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.
“Capitalism rewards the hard-working and punishes the lazy”. Oh great, now is our chance to punish people. Its time for punishment to rein”
Dude, you and the rest of the liberal cry babies that have honored us with your thoughts should all shut the fu** up! What the hell do you think a progressive and grossly unfair income tax does? If it’s not a punishment to have Uncle Sam forcefully take ones legally earned property and then give it to someone else. What is? Is it only punishment if it’s happening to the poor/lazy?
You retards are missing the point. It is not anyone’s intention to “keep anybody down”. No one is “punished” by capitalism. There is only reward for effort or indifference for laziness. Money is not, nor should it ever be free. It is not a crime to suggest that you work for what you want and need. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING! SO SHUT THE FU** UP AND GET A JOB OR DROP DEAD!!!
Boy you’re stupid!
Capitalism is the persuit of money regardless of the cost to society. You like big business? that’s cool, they don’t give a shit about you, or your job. Fact is, if regulation didn’t force them to, they would farm out your work (and any other work) to ANYONE willing to do it for less money – that means you and your family’s business would inevitablly be shipped overseas to africa, india, china or whereever they can find cheap labour – pennys a day cheap. and don’t think that your ol’ pal “big businness” will pass the savings on to you, or their clients – hell no, the profit is going into their pants pocket.
who gets screwed? their customers. Big business became big because they could leverage something against society. Take Bell for example, they’re the only ones who could afford (at the time) to put telephone lines everywhere, and because of that, they’re huge – not because their service is steller, or because they do a good job, only because they own the lines – and therefore can charge anything for use of their lines – and they do.
you like small business? great! bet you don’t cut corners either – the fact is your pal big business hates your small business and will do anything they can to bury your mom and pop shop. don’t beleive me? look at what M$ did to Netscape.
rich people have little or nothing to do with “capitalism” other than they own more of the worlds resources than you or i will ever own. and no, they won’t share it with you. Rich people are greedy, that’s why they’re rich.
The rich can afford healthcare, and medicine. and they don’t give a damn if you can’t. Yet another reason we need governments stepping in to keep medical bills and healthcare low, otherwise a mere cold could bankrupt all but the wealthy – the USA is suffering severly by this alerady, where a serious illness can force even the upper middle class to bankrupcy. So in your world, you’re free to die from your illness, and doctors are free to charge you more than you can afford to keep you healthy.
You must be extra stupid if you think the poor are poor because they’re lazy. and the rich work harder than the poor… that’s completely false, often the poorest are the hardest working – let’s look at an example that made north america one of the richest nations in the world – slavery. by your “logic” slaves must be lazy, otherwise they’d be rich… so these slaves working themselves to death nearly daily must be the laziest bastards on the planet, and the rich white guys who own them are probably picking all the cotton for themselves.
Money in itself isn’t bad… but when you value it more than the lives of others more than your own life, then there’s a problem. If you truly love your money more than anything else you’ll have nothing in the end except money – nothing.
Business people often know as little about the businesses they run as politicians know about business.
Restriction is the only way to reign in monopolies, which are notably not good for workers. On a similar but separate note, as monopolies become more powerful, they will likely invest in automation and lose workers just as much as if their business were curtailed.
Just because the public can be convinced to buy a product, that by no means makes it good.
He makes the argument that rich people work harder. Although this yells foul to me, I think it serves best to reflect on a case by case basis on the nature of the work “the rich” are doing and whether they are actually benefitting society in any way or just pursuing capital and causing economic growth in a closed environment where perpetual economic growth is unreasonable.
Liberalism does not cause poverty, unequal distribution of wealth creates poverty.
“Capitalism rewards the hard-working and punishes the lazy.” That, and/or it rewards the greedy and punishes the altruistic. I think it is better for our culture to not do the latter even at the cost of the former.
The incentive of the profit motive leads to so much irrational and irresponsible behavior that it being called the “only system consonant with man’s rational nature” is at best uneducated and at worst blatantly deceitful propoganda.
Finally, money is only an effective system of labor exchange where scarcity is omnipresent. Given any abundance, the system of monetary exchange works only to distract from the effective and sustainable management of resources. Instead of managing abundance equitably, money forces it into the hands of a few, and only seeks to secure abundance insofar as it can be controlled.
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Name Calling wont get you far in a debate. Grow up
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Capitalism is actually an economic system in wich the means of production are privatly owned. The only possible alternative to that is, collective ownership, government ownership, as in communism. This is by the way the reason why were so quick to call people who argue against capitalism commies. Because you really are arguing against individuals owning the means of production, you whant Big Brother to come in and nationalize them.
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Well no one is foolish enough to think that buisiness people do buisiness because they care about others, one of the main idea behind capitalism is that by pursuing ur own goals you in the end serve the interest of the common good. Or as Adam Smith put it in the whealt of nations :
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages. Nobody but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens.
So if you go to Wal-Mart to buy some meat, of course they are not selling it to you because they care about you. They whant ur 10 bucks more than they whant to keep the meat, you whant the meat more than you whant to keep ur 10 bucks. Out of self-interest, they provide you food wich you could not have provided for yourself as quickly and easily on ur own. That is why you should like them. Because spending 5 minutes in walmart is far better than spending a day hunting in hope that maybe you will be able to kill something to eat.
As for the argument that they would farm your out our work to africa if regulations didnt prevent them from doing it… What regulations are you talking about? Its called globalization, there are no regulations keeping them from doing it, that is why most cheap products are produced in China or India nowadays, take NAFTA for instance, unemployement got lower in the US after NAFTA than it was before NAFTA, until the 08 collapse (of government-run mortgage firms by the way).
It is true that a third world worker will do ur job for 1/10 of ur salary, but then why arent you worried about machines, they can do ur work 100 times faster for 1/1000 of ur salary. The vast majority of the labour that was done by men one hundred years ago is now done by machines, yet the vast majority of people did not go unemployed, why? It in the end resulted in more job creation, more productivity and more importantly, more whealt creation. Same goes for foreign labour, they take the job because they need it. You might loose urs, but ur far more likely to get one of the new jobs created as a result of the whealt created in the process. The problem is that job lost as a result of globalization are very visible, but jobs created as a result of globalization are invisible.
and don’t think that your ol’ pal “big businness” will pass the savings on to you, or their clients – hell no, the profit is going into their pants pocket.
Like Wal-Mart making 4 cents per dollars in sale? Or Rockefeller in the 19th century, making the cost of oil go down by 90%? Or Andrew Carnegie making the price of steel go down by 90%? If they don<t pass the savings down to you, then ull shop were they do, its called competition.
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Big business became big because they could offer better products at lower prices, or in certain cases because they were the only one able to provide a service or product that people wanted. Wal-Mart for instance does not screw the customer, if the customers wanted to they could shop at Target, or K-Mart or Costco, and so on… Wal-Mart keeps getting bigger because people keep choosing to go shop there.
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In other worlds, without Bell, there would not be telephone lines everywhere? You know since they were the only ones able to afford them? So it would be better if there were no phones at all?
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That is right, they save up, spend carefully, work hard and take risks. They suceed. Asking the government to take 50% of their income away and give it to you is not greedy of course.
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In fact in you dont count people who can afford healt insurance and choose not to purchase it, and illegal immigrants, only 12 million americans cant afford healtcare insurance, so its not just the rich as you suggest. Government stepping in to keep bills low? That is why the government in preventing americans from purchasing healtcare across state lines? Thats how you keep costs low? And why does the senate bill include a ban from importing cheap drugs in the US?
Why is it that while the price of most goods as gone down over the past decades, the cost of healtcare as gone up, considering that healtcare is the most regulated industry in America?
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Another name call, impresive. North America is a continent not a country. As for slavery, it was an abomination I wont deny that. You also might whant to note that slavery was around since the begining of times, and was ended during capitalism. Your annalogy does not add up, there is a fundamental diference between being a worker in a capitalist free-market, and choose where your going to work, and being a slave. The difference is called freedom. And of course freedom was not achieved until capitalism. Wanna go back to feudalism maybe?