RE: Alternatives to Capitalism and the Building of Resilience
Hi extramile. Thanks for your reply and for your very good points.
My argument is basically an academic or theoretical one.
Let me address some of your points.
Firstly, I dispute that there is no wealth under a Communist system. By the late 1950s, the Soviet system elevated the USSR to world leaders in space exploration, military hardware, and in fact, in terms of GDP. So, to suggest that there is no wealth generated by a Communist system is quite simply wrong. But ... and this is the crunch of the matter ... from the 1960s onwards, the Soviet state changed quite dramatically attempting to expand it's empire. This was the start of the problems. Basically, they overspent their wealth and over-reached their power. 30 years later, it was all gone.
Your point about equality is a fair one. However, in terms of the 'design' of the system, this is philosophically what Communism is about.
Your point about the social democratic system is simply biased. You make the claim that there are many people who don't want to 'work hard'. The Scandinavian social democratic systems have generally had lower unemployment rates than the rest of Europe, so how do you explain this?
Your argument about capitalism is again biased because it is simply based on a free market argument. And a flat tax? Which country has a flat tax? None. I actually agree that a flat tax (based on a percentage) is a great idea, but so far, not a single capitalist country has implemented this. Why? Because it would penalise large corporations because they pay almost no tax in the current system.
On your final point - this is not an issue of jealousy. It is a matter of the support that a whole society actually provides for the corporate sector in terms of tax breaks for big business (which costs the taxpayer money), the consumption of the goods and services they produce by the consumers, and I could go on. Surely, the corporate sector should give back to the society that supports them.