loquitur

will, your'e avoiding the question. What noncapitalist society has produced the good that capitalist society has? France and Finland aren't socialist economies, they're regulated capitalistic ones. France's experiment with socialism - nationalized industry and such - under Mitterand was a disaster. You can look it up. Nokia makes profits, correct? Renault? Sanofi Aventis? The corner stores in Paris and Helsinki are privately owned and operated, subject to tax and regulation, right? they're not owned by, operated by or otherwise controlled by govt, right? So they're not socialist countries. They have socialistic aspects, but the money to pay for that was generated by private enterprise.

Economic growth is what has raised the floor of poverty, Will. Not shuffling assets around, which is all socialism ever has done or can do. And you don't get economic growth in any appreciable degree without profits.

That stuff you posted about the UK and Japan was nonsensical. The UK was totally sclerotic as a result of socialism until Thatcher broke the system at the end of the 1970s. And Japan was bombed back to the stone age in WW2 - it had no place to go but up. But once it recovered, the socialism caught up with it and it has been in recession for what, 15 years now? Geez Louise, Will, don't just make stuff up. "Simple economics"? I'd suggest you go read Adam Smith if you want simple economics. Supply and demand still rule.