Originally Posted by
BenS
Capitalism: you indict it as if it is a murderer. Yet when you say the last 5 years are proof capitalism is a failure, I'd have to ask you who has fared better? socialist europe (see greece, spain, italy)? communist cuba? Who finances our debt, the communist or the capitalist wing of China? Truthfully, capitalism has fared these last 5 better than any other form of government.
Capitalism isn't govt. Capitalism is a market system, not a governance system... Reconcile a Capitalist market system in communist China or Vietnam.
capitalism takes 50% of ones work value? what is ones work value? is that an answer driven my market forces, aka capitalism? in pure socialism, there is no work value, the pilot makes as much as the garbage man makes as much as the lawyer.
I never called for socialism... you are just conditioned to respond to criticism of capitalism as support for socialism. Why is that?
You suggest right to work is worse for the employee than a union state. I've lived in a right to work state and the airline I now work for is union. This being my first union job, I make less now than any job I have ever had before, ever. In my terrible right to work state, even at 15 years old I made minimum wage $5.15 an hour plus tips. After tips, I still think I made more than then now as a union airline pilot. And the union that represents us is currently play the NMB and negotiations game. In right to work conditions we probably would have been able to strike long ago without waiting for the blessing of the NMB. This means we would have gotten a much better work contract long ago.
How can you strike in a right to work state? Your union job gives you other benefits that you wouldn't have as a right to work employee. Perhaps they are not of value to you. One of them is indirect, and possible direct, participation in the political process. If you can't participate in the political process, then you are more like a plantation slave.... you can't determine the terms, you can just quit (flee).
But thats the difference between a fair market vs. when the government gets involved. I would contend that capitalism has done more for the middle class, the poor, the advancement of technology and society than any other form of government has. Capitalism is what has created the modern middle class, and capitalism has given more power to the people from the elite than any other form of government has.
The modern middle class was created in the 1950s when union membership was 30% and taxes on excessive wealth was over 90%.. this during a GOP Admin. This middle class has been in decline with real wages, while CEO pay has increased, since 1970s. Like I said, looks like history begins for many during the Reagan Admin...
To the rest of you, sorry this is so long...
no worries....