(February 1, 2018 at 6:25 pm)shadow Wrote:(February 1, 2018 at 6:12 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: Yeah, I think libertarians are principled folks. Truly I'll take them over your average Republican dickhead any day, but they simply put too much trust in free market capitalism. It's tantamount to believing in unicorns to think that laissez faire capitalism will solve everything. We had that once: it seriously sucked, and we've been trying to replace it ever since. Why do you think unions came about in the first place? Greed? Hell no! Survival.
I'll put exactly the right amount of trust into free market capitalism - you have to prevent failures of the free market (extremely interesting topic IMO). It's the field I find the most interesting to study, personally. I love striking that balance... seeing how the corporations are so cleverly exploiting things, and devising regulations that actually prevent them, but not interfering more than what keeps the playing field even. There is plenty of regulation to be had, and plenty we're missing (like a huge amount of environmental regulation!). But it just shouldn't be excessive in any way.
That's basically where I stand on the issue. You can write it off as me being a libertarian, but really I just see there being so much power in free markets, that it would be a crying shame to have a purely socialist society, where you lose all of that beautiful efficiency.
I really hate this false dichotomy. It is not a choice between a nanny state, like China, or North Korea, vs a no rules market. When people shit on the west, I like Che supporters, I say fuck them. Just because I hate a totalitarian run market, does not mean I want a free for all market either.
I really HATE the misuse of the word "capitalism" and BOTH right and left have far too many that have NO FUCKING CLUE what that means.
REALITY, every damned nation, open or closed, more pluralistic, theocracy, or worship of state, ALL have powers that invest in the global market. There is not one nation, open or closed that does not invest in the global market.
China is a form of "authoritarian capitalism" as to which one political party benefits the most. North Korea is a family kleptocracy and so is Cuba. In America, we have currently the other horrible side of the same coin. Instead of an ideology, religion, bullying everyone, we have a class bullying everyone. BUT the result is the same, no checks on power, with America we do have a constitution that is supposed to break up any and all monopolies, and a SCOTUS, up until 40 years ago, did do a better job to prevent abuse of power.
THE KEY is abuse of power. But if you think it is throw out the private sector, that will NEVER happen on a planet of 7 billion. In the west though, WHEN citizens care to act, they have the opportunity to keep power in check and prevent abuse. It is just that currently for the past 40 years America has sucked at using our voices. I do not think all is lost. I do see a current and growing push back.
