Is Capitalism Dead? Yes

**tkubic46** · March 13, 2009, 08:48 PM

....................................

**Kiljan Arslan** · March 13, 2009, 08:50 PM

oh the crassus institute to them Alexander Hamilton was a socialist.

**Justice and Mercy** · March 14, 2009, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by Kiljan Arslan

oh the crassus institute to them Alexander Hamilton was a socialist.

He was certainly an un-Constitutionalist.

**Dismounted H@Xx0rZ** · March 13, 2009, 08:58 PM

no

**Barry Goldwater** · March 13, 2009, 09:00 PM

No, capitalism is not dead.

Also, I am unable to take the guys who compared Alexander Hamilton with socialists in a serious manner.

**~~Scar Face~~** · March 13, 2009, 09:00 PM

Is Capitalism dead? No. Has its balls been stomped on repeatably for the last few decades? ****ing right it has. But Capitalism will be back, looking for revenge- sooner or later.

**Zephyrus** · March 13, 2009, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by tkubic46

Is Capitalism Dead? Yes

by Alan Reynolds

Alan Reynolds is a senior fellow with the Cato Institute. He has written for numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Review, The New Republic, Fortune and The Harvard Business Review. His weekly column is now nationally syndicated.
Added to cato.org on March 11, 2009

This article appeared on National Public Radio on March 11, 2009.

Do we still live in a capitalist country? Is the U.S. drifting toward socialism? Even using only the narrowest meaning of the word — government ownership of business — the answer is clearly yes.
Last year, the Bush administration trampled private property rights by expropriating 80 percent of AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without shareholder approval. As should have been expected, that scared stockholders away from other financial stocks, depleting the banks' cushion of high-quality capital. "Capital injections" from TARP (thinly disguised debt) greatly aggravated that exodus of private capital. So did Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's frightening "stress test" threats to wipe out shareholders by converting government's preferred stock to common.

Like other flirtations with socialism, the Troubled Asset Relief Program has been an unmitigated disaster. Public capital simply displaced private capital, leaving taxpayers holding the bag. The expression "socialize the losses and privatize the gains" is only half right; both shareholders and taxpayers were losers.

Having learned nothing from the bank bailout fiasco, some have actually proposed to turn taxpayers into involuntary shareholders in General Motors and Chrysler. Britain nationalized their legacy auto companies for decades, wasting billions in a futile effort to save brands that ended up being owned by companies in India (Jaguar) and China (Rover).
Politics and economics mix badly, like oil and water. Those with the most political clout get subsidized or bailed out, while taxpayers bear the costs and risks. In less than a year, the government's contingent debt alone — all those loans, securities and deposits guaranteed by the Federal Reserve, Treasury and FDIC — has increased by more than $3 trillion. If things go awry, guess who pays?

During the presidential campaign, Joe the Plumber became famous for criticizing as "socialist" Mr. Obama's plan to hand out $400 checks to those earning less than $75,000, while raising tax rates and curbing deductions for those earning more than $250,000. Trying to redistribute income through the tax system is what Karl Marx called "vulgar socialism." It doesn't work. When the government takes money from those who earn it and gives it to those who didn't, that discourages both of them from earning more.

Compulsory health insurance isn't necessarily socialism either, but it is compulsion — an intrusion into personal freedom and choice. I eschew Medicare in favor of a health savings account, but suspect that Obama's central planners would rather not leave me that option. Unlike free markets, where the consumer is king, centrally planned economies favor the simplicity of one-size-fits-all uniformity.
An occasional nasty recession is no excuse for runaway federal spending. Even welfare state economies like Sweden have experienced worse recessions than the U.S. Purer socialist economies like Maoist China, or North Korea and Cuba today, avoid booms by keeping the economy in perpetual depression.

The more we drift toward a socialist/fascist state, with the government grabbing a larger share of our dwindling GDP, the more we allow government bureaucrats to decide who shall produce what for whom. Such power is inherently corrupting. The results are always bad.

Like I've stated numerous times before, there is a hydra that needs to be slain here. Banking, corrupt politicians and money flow that negatively impacts consumers-this all needs to stop now!

Originally Posted by Scar Face

Is Capitalism dead? No. Has its balls been stomped on repeatably for the last few decades? ****ing right it has. But Capitalism will be back, looking for revenge- sooner or later.

Capitalism and democracy are getting a horrible beatdown by both bloods and crips' gangs here. And after they get hosed down with salwater pressure jets from evil firemen, they get to look forward to a nice shawshank-styled rape scene in the future.

**Random Emperor** · March 13, 2009, 09:14 PM

No, for the last time Socialism doens't mean always death to captialism!!!!

**Chukada1** · March 13, 2009, 09:16 PM

He's doing mighty fine after moving to Beijing, thanks for asking. I'll make sure to tell him America says hello.

**CK23** · March 13, 2009, 09:20 PM

Capitalism and dead in the same sentence? No it's not dead. Sorry Socialist and Kommunist.

Capitalism will never die.

**Zephyrus** · March 13, 2009, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Eastern Prince

No, for the last time Socialism doens't mean always death to captialism!!!!

**Chukada1** · March 13, 2009, 09:23 PM

If anything it's communism that is dead.

**CK23** · March 13, 2009, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by Chukada1

If anything it's communism that is dead.

Oh dear, you sir are a freaken genius! +rep.

yeah we know all about how well china is doing

lol, just lol.

No, for the last time Socialism doens't mean always death to captialism!!!!

Yes it does...I mean isn't that the whole point to socialism and kommunism? Death to the Capitalist, because apparently we've developed such a crappy system?

**Chukada1** · March 13, 2009, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by CK23

lol, just lol.

China is doing extremely well after adopting capitalism and throwing away the communist ideology.

**MaryPoppinCaps** · March 13, 2009, 09:32 PM

Capitalism is not dead and it should not die - socialism and capitalism should fuse their best aspects into the best possible balance. Pre-FDR America was on the verge of failing until socialism stepped in, and Communist China has never been strong until it reluctantly started to absorb capitalist components. Everything should combine to form the strongest possible form of government that takes the best from all.