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Originally Posted by filtherton
Stevo, i think most of the changes you cited were fought kicking and screaming by capitalists. Capitalism is the religion of the dollar. It requires poverty to function. Capitalism as it is practiced is in no way fair or equitable. If it were you wouldn't see statistics reflecting the fact that children born to those in poverty are much less likely to escape poverty. If it weren't for the inherent inequality of our system none of us would know who george w. bush even is. He was born into a wealthy family, slacked off in the ivy league schools, and failed at every business venture his family hooked him up with. Despite all this he is our president. This is how the system works. Intelligence and effort mean a whole lot less than wealth and connections. That's our capitalism. Our capitalism is the one where ceos make roughly 400 times the wage of their lowest paid worker. How is that equitable?
I think there will come a point when it is time to ask ourselves whether our current economic system is as efficient as it could be in terms of actually providing for the "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" of the average american citizen.
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Wealth shifts don't normally occur over a few years or decades. It takes generations. Although it is possible in this country for someone born into poverty to become wealthy, it is the grandchildren of those in poverty now who have a better chance at wealth than grandchildren born to those in poverty now in any un-capitalistic state.
You might not see it as fair that ceos make 400x that of the lowest wage worker, but how fair is it for everyone to get paid the same amount of money no matter how much or how little they work, or even if what they produce and contribute is even worthwhile.
The changes that capitalisim has seen over the past few centuries may have been met with cries and fists, but the changes came none the less. There will always be someone complaining, someone wanting to keep the status quo, wouldn't you if you were making 400x your lowest wage worker? But there is still no other system on this planet that is as fair as capitalisim.
Life is not fair. Shit happens all the time to people that don't deserve it. Some people work hard their whole life and then get shit on in the end. Thats how it is and thats how its always been. As long as there are people on this planet shit will be unfair to everyone. Socialisim is not the answer though. Human nature is in direct conflict with the tennants of socialisim. Capitalisim at least a complement to human nature that has allowed this country to become the strongest and most influential country of our time. Even the poorest people in america are still better off than the poorest people in other countries.
About oil: I'm not worried, I don't think most people are. I have complete faith in our market system and believe that when the time is right, and the price incentives are right we will develop methods to replace what we use now. We are a country that has flourished because of the market system we have in place that rewards innovation and invention. Someone will come up with something whether it is a more efficient use of petroleum or void of petrol all together.
There is no sense in whining about how we're all doomed and the country is going to the shitter because we are so dependent on oil. Whiners should get off ther ass and do something about it if it worries them so much. And the ones who do will be handsomely rewarded for it, while those that complain that something needs to change won't get sqat and will complain after about how everything is so unfair.
Look at your computer, look at your house, where you live, what you eat. What you drive, wear, and sleep on. Look at your tv and dvd player. Regardless of the size of your bank account you have nothing to complain about. Through capitalisim you got what you have, and you have it pretty well, unless of course you live in cuba and you visit TFP via your castro-cable modem and gov't issued laptop.