Prometheus 6 on "The fundamental problem"

The fundamental problem:

Our corporate economy declares its goal to be infinite growth. The growth we seek is an increase in the number of transactions, not necessarily the creation of new wealth. We graze on those transactions, skimming a little off the top to divert to our personal wealth building (if we are smarter than I was...). And the venture WILL have unpaid debt to discharge at the end of its days. That's why cash flow is so important, more important than the actual outcome of the business venture itself.

It's rarely said this directly, but we not only want the corporate economy to grow every year, we want the rate at which it grows to increase every year. Everything that actually exhibits that pattern of behavior kills its host.

These Wonderful Captains of Industry and Capitalist Geniuses at Corporate HQ and Wall Street have created sophisticated engines whose sole purpose is to siphon off the value created by the resources they exploit. Those of us who actually create real value get stuck holding the crap that's left over.