cska80
07-10-2009, 06:59 PM
This is something I wrote, not for anyone in particular, a few months back. I just reread it and decided I'd send it to the Providence Journal in hopes they'll print it. I thought it was pretty gewwd.
Got Capitalism? What is Capitalism, anyway? Where did this word come from? What does it mean? Why do we use it? Well, taking the most simple definition of capital from http://www.dictionary.com/, capital is the wealth, whether in money or property, owned or employed in businesss by an individual, firm, corporation, etc. Therefore, can we assume that the word Capital-ism is actually used to describe a society organized around a principle of private property ownership? If so, why do we use this word Capital-ism, which foundationally means the same thing as freedom and liberty, which was created by a man who was essentially anti-freedom? What man created this word? Karl Marx did as a perjorative.
Now that we can surely understand a few things about this word called Capitalism, let's try and understand a few things about our country today. We're told that Capitalism, the free market, has failed. When one asks the important question as to how Capitalism has failed us, we're told it's very simple. Greed! Banks got greedy. Wall Street got greedy. People got greedy. Our own so-called stalwarts of Capitalism and free markets declare that corrupt Democrats are the sole heirs to the blame that is the economic crisis due to the CRA and the Clintons. Could it be that they are all absolutely correct, yet absolutely wrong at the same time?
Is it Capitalism, through influence peddling in Washington, intimidation by community groups, leaders and politicians, as well as greed by people who would have never been in the housing market if it weren't for the easy access to credit, when banks give loans to people for a house or a car when they cannot afford it?
Is it Capitalism to sell bad debt to a government sponsored corporation which is backed up by tax payer dollars as a way to wash hands of liability?
Is it Capitalism when a coporation is bailed out to avoid bankruptcy?
Is it Capitalism when businessmen can lobby Washington and donate to campaigns in order to gain favor in terms of tax law in order to better their own situation or stiffle their competitors?
Is it Capitalism when one man can take from another simply by casting a vote?
Is it Capitalism when trade agreements are thousands of pages long filled with nonsensical rules and regulations which favor one over another by force of government?
Is it Capitalism when an unelected private bank manipulates interest rates and the value of our currency with no oversight by our government?
None of the above is Capitalism. None of the above is freedom and liberty. None of the above is even close to defining traits of a free market. We can see that both sides of the isle are to blame. One side denounces 'the failed policies of the last 8 years' (Capitalism) which is an out right lie, and the other side has failed to articulate the absence of Capitalism in our economy for a very long time. How can we fix things if we don't know how we got here? How can we know who we are if we do not know what words mean anymore?
Our country has cancer. The housing market, credit, etc. are symptoms. The mainstream media, talking heads, bureaucrats and politicians are our supposed diagnosticians, as well as the doctors who are here to save us. They sell painkillers and sedatives as the cure for the cancer. We're only addressing the symptoms. The cancer is going to kill us.
What is the cancer? Simple. Government. Over 232 years ago, there were some really crazy doctors experimenting with some over the top radical treatment. It was called the "Constitution". It produced these weird anomalies never seen before called "freedom" and "liberty". These anamolies unleashed amazing antibodies called "the people".
You are probably asking by now, what the hell is your point? We never killed the cancer back in 1776 and 1787. We were in remission for a very long time. Slowly, but surely, like all cancers, it came back. Now it's time to enlist the treatment of those crazy quacks to once again go into remission. Stop using words which lead us to the wrong diagnosis and confuse the antibodies. Capitalism is freedom and liberty, so say it. Anything other than freedom and liberty is tyranny, so declare it so. Those who offer government as the solution to your life are tyrannts, so push them back. Words need to have meaning again and those on the side of tyranny cannot and must not control the meaning.
Got Capitalism? What is Capitalism, anyway? Where did this word come from? What does it mean? Why do we use it? Well, taking the most simple definition of capital from http://www.dictionary.com/, capital is the wealth, whether in money or property, owned or employed in businesss by an individual, firm, corporation, etc. Therefore, can we assume that the word Capital-ism is actually used to describe a society organized around a principle of private property ownership? If so, why do we use this word Capital-ism, which foundationally means the same thing as freedom and liberty, which was created by a man who was essentially anti-freedom? What man created this word? Karl Marx did as a perjorative.
Now that we can surely understand a few things about this word called Capitalism, let's try and understand a few things about our country today. We're told that Capitalism, the free market, has failed. When one asks the important question as to how Capitalism has failed us, we're told it's very simple. Greed! Banks got greedy. Wall Street got greedy. People got greedy. Our own so-called stalwarts of Capitalism and free markets declare that corrupt Democrats are the sole heirs to the blame that is the economic crisis due to the CRA and the Clintons. Could it be that they are all absolutely correct, yet absolutely wrong at the same time?
Is it Capitalism, through influence peddling in Washington, intimidation by community groups, leaders and politicians, as well as greed by people who would have never been in the housing market if it weren't for the easy access to credit, when banks give loans to people for a house or a car when they cannot afford it?
Is it Capitalism to sell bad debt to a government sponsored corporation which is backed up by tax payer dollars as a way to wash hands of liability?
Is it Capitalism when a coporation is bailed out to avoid bankruptcy?
Is it Capitalism when businessmen can lobby Washington and donate to campaigns in order to gain favor in terms of tax law in order to better their own situation or stiffle their competitors?
Is it Capitalism when one man can take from another simply by casting a vote?
Is it Capitalism when trade agreements are thousands of pages long filled with nonsensical rules and regulations which favor one over another by force of government?
Is it Capitalism when an unelected private bank manipulates interest rates and the value of our currency with no oversight by our government?
None of the above is Capitalism. None of the above is freedom and liberty. None of the above is even close to defining traits of a free market. We can see that both sides of the isle are to blame. One side denounces 'the failed policies of the last 8 years' (Capitalism) which is an out right lie, and the other side has failed to articulate the absence of Capitalism in our economy for a very long time. How can we fix things if we don't know how we got here? How can we know who we are if we do not know what words mean anymore?
Our country has cancer. The housing market, credit, etc. are symptoms. The mainstream media, talking heads, bureaucrats and politicians are our supposed diagnosticians, as well as the doctors who are here to save us. They sell painkillers and sedatives as the cure for the cancer. We're only addressing the symptoms. The cancer is going to kill us.
What is the cancer? Simple. Government. Over 232 years ago, there were some really crazy doctors experimenting with some over the top radical treatment. It was called the "Constitution". It produced these weird anomalies never seen before called "freedom" and "liberty". These anamolies unleashed amazing antibodies called "the people".
You are probably asking by now, what the hell is your point? We never killed the cancer back in 1776 and 1787. We were in remission for a very long time. Slowly, but surely, like all cancers, it came back. Now it's time to enlist the treatment of those crazy quacks to once again go into remission. Stop using words which lead us to the wrong diagnosis and confuse the antibodies. Capitalism is freedom and liberty, so say it. Anything other than freedom and liberty is tyranny, so declare it so. Those who offer government as the solution to your life are tyrannts, so push them back. Words need to have meaning again and those on the side of tyranny cannot and must not control the meaning.