My live thoughts and response to a Communist PoststeemCreated with Sketch.

in #anarchy7 years ago (edited)

Initially, I was going to leave this as a comment. Then I thought, "Why share my profits with someone who believes in communism?" Here are my live thoughts as I'm reading through. I'm responding as I go and I hoped we would agree by the end, but we certainly do not.

Here is the Steemit post I am responding to: https://steemit.com/politics/@anarchyhasnogods/poverty-control-and-capitalism

we start with poverty as a state of being extremely poor

You should say that we start with our natural position in life being in poverty. We all start this way and without the help of others, and motivation of our own, we stay this way.

The simple answer is that those in poverty do not have enough money to afford it, so feeding them is not profitable. But that is not deep enough.

I'll have to keep reading, because it's certainly not deep enough, yet. To say "feeding them" seems to put the requirement of feeding the poor onto those who produce instead of putting the requirement on those who need the food. Those who need the food can provide their own. Nobody is stopping them. If everyone owns their own body is everyone not responsible for their own body?

Of course, this is only half of the libertarian position. The other half is about how free markets will provide charitable means for those who can't afford food or other necessities. I'm still reading, so hopefully, you cover this.

Africa is a prime example of the first question. Every year around 40 billion more dollars leaves Africa than enters it.

A deficit is only 1/2 of the equation. If I have a million dollars and spend it all on SBD and SP on Steemit, I could show a deficit of a million dollars. But what did I receive in exchange? Certainly, the people in Africa are receiving something for that 40 billion. Besides, almost every country is losing money. If a 40 billion deficit makes Africa poor, then the United States must be exceptionally poor. In 2016 the USA had a deficit of 474 billion. I'm not saying Africa isn't poor, but looking at the deficit is only a part of the problem.

To put this in perspective, “solving” world hunger would cost an estimated 30 billion a year

It doesn't put anything into perspective at all. If Africa didn't send out 40 billion last year they also wouldn't have 40 billion worth of products and services which were purchased with that 40 billion. Take away the 40 billion and put it towards solving world hunger, and you will actually make things much, much worse. Why? Because they will be without the 40 billion worth of supplies to produce and create and support themselves.

This is due to one major factor: Profit. This takes two forms, loans, and regular business profit.

Let's assume that an African business takes a loan from someone outside of Africa and that the interest is fairly high, by our standards, at 15%. You want to remove the profit factor and deficit? That leaves the African business with no loan and no money to produce anything. Now, instead of creating 100% of their products or service, they create much, much less. Sometimes even 0%. How is this better?

This is needed to sustain capitalism.

Yes. Profit is needed to sustain capitalism. Truer words were never written on Steemit. I'm still reading and hoping, but my hope in this communist writing is diminishing faster than a Venezuelan store's bread supply.

The control of resources is the most important element in defining the function and form of an economy.

The primary resource of any economy is the person. Free the person to build, create, and produce and they will free themselves! Governments restrict the freedom of the individual and prohibit them from producing. Licenses, permits, taxes and waiting for government permission is the largest factor in holding back countries like Africa.

In the beginning of capitalism was a force for progress. Any company that was too slow on the uptake of new technology was pushed out the market. As these markets expanded and capital became more concentrated, the economy ran into a problem. There were no new markets on every front to expand in, no new land and resources to divide up among the rich. That has lead into the stagnation we see today, it is a problem intrinsic to capitalism. It must always expand, and when it doesn’t it stagnates.

Capitalism is still a force for progress, but you have to have blinders on to believe that the United States, or other economically strong countries, have real capitalism. We have cronyism. We have protectionism. We have a multitude of laws and taxes holding us back. If it were not for communism creeping in, the United States will still be expanding at a much faster rate than it is.

At this point, I am just exhausted with trying to understand why anyone would believe in any form of communism. Again, take a look at Venezuela. And before you even go there, don't you dare say it wasn't real communism while trying to say America is real capitalism.

Anarchy is great. Communism isn't. And you can't intellectually meld the two in any way, shape, or form without being dishonest with yourself.

Communism in action

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My name is Rich and I'm a Libertarian.






You can find me on the Libertarian Chat Channel and now on the Discord Unmentionables server. I'm working on a production called the LIS, or Libertarian Interview Series. It's going to be a series of written format interviews with the top Libertarians and Anarchists on Steemit. If you would like to be a part of it, either to be interviewed or offer help, just message me here.





Rich Hersey Steemit Libertarian

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History and economics education in this country is abysmal! Hayek had it right when he said, “If socialists understood economics, they wouldn’t be socialists.”

The Best book to help them understand is "Economics for those who hate capitalism" one of the authors also co-wrote "Rebel Sell" an examination of the fetishization of marxist murderers like Che Gueverra.

The only problem with that is that it goes against their confirmation bias. I've found with dealing with progressives or just out and out socialists is that you have to talk to them for a while before you can get them to read something that goes against their thinking. I'll have to add a couple more books to my reading list!

You might be able to get them to read these books they are written by leftists(who of course should be excommunicated for wrong think)

Excommunicated is the proper word since they view socialism/communism as a religion.

"I'll have to keep reading, because it's certainly not deep enough, yet. To say "feeding them" seems to put the requirement of feeding the poor onto those who produce instead of putting the requirement on those who need the food"

we actively keep them from producing and from getting food so that we can profit off of their poverty.

You can't use hospitals. Stop shoving the requirement to heal yourself on doctors.

Here about putting it this way. I can upvote every comment I make, taking rewards from all of you. Its the most capitalist thing to do, it increases my wealth and power. In fact, the only way to stop me would be sacrificing your own wealth and power. Everybody here is an uneasy truce just to protect their own rewards, even if they don't like each other. This is how the ruling class comes to be, anybody who doesn't upvote themselves gets less and is left behind. Eventually only people who take from others are left. Is it the smaller user's fault that they did not choose to upvote themselves that much or have the ability to? Is it their fault that they are starved for rewards while the rich take everything? No. It is the fault of the rich.

You shift the blame on the poor. How can you help but be poor when the only job provided by your rich overlords is a dollar a day iron mining gig? You disgust me. I bet you tell cancer patients it's their fault they can't heal themselves too

You put people's property above other's life.

Did I blame the poor for being poor by saying being poor is our natural state? Because it is. Prove to me how it isn't. But saying we are all poor in our natural state isn't blaming them, it's acknowledging reality.

To your other point about being held down; if there is anything holding them down it is the government, which I am against.

Please tell me more about how you can be an anarchist and communist at the same time. I want to learn how you can enforce communism without a government while people are jumping on life rafts and paddling to capitalism.

Also, I gave real examples of communism in action. I referenced Venezuela. What did you do? "You blame the poor", "You disgust me", "You tell cancer patients it's their fault" and "You put people's property above other's life."

Good job with attacking me instead of the idea. Seems like a communist.

Again, in an anarchist world, I could believe, promote, and do what I want. I could keep property that I rightfully gained ownership of, regardless of the need of another. Of course, you'll spin that and completely ignore the comment I made about charity, but please, please, please, tell me more about how you will initiate force to remedy the inequalities your perceive and how that works with a peaceful, anarchist position.

Hint: You can't.

It's very hard for millenials brainwashed by the mediocre education system to differentiate between capitalism and crony capitalism. They fall easily to communist propaganda that advocates for big tyrannical governments

No doubt that cronyism led to advantages for major corporations to grow and manipulate prices, including the price of labor, over time. Wasn't me and it wasn't you. It's all history now, and there is nothing we can do to change it. So what do we do now and today?

I suggest free trade and free markets which will provide jobs and income to the poor.

You demand $15 an hour, backed by the threats of government, not anarchy, which will lead to zero jobs in 3rd world countries. You would rather that they don't have jobs and continue to stay poor. Shame on you.

You are not an anarchist. You are the opposite. You would use government force to change the way one person does a transaction with another around labor. You are better off to peddle your snake oil at a college campus, not here on Steemit. It doesn't work here.

I found that other user's name highly amusing. I am a follower of anarchy -- meaning, "no rulers", not "no rules"! Just as "mon-archy" means "one ruler", "an-archy" means "nobody is above anybody else".

For his name to state that the followers of anarchy are not Christian, well, here's a counter-example! :)

Come spend some time on our chat channel. Your opinions are very welcome.

People, not entities taking care of people? You mean putting power over ones resources to do as they see fit?

What a preposterous idea! /sarc

Combining resources to singular structured systems in hopes that they will distribute in any manner that those who've done the pooling is a failure from the start. However, we see it over, and over, and over........

This another "Deep Thinker" who I decided to take on in his post but I might still make a post about my battles with marxist apologists.
https://steemit.com/politics/@drdave/seeking-knowledge-and-the-ability-to-understand-and-interpret-it-marxism

Your point of view are concrete
I am inspired

If I had seen this video sooner, I would have tagged @anarchyhasnogods and included it in the post.

Great synopsis... I find it hilarious that there are commies here on Steemit who unironically are making money from a Meritocratic (read oppressive) system... My latest post is against identity politics obsession... loosely related, but I won't link as it would seem spammy... Could you tell me how I can get on a good libertarian Discord channel?... I've heard things but can't find my way around it...

You can join us on the Steemit Chat Channel, Libertarian.

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