General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums4 ways to evolve beyond capitalism
http://www.nationofchange.org/four-ways-evolve-beyond-capitalism-1394289705***SNIP
1. Break Corporate Monopolies and "Free Trade" Agreements
There's nothing wrong with starting a business to make and sell goods that people want to buy. But the problem begins when large corporate giants force local small businesses to shutter their operations. This peer-reviewed study looked at data from 3,000 counties and found that, on average, each new Walmart that opens kills approximately 150 retail jobs in the county. This means that for every job created by a new Walmart, 1.4 jobs on average are lost.
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2. Guarantee Full Employment
While defenders of capitalism oppose almost any regulation of business, such regulations were largely responsible for the long period of economic prosperity that followed World War II. During FDR's administration, there was full employment in the United States, and everyone had an income.
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3. Wage War on Climate Change, Poverty, Inequality and Greed
FDR and Eisenhower's economic controls were the result of war; FDR wanted to create national solidarity around the war effort, and Eisenhower wanted the interstate highway system built to better move troops and supplies during war. By drastically changing what we value in society and fostering the political will to change it, we can also change our economic circumstances through a new war effort - call it the war on climate change, the war on poverty, the war on inequality, and the war on greed.
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4. Build a New Populist Political Party
Several readers responded to my previous article about capitalism by asking me if I favored socialism or communism. I honestly don't know what -ism I would use to describe the economic system described above, and I don't personally believe in communicating values and goals through -isms.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)Cleita
(75,480 posts)greyl
(22,990 posts)The "Guarantee Full Employment" phrase is one indication that the advice assumes our culture's current ways are basically sustainable. I disagree.
Beyond Civilization - Humanity's Next Great Adventure
-p
colsohlibgal
(5,275 posts)Those of us on the left need to hammer populism and learn to message better.
We need to go hard after so called "Reagan Democrats" - and convince them that they're symbolically cutting their own throats by voting republican. Convince them that like it or not, we aren't going back to treating blacks, gays, etc, as 2nd class citizens. So - maybe you should quit voting to further enrich people like the Kochs and maybe vote for people wanting to help everyday folks like you - rather than continually voting to build billion dollar planes the military won't use.
Two things that should never depend on the size of your bank account are health care and education. For profit health care is obscene - countless executives making millions for what? As is now we the public want to stay well and alive, the health care companies want to make a huge profit. That equation just doesn't work.
DireStrike
(6,452 posts)The author's pro-capitalist stance begins with the first posted sentence: "There's nothing wrong with starting a business to make and sell goods that people want to buy."
All the problems outlined follow inevitably from the drive to profit.
There's very little about how to achieve any of these supposed solutions in a capitalist society, either.
socialist_n_TN
(11,481 posts)And look where we are now. The problem with "reforming" capitalism is that it never STAYS "reformed". The whole idea is to relieve the pressure on the system long enough for the system to get enough power back to shake OFF those "reforms".
It's ALWAYS a long-term project that ensures a hot class war every few generations. And one day the working class will lose badly enough that it might not ever make it back fully if at all. Ergo fascism.
Overseas
(12,121 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)We need real democracy not fake democracy.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)and universal healthcare. And they are also pretty big on free trade.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Last edited Sun Mar 9, 2014, 12:58 PM - Edit history (1)
Which is to say, recognition of that some wealth (things of value) should be conserved and held in common, to be accessed by all for the good of one and all for as long as possible. Among these things are clean air, clean water, clean land, a functioning biosphere and the institutions and infrastructure to sustain them. No rights should exist to own or despoil such things without consent of the people. all.
Getting beyond capitalism requires recognition that not all goods and services are well suited to control by private wealth. Among these are representation & control of government, health, education, and the defense and welfare of the commons.
Getting beyond capitalism requires recognizing that accumulation of wealth is hazardous to the good of the people and the commons. Individuals or incorporated group of individuals who acquire such capital as to threaten to pervert fair markets and/or to exceed governability by the State may be broken into parts that can be governed and trusted.