RBCT Chapter 169 The Evil of Capital
Chapter 169 The Evil of Capital
Chapter 169 The Evil of Capital
In Enron's conference room, the air seemed to become scorching hot because of Ernst's proposal.
They fell right into the trap.
When all the decision-makers' eyes gleamed with excitement for the unknown and greed for wealth, this giant, renowned in the energy sector, had already unwittingly stepped into the trap he had laid.
Jeff Skilling looked directly at Ernst, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement, "If everything goes as we wish, the value of your plan will be no less than that of recreating Enron."
Kenneth, sitting to the side, could not hide his inner turmoil. When he handed over the CEO position to Skilling, he told him that he hoped Enron could surpass ExxonMobil and become the largest energy company in the United States.
At that time, it was just a lofty goal, like an unattainable star.
Now, Enron is developing rapidly under Skilling's control, and with Ernst's plan, he can clearly see an even grander vision.
Enron could not only become a leader in the United States, but also has the opportunity to become the world's largest energy company.
That long-dormant ambition was ignited at this moment, making his breathing rapid.
After the meeting, Kenneth and Skilling stood up at the same time and warmly invited Ernst to the CEO's office.
This office, overlooking the bustling cityscape of Houston, truly offers an exceptionally expansive view.
"Ernst," Kenneth spoke first, a hint of probing in his eyes, "Regarding your online payment company, I wonder if Enron has the honor of becoming a shareholder?"
Both he and Skilling knew perfectly well that the core of the entire scheme lay with that online payment company called PayPaI.
Having mastered it is like holding the key to the future of online energy trading, so they are eager to bring it under their control.
Ernst did not want to have too much contact with Enron and allow them to get too involved in PayPal's operations. The company also had irreplaceable strategic significance for him and he would never easily give it up for sale.
He smiled slightly and said slowly, "I remember Mr. Skilling once told me that Enron would never mistreat any friend."
This statement, though seemingly mild, actually contains a hidden barb.
On the one hand, it politely declined Enron's offer to invest.
On the other hand, it also serves as a reminder to the two people in front of them not to try to bypass PayPal and start anew.
If Enron does develop its own online payment software in the future, then the two sides will no longer be friends but enemies.
When dealing with enemies, one must be prepared to be targeted.
Kenneth and Skilling exchanged a glance, understanding each other's thoughts through their eyes.
Kenneth burst into laughter, breaking the brief silence in the office. "Of course, Anran will never mistreat any friend; that's always been our style."
He knew very well that it was unwise to dwell on the PayPal issue now; the priority was to quickly establish Enron's online energy trading system and seize the market opportunity.
"I think we should invite PayPal executives over so we can discuss the details properly," Jeff Skilling said, his voice urging him on, barely able to contain his eagerness.
In his view, time is money, and every minute wasted could allow competitors to gain the upper hand.
"No problem." Ernst nodded, then changed the subject, "But I think the most important thing right now is to fill our stomachs."
The two were taken aback by what they heard, and then subconsciously looked out the window.
At this moment, the sky was already getting dark, casting a hazy glow.
Jeff Skilling quickly gave an apologetic smile. "It's my fault. I was so focused on work that I forgot about the time."
Then, he narrowed his eyes and revealed a meaningful expression, a tacit understanding between men.
"Hollywood is glamorous, but Houston has its own hidden gems. As Anran's most important friend, I hope tonight will be an unforgettable night for you."
Indeed, as Skilling said, Enron's arrangements left a lasting impression on Ernst, and allowed him to truly witness Enron's power in Texas and their almost arbitrary style of doing whatever they wanted.
Kenneth and Skilling led Ernst to a place called the Veterans Club, which, judging from the name alone, seemed to be filled with holiness and solemnity.
But when the door opened, the scene inside was just like the US military version of Heaven on Earth.
Female soldiers.
Ernst knew that female soldiers in the United States were among the most sexually assaulted in the world, with more than 80,000 cases of sexual assault within the U.S. military last year alone, resulting in 24,000 female soldiers becoming pregnant as a result.
But he never expected that these high-ranking and powerful figures would dare to so blatantly allow these female soldiers to engage in prostitution, to be used as prostitutes to entertain clients.
He saw the forced smiles on the female soldiers' faces, smiles as fragile as glass, ready to shatter at the slightest touch. He also caught the undisguised despair deep in their eyes, a powerless resistance against fate, as if trapped in an invisible cage, unable to see a glimmer of light.
But so what?
Who cares?
Ernst, a pure capitalist, never had the word "pity" in his heart.
In his eyes, these female soldiers were nothing more than tools to satisfy his desires, and what he vented was merely primal lust, which had nothing to do with morality or conscience.
The next morning, as Skilling and Ernst left the veterans' club, the car slowly drove through downtown Houston.
The scene outside the window was a stark contrast to the extravagance of the previous night. Many citizens were sleeping on the ground, dressed in rags and huddled in street corners, the kind of people commonly referred to as homeless people.
"The city's security will become increasingly chaotic in the future, and this is just the beginning," Skilling said, looking out the window.
But there was no trace of sentimentality in his tone, only a cold indifference, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.
Don't ask Skilling why he's so certain that there will be more and more homeless people in America and that the security situation will become increasingly chaotic.
Because he himself was one of the creators of all this, as was Ernst.
Or rather, the entire American elite class is intentionally or unintentionally creating homeless people in large numbers, because the homeless population has long been an important part of their tax avoidance.
In the social structure of the United States, credit is as essential as air.
Without credit, you can't rent a house. Without a rental address, you can't find a job and will struggle at the bottom of society for the rest of your life, with no hope of ever turning your life around.
What is little known is that the rule that you can't rent a house if you don't have credit and can't find a job if you don't own a house has no legal basis and is entirely driven by capitalists.
Many people are puzzled by this: why set up such obstacles when the United States clearly has a serious labor shortage problem?
The answer is actually quite simple: it's to create homeless people.
Starting in the late 70s, as the older generation of elites gradually withdrew from the historical stage, the inheritance of wealth became a problem they had to face.
Thus, the charitable foundation model came into being.
The problem is that there aren't that many people in society who need help, which makes the existence of charitable foundations seem somewhat undeserving.
To address this issue, various states have raised effective property taxes. Property taxes, which were previously mostly below 1%, have now increased significantly, with some areas exceeding 2% and approaching 3%.
In the United States, although houses are freehold properties, property taxes must be paid annually.
When a person loses their job and is unable to afford this expense, it means their social credit has completely collapsed, and a homeless person is born.
Charitable foundations established by large families can then appear openly and legitimately.
They claim that they will allocate 5% of their assets each year to charity for the homeless.
Don't assume they'll actually give you all the money they have. In reality, most of the supplies they buy are expired food or slow-moving goods from large supermarkets like Walmart and Sam's Club.
On the surface, they purchased a large amount of supplies and made huge investments. But in reality, less than 1% of the funds were actually used for charity each year, with the remaining 4% ending up in their own pockets.
What's even more astonishing is that local governments not only failed to stop it, but instead fueled the flames.
The more homeless people there are, the more benefits they can gain.
In 1987, the U.S. Congress passed the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act. This was the first major piece of legislation by the U.S. federal government specifically addressing homelessness, and its core purpose was to provide federal funding for homeless shelter programs.
In other words, the more homeless people there are in a place, the more funds the government will allocate each year.
This is calculated per head; can a thousand homeless people be the same as ten thousand homeless people?
It can be said that homelessness has become a social phenomenon carefully promoted by the elite class.
In this game, the wealthy cleverly evade taxes through charitable foundations, businessmen profit by disposing of unsold goods, and officials line their own pockets with government grants, while ordinary taxpayers ultimately foot the bill.
In 1980, the number of homeless people in the United States was only 11. But in just forty years, that number skyrocketed to 350.
Ten thousand people.
One in every hundred people is homeless. Behind this cold statistic lies the ugliness and greed of capital.
Ernst Garfield, too, was a link in this vast chain of interests.
"They're all lovely fellows. Without them, where would my wealth come from?" Ernst gazed out the window at the homeless people huddled on the street corner, a cold smile curving his lips.
Skillin was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and then burst into laughter.
The United States is essentially a brutal game of exploitation.
One percent of the population, through capital and power, are reaping the benefits of 80% of the middle class.
The remaining 19% are merely tools they can discard at any time, and when necessary, they may even be pushed into the abyss, becoming victims of maintaining this distorted system, just like now.
The car continued on its way to the airport, where they were to pick up Peter Thiel, who was about to land.