A Return to Prosperity (Robber barons got rich by making things cheaper)

[Wakeupcall]

Internet business possibilities are endless... I would like to see some constructive suggestions from others on here before I make mine

[feargach]

Consumer deflation is the whole point of the industrial revolution and its after-math. Whereas it took 18 man-hours to turn a pound of cotton into cloth in the 1760s, it only took 90 minutes to do the same a century later. A person therefore needed to work a twelfth as long to cloth him/herself. Most of the great industrial barrons got rich by making things cheaper. Andrew Carnegie cut the price of steel rail in the 30 years between 1870 and 1900; John D Rockefeller slashed the price of oil by 80% over the same period. Henry Ford’s first Model T sold for $825. Four years later hed cut the price to $575.

This is deeply, deeply misleading.

There is a concept in the business world of "low-hanging fruit". At the start of the harvest season the orchard owner's family can bring several dozen baskets of apples to market just by walking around the orchard holding a basket. After that, he has to employ lots of people and ensure that they have ladders, the profits shrink dramatically.

The robber baron super-wealth period is associated with the same issue. Mining companies had bought up land for pennies on the dollar from farmers bankrupted by drought and made massive fortunes because railroads had made immense swathes of land economical to mine and bring to market. Immense growth was made possible through technological change and the more efficient technology-led exploitation of massive areas of land taken from the Native Americans.

Think of Spain in the 16th century. Silver from Bolivia created incredible economic expansion. But then look at where Spain had declined to by the 20th century. Even today, Ireland is outperforming it.

There is a natural rhythm to this kind of thing. The robber baron period was a time of an extreme vista of near-effortless profit from hundreds of different sources simultaneously. Even with that embarrassment of riches, poverty was incredibly bad in America.

Today, there is no such universal cornucopia of varied, numerous free gifts. Niches where high profits are possible are very few, and mostly jealously guarded by interests who will sell dearly if at all.

[fiannafailure]

Feargach

I agree with most of your proposition, but not with the last line

"Today, there is no such universal cornucopia of varied, numerous free gifts. Niches where high profits are possible are very few,"

Irelands renewable energy wealth is waiting for developement.

"and mostly jealously guarded by interests who will sell dearly if at all."

There are none

[feargach]

People will fight wind farms in court.

And wind is only one "free gift" in any case. There is the point too that wind is intermittent, and energy storage is difficult and expensive to set up.

[fiannafailure]

People will fight wind farms in court.

And wind is only one "free gift" in any case. There is the point too that wind is intermittent, and energy storage is difficult and expensive to set up.

Those are the two points that make the Spirit of Ireland proposal a winner and our geology, geography and wave resources are another three free gifts, thats four so far
www.spiritofireland.org

[feargach]

We'd still have to borrow a lot of money to exploit any of those resources, and they'd take several years to start covering the repayments.

[fiannafailure]

The money is there waiting for a decision from Ireland and from start to finish, a pumped storage unit as outlined can be built in 2-3 years, employing people from day one, and the storage units will be operationally profitable from day one.

[Wakeupcall]

We need to get the ball rolling on something at least!

If the money is sitting waiting there, then what is the hold up?

Are there other possibilities for this money or is it being help up by a new golden circle of sorts?

[feargach]

Is it being held up by the usual planning problems?

[fiannafailure]

The money is available provided there will be no corrib type problems, in other words, public and state consent for the project is expressed and there is a fast planning process, Strategic planning initiative.
and that is the work being done at present. Want to help spiritofireland.org