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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices

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To: TimF who wrote (269441)	1/21/2006 4:58:31 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) of 1573463

Yes they are capitalists. They aren't capitalism. Capitalists are major actors in a capitalist system. They are not the system, they certainly aren't the ideas and philosophy behind the system. WTF Tim. Capitalists are the human embodiment of capitalism just as Americans are the human embodiment of America. Capitalism is about free market transactions of goods and services. Capitalists act in a relatively free market but their interest is in making money not in the capitalist system in an abstract sense. They frequently argue for and often get special benefits from the government, or restrictions that hurt their competitors. They aren't "capitalism". The idea is not the same as the people. And the concrete reality of a real world capitalist market requires a lot more than big capitalists. You have workers, consumers, ect. Sorry. Without people, an -ism has little reason to exist. I am not blaming capitalism necessarily or entirely, but this transition from limited to many choices is literally killing people in Russia. Since the USSR fell apart, the lifespan of the average Russian has decreased dramatically. The lifespan of the average Russian was apparently declining for some time. The statistics from Russia were not and probably still aren't very reliable. The decline began shortly after the USSR fell. Also Russia is not a strongly capitalist society. At least not in the sense that I am using the term capitalist. Apparently you are defining the word a system where capitalists operate. I am using it to mean something more like "a free market economy". It isn't now....it was for a while......Putin has begun to restrict the market and Russian freedoms. It was an affront to every person starving or subsisting in the Phillippines. She knew that but still capitalism allowed/justified her need to feed her fetish. So your problem is that capitalism allows people to spend to excess? That's not much of a problem in my opinion. I know that's not your problem. Libertarians/Republicans have conveniently come up with ways to ignore the poverty in the world. Other systems allow the ruling class to spend to excess as well as I pointed out. So? Capitalism extends this ability beyond the ruling class because it gives wealth and freedom to more people. Giving wealth and freedom to more people is a good thing not a bad one. No, it isn't good thing if people are starving. You are so blinded by your ideology, you don't clearly see its implications and the end product. Consuming isn't the same as alcoholism, at least not for the vast majority of people. Yes, it is. There are 12 step programs to help people who are addicted to shopping just as there are 12 step programs for alcoholism. I said for the vast majority of people. Yes there are some "spendaholics" but they are a tiny fraction of consumers. For most. "Consuming" isn't like "alcoholism". "Out of control compulsive consuming is perhaps somewhat like alcoholism", but you were not criticizing ""Out of control compulsive consumption" but rather "consumption." There are varying degrees of shoppers just like there are varying degrees of drinkers. The fact that people can get addicted to shopping/consumption suggests an underlying flaw to the capitalism system. And shopping addiction is just one of the symptoms. There are people who steal in order to maintain their consumption; others who prostitute themselves. Still others who sacrifice the welfare of their families so they can consume what they want. That is not a good thing. You keep ignoring a major premise of capitalism........the need for consumption.....that's how capitalism thrives. The need for consumption isn't a premise of capitalism. Its a basic reality of our existence and even the existence of bacteria. You have to consume to live. Capitalism is a free market system where you have more wealth so you can consume more. Once again that is a good thing not a bad thing. Capitalism thrives on growing consumption. In a world where resources are finite, that is not a good thing. That is why at some point capitalism will be forced to evolve into something else or humanity will experience another crash. ted

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