Political
debate is always a dangerous area to get involved in. Die hard
Republican, Life-long Democrat, or somewhere in the middle, people get
pretty heated up about what they believe is right and wrong, and how
our country should be run. I'm also one of those, who has my beliefs
and sticks to them.
In the interest of what our nation has faced
over recent years though, I'm going to toss my own thoughts out here.
Like them or hate them, I hope we can at least have an intelligent
discussion, and rise above mud-slinging, name calling, and issue
dodging.
First of all, I love America. We're not perfect, nowhere
is, but our country has done a lot of good along with the bad. I love
that if you work hard, you can realize a dream, and sell that dream to
the world. That is the joy of Capitalism. A good idea, elbow grease and
sweat can make all your dreams come true. Never would I want this idea
to disappear.
It does, however, need to undergo some change. I'm
going to say a word that many people consider one of the dirtiest words
in our language. You ready? Because you better brace yourself. Really,
people hate this word. Finally ready? That word is Socialism.
Before
you gnash your teeth, grumble, or leave this page, I implore you to
listen to my argument. Capitalism, Socialism, any government type is
only as good as the people running it. They are sets of ideals that,
regardless how they've been used across the world, were created by
someone with the idea of creating a better life for everyone. Russia,
China, countries across the world have given Socialism a bad name.
America has also done a great job of showing the flaws in Capitalism.
Once again I say it is the people running the system. There is nothing
wrong with the idea that all members of society should be cared for,
just like there is nothing wrong with the idea that working hard for
success should be rewarding. These ideas are not contrary, and both can
be realized at the same time.
Do you like going to restaurants
and eating? Having a clerk at the grocery store check your items out? A
janitor who cleans the hallways, bathrooms, or other areas of the
buildings you visit from day to day? I do, and I understand that jobs
all across society have to be done. Why should a large pocket of the
population then have to live in a sub-standard way? Each CEO, board
member, or investor out there would have nothing if it weren't for the
working class. They can grumble about the long hours they spent when
they first built the company, but I think we can all agree years and
years of millions and millions of dollars negates that argument.
What
if tomorrow everyone decided they were tired of those regular jobs, and
they were all going to open companies, sit back in a chair and trade
stocks, or just give up all together? How long would any company
survive with no workers? How long would our system last? The problem
with Capitalism is it sends the wrong message. The only focus is on how
much an individual can make for themselves. Is that really the world we
want to live in? A world where we care only about how well we do
ourselves? Look at all the top earners. It's like a race to see who can
gather the most money together. How much they can sit on, and how far
above everyone else their mountain of money puts them. Do a quick
search on wealth distribution. Go ahead, this post will be here when
you get back. Open a new window, and check it out.
If you checked
out some of the information, or were already aware without searching,
this shows the Achilles' heel of this system. It has morphed beyond
"make your dreams come true" into something more like "devour as much
as you can without thought, until your belly is fat and your eyes
heavy."
So the title of this article; Capitalism, Will You Say I
Do? I chose this title because I don't want the freedoms of Capitalism
to disappear, but I want this system to marry with Socialism, to create
something new. A system that looks out for everyone. If you make a
successful company or idea, you should absolutely prosper. This
shouldn't cause only a small fraction of the population to hold the
vast majority of wealth. We might as well just elect a king, and go
back to the days of fiefdoms. With all the progress we've made, are we
really so stuck on using wealth to separate people into different
classes?
Here we are in these times of trouble, and there's
actually loads of money out there. The problem is it is being hoarded
by fat-cats, who have their grubby hands in markets, but can't stand to
spend a dime. We watched as businesses failed, bailouts were given
because they were "too big to fail", and in turn those failing
companies gave out bonuses, and not even to the foot soldiers, but to
the ones who caused the failures in the first place. This is what our
current Capitalism says is right, because even with all the outrage,
nothing was done about it. The bonuses went right out the door because
of golden parachutes and contract law.
I truly believe that it is
in fact the Government's job to step in and cap salaries. I say this in
the ideal that the Government is actually run by people who care for
the people, and I'm aware Government itself needs serious overhaul. For
the sake of this specific argument, I do believe in pay caps. Minimum
wage leaves most living in poverty, let alone able to enjoy many
comforts in life. Families go without meals to have any food at all
some days. We have no jobs, but the rich are paying less in taxes than
those who are barely making anything in the first place. And along the
way we have wealthy people in charge of making laws, who in turn make
laws that favor the rich. Who would have seen that coming? Some people
say money is just money, but in fact we've turned it into the central
driving force of our lives. When the market crashed, people were
destroyed. Living, eating, almost everything except breathing costs
money in some fashion, and even continuing to breathe can bankrupt you!
Money is a big part of the world because we've chosen to make it that
way. That means it's a force that has to be controlled for the good of
everyone.
I think what amazes me the most is I see people who are
struggling themselves, still defending the idea that the things going
on right now are alright. I don't know how they get to that conclusion,
but I don't know how people get sucked into cults either. For whatever
reason they defend those who are helping keep them down. I'm amazed at
the things we get hung up on in this life. I want to be comfortable
financially, but I've never seen the need to pay employees minimum
wage, and myself a hundred million dollars a year. At some point I
would think people from the middle and lower class would call out for
their chance to receive great benefit from the system. No matter what
you believe, the upper class will also fall if the middle and lower
class can't bear the weight.
By now you think I'm crazy, or
you're like minded. I can't imagine anyone reading these words doesn't
hold one of these two opinions. Whatever you do think, I leave you with
this final message:
Due to the fiat system of currency we use, a
dollar bill is worth the same as one out of a monopoly box. Value is
only assigned because of the power behind the currency, our Government.
Look up "fiat system" if you don't believe me. So we're not even
talking about glittery wealth like gold and jewels. Our current
currency is worthless, yet we still live in a world where a small
percentage stand above the rest. America was created by our founding
fathers to escape oppression, yet here we are doing it all over again.
Life is so short, and nothing in this world goes with us when we leave.
Why do we have to break so many members of society so few others can
live the high life? Everyone can be happy if we want them to be. The
world can be anything we want it to be. If this is the best we can do
as man, then we have failed to utilize and understand all the wonderful
gifts life has given us.
