Why I’m a Capitalist
A couple of months ago, I was with a group of radical anti-capitalists. They thought that government was the answer to life, the universe and everything. They thought that businessmen secretly cheat on their wives and beat their children, whereas the poor starving individual was heroically beaten down by the brutal financial leaders. Maybe I’m stretching it a bit. But when I announced to them that I was a capitalist, they just gave me a blank stare.
“Why on earth?“, was the simple question.
Here’s a paraphrase of what my answer was. First I defined capitalism as being a simple idea. It’s where the government leaves the corporate world alone, and doesn’t try to do business work in a senate committee with people who have never done business. Capitalism is economic freedom.
There are six reasons I like capitalism. They are as follows:
6. I like big business
Restrictive economic policies target big business. No, this doesn’t mean it’s good for the workers. Think about it. Hurting big business hurts the whole business — workers are part of the business.
Every restriction for big business ends up trickling down and hurting their workers, either through fewer pay upgrades or through laying people off to increase efficiency. Restricting big business is restricting the little guy.
Oh. And big business is actually good. Why? Because they became “big”. How did they become big? The market — or, for the socialists — society liked them. Big business only gets that way by offering the people nice stuff. If the people like it, then they aren’t evil.
It’s really not complicated. But we’ve been told by the restrictive forces of the world that big is bad, that little is good. I propose an alternative: both are good. Speaking of which, that brings us to reason number five.
5. I like small business
I work at a small business. My family runs a small business. This business is based on our family working hard. We’re not evil. We’re good. We help other business by helping them market their products and advertise to increase their profits.
By working hard, we only succeed through helping others succeed. Capitalism allows us to do that unhampered. But restrictive policies severely restrict our ability to do business.* Restrictions that might not seem like much to us on paper can be devastating in real life. Real people go under every time we pass another law. Every restriction destroys lives.
4. I like rich people
Rich people aren’t evil. I don’t care what Hollywood wishes me to think about “The Capitalists”. I won’t buy the commie propaganda. I like rich people. I don’t like snobs. There’s a difference. Poor people can be snobs. Rich people can be snobs. Rich people can be jerks. Poor people can be jerks.
The rich that I’ve met in my life are the hardest working individuals I’ve ever known. There’s a reason they are rich. And I appreciate their work, and recognize that their hard labor paid off both for them and the countless people who gained from the micro-economic impacts of their labor.
3. I like poor people
Liberals paint themselves as loving poor people. So they increase government programs, welfare, restrictions on the rich, etc. But their restrictions on business cause unemployment — liberalism causes poverty. Their welfare encourages dependence on federal aid, psychologically keeping the poor in their poverty. I am a capitalist because I hate poverty.
I am a capitalist because I hate poverty. I am not a liberal because I care about the poor enough not to buy into emotional arguments that realistically destroy the working class. Freedom brings prosperity.
2. I like justice
Capitalism is where everyone is allowed to unleash their minds in order to produce and achieve. You don’t get rich being a moron. You have to use your mind or muscle. Or, for most, a mixture of the two.
Capitalism rewards the hard-working and punishes the lazy. It’s the only economic system on earth that does this. This is why it works.
As Ayn Rand said:
“The moral justification for capitalism lies in the fact that it is the only system consonant with man’s rational nature, that it protects man’s survival qua man, and that its ruling principle is: justice.”
1. I like money
I know. I’m supposed to pretend like the only thing on earth important is people and puppy dogs. But guess what? I like nice stuff too. And so does the liberal. And Obama. And Edwards. Especially them. See, they like being commies in theory. But in reality, they like “capital”. They like money. They like private jets, private islands, nice food, nice clothes and $500 haircuts.
And you know what? That would have been fine, if only they didn’t pretend that it was evil. In their hearts, they know there’s nothing wrong with working hard and establishing a fantastic house, expensive car and great lifestyle for your kids. They know there’s no reason to think that we should restrict business owners, or try to go against wealth.
But in policy, they stop. They pretend that greed is wrong, because other people want your money (read that a few times, and see what’s amiss). But when it comes down to it, they know that capital is good. They live like rich cats.
Ironically, it’s for the same reason as me. There’s nothing wrong with material wealth. The whole goal of economics is understanding how to get our wealth to be maximized. Well, I have news for the news people and the politicians of the world:
Try Capitalism. Capitalism sets mankind free to work and achieve his values. It lets people barter in peace and choice rather than being manipulated by Washington elites. Capitalism works because it’s based on that age old principle that the human mind works best when it’s set free. Capitalism works because freedom works.
So that’s why I’m a capitalist.
*Our family business is an oldies radio station. The FCC’s policies are often random, restrictive and expensive. They hurt our customers and communities by forcing us to keep prices artificially higher than they would be if we didn’t have the nearly random restrictions.
Mike Huckabee — Christian Hypocrisy
Mike Huckabee is currently waging one of the most sickening campaigns I’ve ever witnessed. He trumps his religion while violating its principles. He acts as though Romney is attacking him — he does this while responding with sarcasm and acting like a total jerk.
Make no mistake — Huckabee’s campaign one-word slogan should be “Hypocrisy”. I don’t have a favorite GOP candidate. Though I’ll defend Romney here, I’ll defend him because he’s right in these controversies, not because I support him the most. I support at least two other candidates before supporting him.
Still, Huckabee is currently shaming both his faith and his party. Considering this, I do know that I don’t want him to get the ticket. People who just play word games and name-calling without focusing on the issues just shouldn’t win elections.
So, ironically, I don’t support Huckabee because I am a Christian. If, at the end of this article you think that more people should see Huckabee’s hypocrisy, remember to Digg it. All you have to do is click. Digg is vital to elections, and is completely changing the face of how people get their information. Registering just takes a second, and allows you to voice your opinion without having to type a word.
The Huckabee Jesus
At Christmas, Huckabee made an ad that didn’t reference a single issue. Not a single policy. He kept up his “identity politics” campaign. On Saturday’s debate, he even told the nation that his goal is to remind you of the guy who hired you, not who fired you. That’s “identity politics”.
In other words, if he feels good, vote for him. Focus on the feeling the candidate gives, not the facts of his stances. Identity politics is what happens when a candidate is afraid of both the issues and the people.
The goal of this is to win the GOP election by playing the “nice-guy-Christian” feel. I’m a passionate Christian. I read theology books for fun. And nothing the guy is doing reminds me of Christ. He’s using Jesus as a political card rather than a role model.
So what is the identity that Huckabee is shooting for? A Christian. Consider the following observations, and see if Huck’s actions remind you of Jesus.
The Romney Ads
Lying is a sin. Lying is intentionally misrepresenting the truth. Huckabee’s response to the Romney ads is a rediculous misrepresentation of the truth. Huckabee attacked (ironically) Romney for his “attacks” on McCain. The Romney ad is posted below.
All of the statements weren’t Romney’s, but National Review’s. This is a conservative magazine. The introduction to the video has Romney calling McCain a war hero, and applauds him for it. This is an attack ad? Get real, Huck. He doesn’t even have half a case that Romney is attacking the candidates. Outrageously, Huckabee is attacking Romney. I’ll have one iced-Irony to go, please.
[Video Below]
Yes, the was a critique. Yes, critiques happen in elections. Yes, Huckabee and McCain are ganging up on Romney for political purposes. And yes, it’s shameful that Mike is trying to do it looking like Jesus.
Won’t Run This Ad That I’m Showing You. Whoops!
Mike Huckabee almost ran a negative ad. Thank goodness, he stopped before launching it, because he didn’t want anyone to see it. Because he didn’t want anyone to see it, he launched a media conference to show it to the media, so no one would see it.
Anyone remotely familiar with American politics knows that showing the video to the media means exposure. Four million people watch the O’Reilly factor. He got to show the ad.
[Video Below]
You just saw the ad that Huckabee doesn’t want you to see. Yeah, right.
When Mike first said that he was going to show the ad to the media, the response was laughter. Surely, he was kidding. Alas, he wasn’t. He was actually going to show them what he wasn’t going to show them. This reminds me of a little child who says to their father, “I’m not going to tell you that I got you a shirt for Christmas!” Utter ridiculousness. Huckabee is doing something at the exact same time he is saying he isn’t doing it.
Even John Kerry was never this two-faced. This is in direct violation of nearly every Christian principle that comes to mind regarding how we treat others. Huckabee? Nothing there but dishonesty. We need less dishonesty in Washington, and that means no Huckabee.
I’m a Christian!
Huckabee’s conflict-style with Romeny is ridiculous. During Sunday’s discussion, lively debate occurred often. However, the one time Romney asked a question (If Huckabee would kick immigrant children out of the US — it was a valid question everyone was answering. The short answer is “yes”, but that’s a severely damaging answer.), Huckabee looked at him and arrogantly told Mitt not to interrupt him.
Huckabee tried to act like a victim, while bulldozing over Romney’s legitimate question. Romney smiled — he had class. Huckabee had none. The moderator started to take Romney’s style — it should have been obvious. Huckabee’s reasoning was not that Romney was being unruly. He asked one question. Huckabee took the role of the moderator while telling Romney to respect the moderator.
We have a word for that. Hypocracy.
During the discussion on Sunday night’s debate, the issue of taxes came up, and Huckabee responded with sarcasm, explaining that he raised taxes for education because of a court order As a resident of Arkansas, I can say that the situation wasn’t nearly that simple, and the governor rolled over and played dead. The Arkansas Courts do not have legislative power, and raising taxes for a change in school policy is not their constitutional ability. Huckabee still complied, throwing the system of checks and balances into disarray. But I digress.). And I quote: