This is a short post with one theme only:
to bring to you the concept of Net Present Value1.

In case you haven’t discovered it yet the 2019 movie “The Devil has a Name” is yet another dramatisation of yet another Percy-vs-Goliath battle between the common man (you) and the corporations (them)2.

Here’s the trailer that the above important clip was taken from

And this is the takeaway which is posted at the end of the movie.

In other words, if some people die but you are making so much money that it is cheaper to pay off the relatives with a few mill (and/or bribe a few journos and docs with the lure of promotions, donations or grants) and you’ll still make a an absolute moula - keep going3.

The Safe and Effective™ is so safe that governments are running schemes to pay off your relatives if you die from the Safe and Effective™.

In order to qualify for one of these paltry payouts you have to persuade a doctor (who will risk getting struck off for signing your form) to sign your form. And you know that it isn’t the manufacturer of the Safe and Effective™ who is underwriting this scheme, don’t you? It’s you. The taxpayer. The public. The very people that funded the Safe and Effective™. The manufacturers are paying zip, and can’t be sued (until they can be shown to have committed fraud).

IF YOU MAKE MORE MONEY DOING IT THAN IT COSTS TO GET CAUGHT FOR DOING IT, CONTINUE DOING IT
[NET PRESENT VALUE]

Do you get it yet?

1

There are many benign definitions of this concept which you can find but the point of this article is to contextualise what appears to be a simple economic parameter into today’s chaos. For these people, it’s just numbers on a spreadsheet: https://oakspringuniversity.com/frontpage/npvcase/7307-remediation-environmental

2

Corporations are a tool of the state, because they are underwritten by the state.
The history of corporations and the explanation of this statement is outlined in articles such as this https://www.tni.org/en/publication/the-corporate-state.

Many people misunderstand corporations to be tools of “capitalism”, but they are not. They are, in fact, mechanisms by which rich people can get richer using the state as a proxy. The growth of Jeff Bezos’ personal wealth during COVID-19 is just one example, but the controlling global organisations (WEF and CFR) even admit this huge profit increase on their own website.

All the institutions gaining financially from the COVID-19 pandemic were corporations. The money came from you and your children.

3

For those interested in the Ford Pinto scandal referenced in the movie it is discussed here. It’s a bit of an eye opener. https://philosophia.uncg.edu/phi361-matteson/module-1-why-does-business-need-ethics/case-the-ford-pinto/

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Net Present Value