Capitalism, is it failing and are there any alternatives??

[Tel]

As the title says, Capitalism seems to be failing big time, not sure what the alternatives are but
we need to sort that fecking Euro out pronto or we'll all be going back to horse and cart, gruel etc.

IMO its failing because greed has got the better of the human race, everyone out for there own etc, its a sorry
state of affairs and really sickens me to see so many fat cats get fatter while the general pop of
most countries struggle.

How can we overcome the present problems without a drastic change in the way we ALL think.
Consumerism is King, want want want.

I feel ashamed to be part of it but can't afford to drop out and live "the good life". Irony

I would genuinely like to see an Apocolypse style judgement day, maybe thats the only way things
could possibly change, get us back to being a caring, sharing society.

Whomever created this race must have there face in there palms...................


Thoughts...................

 

[Viktor]

Power to the people Comrade Tel

 

[B|GJOE]

Capatalism and Socialism have never existed in their true forms.

Especially in a democracy, where we get the government we deserve because all parties become a mish mash of different philosophy, policy, and beliefs, with the prime purpose of gaining the vote plus power.

Besides,

If what we know as capitalism was to fall it would be a well orchestrated event, and planned to happen for the 'new world order' anyway, get your tin foil hats out.....

 

[Viktor]

On a serious note. Although 'we' are looking at a global issue, when we examine the local situation I believe the root began in 1979 with Thatcher's government and policies. Greed was encouraged and re labelled as 'success' and the "I want it now, I'm alright Jack" culture was accepted.

Add to this the government of the time selling of 'our' publicly owned resources at rock bottom prices along with council housing and we were well on the greasy pole quickly slipping to the bottom.

Just my opinion.

 

[Tel]

On a serious note. Although 'we' are looking at a global issue, when we examine the local situation I believe the root began in 1979 with Thatcher's government and policies. Greed was encouraged and re labelled as 'success' and the "I want it now, I'm alright Jack" culture was accepted.

Add to this the government of the time selling of 'our' publicly owned resources at rock bottom prices along with council housing and we were well on the greasy pole quickly slipping to the bottom.

Just my opinion.

Excellent points

 

[Tel]

Capatalism and Socialism have never existed in their true forms.

Especially in a democracy, where we get the government we deserve because all parties become a mish mash of different philosophy, policy, and beliefs, with the prime purpose of gaining the vote plus power.

Besides,

If what we know as capitalism was to fall it would be a well orchestrated event, and planned to happen for the 'new world order' anyway, get your tin foil hats out.....

Joe, I think your wrong, I do think there is a chance that Capitalism as we know it will fail, a chance,
I'm not saying it will or won't, just there's a chance.

Look at Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy.

All these countries are in serious financial trouble, the Euro is making it impossible
for them to pay off there debts, the ppl are getting restless and are in danger of
creating a LOT of civil unrest.
This is only the start of things to come, the Oil crisis will worsen over the years,
financial markets could crash and become obsolete, where will this lead to if not
the failure of capitalism??

Maybe we should call it Consumerism, as its a more apt title.

 

[Tel]

I also don't believe we live in a true democratic society, media in all its forms
control what the majority think, including who to vote for.

Is that democracy??

 

[B|GJOE]

I also don't believe we live in a true democratic society, media in all its forms
control what the majority think, including who to vote for.

Is that democracy??

More like George Orwell's 1984

Also, you're not disagreeing with me Tel, re-read my post.

Also, IMO there is no need for an Oil crisis. Look at the advance of technology, then look at what you drive. The combustion engine was invented over 100 years ago, yet we still use this antiquated technology. I am sure there are many other modes of fueling transportation, but the patents are shelved and hidden so the Arabs can keep selling Oil, their main source of income. No need for Oil, no money for lots of nations, big unrest.

I think there is something in the New World Order conspiracies. This is not happening by accident, it's all planned.

 

[Jamie555]

Capitalism or corporatism
We do not have capitalism - we have a form of corporatism. It is not competitive, nor open & transparent, nor accessible. People compete within quite an arbitrary framework established by politicians who often act in ignorance and under advisement by those with power & vested interests, who seek to further their power. The competition keeps everyone busy, ensures the state has increasing income streams eg( taxing commercial childcare services which used to be provided by extended family members, etc ), and ensures we have an ever increasing need for accountants. I believe that there is a paradigm shift needed in corporate governance in practice rather than just in theory eg( more accountability to shareholders, where trading shares as part of ones online bank account is standard practice, etc ).

That said, I do not even believe that pure unfettered capitalism is ideal - it is too brutal for stability and civilisation. For society to run smoothly I believe that we need a number of measures which ensure that all in society are treated and are seen to be treated equally eg( education, health, information.). Massive inequalities in wealth (especially when it does not seem to be associated with merit/work) leads to criminality, resentment and feelings of injustice IMO.

I suspect that there will be an erosion of wealth in the west anyhow, regardless of what we do here with the increased global competition for finite resources.

Problems with the markets
There are some serious fundamental problems with the global financial markets which have been papered over and still not resolved. Many of the people working in financial services, M&A, etc are ignorant of network resilience ( from network theory ) - an overarching/generalised reason for the "contagion" that resulted from the repackaging of derivatives in the sub-prime crisis. Soros warned in the early 2000s about the risk of a credit crunch many years ago, and I know of a few capitalists who made serious money from their planning a good 5years prior to the crunch. There is a lack of understanding eg( thermodynamics & statistical mechanics in finance by quants ), a lack of transparency, and ineffective, timid and uninformed oversight. The complexity of some instruments is too large for individuals to understand - similar problems to those found with unmanageable software code.

Land tax to increase enterprise
One of the most interesting ideas I have seen in recent times is that of a land/property tax. The idea that owners of land (with exemptions for a single average house) would be taxed on its value annually, and that the additional tax could be offset against income tax. This is regardless of whether the land is in use or not.

The thing interesting about this, is that it would strongly encourage companies & individuals to make the best use of land at any time, and discourage artificial rigging of property markets, corporations holding land banks, and empty shop fronts in city centres.

Pardon my ramblings,
J

 

[Jamie555]

...All these countries are in serious financial trouble, the Euro is making it impossible
for them to pay off there debts, ..

Just a small nuance - all this talk of meltdown is not about bailing out the countries themselves (as is commonly portrayed in the media), but of the institutions who lent them the money.

J

 

[Lee_]

Interesting subject and I'm not really sure anything is truly failing, more like a painful correction that has a short/mid term impact on the common man but overall will continue the system going and those enjoying the fruits of it will continue even if their profit margin is reduced.

It's the few who run and own the system and the many at the mercy of it.