What is the goal of capitalism?

[Robert W]

"Do you know why the US is sending Ukraine so many weapons? Rest assured that it is not because of Christian charity. It's simply because three major US multinational corporations bought 17 million hectares of beautiful land from Zelensky.

They are Cargill (which participated in the simulation "Food Chain Reaction - A Global Food Security Game"), Dupont and Monsanto (formally a German-Australian company, but with American capital)....

To understand what 17 million hectares is, it is enough to remember that Italy has 16.7 million hectares of agricultural land. In short, three American companies have bought more usable agricultural land in Ukraine than Italy.

And who are the shareholders of these three companies? Always the same: Vanguard, Blackrock, Blackstone ... That is, the same 3 financial companies that control all the banks of the world, as well as all the largest arms companies of the globe. In a word, they are self-sufficient..."

That is how rumors start.

Amidst Chaos of War, A New Report Exposes the Stealth Take-over of Ukrainian Agricultural Land

One year into the war, a new report reveals how oligarchs and financial interests are expanding control over Ukraine's agricultural land

www.oaklandinstitute.org

Oakland, CA — One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a new report from the Oakland Institute, War and Theft: The Takeover of Ukraine’s Agricultural Land, exposes the financial interests and the dynamics at play leading to further concentration of land and finance.

“Despite being at the center of news cycle and international policy, little attention has gone to the core of the conflict — who controls the agricultural land in the country known as the breadbasket of Europe. Answer to this question is paramount to understanding the major stakes in the war,” said Frédéric Mousseau, Oakland Institute’s Policy Director and co-author of the report.

The total amount of land controlled by oligarchs, corrupt individuals, and large agribusinesses is over nine million hectares — exceeding 28 percent of Ukraine’s arable land. The largest landholders are a mix of Ukrainian oligarchs and foreign interests — mostly European and North American as well as the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia. Prominent US pension funds, foundations, and university endowments are invested through NCH Capital, a US-based private equity fund.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

I know, you're Russian.......you're sad.

 

[Red Front]

"Do you know why the US is sending Ukraine so many weapons?

Because Putin and Russia suck.

Send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine,, to fuel a war that could've been stopped over a year ago at the Ankara peace negotiations when Ukraine and Russia had agreed to end the conflict? How is that ethical? Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine and Russia had agreed through the Minsk agreement, to stop hostilities in the Donbas, allowing Kyiv to remain in control of its eastern territory. They failed to stop shelling civilians due to the right-wing nationalists refusing to stop killing Russo-Ukrainians, even when visited by Zelensky the president of Ukraine:

:
​

The Minsk agreements were supposedly backed by France and Germany. Angela Merkel the former German prime minister, who was present at Minsk during the negotiations, admitted that the Minsk agreements were just for show. France and Germany weren't there in good faith, because they didn't intend for Minsk to actually be implemented, and were just using the agreement to buy some time for Ukraine, to arm itself:

​

Russia won't allow Ukraine, its neighbor, to become a launching pad for NATO. It will also defend the Russo-Ukrainians of the Donbas and Crimea. Why should the Eastern Ukrainians, accept the results of a Western-sponsored coup d'é·tat in 2014? A coup regime, that hates everything Russian. Viktor Yanukovitch, the democratically elected president of Ukraine, who was friendly towards Russia, was forced out of office by a bunch of violent, right-wing extremists who took control of the legitimate Maidan protests and replaced him with Petro Poroshenko, a Russophobic, right-wing ideologue who hates everything Russian.

Russia is simply defending itself against NATO and its Ukrainian vassal. ​

 

[Red Front]

I know, you're Russian.......you're sad.

How do you know he's actually Russian? If he is Russian, why is he sad for being Russian?

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine,, to fuel a war that could've been stopped over a year ago at the Ankara peace negotiations when Ukraine and Russia had agreed to end the conflict? How is that ethical? Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine and Russia had agreed through the Minsk agreement, to stop hostilities in the Donbas, allowing Kyiv to remain in control of its eastern territory. They failed to stop shelling civilians due to the right-wing nationalists refusing to stop killing Russo-Ukrainians, even when visited by Zelensky the president of Ukraine:

:
​

The Minsk agreements were supposedly backed by France and Germany. Angela Merkel the former German prime minister, who was present at Minsk during the negotiations, admitted that the Minsk agreements were just for show. France and Germany weren't there in good faith, because they didn't intend for Minsk to actually be implemented, and were just using the agreement to buy some time for Ukraine, to arm itself:

​

Russia won't allow Ukraine, its neighbor, to become a launching pad for NATO. It will also defend the Russo-Ukrainians of the Donbas and Crimea. Why should the Eastern Ukrainians, accept the results of a Western-sponsored coup d'é·tat in 2014? A coup regime, that hates everything Russian. Viktor Yanukovitch, the democratically elected president of Ukraine, who was friendly towards Russia, was forced out of office by a bunch of violent, right-wing extremists who took control of the legitimate Maidan protests and replaced him with Petro Poroshenko, a Russophobic, right-wing ideologue who hates everything Russian.

Russia is simply defending itself against NATO and its Ukrainian vassal. ​

Angela Merkel the former German prime minister, who was present at Minsk during the negotiations, admitted that the Minsk agreements were just for show.

That's outrageous! Only Russians are allowed to do that!

Russia is simply defending itself against NATO and its Ukrainian vassal.

Were they going to invade Russia?

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

How do you know he's actually Russian? If he is Russian, why is he sad for being Russian?

He's sad because Russia sucks.

 

[Red Front]

Angela Merkel the former German prime minister, who was present at Minsk during the negotiations, admitted that the Minsk agreements were just for show.

That's outrageous! Only Russians are allowed to do that!

Russia is simply defending itself against NATO and its Ukrainian vassal.

Were they going to invade Russia?

Russia didn't sign the Minsk agreement without intending to implement it. Nothing justifies any of the parties involved, signing that agreement without the intent of implementing it.

A nation doesn't have to invade you before you declare war on them. For decades Russia has been warning the US and the West in general, not to expand NATO, a cold war military alliance inherently hostile to Russia, on its border. The US and EU did it anyways. The red line was Ukraine.

You ignored practically everything I said about Russia and Ukraine. Russia has every right to prevent its neighbor, Ukraine, from turning itself into a NATO base. It also has every right to protect the Russo-Ukrainains of the Donbas who are being shelled, and murdered by right-wing neo-Nazis. If you don't want to acknowledge that, that's fine, don't. Russia will do whatever it needs to do to protect itself, despite your indifference, to its security concerns and your disingenuous complaints about how they go about addressing them.

 

[Red Front]

He's sad because Russia sucks.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Russia didn't sign the Minsk agreement without intending to implement it. Nothing justifies signing that agreement without the intent of implementing it.

A nation doesn't have to invade you before you declare war on them. For decades Russia has been warning the US and the West in general, not to expand NATO, a cold war military alliance inherently hostile to Russia, on its border. The US and EU did it anyways. The red line was Ukraine.

You ignored practically everything I said about Russia and Ukraine. Russia has every right to prevent its neighbor, Ukraine, from turning itself into a NATO base. It also has every right to protect the Russo-Ukrainains of the Donbas who are being shelled, and murdered by right-wing neo-Nazis. If you don't want to acknowledge that, that's fine, don't. Russia will do whatever it needs to do to protect itself, despite your indifference, to its security concerns and your disingenuous complaints about how they go about addressing them.

View attachment 816092​

Russia didn't sign the Minsk agreement without intending to implement it. Nothing justifies signing that agreement without the intent of implementing it.

What about the Budapest Memorandum?

For decades Russia has been warning the US and the West in general, not to expand NATO, a cold war military alliance inherently hostile to Russia, on its border.

Why would Russia's neighbors want to join NATO? Russia is the perfect neighbor, right?

Russia has every right to prevent its neighbor, Ukraine, from turning itself into a NATO base.

Acting on Ukraine's behalf. Isn't that sweet?

It also has every right to protect the Russo-Ukrainains of the Donbas who are being shelled, and murdered by right-wing neo-Nazis.

The only thing funnier than Russian whining is Russian whining about "Nazis".

 

[Red Front]

Russia didn't sign the Minsk agreement without intending to implement it. Nothing justifies signing that agreement without the intent of implementing it.

What about the Budapest Memorandum?

For decades Russia has been warning the US and the West in general, not to expand NATO, a cold war military alliance inherently hostile to Russia, on its border.

Why would Russia's neighbors want to join NATO? Russia is the perfect neighbor, right?

Russia has every right to prevent its neighbor, Ukraine, from turning itself into a NATO base.

Acting on Ukraine's behalf. Isn't that sweet?

It also has every right to protect the Russo-Ukrainains of the Donbas who are being shelled, and murdered by right-wing neo-Nazis.

The only thing funnier than Russian whining is Russian whining about "Nazis".

More red herrings. Completely irrelevant, fallacious points, full of cynicism and rancor. Typicall Todd.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

More red herrings. Completely irrelevant, fallacious points, full of cynicism and rancor. Typicall Todd.

What about the Budapest Memorandum?

Did Russia intend to implement it?

 

[Ringo]

What about the Budapest Memorandum?

What memo is that? The one that is not a treaty but a proposal of intent and that no one has ratified?

 

[my2¢]

I see capitalism's goal as the efficient distribution of goods and services.

 

[dblack]

I see capitalism's goal as the efficient distribution of goods and services.

It's really a silly question. It's like asking "what is the goal of democracy?"

 

[Ringo]

He doesn't even agree with Adam Smith.

Adam Smith has a cheat at the very beginning of his "logic". He defines a transaction - the basic element of market relations - as a free expression of the will of the parties, whereas under capitalism it is almost always of the type of "selling" uranium to France by Niger for 10% of the market price. Always and necessarily robbery.

Market transactions include everything, including the sale of wage labor by workers to capitalists. What comes out of this, Marx explained. The theft of surplus product by parasites

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Adam Smith has a cheat at the very beginning of his "logic". He defines a transaction - the basic element of market relations - as a free expression of the will of the parties, whereas under capitalism it is almost always of the type of "selling" uranium to France by Niger for 10% of the market price. Always and necessarily robbery.

Market transactions include everything, including the sale of wage labor by workers to capitalists. What comes out of this, Marx explained. The theft of surplus product by parasites

When you go to the store to buy a gallon of milk, are you being robbed?
Or is the store keeper being robbed?

 

[dblack]

Adam Smith has a cheat at the very beginning of his "logic". He defines a transaction - the basic element of market relations - as a free expression of the will of the parties, whereas under capitalism it is almost always of the type of "selling" uranium to France by Niger for 10% of the market price. Always and necessarily robbery.

Market transactions include everything, including the sale of wage labor by workers to capitalists. What comes out of this, Marx explained. The theft of surplus product by parasites

Ahh. yes. "Surplus value". The core of the stupid.

 

[Red Front]

Ahh. yes. "Surplus value". The core of the stupid.

You don't believe that capitalists extract surplus value from their employees/wage-slaves?

 

[Red Front]

When you go to the store to buy a gallon of milk, are you being robbed?
Or is the store keeper being robbed?

What do dairy farmers and milk being sold in stores have to do with what he said? Elaborate.

 

[Arlette]

57 pages and some on this thread have made novel sized posts.
The goal of capitalism is a monopoly. That's it.