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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction
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To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (50901)9/5/2006 5:21:08 PM
From: Solon  Read Replies (1) of 90947
 
Thanks for clarifying. I see we have no disagreement. The relative disparity between rich and poor has indeed increased. There are data and graphs all over the place to demonstrate that. This "gap" is factual even though productivity boosts all levels of sea creatures like a rising tide line. Once again, the moral argument against the gap has screw all to do with capitalism and free enterprise. It has to do (when applicable) to coercion being used to leverage trade advantage--whether that trade be in commodities, loyalties, or any other values people hold.

The guy who wrote about you also said this:

"Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded -- here and there, now and then -- are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.""

I am adding that where the "gap" is not caused by normal freedom of trade and value for value transactions, then it is caused by corruption of one sort or another. Knowing as we do that people with influence sometimes unfairly skew social policy and leverage economic transactions...we ought to be watchful of exploitation and we willing to defend the freedom and rights of the underclass. This is not to say they are "owed" economic advancement. But all people are owed a level playing field with Just laws and freedom from exploitation. Hell, I could exploit people every day and call it capitalism. But capitalism is not about exploitation. Exploitation is about being a cheat. And if you look around you might spot one or two in the crowd or in a fancy prison for the privileged.

EDIT: In other words, one can argue against the extent of the gap between rich and poor without having any animus toward capitalism or freedom. Many people whom have the good conscience to lament this gap fail to see that capitalism is not the enemy, but exploitation is always our foe. And by "exploitation", I don't mean a good deal. I mean a crooked deal. Slum landlords who keep rent deposits for pretended damage in garbage dumps because they know the welfare or street person has neither Will nor resources to sue for justice are a case in point. Such people increase the gap between rich and poor and it has nothing to do with capitalism.
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