What is capitalism? Are we capitalists? The word has different meanings to many people. Capitalism as a word was actually coined by Karl Marx. It means, “an economy without government controls.” Many libertarians prefer the word free market because they think that capitalism has many bad connotations, like the fat cat bankers and the Wall Street elites sticking it to the little guy. Well, this is how Karl Marx portrayed capitalism and this is how people learn about what capitalism is while attending school. After all, today we live in a mixed economy. The best of both worlds, right? We saw the evils of capitalism at the end of the 19th Century and surely any moron knows that capitalism cannot be left untamed? People would be working in horrible conditions and getting their arms blown off in factories. The truth is that free acting individuals without the aid of the state have given us the standard of living today. The state likes to take credit for things like the forty hour work week and minimum wage but, these things would not be possible if it was not for the massive increase in wealth that the free market brought into the world.
The confusion about the definition of capitalism is pervasive throughout society, even by many people who claim to be for it. People throw the term around loosely and seem to not even understand what it means at times. People also seem to say that Europe and Canada are socialist. The truth is that neither is United States capitalist nor is it European socialist. Both are a mixture, each country has free elements of their economies and varying degrees of government control and the countries of Europe have many different mixtures at that.
Just because Europe and Canada have larger social safety nets does not make them socialist. Socialism is defined as: the government ownership of the means of production, that people work for the state and the state decides what everyone does. I guess you could say that Europe has more state control over their economies than we do but, this is not really true either. If this is the litmus test, then it is arguable that the United States is more socialist than Europe. Look at how the American housing industry is controlled by the American government. The same is true of banking. It is hard to believe that Europe has more control over their banking sector than the United States. Europe did not blow up a huge housing bubble through government sponsored entities like Freddy May and Fannie Mac… or whatever they are. In fact, Canada is ranked “more free” than America economically. So even though they have socialized health care, they are more free market or “capitalist” than we are.
To be honest, capitalism and socialism are almost without meaning anymore. Most of the public and political pundits have no idea what they mean. Politicians like to say we are capitalist. The ones on the right say this because they believe that their constituents like to hear this. It is much more politically convenient than saying that we are not capitalist because that would take some inconvenient explaining that might put some of his friends in a bad light. Politicians on the left like to say that we are capitalist as a foil to their progressive or socialist ideas. If obvious problems in society exist, it must be because America is capitalist. The solution is whatever pet government scheme that politicians have that will alleviate the “cruel” results of a capitalist society. If the problems exist because of government, it would not make sense to use more government to solve such problems. This is why leftist politicians describe America as capitalist. Because their solutions are not. Under no circumstance will they ever point to the government as a cause of even the smallest of problems. As you can see, capitalism and socialism, as terms, are used for political expedience and have little to do with reality.
I like the term ‘free market’. It is really the same thing as capitalism but, it emphasizes freedom. Some people use the term ‘freed market’ to differentiate from the market we have today, which is not free at all. This being said, ‘free market’ is good for me and is less confusing than ‘freed market’. At the same time, it is important that advocates of the free market are making it clear that they are advocating human freedom, not Wall Street or profits, or whatever smear socialists like to use. Economic Freedom is just as important as religious or any other type of personal freedom. In fact, they cannot be separated. It is a contradiction to say that a person should be free in personal areas of his life but, must be controlled economically by the state. Humans are meant to be free by their nature. Both economic and social freedoms are intertwined.
In the end, America does not have a free market. It is a corporatist hybrid. Though government may not own companies outright, it protects large corporations at the expense of the public and smaller firms. Our regulatory state does not and never has protected the public from public monopolies but, has instead entrenched monopolies through government privilege. The state pretends to protect us from contaminated food but, it has been large food producers who pushed for food regulation that have flexed out small time competition using compliance cost muscles. The government pretends to protect bank depositors through FDIC insurance but, has protected banks from bank runs allowing them to leverage their assets up to the hilt with no check in place whatsoever. The government pretends to protect from monopolies with antitrust laws but, has instead used these laws to destroy the competition of politically favored businesses. Worst of all, the government created the Federal Reserve to end the boom-bust cycle. Instead, it gave us the first Great Depression and is about to give us the second.
A true free-market society benefits the individual and the society as a whole. Society becomes healthier over time and even the poorest among us have the opportunity to become successful. Though that American dream still exists, it only exists because of the last vestiges of the free-market. When freedom disappears, so will the American Dream.
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this site. I’m hoping to check out the same high-grade content by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very own site now 😉
Generally I don’t read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice post.
Excel Türkiye – Excel Türkiye
https://groups.google.com/g/freebacklinks/c/LghzvFAcKyQ
This web site certainly has all the info I wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Best wishes! Where are your contact details though?
This is a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very precise information… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post!
Hi, I do think this is a great web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will come back yet again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
Your style is so unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this web site.
Some times its a pain in the ass to read what blog owners wrote but this web site is very user friendly! .
Incredible can function wonders to your life everywhere because of its remarkable capacity to transform.
This is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this page.
Amazingness is an all-in-one performance device that will let you do more in much less time.
Great web site you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find high quality writing like yours these days. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Terrific to get the most out of your money. Sensational!
You will certainly have the ability to get even more done, really feel far better, as well as live a more outstanding life!
Microsoft Excel, bir veri işleme ve analizi yazılımıdır. Bu yazılım sayesinde, verilerinizi girip, bunları toplama, çıkarma, çarpma, bölme gibi matematiksel işlemler yapabilir, bu verileri grafiklerle gösterebilir ve çeşitli formül ve fonksiyonlar kullanarak verilerinizi daha anlamlı hale getirebilirsiniz…
Providing you the marvelous benefits of Amazing!
This page certainly has all of the information I wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
You are so interesting! I do not suppose I have read through a single thing like that before. So wonderful to find someone with some genuine thoughts on this topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This site is one thing that’s needed on the internet, someone with a little originality.
It resembles having a personal assistant to assist you obtain more carried out in much less time.
There’s certainly a great deal to find out about this issue. I love all the points you’ve made.
Saved as a favorite, I love your website!
This page definitely has all the information I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
One of the most amazing remedy for obtaining points ended up. This is specifically what your life needs.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always exciting to read content from other authors and practice a little something from other web sites.
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you ought to publish more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t talk about such topics. To the next! Many thanks!
Great post. I’m going through a few of these issues as well..
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Many thanks for providing this information.
I was very pleased to find this page. I want to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every part of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new things on your blog.
I got what you mean , thanks for putting up.Woh I am thankful to find this website through google. “I was walking down the street wearing glasses when the prescription ran out.” by Steven Wright.
Great website. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks in your sweat!
Hello there! This blog post could not be written much better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I will send this information to him. Fairly certain he’s going to have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post plus the rest of the site is very good.
The Globe’s A lot of Advanced Performance!
I’ve read some just right stuff here. Certainly value bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how a lot effort you put to make this sort of fantastic informative site.
When I initially left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks.
Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and never seem to get anything done.
The Amazingness life-altering guide can aid you be a lot more effective, stay much healthier, and also appreciate life more!
I was having the most awful time with my workload and simply couldn’t keep up.
Great post, you have pointed out some fantastic points, I besides conceive this s a very good website.
Wonderful post! We are linking to this particularly great content on our site. Keep up the great writing.
This blog was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Cheers.
Right here is the perfect webpage for anybody who wishes to understand this topic. You understand so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that has been discussed for years. Great stuff, just great.
Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is important and all. But think of if you added some great images or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with pics and videos, this site could certainly be one of the greatest in its field. Awesome blog!
Good web site you have got here.. It’s hard to find good quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Amazing is an all-in-one life management device that will certainly make you extra productive and stress and anxiety cost-free.
Amazingness is a performance tool that will alter your life.
I really like looking through a post that can make men and women think. Also, many thanks for allowing for me to comment.
It’s difficult to find well-informed people in this particular subject, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks