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Capitalism v. ???

Economics do two things impossibly well:
1. Fuels every good and bad thing that happens politically in the world.
2. Confuses the hell out of me.

It seems to me that money spawns at least as much evil as organized religions and this seems to be more true in the USA (probably because I live here and only found out about "strange lands beyond the borders recently).
My question to all of you is this:
Is there a legitimate better system than capitalism that America could adopt to ease the pressure of this problem?

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Permalink Reply by Nate on November 13, 2009 at 2:56pm

In fact I'm so in the dark that I thought this was (at least partitally) the point of the stimulous but I'm definitely seeing my mistake there.

There is infrastructure improvement included in the stimulus package. I've already driven through road improvement projects with signage indicating this. More needs to be done in this direction. However, the right complains when the jobs don't appear instantaneously and then they complain some more about the price tag. And these are the more rational of the right, not the ones calling Obama a Commie Fascist Nazi racist dictator.

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Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on November 18, 2009 at 5:03pm

There is definitely a need for CCC and WPA type programs. My father was a CCC camp director and I've heard stories about it until the day he died - in glowing terms. The money was minimal but food, clothing and lodging was provided and the money they made was generally sent home.
The participants learned skills, preformed vital services and most important, felt an ownership in their country. Much of the work can still be seen, particularly in the western US.

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Permalink Reply by Fan of OHair on November 13, 2009 at 6:39pm

when the wars on drugs, satan, jesus, allah, guns, freedom, public schools, wifi and all the other terrors; oh, last but not least the cultural wars on intellectual women is done with...
only then will capitalism run properly; incl. regulation! confusing right?

but since some profit off those wars mentioned above, you'll see maladjusted wars continue
and capitalism being abused

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Permalink Reply by VendettA12 on November 13, 2009 at 10:22pm

Adam Smith's squeaky clean capitalism could never lead to larger companies swallowing smaller companies. It could never lead to dishonest marketing, It could never lead to making healthcare a commodity to be profited from. It could never lead to the chase for profit, since the pursuit of profit leads to nasty side effects, and Adam Smith would never be associated with any nastiness. He is an economic God. We are not worthy.

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Permalink Reply by Jaume on November 14, 2009 at 6:54am

I can't help but wondering which planet he came from.

A far, far away world called XVIIIth century Earth. Proxima Century, er, Centauri seems much closer to us.

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Permalink Reply by David Miller on November 14, 2009 at 7:25pm

True story Larry, and I don't disagree. I do think that the document appears to be an idealization of capitalism and a lovely one at that. It's not so unusual for a system to present itself as airtight and fool proof, but of course none of them are. Besides it's a pretty good starting point for someone like me, who doesn't really get it. It gives you notes for the sake of pete!