Forum Post: Free Markets
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 21, 2011, 1:54 p.m. EST by LMichaelHester
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Capitalism is hard; Socialism is harder; Communism is harder still. True, capitalism needs to be regulated, but let us not destroy the free market, as never before in the history of mankind has a system produced so much good (in medicine and science and consumer goods) for so many people.
"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
Three strikes. You're out.
If we could only free the markets from the unfair and unbalanced control that Wall Street wields over the regulators and politicians we actually could have free markets.
Unfortunately, there has never been a "free market." The market created by Great Britain during the Industrial Revolution was immediately regulated to stave off unwanted exploitation which shortly followed industrialization. The closest thing to "free market" that I can think of is the law of nature. A "free market" requires that all aspects of the market be subservient and sacrificial to the market. There can be no concept of connection, to a job, to a company, to a building, to an idea, to a person, to a country, etc, if a "free market" is to truly exist. The only idea that comes even slightly close to this is the law of nature which requires death from any living creature that cannot find food. The beings are free to interact in anyway to find food, if they do not, well thats that. A true "free market" would look a lot more like the jungle than a civilized society.
How many truly understand what sustains our lifestyle? Do people truly believe it is a 'free' market?
Acquiring resources of other nations through unethical means are the only reason we live the lifestyle we do. End corrupted forms of international trade and our form of capitalism will not support our nation's lifestyle centered around affluence.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/810
The only way to maintain or improve our quality of life is to change the system itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-bknltXSgE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL