Quote:
Originally Posted by Willravel
Well hold on, are we talking about pure capitalism? If we're talking about pure capitalism, then there isn't compromise. It's all free market. Pure capitalism is when the government only performs functions that cannot be performed by any private entity. There could easily be a company that can come and test paint for lead. Shoot, there are companies that handle a lot of the functions the government performs, everything from delivering packages and mail (FedEx, UPS, etc.) to military (Blackwater).
Or are we talking about realistic, pragmatic capitalism? Filtherton brings up very strong cases for why there should be government oversight, and I can throw out a dozen more examples (albeit not as eloquently, the Latin was a very nice touch). Real world capitalism does require sharing of some power with the government because there are things that the market doesn't do well, in addition to the things it does well.
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Well, that's the thing. A certain mentality of people will adopt a position or ideology (capitalism, libertarianism, etc), and then take an absolutist, no-compromises stance. No matter what, the principles of libertarianism are the way to go. I remember a radio interview at one point, where the interviewer asked the Crazy Libertarian about public parks - his answer was that they should all be sold, and if a company wants to set aside some land as a park and charge for admission, then great. How could this possibly be good for society? I can't imagine. But it followed logically from his absolutist stance. It's similar to the thought process that causes the infant death by vegenism discussed in another thread. "Veganism is good, it is morally superior, it is healthy. Therefore, a vegan diet must be perfect for my child. Ignore what the doctor says, he's just spouting anti-vegan propaganda."
I consider myself to be fairly libertarian - specifically with regards to civil liberties. I also consider myself a capitalist (Well, I'm not rich enough to be a capitalist, but one day, maybe. :-)). I believe in small government - *but* I believe that some of the few useful things a government can do are to provide a regulatory framework for commerce and industry, provide the basic necessities for those who cannot provide for themselves, and provide for the common defence. I don't see these as inconsistent with my views - because my main goal is to help maximize happiness in society - libertarianism and capitalism are just tools, not the goal.