What ever happened to Capitalism ?

My consternation about what is happening these days with giveaways to the super-rich, the manipulation of wealth of this country toward the right, deregulation of industries to favor big business and destruction of the middle class created by virtue of capitalism, led me to this question;

What ever happened to Capitalism ?

Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market. Economic system in which most of the means of production are privately owned, and production is guided and income distributed largely through the operation of markets.

Capitalism as a way of thinking is fundamentally individualistic, that is, that the individual is the center of capitalist endeavor. Translation is that all men are not equal. The meaning is that each man is individual and particular to the best of his ability to adopt and survive. This idea draws on all concepts of individuality: that all individuals are different, that society is composed of individuals who pursue their own interests, that individuals should be free to pursue their own interests ( this, in capitalism, is called "economic freedom"), and that, in a democratic sense, individuals pursuing their own interests will guarantee the interests of society as a whole.

Capitalism as a way of thinking is fundamentally based on the large-scale social goal of capitalism is to produce wealth, that is, to make the national economy wealthier and more affluent than it normally would be. Therefore, in a concept derived from the idea of progress, the entire structure of capitalism as a way of thinking is built on the idea of "economic growth." This economic growth has no prescribed end; the purpose is for nations to grow steadily wealthier

Economics, the analysis of the production and distribution of goods, has to be abstracted out of other areas of knowledge. In other words, capitalism as a way of thinking divorces the production and distribution of goods from other concerns, such as politics, religion, ethics, etc., and treats production and distribution as independent human endeavors. In this view, the fundamental purpose and meaning of human life is productive labor.

The economic world view treats the economy as if it were mechanical, that is, subject to certain predictable laws. This means that economic behavior can be rationally calculated , and these rational calculations are always future-directed . So, the mechanistic view of the economy leads to an exclusively teleological world picture; capitalism as a manipulation of the "machine" of the economy is always directed to the future and intentionally regards the past as of no concern. This, in part, is one of the fundamental origins of modernity, the sense that the cultural present is discontinuous with the past.

The fundamental unit of meaning in capitalist and economic thought is the object , that is, capitalism relies on the creation of a consumer culture, a large segment of the population that is not producing most of what it is consuming. Since capitalism, like mercantilism, is fundamentally based on distributing goods-moving goods from one place to another-consumers have no social relation to the people who produce the goods they consume. In non-capitalist societies, such as tribal societies, people have real social relations to the producers of the goods they consume. But when people no longer have social relations with others who make the objects they consume, that means that the only relation they have is with the object itself. So part of capitalism as a way of thinking is that people become "consumers," that is, they define themselves by the objects they purchase rather than the objects they produce.

Social-democratic system is to regard state regulation ( without state ownership) as sufficient to ensure economic growth and a fair distribution of income. System of social organization in which private property and the distribution of income are subject to social control; also, the political movements aimed at putting that system into practice. The philosophy of socialism is that all participating members of that society deserve a fair share of wealth or at least minimum staples of society as health care, job, or living corders. There are very successful social-democratic system throughout the world, but it can also degenerate fast into a corrupt government that would control it's citizens through dictatorship.

Capitalism is a natural evolution of society based on individuals desire to be free in their decision to work and pursue happiness. It regards the best capability of each individual, and moves society as a whole. The reinvesting of capital into the future assures prosperity to future generations, moving the national product forward. It builds infrastructure in it's desire to distribute goods and build new markets. By excellence of improving production by organization and application of technology, product per capita increases and the need for development of new markets spurs entrepreneurship. Capitalism by virtue is so successful in building wealth that there is the danger to evolve into a more drastic form as dictatorships through monopolization of wealth and power by a single individual or a group of people that control wealth and national resources. For that reason government intervention is imperiously necessary to regulate certain capitalistic behavior and write anti-trust laws to prevent deterioration of economic conditions, take-overs and creation of super monopoly as an oligarchy.

"The moral justification of capitalism, does not lie in the altruist claim that it represents the best way to achieve the "common good" It is true that capitalism does - if that catch-fraze has any meaning - but this is merely a secondary consequence. The moral justification of capitalism lies in the fact that it is the only system consonant with man's rational nature, that it protects man's survival qua man and that it's ruling principle" - Ayn Rand

Capitalism by virtue of it's philosophy has created democracy, intrinsically to level the field for business endeavor. To enable entrepreneurship society has to be legislated free, since free enterprise is not possible under restriction. Men are not equal, but opportunities should be equally enabled for each member of the society.

Often, democrats are accused of being socialists. That is a myth. Democrats are fighting and safeguarding democracy that is only possible in a capitalist society. Democrats are fighting for capitalism and democracy, the true natural social form.

(Some excerpts from Adam Smith, Richard Hooker, Ayn Rand, American Heritage Dictionary etc.)

Clinton Nostalgia

Tired of news and nausea, I went to the "whitehouse.gov" website to look for past presidents. I found the biography of William Jefferson Clinton in the White House archive. The first paragraph is unequal to any other president in history;
You can guess how I felt. Here is that paragraph. Enjoy..!

William J. Clinton

During the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country's history, dropping crime rates in many places, and reduced welfare roles. He proposed the first balanced budget in decades and achieved a budget surplus. As part of a plan to celebrate the millennium in 2000, Clinton called for a great national initiative to end racial discrimination.

Republican Survivor

George Bush, Dick Cheney, Ann Coulter, John Ashcroft, Katherine Harris and Tom DeLay are stuck on a deserted island.. sound like the setup to a really good joke?

DripTV will feature a new webisode every week from June 3 through July 15 and you will be able to vote off one loser every week! Do check out Republican Survivor!

AMERICAN FASCISM

The American Heritage Dictionary defines fascism as  "a system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and  business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism." Fascism is synonymous with corporatism.
 
Corporatism is government run by and for corporations in the belief that it is the most "efficient" model of national management. It is the model that has been used by ultra-conservative totalitarian regimes in the past century. It is also the model by which corporations run themselves. The government enables the supremacy of a few over the majority of it's citizens.
 
A version of corporatism or economic fascism was adopted in the United States in the 1930s and survives to this day. In the United States these policies were not called "fascist" but "planned capitalism." The word fascism may no longer be politically acceptable, but its synonym "industrial policy" is as popular as ever. Economic fascism intensifies "national spirit" and is the antithesis of democracy. Fascism combats the whole complex system of democratic ideology, and repudiates it in its theoretical premises or in its practical application. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State.
 
Corporatism views human rights of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population is brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. The tactic is to use secrecy, denial and disinformation.
 
Corporatism was present in the Unites States since it's inception in a less obvious appearance through lobbyists and corporate political contributions. Certain administrations tried to enact it with different degree of aggressivity. The most remarkable were the Reagan and Bush administrations.

The philosophy is simple: shift national wealth to the right leaving few resources available for social programs. They both started their administrations by giving tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations and squandering the US Treasury. Then fat political contributions by the wealthy towards the ruling party financed their re-election campaigns. They both appointed lobbyists or former corporate CEOs in key cabinet positions or advisory bodies. The Bush administration came into power with full control of the congress enabling it to be more aggressive in implementing "the plan":

- Discouraged competition by deregulating all industries to enable corporate takeovers and monopolize all wealth and power in the country. Relaxed environmental regulations to increase profits for the corporations. Disguised every measure with patriotic and political slogans like "patriot act", "clean air or clean water act", "save our forest act".

- Ridiculed labor organizations, by marginalizing their impact on society, or outright vilifying them or their actions. It is destroying the working class by subsidizing the outsourcing of jobs, to help big business fill their pockets with profits.

- Started a war to distract attention from domestic shortcomings. Demonizes and vilifies a country, a social group, religion or political party to excite the misinformed masses and intensify national spirit. Crushes opposition or criticism of governing policy by acquiring all media corporations that will report only the good news from the war. Employs hordes of war cheerleaders to intimidate and silence dissent.

- Privatized the war by hiring mercenaries ("private contractors"). Working feverishly to privatize social security, medicare, the public school system, and the prison system. Uses terrorism as reason for all misdeeds; reason to invade a foreign country, high gasoline prices, shortage of jobs etc. Disguises the invasion as "liberation". Uses the war to excite nationalism. Uses nationalism to build consensus. The effect is to render the citizenry more dependent on government, and to empty the cash-box in case a reformist administration comes to power.

- Allies itself with the religious right to legitimize it's actions. The religious right recruits and profits more from citizens pushed into poverty than a prosperous middle class.

- Transforms the country into a corporate welfare system by allowing them to rape and pillage all the wealth or national resources. Those in business circles and close to the power elite use their position to enrich themselves. The power elite receives financial gifts and property from the economic elite, obtains vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources.

This is the antithesis of capitalism and democracy.

How Fascism Starts by Molly Ivins

From Working For Change:

It's pretty easy to get to the point where you don't want to hear any more about Abu Ghraib prison and what went on there. But there are some really good reasons why Americans should take a look at why this happened.
...
The problems go all the way back to the administration's refusal to abide by the Geneva Conventions. President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft "signed off on a secret system of detention and interrogation that opened the door to such methods. It was an approach that they adopted in order to sidestep the historical safeguards of the Geneva Convention, which protect the rights of detainees and prisoners of war," according to Newsweek.

Secretary of State Colin Powell and the military's lawyers objected. You may recall the military's objections (broadcast, as usual, by retired officers) were on the excellent grounds that if we didn't observe the Geneva Conventions neither would our enemies -- the very reason they were signed in the first place.
...
In this case, [Abu Ghraib] there is more than sufficient evidence pointing to the culpability of those at the top. But at the same time, the Pentagon is putting out the word that it was "only a few bad apples," six low-level soldiers who have already been charged, with no one else involved. This just stinks of cover-up. Damned if I think these six low-level soldiers should be hung out there to take the blame for a set of explicitly written and signed policies made by people wearing expensive suits, getting paid big bucks and bearing some of the highest titles in the land.

You can read all the memos and documents for yourself. It's important to know how fascism starts. Read the Article...

Fascism Anyone?

Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines fascism as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized, autocratic government."
There are two forms of fascism: "autocracy" and "corporatism"

Autocracy is a totalitarian regime where the government gets hold of all national resources to control public and private lives, dominated by one political party, headed by a single charismatic leader. Information and ideas are effectively organized through the control of television, radio, the press, and education at all levels. They, systemicly penetrate all levels of society, and systematically use propaganda, terror and patriotic slogans to arouse it's subjects. Example of past autocracies are Hitler's Third Reich, or Saddam's Baathist regime.

Corporatism is different fundamentally, but identical regarding the control of it's subjects. It is constituted by an alliance of "big business", "religious organizations", "broadcasting corporations", " press", "conservative groups" forming an oligarchy with a shadow government and a figurehead leader. In this form of government "the council" (shadow government) is making the decisions and the figurehead communicates the decision dressed in an acceptable lingo to the people without substantial meaning.

Secrecy and disinformation is their fundamental policy: "Wolf dressed in sheepskin"
They would call deregulation or relaxation of factory chemical releases in the atmosphere as " Clean Air Act" and name as secretary of Environmental Protection Agency a coal mine executive or lobbyist. Or, "Save our Forests Act", deregulating or relaxing the quota of cutting down trees and name as secretary of the agency a lumber company executive. ( any coincidence with real facts or people is not intended, nor is documented )

Fascism will not be referred to by it's name, since that word is tabu. Instead "planned capitalism" or "industrial policy" will be used. Everything comes in disguise like "war on terror" or "homeland security" (doesn't that ring "fatherland"?) Under the slogan "homeland security" a government may invent restrictions on liberties and name it "patriot act"; instill fear and terror in the general population, occasionally raise the terror alert level as a reminder to distract attention from economic uncertainties, unemployment, lack of health care provision to large masses, downsizing etc.

By institutionalizing the "war on terrorism" a government may acquire a rationale for expanding its powers and furthering its domestic agenda. While the nation's resources are directed toward endless war, promoting tax cuts in the midst of recession, leaving few resources available for domestic programs.

This form of fascism will sneak up on you in a disguise. Slowly it's roots will grow deeply, spreading in all directions, entangling the entire society.The ideologically driven party nurturing its own intellectuals and supporting a network that transforms the national ideology from mildly liberal to predominantly conservative, slowly pushes the Democrats to the right enfeebling opposition. The government responds primarily to corporate interests; voters become cynical, resigned and opposition decreases. It adopts a reckless unilateralism, demands unquestionable support on terms it dictates; ignores treaties and violates international law at will; invades other countries without provocation; and incarcerates persons indefinitely without charging them with a crime or allowing access to counsel.

Does any of this ring a bell?

The Big Picture

"Whining is anger coming out of a small hole" according to Al Franken
I hear a lot of whining everywhere I turn. All bits and pieces of a larger picture.
All the wrongs that scare us to death.
Here is my analysis about the whole political situation plaguing our society. This is not about being democrat or republican; it's a lot more serious.
 
The Big Picture.
 
There are two known forms of dictatorships: communism and fascism. I lived in the former and studied the latter. I also studied Dialectic Materialism mandatory in a communist regime.
 
Communism by definition is the tool by which the government owns all businesses. That gives the government the power and the means to control the masses through holding all material assets necessary for the survival of it's citizens, while the appointed representatives of the government enjoy a lavish life.
 
Fascism is exactly the opposite; Under fascism the big business virtually owns the government. How is that possible? By forming a capitalist oligarchy - an alliance of big business that takes over a political party; financing, buying, coercing elections; controlling  the media, the economic assets of the society, it's representation in government and privatizing all agencies of the government. For the capitalists within the alliance, privatization of government agencies is a great source of revenue without competition or bidding process. It's like "wolves guarding the sheep"
.
This is what's happening in our time. A big business alliance formed during the Clinton years. (the so called "right-wing conspiracy" slated by Hillary Clinton). With the help of NRA and evangelists like Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson they organized at grass-roots level in the southern states (more sympathetic to their cause and easier to manipulate due to their religious affiliations). They adopted one-liner slogans targeting the "simple minded" about patriotism, defining all liberal views as "unamerican" and "unpatriotic"
The oligarchy included religious corporations (the evangelists), broadcasting corporations, drug and managed health care companies, energy providing companies (Enron,) big oil companies (Haliburton) etc.
 
These corporations control all or most assets of the society necessary for everyday living: health, information, electricity. heat etc. When they consolidated their position within the political party (appointing a former business lobbyist as RNC chairman) the Oligarchy financed, bought, and coerced elections in all branches of government.
 
Today they control all branches of the government; the executive branch, (the presidency), the legislative branch (senate, house of representative), judiciary branch (supreme court, circuit courts etc.)....they own all major broadcasting stations, manipulate information to their advantage, own delivery of health care through drugs and managed health care corporations. It's called  disabling the "checks and balances" conceived by our forefathers.
  
George W. Bush never wanted, or dared to dream of becoming president. It's futile to call him all kind of names. He is a simple minded man, an ex addict that joined a new radical religion as most former addicts do. He was hand picked by the oligarchy formed  during the Clinton years. The reason is, he had name recognition, he is a likable guy and loyal subject of the oligarchy. He was groomed, scripted and taught one-liner, tough guy slogans like "bring it on", "dead or alive". "staying the course", creating this image of "macho" "the warrior" and even building the ranch at Crawford Texas in 2000 to make him look like "the guy next door". A horse-ranch without horses? He is afraid of horses. No macho-ism there. He is just a "figurehead" for the oligarchy.

John McCain, a truly popular guy, naively ran against George W. Bush in 2000, not knowing that he was pitted against a well organized political machine. The Oligarchy has decided to make George W. Bush president. They politically murdered John McCain, insinuating that he was a collaborator in Vietnam, then after they lost the election, spent $13 million on legal fees and who knows what, to stop the vote recount in Florida. They were fined $90,000 by the IRS for not disclosing that spending. A slap on the wrist!

A year ago, I voiced my opinion that this country is marching fast toward dictatorship, and people looked at me like I was crazy. Now, the writing is on the wall.

More on this on my next dissertation. "Symptoms of Dictatorship"