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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?

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.

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.

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!!!

There are so many ignorant statements in this guys ridiculous rant, I don’t even know where to start. The idea of reward and punishment is just barbaric! The most scary thing about this person is the larger majority of the sheepel out there do not have the proper tools/information to assess one’s environment properly. I really don’t blame this guy for his lack of understanding because in a way we are all groomed and lead into a single product. To say “I like justice”is a good thing . Do you like all the negative aspects of just too? With out pulling out a 45 page report on why this should not make any sense, I should sum it up in a sentences. “The wealth of justice will never pay through poverty”.

Every time I read someone ranting about why they support something without measuring all the evidence, I become physically sick. This person is just another American classical case of a high Ideals and Morals.

“I am a capitalist because I hate poverty”? Of course capitalism could cure poverty! I mean come on, do we need to go back to college and brush up on our economic courses. If this individual has ever even been to college or university? Ignorance is bliss for most people. I could go on for days on why this particular statement is incorrect.

“Capitalism rewards the hard-working and punishes the lazy”. Oh great, now is our chance to punish people. Its time for punishment to rein. I just can’t stop laughing, really its like a bad commercial, or Sarah Paulin trying to explain herself on key government issues. After a while you just can hide the truth that you have no idea what you are talking about! This has to be one of the most pathetic statements I have ever heard.

“Every restriction destroys lives”. I actually like this one. I quess this is why we should be free from any type of restrictions. Good for you! I actually really like this
statement! But stop being a hypocrite! Do you honestly think Capitalism is restriction Free? So what now, you support capitalism but you support the restrictions is posses or creates or encourages or promotes or invents or etc.

“The rich that I’ve met in my life are the hardest working individuals I’ve ever known. YOU DON’T KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE! Sorry to break it to you. I have had enough of this person’s statement. I could literally take every sentence of the article, line by line and correct it. Too much for me!

I will not worry about monoploies, I fear not Walmart or Bill Gates, coal companies, or world banks, as long as I am not compelled by goverment to engage in business with them (for example law against owning gold – or law against barter) I will de-monopolize them by not buying from them.

One thing you anti-capitalist are ignoring. The free people of the US are the most private givers to charity in the history of the world. I understand that you are frustrated that some beaurocrat didn’t get to steal the time and money and direct it to where you thought it best, but it was given and you cannot deny it.

By the way – this is very close to the ideals of the US founding fathers!

Shaun’s article is great and I agree with him on every point. He obviously has a lot of time and thought backing this up, yet his writing is clear and simple enough for even the Marxists lambasting him to understand.

I too am a minimum wage employee and I deserve what I make. If inclined I could find a better-paying job, but I’m doing fine for now. I agree that my superiors deserve what they make. The head of my company is filthy rich–he’s made of pure grit, works every minute of his life and, to the best of my knowledge, is neither an idiot nor a scholar.

Apun, above me, says that “If I am a rich person (with no brains) today all I have to do is put some of my money into investment banks.” How does this rich person have this preexisting money? Is it inherited? If so, consider the extremely small margin of people who inherit fortunes. I know none personally and can’t think of many in the press. Then realize that somebody who inherits such a fortune doesn’t usually work to preserve it unless he or she is smart to begin with. I think immediately of Paris Hilton, though there are others. I don’t see her personally investing her money.

The problem is that the anti-capitalist focus is on exceptions rather than rules. Sure, the disabled, the unprepared elderly, the extremely stupid, etc. aren’t going to fit perfectly with any plan, but we shouldn’t strive to make their lives luxurious at the expense of the other competent yet shackled 99% of the population. I’m not saying a solution is impossible or that it can’t be achieved through private enterprise. We just need to put our priorities in order.