Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Don't like , don't comment. Sorry the comments don't suit your extremely high level of intelligence and understanding of economics
How about getting simple definitions right before developing strong beliefs about topics people know nothing about? I know that isn't very 'Merican and might interfere with one's cognitive dissonance on certain topics.
People harboring strong, religious like beliefs about topics they know nothing about is one of the biggest issues we have as a country. It is the biggest hurdle blocking actual work of fixing real problems.
A couple of my friends who are liberals bash capitalism but they can't come up with a real world alternative to it. In my opinion at this day and age there is no alternative to capitalism. Thoughts? Ideas?
Why do you make things so complicated.
Regulated capitalism - instead of Predatory Capitalism...is a lot of the answer. A corporate charter should (and many do) specify doing good for mankind. That's the whole idea.
If we instead think a successful company is one that knows the best way to con people (legally), then we end up as we have now.....
In most industry we need capitalism with a purpose. In some fields, such as health care, the military, public planning, etc. we need "socialism" in terms of the planning and paying, but still regulated capitalism as far as the actual delivery of goods and services.
Understand? Pretend there are two men looking to marry your daughter. Both are making a living. One is a loose cannon and sells predatory service contracts to old folks (legal...not insurance, but they fake that it is). The other is a fine surgeon known for his helping patients, helping charity, etc.
Is there something preventing you and others "that care" from providing for those that have less than you? Why does it require "a society" to do it?
Couldn't agree more with this quotation.
A friend once said to me that you'd have to be purely selfish to be conservative. Not at all. You can be conservative and give tons of money and/or services to those in need.
A conservative, like me, does not want the government dictating who gets what. I want to decide. And my conscience demands that I decide because of the privileges I have. I don't need the government to give me a nudge.
You shouldn't need the government to force you to give to those less fortunate. If you do, well...
Marxist-Leninism (colloquially known as Communism or Socialism): About 75 years. It was a product of capitalism, a critique of it, would not exist without it. It "technically" still exists in China... They are certainly not free market capitalist... They are kind of Fascist-capitalist, so I'm not ready to call it dead.
Fuedalism is still the winner for longevity.
Technology and culture influence the economy. In the Fuedal era trade was limited by the transportation technology of the age. Culturally , noble title and land mattered MUCH more than money.
Under industrial capitalism, money matters more than pedigree.
There were also influences from religion which I won't get into. It is obviously still powerful because many commenters have voiced the Protestant work ethic very clearly. I've got a secret to tell you - the economy doesn't give a crap how hard anyone works or how virtuous you are. It really doesn't care. There are bad people that get filthy rich and good people that go hungry and vice versa.
When our technology and/or culture changes, the economy will also change. I believe we are getting close to a transition point.
I'm surprised people lack creativity when discussing economic systems. There exist other ways to think about it besides the poles of free market capitalism and Marxist-Leninism.
Last edited by redguard57; 08-10-2017 at 11:52 PM..
Capitalism is not the problem... what is the problem is money based class bias, segregationist through ethic push back, and race suppression aspirations based on wealth holding and greed; to sustain a class division based on wealth gathering.
Capitalism was a design for money to circulate in a social system of fair people, where all people could engage and exchange on a "Fair" level basis.
Money hoarding is a detractor to the premise of Capitalism... it prevents money from "circulating" and when money does not circulate and retains in the hands of a few, who do not "reinvest"... their conduct disturbs the system of Capitalism and it become a detriment even to the premise of what is as a Economic System. Our System has enough money in it to propel and sustain our economic system, "except greed and hoarding" for the sake of status and class division has been and continues to be a detriment that abuses the premise of Capitalism.
How about getting simple definitions right before developing strong beliefs about topics people know nothing about? I know that isn't very 'Merican and might interfere with one's cognitive dissonance on certain topics.
People harboring strong, religious like beliefs about topics they know nothing about is one of the biggest issues we have as a country. It is the biggest hurdle blocking actual work of fixing real problems.
There is no simple definition, but there is a short video on youtube called "the essence of capitalism". My point, better, what i am curious about is " Is there an alternative to it?
Let say you work in an office and suddenly you come into work with a typewriter...It's not going to work because that is already a "system" that works( not saying it is perfect) in place. China has what we call state capitalism...same fundamentals of capitalism but controlled by the government. So is China Socialist , no..it contains a lot of "elements" of socialism but it is not fully socialist. People mentioned Denmark, as if it was an example of a successful socialistic system. Yes it has less inequality than other countries but it still very capitalist.
Capitalism is not the problem... what is the problem is money based class bias, segregationist through ethic push back, and race suppression aspirations based on wealth holding and greed; to sustain a class division based on wealth gathering.
Capitalism was a design for money to circulate in a social system of fair people, where all people could engage and exchange on a "Fair" level basis.
Money hoarding is a detractor to the premise of Capitalism... it prevents money from "circulating" and when money does not circulate and retains in the hands of a few, who do not "reinvest"... their conduct disturbs the system of Capitalism and it become a detriment even to the premise of what is as a Economic System. Our System has enough money in it to propel and sustain our economic system, "except greed and hoarding" for the sake of status and class division has been and continues to be a detriment that abuses the premise of Capitalism.
most money is "circulating", it is not sitting in a bank account doing nothing
people who don't like this, are the ones who aren't part of the circulation
Do I hoard money when I circulate money within family and not other people? what about when I "reinvest" it to company who uses the money?
why are the only ones who find capitalism unfair mostly the poor people? they would be poor in any other system? did they not think they wouldn't be poor under other systems? even in a "fair" communistic rule, they would be digging in the trenches
Good. I wouldn't want you to take credit for my GREAT characterization of SS.
As your post served only to make more clear, many are those who have been completely bamboozled over Social Security. There's no credit to be taken for being among that number however.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IDtheftV
It wasn't a personal anecdote. It was a characterization of why we need SS and what is happening all across the US. Nice try though.
HINT: Everything that starts out "I have a relative who..." is a personal anecdote.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IDtheftV
You might want to reference my other post regarding the Ant and the Grasshopper, Grasshopper.
The Ant and the Grasshopper — The REAL Story
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper meanwhile takes a job as a greeter over at Dirt Wages America. Come winter, the ant finds he has more supplies than he and his family need, so he invests the surplus in a small business. Due to hard work and shrewd dealings, the ant’s company grows into a profitable business. Despite worsening thorax problems, the grasshopper continues to put in his hours at DWA.
After thirty years of comfortable middle class existence, the ant sells his company to a large conglomerate and retires. The conglomerate immediately fires all of the ant’s employees and outsources their jobs to China. The ant’s former and now impoverished employees soon join the grasshopper who, unable to afford retirement, is still groveling along paycheck-to-paycheck at DWA.
With the revenue boon from outsourcing and downsizing the ant’s former company, the conglomerate is able to purchase even more politicians who will work hard against peace, unions, the environment, the poor, the middle class, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," and anything else that might adversely affect the corporate bottom-line. The grasshopper and the ant’s former employees complain that DWA should pay them for overtime hours worked but are told they are exempt — because they are all "managers." Their case makes it to the Supreme Court, where conservative Justices rule in favor of DWA, admonishing the plaintiffs to "go home and be thankful to have jobs at all, what with all the outsourcing and downsizing going on these days."
The conglomerate has meanwhile bought CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, most newspapers, and many radio stations in order to keep ants and grasshoppers alike from being able to learn how dramatically the deck has been stacked against them. With demagogic politicians and the media in its hip pocket, the conglomerate finds it quite easy to keep the ants and grasshoppers from further uniting to demand justice by pitting them against each other with ridiculous stories of lazy, irresponsible grasshoppers living off the efforts of industrious, sober-minded ants.
I'm sorry of I interjected my opinions about taxes. A thousand pardons...
If people bash US capitalism, they need to acknowledge that our system is not pure capitalism. We have many, what I would describe as "socialist", principles. I view these as a drag on our economy, individual fiscal freedom and responsibility. In other words, we have a blend of capitalism/socialism. If one would prefer another system that caters MORE to irresponsible (my description) individuals, I believe that, in and of itself, is passing the buck and frankly "un-American"
I'm not sure why people think rich people are hoarding money and keeping it out of the economy. It's invested and being deployed into the economy as capital investment.
Unless they are keeping it in a safe in their mansion guarded by sharks with laser beams.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
