Lord Hasenpfeffer wrote:
> > So in capitalism, lots of people get rich,
>
> I don't believe getting rich is the object of the capitalist game.
> Yeah, it can and does happen quite a lot but that's not the goal.
> The goal is to simply use it in an effort to improve your own life
> and the lives of others in the process should you be so inclined.
Capitalism, like any other economic concept is a pure ideal that has
never been fully realized in my opinion, and I would say that is due to
the innate human failure to become a concept (and thank God for that).
Obviously, there also exists a black side in using others, and certainly
there are those that use their greed for their own good, but the end
effects of education and gainful employment more than overweigh the dark
elements and in these "boom" times, there is an end result of
philanthrophy that would not be there in its weight were it not for this
economic system.
>
> So many capitalists fail in their efforts but enjoy the process
> of taking financial risks nonetheless. They keep at it until they
> finally do win. Homeless people don't understand how to take
> advantage of the capitalism that is available to them. Schools don't
> educate people to run their own companies. They teach you how to
> work for somebody else for all of your life. That sucks.
That does suck but it's not true - with all due respect that's a broad
generalization. Education these days has even carried over to
corporations, many of whom offer continuing education. The education
system is lacking in many respects, but, yes, there is education
available in business management and there is financial aid and there are
scholarships and when I see the number of start-ups in California,
especially Silicon Valley and San Francisco, I see a lot of folks who
have started garage businesses that have exploded, and, yes, many of them
have shared the wealth with those who work for them. And there are
programs to rehabilitate the homeless and help - Project Open Hand is one
such in San Francisco, and they totally operate on corporate and public
funding.
A free enterprise system puts its arms around the good as well as the
bad, it's not perfect but it is free enterprise and that's the
operational phrase. We make of it what we will and we should operate in
tandem and in respect.
Best,
PK
