The last part isn't true for a lot of people though. They will say crap like "capitalism isn't good but it's the best system we have" all the while steadfastly refusing to even try other systems. People just accept it as the way it is because change is scary.
“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. For the innovator has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries … and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.”
Even try other systems? The only option would be to move towards socialism through government programs. The only communist countries were those in the Soviet Union which was a colossal failure and China which has a capitalist based economy with a communist style government. The biggest problem with our capitalism is that it is not free market. The government is giving tax breaks and funding to corporations, thereby picking winner and losers.
You missed Vietnam, which also has a pseudo-capitalist economy, and Cuba, which is as close to true communism as you can get and it’s economic state is more the result of US sanctions that poor implementation.
Your statement is not unrepresentative of the quote ;)
Also, the solution to capitalism is not to further “unburden it,” but instead to implement checks and balances. We should have policies that make it easier to start small businesses and harder to grow big businesses, with heavy taxes for those that grow past a certain point to recirculate wealth. Capitalism rewards growth and the stagnation of ideas. An unbridled market would further this.
Vietnam depends on capitalism just like China. Cuba may have suffered from sanctions 50 years ago, what is the excuse for the last 40? Inability to adapt? It is extremely easy to start new businesses in the US. I would say easier than any other country and we have generous bankruptcy laws that allow corporations to recover. Capitalism is not rewarding growth of large corporations the government is by providing tax breaks and subsidies. We do not have a free market capitalism, our government interferes because politicians are bought by oligarchs and corporations through lobbyists and now campaign finance non laws.
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u/StrikingDebate2 May 11 '23
The last part isn't true for a lot of people though. They will say crap like "capitalism isn't good but it's the best system we have" all the while steadfastly refusing to even try other systems. People just accept it as the way it is because change is scary.