S.E.C = Surely Entirely Corrupt

disgraceful.

Bud said...

Bman haven't you 'fenced off' your property from the common man ........don't you have it protected with barbed wire........ and an artillery aimed at any common man.......uhhhhh.......... trespassers ???


social cohesion indeed

Bud said...

'stocks like NVAX disgust me'



yeah..........stox that go from 1.5 to 5 in a month sure are disgusting......great job mern

Bud said...

Bman what are your thought on celebrity board members ?? actors atheletes ......even politicians


shouldn't most of the board have some business experience int the company's main products

are board members legally allowed to lobby congress ???

Bud said...

RTK


'nailed it' 'high five'


looks like a 45 cent winner.......i don't know what % that is......you know......cuz i'm.......uhhhhh....... 'not too bright'



danke vielmals jim !!!!!!!!!!!

Bunkerman said...

there should be no celebrity board members nor persons from charities, nonprofits, etc.

Bunkerman said...

oh Bud, I wasn't talking about private homes.

These ruling class hogs buy land around National Forests, then block access roads so they can keep the public off public land.

Ditto public beaches. etc.

Bunkerman said...

a board member who is a lobbyist can lobby Congress. Most aren't.

Actually the CEO is the most effective person lobbying Congress - he represents jobs.

Frosty said...

let me get this game plan right...spiddy 950 we back up the half track...tommmyyyyyhawk the bear in the skull, hand to hand combat and ride the bull up 26% into year end...Ned Riley concurs.

Bud said...

the HEAT is on !!!!


scared to death indeed.............f'ng douchebag



PS......still wanna be friends ???

mfl59 said...

Bunkerman have you order Ron Insana's new book yet?

Bud said...

'tommyhawk the bear skull'


LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


ok....frosty makin me laugh........ok just for today........i.....uhhhh...........'call off the dogs'

Bunkerman said...

I wouldn't call it, "back up the half track" ... more like reload the belts for another session.

Bunkerman said...

btw, it's "tomahawk"

but it's a "Tommy Gun".

Bunkerman said...

at 950 I climb back onto the elephant's back for a ride to 1200.

Bunkerman said...

If I ever buy Ron Insana's book, please ask Mrs. B to have me examined for dementia.

Ditto, "Jim's"

Bunkerman said...

gotta do a trial packing for the trip today. Go over the check list.

Make fresh pemmican tomorrow ...

Got the tomahawk sharpened ...

Refreshed my compass skills - these military ones are the best.

check supplies of deet.
Fill flasks with cognac ...

Yes, I'm going as a true epicurian - pioneer minimal style but with some fine items.

Bunkerman said...

Food: pemmican, hardtack, peanut butter, MREs for two days, dried fruits. Plus some spare fish that Big Al catches.

Bunkerman said...

IFF it gets there, Ill probably start buying around 960.

Bud said...

Bman you shud prolly watch this before your trip


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

Bud said...

compass ??? i hope you gonna be doin it 'pioneer' style


they would just look at the stars for directions

mfl59 said...

remember, dont tell big Al about your plan to put a dash of club soda in your pancakes....

Bud said...

ned beatty reminds me of frosty...........y'know........especially when he got on his knees

oh wait......i called off the dogs



"sorry"

Frosty said...

"call off the dogs"...mike vick is not ammused...jet's fans luv the dirty sanchez, part 2, it's all about the alabama hotpocket.

Bunkerman said...

I'm mixing the pioneer style with a bit of modern skills.

My pancake secrets are safe. Al is in charge of the fish fry.

Bunkerman said...

I might try some solar navigation practice, though. I expect most of the traveling will be in daytime.

mfl59 said...

is Bear Grylls joining you on this adventure Bunkerman?

Frosty said...

Bunky...pack the common man dictionary...you and your elitist friends may find it necessary to communicate with the locals.

Bunkerman said...

Bear Grylls ?

Bunkerman said...

elistist friends lolololol

no one who grows up in a small town in the Ohio hills can be elitist.

A quintessential common man, yes.

Bud said...

Bman if you such a common man.............why did you go to Beefer university............why not ohio state.....or miami.....or bowling green ....or toledo ???

Frosty said...

Bud just gonna MAIL it in today...I think so..."I would be scared to death."

Bunkerman said...

Those places did not have outstanding departments of Physics, other sciences, math, etc.

Bunkerman said...

I guess I never heard of Bear Grylls since he's a bit of a newcomer. I've given up TV for years, so didn't see him.

About the only TV I watch (via Tivo)is some South Park adn some "Mail Call".

Bud said...

MAIL what an amazing comeback

yday at this time.......i was underneath my desk......uhhhh.....'scared to death'

sharkinvesting.com does it again........they know how to pick wiunners.............i just play along


makin money sure is .......'tedious'

Bud said...

Bman would big al enjoy lunch at the Harvard club ???

mfl59 said...

"Way to go Sal"

Bunkerman said...

Everyone enjoys lunch at the Harvard Club (NYC) - the food is very good. Traditional decor, too.

The hall has many fine trophies from Africa, etc.

They've evn relaxed the dress code a bit (ugh - I preferred the old the coat + tie rule for men).

Bud said...

RTK


'nailed it' 'high five'

45 cents......ummmmmmm no.....65 cents......hey bob .....what % gain is that ?? can you help me......you know....since.....i'm 'not too bright'



danke vielmals jim !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bud said...

MAIL it in today ???


i don't think so............f'ng douchebag



PS.....still wanna be friends ???

Bud said...

RTK



danke vielamls jim !!!!!!!



what's that frosty ??? huh ?? nuthin ??? i didn't think so.........f'ng douchebag




"sorry"

Bud said...

RTK................it's a biotech right ?? no....they make jet fuel


lmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo



' i am just a ping-pong player '

mfl59 said...

Hey Bob I wonder if Bud is making money today?

Days he makes money he tells you...

Days he loses he whines and cries...

"Act as if" son

Bunkerman said...

going thru my MREs & survival gear. Got lots of good stuff.

I wonder if MRE is a stock ?

Bunkerman said...

MRE = Medco Research, a good ticker wasted.

Bunkerman said...

15 meals in the field ... hmmm I wonder how many Big Al will catch fish for ?

Guess I'd better take a few backups.

Frosty said...

Mike LOL...perhaps a lil heads up holdem after the golf match with aazzzhead...give him a chance to get his money back.

mfl59 said...

I dont know Bob...I'd bet Bud is quite phlegmatic ($17.50) at the tables.....

Bunkerman said...

word inflation ?

that's just a $10 word on my "gold" standard.