Capitalism Guarantees Rising Inequality

[f252863]

Where is Democracy to be found in a world where the three richest individuals have assets that exceed the combined GDP of 47 countries?

A world where the richest 2% of global citizens "own" more than 51% of global assets?

Ready for the best part?

Capitalism ensures an already bad problem will only get worse.

"The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that income inequality 'first started to rise in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in America and Britain (and also in Israel)'.

"The ratio between the average incomes of the top 5 per cent to the bottom 5 per cent in the world increased from 78:1 in 1988, to 114:1 in 1993..."

"Stiglitz relays that from 1988 to 2008 people in the world’s top 1 per cent saw their incomes increase by 60 per cent, while those in the bottom 5 per cent had no change in their income.

"In America, home to the 2008 recession, from 2009 to 2012, incomes of the top 1 per cent in America, many of which no doubt had a greedy hand in the causes of the meltdown, increased more than 31 per cent, while the incomes of the 99 per cent grew 0.4 per cent less than half a percentage point."

Spotlight on Worldwide Inequality

There are alternatives that don't require infinite "growth."

This is an incredibly simplistic analysis.

First and foremost, we have mixed economies and the U.S. is no exception. In capitalism you don't have:

Bank Bailouts
Subsidies to Politically Favored Businesses
Wealth Redistribution
Minimum Wage
Social Security
Medicare
etc.

Also, wealth is not a zero sum game. The fact that I get richer doesn't mean that someone else must become poorer.

Inequality is a natural outcome, we are all very different in terms of intelligence, motivation, emotional maturity, and ingenuity. That being said, a great deal of inequality also arises from political forces which act to protect entrenched businesses (e.g., crony capitalism). In many other countries you can set up a roadside stand, or peddle products through neighborhoods, this is how you get started. Here in the U.S. the cost is prohibitive. A laundry list of licenses, regulations, high taxes (the self employed have to take out 15.4% just for Social Security and Medicare!), all these serve to keep the little guy out.

 

[Bombur]

Where is Democracy to be found in a world where the three richest individuals have assets that exceed the combined GDP of 47 countries?

A world where the richest 2% of global citizens "own" more than 51% of global assets?

Ready for the best part?

Capitalism ensures an already bad problem will only get worse.

"The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that income inequality 'first started to rise in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in America and Britain (and also in Israel)'.

"The ratio between the average incomes of the top 5 per cent to the bottom 5 per cent in the world increased from 78:1 in 1988, to 114:1 in 1993..."

"Stiglitz relays that from 1988 to 2008 people in the world’s top 1 per cent saw their incomes increase by 60 per cent, while those in the bottom 5 per cent had no change in their income.

"In America, home to the 2008 recession, from 2009 to 2012, incomes of the top 1 per cent in America, many of which no doubt had a greedy hand in the causes of the meltdown, increased more than 31 per cent, while the incomes of the 99 per cent grew 0.4 per cent less than half a percentage point."

Spotlight on Worldwide Inequality

There are alternatives that don't require infinite "growth."

This is an incredibly simplistic analysis.

First and foremost, we have mixed economies and the U.S. is no exception. In capitalism you don't have:

Bank Bailouts
Subsidies to Politically Favored Businesses
Wealth Redistribution
Minimum Wage
Social Security
Medicare
etc.

Also, wealth is not a zero sum game. The fact that I get richer doesn't mean that someone else must become poorer.

Inequality is a natural outcome, we are all very different in terms of intelligence, motivation, emotional maturity, and ingenuity. That being said, a great deal of inequality also arises from political forces which act to protect entrenched businesses (e.g., crony capitalism). In many other countries you can set up a roadside stand, or peddle products through neighborhoods, this is how you get started. Here in the U.S. the cost is prohibitive. A laundry list of licenses, regulations, high taxes (the self employed have to take out 15.4% just for Social Security and Medicare!), all these serve to keep the little guy out.

If anything US labor would be better off with UHC than without.

Trends in income inequality are a result of market trends. Wealth doesn't have to be a zero sum game for one person to benefit from a market trend and another person be harmed by it. Wealth doesn't have to be a zero sum game for there to be inequalities in the system that favor one group over the other.

Also one of the biggest advantages capital has over labor is the power of compound interest. Once wealth is established a growing divide is inevitable unless countered by government.

 

[Contumacious]

Where is Democracy to be found in a world where the three richest individuals have assets that exceed the combined GDP of 47 countries?

A world where the richest 2% of global citizens "own" more than 51% of global assets?

Ready for the best part?

Capitalism ensures an already bad problem will only get worse.

"The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that income inequality 'first started to rise in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in America and Britain (and also in Israel)'.

"The ratio between the average incomes of the top 5 per cent to the bottom 5 per cent in the world increased from 78:1 in 1988, to 114:1 in 1993..."

"Stiglitz relays that from 1988 to 2008 people in the world’s top 1 per cent saw their incomes increase by 60 per cent, while those in the bottom 5 per cent had no change in their income.

"In America, home to the 2008 recession, from 2009 to 2012, incomes of the top 1 per cent in America, many of which no doubt had a greedy hand in the causes of the meltdown, increased more than 31 per cent, while the incomes of the 99 per cent grew 0.4 per cent less than half a percentage point."

Spotlight on Worldwide Inequality

There are alternatives that don't require infinite "growth."

This is an incredibly simplistic analysis.

First and foremost, we have mixed economies and the U.S. is no exception. In capitalism you don't have:

Bank Bailouts
Subsidies to Politically Favored Businesses
Wealth Redistribution
Minimum Wage
Social Security
Medicare
etc.

Also, wealth is not a zero sum game. The fact that I get richer doesn't mean that someone else must become poorer.

Inequality is a natural outcome, we are all very different in terms of intelligence, motivation, emotional maturity, and ingenuity. That being said, a great deal of inequality also arises from political forces which act to protect entrenched businesses (e.g., crony capitalism). In many other countries you can set up a roadside stand, or peddle products through neighborhoods, this is how you get started. Here in the U.S. the cost is prohibitive. A laundry list of licenses, regulations, high taxes (the self employed have to take out 15.4% just for Social Security and Medicare!), all these serve to keep the little guy out.

Exactly.

WHY the fuck is that so hard to understand?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

.

 

[The2ndAmendment]

Um, just move to Cuba or China where they don't have Capitalism.

 

[Bombur]

Um, just move to Cuba or China where they don't have Capitalism.

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

 

[The Rabbi]

Um, just move to Cuba or China where they don't have Capitalism.

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

That's why more capitalistic systems tend to shade into socialism? Capitalism is the victim of its own success, not its own failure.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

Capitalism is designed to concentrate wealth in fewer and fewer hands with each passing generation.

It works for about 1% - 10% of the population.

The other 90% pay the taxes and fight the wars that capitalism can't exist without.

"The 85 richest people on Earth now have the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of the global population, according to a report released Monday by the British humanitarian group Oxfam International.

^^^Does that work for you?

Oxfam report highlights widening income gap between rich, poor - latimes.com

Just more communist manifesto rhetoric with no basis in logic or reality. That is how you enslave the population, not free them.

You enslave the population through debt and war.
Two Evils capitalism can't exist without.

Absolute nonsense.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

Um, just move to Cuba or China where they don't have Capitalism.

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

That's why more capitalistic systems tend to shade into socialism? Capitalism is the victim of its own success, not its own failure.

Where do you people get this crap?

Capitalism is incapable of failure. All capitalism is, is the free exchange of goods and services to the mutual profit of both parties.

The principles are immutable.

What fails are individuals who shirk their responsibilities.

In truth, there is not a single example of capitalism having failed anywhere on earth, throughout human history.

This in contrast to socialism, in all of its innumerable, chronically shifting facets: Collectivism, Liberalism, Progressivism, Socialism, Communism, Crony-Capitalism... has never realized a single point of success anywhere, at any point in human history.

Agree with it or disagree. It remains a fact.

 

[Bombur]

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

That's why more capitalistic systems tend to shade into socialism? Capitalism is the victim of its own success, not its own failure.

Where do you people get this crap?

Capitalism is incapable of failure. All capitalism is, is the free exchange of goods and services to the mutual profit of both parties.

The principles are immutable.

What fails are individuals who shirk their responsibilities.

In truth, there is not a single example of capitalism having failed anywhere on earth, throughout human history.

This in contrast to socialism, in all of its innumerable, chronically shifting facets: Collectivism, Liberalism, Progressivism, Socialism, Communism, Crony-Capitalism... has never realized a single point of success anywhere, at any point in human history.

Agree with it or disagree. It remains a fact.

lol

So the entire industrialized world is a failure now?

Your world view is so horribly convoluted I doubt this conversation will go anywhere.

 

[Redfish]

Um, just move to Cuba or China where they don't have Capitalism.

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

Horseshit. China and Russia are moving towards more capitalism and freedom because they are realizing that socialism, marxism, leninism, and maoism are not working. Their economies are booming while ours is stagnating.

We are trying to repeat what caused their economies to fail

i.e. we are stupid.

 

[Redfish]

That's why more capitalistic systems tend to shade into socialism? Capitalism is the victim of its own success, not its own failure.

Where do you people get this crap?

Capitalism is incapable of failure. All capitalism is, is the free exchange of goods and services to the mutual profit of both parties.

The principles are immutable.

What fails are individuals who shirk their responsibilities.

In truth, there is not a single example of capitalism having failed anywhere on earth, throughout human history.

This in contrast to socialism, in all of its innumerable, chronically shifting facets: Collectivism, Liberalism, Progressivism, Socialism, Communism, Crony-Capitalism... has never realized a single point of success anywhere, at any point in human history.

Agree with it or disagree. It remains a fact.

lol

So the entire industrialized world is a failure now?

Your world view is so horribly convoluted I doubt this conversation will go anywhere.

probably not because you lack a basic understanding of history and what systems have been successful and what has failed.

 

[Bombur]

probably not because you lack a basic understanding of history and what systems have been successful and what has failed.

Ohh please educate all of us.

 

[Bombur]

Um, just move to Cuba or China where they don't have Capitalism.

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

Horseshit. China and Russia are moving towards more capitalism and freedom because they are realizing that socialism, marxism, leninism, and maoism are not working. Their economies are booming while ours is stagnating.

We are trying to repeat what caused their economies to fail

i.e. we are stupid.

You didn't even come close to logically addressing my post let alone refuting it.

 

[boedicca]

Georgey Porgey is ignoring the Inconvenient Truth that as the Progs have made markets in the U.S. Less Free, Inequality has increased.

 

[boedicca]

The biggest threat to capitalism is capitalism.

Horseshit. China and Russia are moving towards more capitalism and freedom because they are realizing that socialism, marxism, leninism, and maoism are not working. Their economies are booming while ours is stagnating.

We are trying to repeat what caused their economies to fail

i.e. we are stupid.

You didn't even come close to logically addressing my post let alone refuting it.

It's rather difficult to address your post logically as what you said is sheer nonsense, bub.

 

[WelfareQueen]

Where is Democracy to be found in a world where the three richest individuals have assets that exceed the combined GDP of 47 countries?

A world where the richest 2% of global citizens "own" more than 51% of global assets?

Ready for the best part?

Capitalism ensures an already bad problem will only get worse.

"The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that income inequality 'first started to rise in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in America and Britain (and also in Israel)'.

"The ratio between the average incomes of the top 5 per cent to the bottom 5 per cent in the world increased from 78:1 in 1988, to 114:1 in 1993..."

"Stiglitz relays that from 1988 to 2008 people in the world’s top 1 per cent saw their incomes increase by 60 per cent, while those in the bottom 5 per cent had no change in their income.

"In America, home to the 2008 recession, from 2009 to 2012, incomes of the top 1 per cent in America, many of which no doubt had a greedy hand in the causes of the meltdown, increased more than 31 per cent, while the incomes of the 99 per cent grew 0.4 per cent less than half a percentage point."

Spotlight on Worldwide Inequality

There are alternatives that don't require infinite "growth."

What is your alternative?

 

[boedicca]

I can help you out there. His alternatives are to make everyone equally poor and miserable.

 

[Bombur]

Horseshit. China and Russia are moving towards more capitalism and freedom because they are realizing that socialism, marxism, leninism, and maoism are not working. Their economies are booming while ours is stagnating.

We are trying to repeat what caused their economies to fail

i.e. we are stupid.

You didn't even come close to logically addressing my post let alone refuting it.

It's rather difficult to address your post logically as what you said is sheer nonsense, bub.

I admit it is a hard point to understand if you don't understand the nature of capitalism and society.

What part are you all confused about?

 

[Iceweasel]

The uber wealthy are very politically connected. That isn't a capitalism problem, it's a government problem. The less influence government has over our lives, business and finances the less opportunity there is for corruption. Typical liberal spin, blame it on capitalism to misdirect attention to the true cause.

 

[Bombur]

The uber wealthy are very politically connected. That isn't a capitalism problem, it's a government problem. The less influence government has over our lives, business and finances the less opportunity there is for corruption. Typical liberal spin, blame it on capitalism to misdirect attention to the true cause.

Government is not the only source of power over our lives.

Our government is not the only government in the world.

The Nation is still better off as a Nation when the government performs certain duties.

Free capitalism is often seen as a cure all. The problem is that it mostly just exists in text books and chalk boards.