Is America a capitalist country?

[pguitarb]

The reason I ask is because many college kids and professors alike seem to think so. From listening to / reading RP I've come to realize that we are actually closer to a socialist economy than a truely capitalist one. How do I break it to them?

[ghemminger]

Break it to them gently!

[hard@work]

The reason I ask is because many college kids and professors alike seem to think so. From listening to / reading RP I've come to realize that we are actually closer to a socialist economy than a truely capitalist one. How do I break it to them?

What we have is a hybrid, primarily a plutocracy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy

The thing that just plain sucks about the mistake of this form of capitalism is that it is mistaken for the original intent of the free market. The free exchange of goods and services amongst each other. The education system is very hypnotic in it's description of corporatism as a free market capitalist system. But we hardly have that, otherwise we'd all be shopping at no name farmer's markets and buying our shoes from the cobbler buddy of ours down the street.

[Johnnybags]

What we have is a hybrid, primarily a plutocracy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy

The thing that just plain sucks about the mistake of this form of capitalism is that it is mistaken for the original intent of the free market. The free exchange of goods and services amongst each other. The education system is very hypnotic in it's description of corporatism as a free market capitalist system. But we hardly have that, otherwise we'd all be shopping at no name farmer's markets and buying our shoes from the cobbler buddy of ours down the street.

for sure and hey" anyone think Ms Teen Carolina knows what a cobbler is?

[hard@work]

for sure and hey" anyone think Ms Teen Carolina knows what a cobbler is?


Listen pal, every neoconservative knows that the reason that Americans cannot find the United States on the map is because we just don't have maps. If we can get ourselves all maps then things will change.

I am for a small gasoline tax, say 4 cents on the gallon to provide Americans with maps.

[Kuldebar]

Well, to quote Ron Paul:

Capitalism should not be condemned, since we haven't had capitalism.

Varying degrees of mercantilism from almost the start of the Republic. There has been capitalism, of course, just not throughout the whole of the economy. Over the years, the capitalism that remained managed to drive the whole country toward wealth and prosperity despite the encroaching parasitism of statism and corporatism.