Selma,
Time for a rant.
You seem horrified at the thought of competition. Yet you point out how:
"It is a mystery to me, given what is constantly being revealed about the attempts of various corporations to strangle competition, how anyone can argue that laissez-faire can work for the public good."
So, if competition is so horrible, you seem to imply the corporations are doing us a favor by strangling it. So you have redefined laissez-faire to mean the absence of competition.
Well, I'm sure you didn't mean to do that.
I neither agree with capitalism, nor socialism. I want liberty and justice for all and neither will provide that. In fact both systems are inimical to the freedom of the individual and the justice of his community.
In both cases, cooperation is stifled and the "values" that prevail are those enjoyed by those in power - values which they inflict on the rest of us.
Your only hope of accomplishing your dream of a place "in which cooperation and community and human values prevail" is to follow the path of freedom. In fact, in a free society, people will choose such a community - if they want to.
The problem with the old left is that they mired themselves in hate for the monopoly capitalists. Thus, they constantly harp on how bad they are, on all the awful things they do and have done, particularly now they are "multinational", and hit the Republicans at every chance because they are the front for the evil that exists.
I would argue that monopoly capitalism cannot exist unless one of two things exists (or both).
Either they are supported and protected from competition by privilege legislation enacted by governments at any and every level.
Or they have a hold on some natural resource or other, which iron grip effectively reduces, or stifles competition.
Or both.
As for the Republicans, we must remember that for 40 years Democrats held both houses and often the Presidency. Why didn't they bring in nirvana when they had the chance?
Well, they had important things to do, like staying in office. Maybe that took their time. Of course they brought in legislation to help people, but people don't want help. They want the situation that caused them to need help brought to a close.
One such program was the "War on Poverty" which perhaps served as a counterweight to the real war developing in VietNam. This was fought by the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). It's time to get a little bitter.
As Time reported, more income tax money was collected from those below the poverty line than was the entire budget of the OEO.
The poor were financing the War on Poverty!
Neither the Demos or the GOP are of much use to people who believe in liberty and justice for all.
So, the capitalists seek to restrain competition and destroy the free market wherever it raises its head, for they know better than we what is good for us.
The socialists seek to restrain competition and destroy the free market wherever it raises its head, for they know better than we what is good for us.
Harry
_____________________________
Selma wrote:
I'm not sure what you're referring to , Harry. My guess would be that you are trying to equate those of us who see the capitalistic system as harmful to humans because it pits people against each other with those of us who would like to see a system in which cooperation and community and human values prevail; I don't think corporations are about the latter.
Selma
- ----- Original Message -----
- From: Harry Pollard
- To: Selma Singer ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Ross James Swanston
- Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 3:07 PM
- Subject: Re: Privatizing the Public: Whose agenda? At What Cost?
- Selma,
- You said:
- "given what is constantly being revealed about the attempts of various corporations to strangle competition . . . "
- Might that indicate that they don't want competition and that others who condemn competition - even on this list - might be philosophical partners of these corporations?
- Harry
- ______________________________
- Selma wrote:
- What a wonderful post! Rarely have I seen the issues posed as concisely and
- clearly.
- For those who argue that freedom from government regulation and control will
- result in the greatest good for everyone, I would like to ask whether they
- truly believe that lack of government regulation does, in fact, result in
- competition or, does deregulation result, as it has in the United States
- and many other countries, on a growing stranglehold by a few corporations in
- any particular industry-name one-energy, automobiles, airlines, banks, etc.
- etc.
- Is this growing monopolization of industries not public knowledge? It is a mystery to me, given what is constantly being revealed about the attempts of various corporations to strangle competition, how anyone can argue that laissez-faire can work for the public good.
- Selma
- ******************************
- Harry Pollard
- Henry George School of LA
- Box 655
- Tujunga CA 91042
- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Tel: (818) 352-4141
- Fax: (818) 353-2242
- *******************************
******************************
Harry Pollard
Henry George School of LA
Box 655
Tujunga CA 91042
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tel: (818) 352-4141
Fax: (818) 353-2242
*******************************
