Late stage capitalism is awful and more socialist policies are needed to curb the problems with it.
I am against capitalism controlling the necessities of life ( medicine, food, housing, education, basic clothing ). If I had my way. Only luxuries would be capitalistic ( entertainment, restaurants, fancy or trendy clothing, amusement, jewelry ).
It's a fantastic motivator. That doesn't mean that it should be unchecked, it doesn't mean it is the solution to every problem, and it doesn't mean that every aspect of our societies need to act as capitalistic as possible.
“Nostalgia was like a disease, one that crept in and stole the colour from the world and the time you lived in. Made for bitter people. Dangerous people, when they wanted back what never was.” -- Steven Erikson, The Crippled God
the only system where ppl have the same possibilities to become rich is capitalism. This is the system that ensures equality. On the free market, only those who create cheap and good products will survive, not those who know how to dodge taxes.
When tempered with Socialism it's okay. There are some core issues with Capitalism, it's a bit too idealistic as a system of it's own much like any other ideology (e.g. Communism/Socialism).
"In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance
It has its flaws but that is because man(woman) himself/herself is flawed too otherwise its a great system if people are willing to put the concept to work like any economic system.
"Capitalism" has been quite good for me and mine, and it was certainly preferable to mercantilism, but we're currently seeing a great deal of vicious and damaging evolutions of it - I think it is important to remember that corporations derive their existence from the authority of the state, and thus are ultimately allowed to exist only so far as they are considered a net benefit to the public good.
Free and fair trade are both loaded terms (with "free" trade in particular being are grossly inaccurate, nigh Orwellian, description of what it purports to represent) - I lack the time for a disquisition, so I'll simply say that I support just trade and leave it at that.
"In today’s America, conservatives who actually want to conserve are as rare as liberals who actually want to liberate. The once-significant language of an earlier era has had the meaning sucked right out of it, the better to serve as camouflage for a kleptocratic feeding frenzy in which both establishment parties participate with equal abandon" (Taking a break from the criminal, incompetent liars at the NSA, to bring you the above political observation, from The Archdruid Report.)
I don't feel bad that individuals are able to own the means of production.
I enjoy that I can grow and make things that are mine, and if I wish to sell them and people wish to buy they can.
Moderated capitalism is the best system we have.
Well it depends on what we mean by capitalism. Generally speaking, if it involves an involuntary interaction I'm against it, though in a free market absent force, Capitalism is a natural function since the most resources are generated by those who spend current or past resources on producing things.
Any other system is naturally immoral since you have to intervene in otherwise free exchanges to create one.
You make it sound as if everyone had that freedom, when that is most certainly not the case.
All it takes is being unlucky, be it at birth or during some unfortunate event afterwards, and you'd sing an entirely different song about capitalism than you do now.
To be honest, even as someone not from the 'murca, I'm not certain what is and isn't part of "socialism" or what a society based entirely on it would look like.
What I do know is that I grew up in a social democracy, with many checks and bars and safety nets that may or may not be "socialist", which means I am now allowed to be alive and educated and in a home with internet access discussing politics on a videogame forum. Had I been born in the US at the same level of poverty as I was here, I'd be dead or homeless or a criminal.
And as such, I find it utterly disgusting how most americans one sees online discard everything that allowed me to have a chance at life as "evil socialism filth".
Originally Posted by Boubouille
Too be honest Capitalism has been out of control for a long time, our air/land and water has been polluted for a long time and is continued to be polluted to save costs resulting eco systems being lost, species rapidly becoming extinct and constantly being poisoned.
Living wise thousands of jobs being moved to 3rd world countries because it's cheaper to make in sweatshops and transport them. For example our clothes are being made to next to nothing and after they are transported to 1st world countries with "magic" of branding they slap their logo on and they suddenly worth alot of money.
Granted we need Capitalism to provide the "carrot on a stick" and reward people for hard/smart work but we also need socialism in order to balance it out and provide jobs for people in order to work and homes for people to live in and to stop people from privatising everything especially human right needs like food/water/healthcare/education and infrastructure.
Me personally like the idea of a Science Directorate where Scientists are in charge over seeing politcal needs instead of the political elites screwing people over to line their pockets
Luckily it's not most Americans but we also have these people here in Europe. These middle class hard line republicans are so infused with corporate propaganda that they'll instantly discard anything that is remotely connected to socialism because they think it will be the second coming of Stalin. Whatever.
Capitalism is a nice theory. Reliance on greed is unnecessary. Capitalism can work fine without greed. Corporations are not a creation of capitalism but a result of socio-economic manipulation by powerful elements in the market. They are more often than not, dangerous. Free trade is great in theory, if everyone has the freedom to work where they want, when they want in whatever country they want for whatever wage they want and have access to any resources they want. But that's not how reality works.
Human progress isn't measured by industry. It's measured by the value you place on a life.
Just, be kind.