SavannahMann
Platinum Member
- Nov 16, 2016
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It always astonishes me to read some nonsense from a supposedly learned person. I am not a professor, nor a teacher. But I’ve read a lot of books, and still consider many philosophical ideas. One that has always been wrong, every time I look at it, is the teaching of Karl Marx. Opinion | Happy Birthday, Karl Marx. You Were Right!
History has shown that Marx was wrong. The only successful Socialist nation is China, which abandoned the socialist economic model for one that mimics capitalism. Every decade, China becomes more Capitalist, and less socialist, and more successful.
I could give a thousand examples. I could give you all sorts of arguments. Yet, if you are a professor, and you can stand up and tell your class that Marx was right, and honestly believe it, then there is nothing that can be done to show you the error of your ways.
All labor is not equal. There is no such thing as absolute value. Value is a perception. What you are willing to pay for something, depends on what the things value is to you, and nobody else.
There must be enough regulation to make a playing field more level, but that does not mean that Marx’s idea of a controlled economy is valid. The regulations should be as few as possible, and as limited as possible, to prevent a market that is cornered, thus allowing competition to flourish, and thus increasing quality, availability, and value.
Look at cars. In 2005 I was looking at purchasing a Mini-Van. That vehicle type would satisfy my needs, and I examined all the offerings from various manufacturers. I made my choice, and bought a Kia. The Kia, all things considered, was the best choice. It was cheaper, almost half the cost of a similarly set up Ford. It had a ten year warranty, more than double the Ford’s, or others, warranty.
SIx years later, I was again in the market for a car, and wanted another mini van. Again, I examined the available options, and again selected the best value for money. This time, it was a Toyota. The cost of the Kia had increased, relative to the other offerings. Competition had driven down the prices of the other makers, and improved the quality of the offerings.
If you need more proof of that from the Automotive field, then look at American cars of the 1970’s. They were large, unreliable, uneconomical to operate, and were far surpassed by the Japanese and German cars available. Volkswagen, Toyota, Datsun, Mazda, and many others flooded our shores, and were purchased in large numbers. What happened? Ford, GM, Chrysler had to adapt or die. British Leyland did not adapt, and many of their brands died. Now, many of those brands are little more than labels that are stuck on to a foreign built car. Those which did survive adapted to the modern world.
Now, the quality of American cars has increased. In many surveys they are the equal of, or superior to, many so called foreign brands. This is not an accident. This is not the other brands getting worse, this is a result of dedicated effort to improve their own product to compete in the market.
That is Capitalism. Compared to cars built by Socialist economies, like the Soviets, which were garbage. The Lada for example, was based upon a Fiat from the 1960’s, and was built straight through with few changes to the 21st Century. The cars were terrible. Poor quality, and unreliable. They could not compete with anyone.
Karl Marx was not right. Karl Marx should be used as an example of what is wrong with fatally flawed philosophical ideals. It should be used as an example of a massive error. If it is used as any kind of guide, it should be, like Dilbert, as an example of what you should never do.
History has shown that Marx was wrong. The only successful Socialist nation is China, which abandoned the socialist economic model for one that mimics capitalism. Every decade, China becomes more Capitalist, and less socialist, and more successful.
I could give a thousand examples. I could give you all sorts of arguments. Yet, if you are a professor, and you can stand up and tell your class that Marx was right, and honestly believe it, then there is nothing that can be done to show you the error of your ways.
All labor is not equal. There is no such thing as absolute value. Value is a perception. What you are willing to pay for something, depends on what the things value is to you, and nobody else.
There must be enough regulation to make a playing field more level, but that does not mean that Marx’s idea of a controlled economy is valid. The regulations should be as few as possible, and as limited as possible, to prevent a market that is cornered, thus allowing competition to flourish, and thus increasing quality, availability, and value.
Look at cars. In 2005 I was looking at purchasing a Mini-Van. That vehicle type would satisfy my needs, and I examined all the offerings from various manufacturers. I made my choice, and bought a Kia. The Kia, all things considered, was the best choice. It was cheaper, almost half the cost of a similarly set up Ford. It had a ten year warranty, more than double the Ford’s, or others, warranty.
SIx years later, I was again in the market for a car, and wanted another mini van. Again, I examined the available options, and again selected the best value for money. This time, it was a Toyota. The cost of the Kia had increased, relative to the other offerings. Competition had driven down the prices of the other makers, and improved the quality of the offerings.
If you need more proof of that from the Automotive field, then look at American cars of the 1970’s. They were large, unreliable, uneconomical to operate, and were far surpassed by the Japanese and German cars available. Volkswagen, Toyota, Datsun, Mazda, and many others flooded our shores, and were purchased in large numbers. What happened? Ford, GM, Chrysler had to adapt or die. British Leyland did not adapt, and many of their brands died. Now, many of those brands are little more than labels that are stuck on to a foreign built car. Those which did survive adapted to the modern world.
Now, the quality of American cars has increased. In many surveys they are the equal of, or superior to, many so called foreign brands. This is not an accident. This is not the other brands getting worse, this is a result of dedicated effort to improve their own product to compete in the market.
That is Capitalism. Compared to cars built by Socialist economies, like the Soviets, which were garbage. The Lada for example, was based upon a Fiat from the 1960’s, and was built straight through with few changes to the 21st Century. The cars were terrible. Poor quality, and unreliable. They could not compete with anyone.
Karl Marx was not right. Karl Marx should be used as an example of what is wrong with fatally flawed philosophical ideals. It should be used as an example of a massive error. If it is used as any kind of guide, it should be, like Dilbert, as an example of what you should never do.
