Capitalism is a thug's economy: nice people finish last and garbage rises

[Karmadillo]

And then garbage runs for President and wins and then things get really, really bad.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=26&ItemID=8370

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Michael Albert: Long ago an anarchist wrote capitalism is theft. I think that's apt and that capitalism is also degradation, impoverishment, homogenization, commercialization, and pollution.
Capitalism leaves many people following orders, doing only rote tasks, and having little or no control of their economic lives. It pits people against one another so that nice people finish last and garbage rises.

Capitalism means production for profit, not for human fulfillment and development. It creates hierarchy and class rule. It gets much production, consumption and allocation accomplished - often too much - but with roles, conditions, aims, and agendas that sunder human solidarity, decimate economic, social, and ecological diversity, eviscerate equity, and mangle self management. Capitalism is more a thug's economy than a humane economy. When it is working less harmfully it is alienation and indignity. When it is working most harmfully it is starvation and war. I reject capitalism because it is so damn horrible.

But I would say that what inspired me to pursue a new economic model wasn't, in fact, capitalism's flaws. It was, instead, my growing knowledge of people's possibilities and the inspiration and hope this brought me. I learned what people can do partly by becoming familiar with a long history of struggles against injustice, and partly by participating in such struggles during the Sixties and after, leading to trying to answer the question that was put to me so often then and ever since: what do you want?

TM: But aren't human beings inherently greedy, selfish, and cutthroat as a species? Isn't it "utopian" to assume people are good?

MA: Human nature is such that it is possible for people to display greedy, selfish, and cutthroat behavior, or even to be Hannibal Lector-ish. That is undeniable. We can just look around and see that it happens. But human nature is also such that it is possible for people to display caring, empathetic, and social behavior, or even to be whoever strikes you as the most wonderful person you have ever encountered or even who has ever lived. That too is undeniable. We can just look around and see it.

more...

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. My dad is reading a book about different variations of capitalism

and says that author says there is another model that would not be hurtful to the little guy. (Can't recall the name of the book or the lady who wrote it, though.)

[stepnw1f]

2. Deregulated Capitalism (nt)

[bryant69]

3. The Argument in Favor of Capitalism is that it works

Does it work perfectly? No. Does it work completely justly? No. But when you compare it to the other economic systems that have been tried, it looks pretty good.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Karmadillo]

12. The argument against is that it destroys the planet,

encourages anti-social behavior, and creates huge concentrations of wealth. Democrats need to embrace economic justice instead of parroting wingnut free market malarkey.

[HEyHEY]

4. Bah, I love Capitalism - the only problem is that it is handled wrong

You need good government to ensure it does not take over and undermine decent conduct. As well, I think everything deemed necessary to survive should be regulated by the government.. power, water...etc.
As for the alternative to capitalism... being forced into some kinda human machine is not my idea of fair.

[Bonhomme Richard]

5. Capitalism only works and can sustain itself when...........

it is regulated by a strong government.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. But..but..it "works". For the capitalists, that is.

If you happen to own the means of production, it's a swell system.

All you have to do is convince the people actually doing the work, and actually producing something, that they're getting a good deal. If that doesn't work, you can move production somewhere else and convince the next bunch that they're getting a good deal. If that fails, you can help get a war going and sell whatever your company produces to the government AND get tax subsidies for doing so.

[Zorbuddha]

7. Capitalism is great as long as it's healthy and honest

And until greed and corruption defile it and the citizenry.

[NoSheep]

8. I agree completely.

[wtmusic]

9. The only way capitalism can work

is in balance with socialism. Both extremes collapse under their own weight.

We've been walking that tightrope for 229 years and all things considered, doing pretty well. The next 10 years will be a test.

[meow2u3]

11. This mixed economy is known as........

Liberalism!

[wli]

10. pathological wealth concentration is bad for capitalism too

Even the super-rich need currency circulation.