Capitalism, The Best Solution to Poverty

[macdoc]

I call it mixed economy but essentially what Jim laid out.
Socialism tends to stifle risk taking and creativity and encourages abuse of power over critical infrastructure like water, healthcare, education.

Competition and the risk of failure is vital to progress...China is really struggling trying to chart a path between socialism and state capitalism.

The US hasn't even figured out that socialism is not communism

My biggest concern with any ism remains maintaining the the rights and responsibility of the individual against any of the organized groups of beach apes.

See where you fall
https://www.politicalcompass.org/test

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I'm actually aligned with Ayn Rand and Ghandi in my political spectrum tho not the idiotic version of Rand the repuglies have adopted.

[JimC]

I generally agree, although I'm not convinced that public infrastructure is always best when privatised.

[macdoc]

Depends on what you call public infrastructure....privatizing and then granting a monopoly on something like water is the WORST of all worlds ( see UK for that boondoggle)

[macdoc]

I haven't changed much
Currently


samples not me

https://commonplacebook.com/current-eve ... pass-2003/

Tho might have drifted a little to Libertarian over 20 years,

This puts Ghandi further left and does include Rand

[JimC]

Did mine:

The Political Compass.pdf

(30.53 KiB) Downloaded 7 times

Did not think I'd be so fucking libertarian!

Edit - not sure how to post it...

[pErvinalia]

I used to be down near the bottom left corner. Probably not as radical these days. I'll be a conservative in ten years!

[JimC]

Mine (as I said, not sure how to post it) is virtually identical to mac's!

[macdoc]

take a screen shot then use
https://imgbb.com
Thanks Hermit

[pErvinalia]

Mine (as I said, not sure how to post it) is virtually identical to mac's!

Radical centrists!

[macdoc]

Libertarian lefties

[Brian Peacock]

Again. the choices that people, institutions, public and private bodies make within the context of Capitalism is the system.

Yeah the choices people make are to maximise profit, regardless of the effect it has on society and the environment.

And as some would say, this is because business has no obligations or responsibilities beyond their duty to the bottom line - no mandate to raise living standards, and every right to object to having profits limited by structural means to help build and/or maintain wider public goods. Profit, it seems, is just a good in and of itself.

[Brian Peacock]

Again. the choices that people, institutions, public and private bodies make within the context of Capitalism is the system.

Yeah the choices people make are to maximise profit, regardless of the effect it has on society and the environment.

It is people making choices, but their position in a capitalist organisation virtually mandates those choices...

... as well as the structures and instruments which define the bounds of those choices and dictate the direction of travel or the functional range of outcomes.

[Brian Peacock]

I'll add something further to consolidate my centrist tendencies...

It is difficult to see moving to a realistic alternative to capitalism from our current situation. Full-on socialism has its own, virtually automatic tendency to reduce individual freedom beyond reasonable limits, suppress innovation and slide towards authoritarian rule. So, my view is the classic social democratic position of allowing free enterprise, but having a range of well designed controlling structures via democratically elected governments, unions and informed public opinion. Possibly a fool's hope, I know...

This is why fanboi's for Capitalism always take any and all critiques as a direct threat and/or an attempt to eradicate it wholesale - imagining an coherent alternative is almost impossible, and this immediately close off the possibility of progressing discussions which explore more complimentary approaches.

[Brian Peacock]

Competition and the risk of failure is vital to progress...China is really struggling trying to chart a path between socialism and state capitalism.

Doesn't that rather depend on who is competing, what the competition's rules are, and what the competitors are competing to win? If, as you say, business has no obligations towards enhancing the well-being of society then all that is being progressed is the profitability of the winners. As if, as I've already said, profit is just a good in and of itself.

China is operating within the context of a global, capitalist system - one that isn't just an economic system but also a social and political system.

[macdoc]

Oh come on, don't put the ills of the world in politics and social arena on capitalisms plate. Ridiculous. It is an economic system ranging from individuals to state capitalism based on risk, reward and failure economically.

an economic system. That is, it is a system for dealing with money and wealth. In a capitalist country, citizens, not governments, own and run companies. These companies compete with other companies for business.
Capitalism helps propel innovation and prosperity in modern society, it can also create inequalities and contribute to market failures. Capitalism is the direct opposite of communism, which is a system that is controlled by the government.