Skylar
Diamond Member
- Jul 5, 2014
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Today? What do you call all the capitalist, right wing bashing on your end? If you oppose capitalism then what system are you in favor of? Government run economies is fascism, socialism, communism. The problem is that for some reason the left doesn't want to own up to it.Likewise, if you're not a lassie faire capitalist, then you must be a communist. Or a socialist. Or a fascist. As the only possible goal you could have is the most extreme possible. It never occurs to them that you may just want regulated capitalism, or some environmental protections, or some checks to private power.
And its that inability to perceive anything but the polar extremes (if you're not with us, you're against us!) that result in the type of reaction we've seen today.
I've not bashed capitalism. I've lauded it. Its efficiency, its ability to match supply of a good or service with the demand for it, its push toward innovation. I've simly recognized that unchecked, it comes with some significant negative consequences as well: instability, concentrations of private power, and massive environmental damage.
Regulated capitalism, in my personal opinion, is the best economic system we've created to date. It provides all the advantages of capitalism (efficiency, innovation) with less of the costs (instability, environmental damage, concentrations of private power). Its the system I advocate, enjoy using for my personal benefit, and suggest we continue using.
And I'm lauded many conservative values. I think their emphasis on personal gain shows a solid understanding of what motivates people. I think that they are right in that too much assistance from the government (or anyone) can mute such motivation. I respect their emphasis on family values, sharing many of them. I respect their emphasis on hard work, and I share it. I respect their recognition of the value of consequence, as I agree it is a most able teacher. I'm an enormous fan of entrepreneurship, and believe that it is the single greatest tool we can use to combat poverty. Even more so than education.
Where I disagree with many conservatives is in their insistence that their values must be purely and universally applied. I think they have their place. But I think there are many instances where they don't work as well. Where a 'pure' implementation of their philosophies can be more harmful than good. I'm more concerned with the utility and quality of outcome rather than the purity of process. So if pure capitalism doesn't produce good results, I'm more than happy to regulate it to get better results.
And no, I don't believe that any means are justified by the ends. I think the ends and means must both be taken into account.