Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Microcap & Penny Stocks : DIGITCOM (DGIV-OTC-bb)Information Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus Long who wrote (402)	1/4/1999 10:11:00 PM
From: Sloth	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 530

Hey Laz, Great visit summary. Tough when you can't bring a tape recorder with you and you know people will want a word for word account. And want it for free. Just want to help you out with the Marshall Plan. It was indeed instituted after WWII. We all know from our high school history that after the war there was a concern about the spread of communism through the free democratic nations of europe (ie. Domino Theory= Korea + Vietnam). Our government actually did something very well for once after a war. We realized that we couldn't foster a healthy situation unless the war torn nations were rapidly rehabilitated economically in a protected environment. The lesson was learned from Germany after WWI. We worked them into an economic box with the treaty of Versailles. That treaty gained so much resentment with the next generation of proud Germans that war was the only logical result. (EXACTLY what we are doing with Iraq today). Anyway, George C. Marshall, who was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs during WWII and the Sec of State after the war under Truman was given the task of fixing europe's economy. He came up with the European Recovery Program (ERP) sometimes called the Marshall Plan. The Plan offered generous loans at little to no interest rate to be used for the rebuilding of infrastructure (no war equipment). The US felt we would get the money back in spades if the continent could be recovered and prosperous again. It also played well by giving the democratic nations an incentive to stay democratic and not fall to the communists. The plan worked and even though we funded the largest bail-out in world history, it was paid back within five years or so. We were considered international heros and at little to no cost to the taxpayers. Western Europe became a model of modern efficiency in the shadow of the still ruined struggling Eastern Europeans. The extra money that Mr. Chin referred to could have been set aside to fix a part of the infrastructure at a later date with no notion that it would be fifty-two years gaining interest. It's been about 12 years since I studied this but I think that should at least explain why and where that money may have come from. It does make sense that it exists. An interesting side note: We paid to rebuild the factories of Western Europe and Japan. We destroyed the aging factories and built brand new ones. It accomplished the goal very well: getting the countries back on their feet. But it played havoc with american companies that now had to compete and couldn't afford to tear down their own buildings and retool with the most modern equipment available. This explains why the Japanese and Germans were doing so well against American products until the mid 80's. That is when the American companies decided to retool or go bankrupt. We are now reaping the rewards after finally turning the table that we in fact set for ourselves fifty-two years ago. Here endith the lesson. Sorry it is so long. Sloth