capitalism
Out of context: Reply #35
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- raf0
I don't know what could be done to restore freedom - we certainly are going in the other direction now and people seem to ask for even more state control.
Shock doctrine isn't wishy-washy other than Naomi Klein absurdly blaming Milton Friedman and libertarian ideas and mixing them with the real culprits – neocons, who used them for their err.. cons.The main problem with socialism/marxism/kenesism is the inefficiency. EU is a socialist organization in my bok and Europe's largest economies, the one with most developed welfare have been stalled for long time. The whole Eurozone is in recession while some far Eastern countries employing savage capitalism gain momentum.
Soviet empire (a real world example of "socialist experiment") ended because it went bankrupt, not for any other reason.Just look at Ireland, in the wake of a crisis the government is fighting fire with petrol, increasing taxes just when entrepreneurial activity should be stimulated by lowering them. Wasn't low taxation what current Irish prosperity was built on in the first place? Irish economy was almost slaughtered by last year's tax increases.
I believe the nature of the world is "capitalist" though, that's why it will naturally prevail. Capitalism is not just like evolution, it is the exemplification of evolution in economy. I certainly wouldn't call it an experiment.
Interesting thing I noticed in Cuba, that among all restrictions imposed by government which has monopoly on doing business, gray market is what everyone thrives on. Even Raul Castro said he cannot imagine how people can live on state regulated salaries of $15/month.
Everyone is doing some trade on the side in Cuba. Free market finds its ways, it's like water running through obstacles. Sometimes it takes a funny shape, ie. selling real estate is not allowed, you cannot change ownership of a house. Yet people told me that houses and apartments are being traded and while an official record indicates a person still owns their house, people adhere to and respect unofficial contracts that reflect change of ownership. Economic freedom just cannot be tamed.