Here is why capitalism needs major progressive reform

[Woodznutz]

Government is pure, naked force. There's nothing "civilized" about it.

I'm talking about institutions and infrastructure. Sewerage systems and other 'civil works' elevate society and thus civilization.

 

[BackAgain]

Republicans are under the delusion that all far lefties want to get rid of capitalism altogether. While some misguided liberals do express this, for the most part that isn’t what we want. I mean this sure as hell is not what democrats in office want - not even close.

There’s no denying that capitalism is essential for any nation’s economy to be successful. A private market itself is important. Hell most nations know this anyway. I mean contrary to popular belief, Venezuela has a private market. The government is simply incompetent so that’s why it is a failed state.

To me, capitalism in America in the 50’s is the dream. Capitalism now in America? It’s a complete joke. Unfettered capitalism sounds good on paper, but it simply isn’t in practice.

Let me sum up how corporations today view labor:

“Okay so how much can we pay our employees to at least keep them productive and keep a steady flow of applicants? Turnover isn’t a big deal so long as new people come in a steady flow. Obviously we aren’t concerned about paying them a wage they can live off of. We just meed to maximize profit.”

This is where the government needs to step in.

We don’t have anything even remotely akin to unfettered capitalism.

We need an injection of socialism like we need an incurable new strain of COVID that actually makes people sick.

Nobody on the GOP establishment calls for unregulated capitalism. Some regulations are obviously beneficial. The problem remains that much of it is a misguided mishmash of liberal theory and feel good notions of how a utopia might work. And that shit not only doesn’t work, it is severely counterproductive.

 

[Mac1958]

As long as Washington DC is this divided and myopic, capitalism will continue to under-perform and other options will continue to look better than they should.

The Right clearly refuses to understand that regulation is not the bane of capitalism, it's a critical COMPONENT of capitalism. The Left seems to think that ANY regulation is GOOD regulation. Instead, the goal should be to find the optimum point at which capitalism is serving the largest possible population without having its most dynamic characteristics damaged by controls.

If we lose capitalism -- by far the best economic system -- it will be self-inflicted wound. It will be because the two ends of the spectrum ONCE AGAIN refused to collaborate and innovate.

 

[bripat9643]

I'm talking about institutions and infrastructure. Sewerage systems and other 'civil works' elevate society and thus civilization.

You theory that only government can build these is flawed. In fact, most of the work to build sewage systems is done by private developers. When I was a kid, the water for my neighborhood was supplied by a private company.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

They offer big infrastructure contracts, paid for with tax money.

You mean OVER PAID big jobs. The government prevailing wages are beyond stupid and way out of wack with similar private industry jobs.
A complete waste of tax dollars.
In the 90's I had to pay unskilled workers over 20 bucks per hour to push a broom on military jobsites and HUD projects.

 

[bripat9643]

As long as Washington DC is this divided and myopic, capitalism will continue to under-perform and other options will continue to look better than they should.

The Right clearly refuses to understand that regulation is not the bane of capitalism, it's a critical COMPONENT of capitalism. The Left seems to think that ANY regulation is GOOD regulation. Instead, the goal should be to find the optimum point at which capitalism is serving the largest possible population without having its most dynamic characteristics damaged by controls.

If we lose capitalism -- by far the best economic system -- it will be self-inflicted wound. It will be because the two ends of the spectrum ONCE AGAIN refused to collaborate and innovate.

Hogwash. What "other options?" They've been tried many times, and they all suck.

Government regulation is thoroughly corrupt and counter productive. Controlling pollution can be done better through the tort system. Government regulation is the reason we are about to run out of diesel, and the reason gas is $4.00/gal

 

[themirrorthief]

Christ fuck that pretentious broad and her whole garbage philosophy.

everybody knows only rich gov officials should have money

 

[Woodznutz]

You theory that only government can build these is flawed. In fact, most of the work to build sewage systems is done by private developers. When I was a kid, the water for my neighborhood was supplied by a private company.

Most civic projects are done by private companies but paid for by taxes. Development is done by private and public engineers working together.

 

[Woodznutz]

You mean OVER PAID big jobs. The government prevailing wages are beyond stupid and way out of wack with similar private industry jobs.
A complete waste of tax dollars.
In the 90's I had to pay unskilled workers over 20 bucks per hour to push a broom on military jobsites and HUD projects.

Not entirely wasted dollars, as they quickly flow back into the general economy.

 

[bripat9643]

Most civic projects are done by private companies but paid for by taxes. Development is done by private and public engineers working together.

Most are, but that isn't the only way to do it. A lot of them are paid for by the developer. Government isn't required, and the world would be better off if we limited government to the maximum extent possible.

 

[bripat9643]

Not entirely wasted dollars, as they quickly flow back into the general economy.

Way not just pay the money directly to me? I will also make it quickly flow back into the general economy.

 

[Woodznutz]

Way not just pay the money directly to me? I will also make it quickly flow back into the general economy.

The point is that money itself isn't ever wasted in the general sense, although time and materials can be. Money moves on very quickly.

 

[Woodznutz]

As long as Washington DC is this divided and myopic, capitalism will continue to under-perform and other options will continue to look better than they should.

The Right clearly refuses to understand that regulation is not the bane of capitalism, it's a critical COMPONENT of capitalism. The Left seems to think that ANY regulation is GOOD regulation. Instead, the goal should be to find the optimum point at which capitalism is serving the largest possible population without having its most dynamic characteristics damaged by controls.

If we lose capitalism -- by far the best economic system -- it will be self-inflicted wound. It will be because the two ends of the spectrum ONCE AGAIN refused to collaborate and innovate.

The way to preserve capitalism is for more people to become capitalists. This spreads the money, and thus the power, more widely.

 

[bripat9643]

The point is that money itself isn't ever wasted in the general sense, although time and materials can be. Money moves on very quickly.

Of course it's wasted. How is paying useless parasites to produce nothing of value to anyone not a waste?

 

[Woodznutz]

Of course it's wasted. How is paying useless parasites to produce nothing of value to anyone not a waste?

The government doesn't recognize waste when it comes to spending tax dollars.

 

[Stann]

Republicans are under the delusion that all far lefties want to get rid of capitalism altogether. While some misguided liberals do express this, for the most part that isn’t what we want. I mean this sure as hell is not what democrats in office want - not even close.

There’s no denying that capitalism is essential for any nation’s economy to be successful. A private market itself is important. Hell most nations know this anyway. I mean contrary to popular belief, Venezuela has a private market. The government is simply incompetent so that’s why it is a failed state.

To me, capitalism in America in the 50’s is the dream. Capitalism now in America? It’s a complete joke. Unfettered capitalism sounds good on paper, but it simply isn’t in practice.

Let me sum up how corporations today view labor:

“Okay so how much can we pay our employees to at least keep them productive and keep a steady flow of applicants? Turnover isn’t a big deal so long as new people come in a steady flow. Obviously we aren’t concerned about paying them a wage they can live off of. We just meed to maximize profit.”

This is where the government needs to step in.

The bottom line in all of this and every other problem we're facing is overpopulation. And that creates the climate change crisis. Which is creating sustained natural and humanitarian disasters. This in turn, will continue to increase as the crisis accelerates and will eventually overwhelm the capacity of governments to cope. This will result in civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism. In response to this chaos and uncertainty people will become increasingly irrational ( as is already being witnessed today ). When science and technology are unable to control events people revert to magical thinking and behavior. The far-right's attack on democracy and science denial are good examples of this. It is an act of self-deception complete with conspiracy theories that grow increasingly wilder and more destructive. Yes, a bandaid must be put on capitalism until we reach the next level of our evolution. I cannot see the current system surviving more than 10 more years. We must embrace the future not fear it. And it's going to take all of US working together to make it.

 

[psikeyhackr]

The bottom line in all of this and every other problem we're facing is overpopulation. And that creates the climate change crisis. Which is creating sustained natural and humanitarian disasters.

Search Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations for "and account". You will find multiple instances of, "read, write and account". The United States could have made accounting/finance mandatory in the schools since Sputnik, but when have you ever heard conservatives or liberals suggest any such thing?

 

[Stann]

Search Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations for "and account". You will find multiple instances of, "read, write and account". The United States could have made accounting/finance mandatory in the schools since Sputnik, but when have you ever heard conservatives or liberals suggest any such thing?

Unregulated/ out of control capitalism has one clear ending using up all the earth's resources and it's destruction. It's not a good ending for anyone and everything

 

[Mac1958]

Unregulated/ out of control capitalism has one clear ending using up all the earth's resources and it's destruction. It's not a good ending for anyone and everything

And in terms of this country specifically, it leads to massive inequities that push us closer to our version of the French Revolution.

I say it all the time: Proper, efficient regulation is not the bane of capitalism, it's a critical component of capitalism. Those who push this quasi-libertarian notion of capitalism are stuck in a shallow, simplistic, ignorant, binary world. And it's hurting capitalism, badly.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Unregulated/ out of control capitalism has one clear ending using up all the earth's resources and it's destruction. It's not a good ending for anyone and everything

Is consumerism with planned obsolescence while economists ignore the depreciation of durable consumer junk really capitalism?

Adam Smith and Karl Marx never saw anything like this. Adam Smith's writings are being distorted and used for propaganda to rationalize this economic insanity.