(September 8, 2009 at 5:13 pm)bozo Wrote: You made the assertion that you will do what it takes to get into the 1% fatcat club. Why would you even want to go there? You don't strike me as being that unpleasant.That statements makes the assumption that all members of the "fatcat club" are unpleasant. It is your opinion, not a logically valid argument.
(September 8, 2009 at 5:34 pm)bozo Wrote: Capitalism is no advert for developing society. Capitalism breeds selfishness,greed,envy,competitiveness,hostility to others and other unenviable traits.Blaming this on capitalism is simply ridiculous. Capitalism does not breed selfishness, greed, envy, or any of the other traits; those traits are present to begin with. I could equally hold that you are envious of the success of others, and thereby hold the selfish view of socialism because you want to live in a society where you don't have to work. Hostility to others? Complete garbage. Human beings are human beings; we aren't perfect, and we certainly won't be made perfect by an economic system (especially one that fails so miserably as socialism).
It is inhuman...witness the vast imbalance of the world's resources, look to the third world, to the starving millions and contrast the lives of those people to the mega-rich. Abomination.
The third world has it's own problems. If you compare the richest man in the most developed country to the poorest child in the least developed country, you are making a faulty comparison. You will find that in developed countries, poverty is much less of a problem, because capitalism is supported by the rich who are the people creating the jobs. In less economically developed countries, there aren't many rich to support poor with jobs. The economics of a country is individual to that country. Comparing the highest attribute of one to the lowest attribute of another only shows you the difference in the countries themselves, not the internal differences (which is what matters).
Quote:You show your true colours, Adrian, in calling socialism, a system that would seek to redress the imbalance and create REAL equality, a " disease ". It is you that is diseased, I fear, only interested in your own development.When have I not shown my true colours? Socialism is not equal at all; I have always maintained this. Socialism punishes the rich (the people who have earned their money) and gives everything to the poor; the people who either refuse to work, lost all their money somehow, or do not have the qualifications to get employment anywhere. In short, the people who out of everyone do not deserve it in any way, let alone earned it. Society should only support people who are prepared to contribute to society. If a poor person cannot work (physically) then they should be supported. People who have no qualifications should be encouraged to get them. People who refuse to work or cannot be bothered should not receive any of societies help. This isn't looking out for my own development, this is looking out for the development of the society that wishes to contribute to itself. I could easily go on the dole and benefit from your socialistic society, but I'm studying at university (racking up debt) because I don't want to be a burden on society; I want to contribute to society.
(September 8, 2009 at 6:06 pm)bozo Wrote: Adrian is a capitalist who chooses to label himself " left " but also is a " libertarian " which is capitalist. So, be careful is my caveat.You need a great big political dictionary thrown at your head bozo. The terms "left" and "right" can refer to both social and economic issues. I don't classify myself as left at all. I classify myself as "socially left, economically right". I believe in the social freedoms of left-wing politics and the economic freedoms of right-wing politics. Secondly, Libertarianism is not capitalist. At the heart of Libertarianism stand the three ideals of life, liberty, and prosperity. Libertarians value liberty more than anything else, so all Libertarians are socially left. What we disagree on is how best to distribute wealth amongst the people. Socialist Libertarians think that socialism is the best economic system for doing this, Capitalist Libertarians think that capitalism is the best.
So yes, I am a capitalist and also a libertarian, but it does not follow that being a libertarian means I am capitalist. It's a fallacy, a non-sequitur. Just as it does not follow from "Adrian is a man" to "therefore Adrian is an atheist", it does not follow from "Adrian is a Libertarian" to "therefore Adrian is a capitalist".
