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Originally posted by smooth
I'm not even sure there is a justifcation to limit buying people, but our value system has grown to denounce that.
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Alright, so you don't support capitalism but you don't see any substantial reason to believe that buying people off is wrong.
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2) As far as I know, this has always been the case. This doesn't equate to unfair represenation.
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Being able to influence decisions (including spending the nation's money, raising taxes, creating laws, etc) to a greater extent because you spend money to elect a politician is absolutely unfair representation. Just because it's "always been the case" it doesn't mean it's fair.
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3) In our society, I would rather we provide for opportunity and rights to level the playing field as much as possible than restricting others' rights.
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I guess I don't understand why this is even an argument. If anything it supports my view since the unequal playing field in terms of opportunity that allows the "rich" to influence politics expands the supposed inequality of opportunity.
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4) I have a big problem with all of this. I don't think it's morally right. I think that some people will never be able to gain wealth and its accompanying power and influence due to their lack of the means of production. I think that everything is, and ought to be, for sale in a capitalist society. That's the definition. To undermine that is to create further structural inconsistencies that serve to undermine its legitimacy.
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The definition of a capitalistic society is not that everything is for sale. It's that the means of production and sale of goods is privately owned rather than government or "collectively" owned.
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5) I'm not a capitalist because of the problems I have identified above. But at least I don't claim to be a capitalist and then refuse to act like one becaue I don't have money or power. I don't think I can claim to support capitalism only when it suits me. I don't think you should either. I think you should support capitalism with all its benefits and warts, or not support it at all.
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Your definition of a capitalist obviously differs from mine. Your belief that everything should be for sale in a capitalistic society conflicts with the real definition of capitalism. Further, there is no reason that the political process of a society based on private ownership of business and markets of exchange can not be subject to regulation. THe two are not mutually exclusive.