Root causes, not just Symptoms

submitted by Bearcat22 from self.WayOfTheBern

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[–]kingsmegLiberté, égalité, fraternité 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

M'kay, here's a completely non-partisan assessment of the situation as I see it:

Humanity has been enslaved by a parasitical class of people who hold power over all of us and compel us to work for their enrichment. They have grown fabulously wealthy by enslaving us, amassing riches to last them 10,000 lifetimes, but that is never enough for them, they always think their slaves are greedy and lazy and are always working to further immiserate us for their own benefit. Lately they've taken to calling us 'useless eaters' and plotting to get rid of the majority of us, seemingly oblivious to the fact that we're the ones who make all the things and grow all the food, and all they do is just take that from us and gloat, Smaug-like, over their hoards of gold.

So how would you go about attacking the root problem? Vote Red/Blue/Third Party?

[–]Bearcat22[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

That hardly sounds non partisan to me. It sounds like Marxism: The rich are to blame for everything is what I hear you saying.

As I see it, we've got a choice.

  1. Let self interested persons voluntarily pool their money to create things, at their own risk of profit or loss.
  2. Enslave everyone under a supposed 'commune', like the collapsed dumpster fire of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or Venezuela. How'd that work out? ************* An essential problem is the concept of division of labor. In a business, this is generally efficient. Government, not so much. When you use democracy to delegate the work of decision-making, things go off the rails. Who knows best how to spend YOUR money? You, or a democratically elected "representative"? ********* Precisely WHO is this "parasitical class"? I live in America. No one holds a gun to your head and tells you that you are not allowed to quit your job and get a different one. No one prevents you from starting your own business if you don't like your job. No one forces you to buy anything you don't want.
    *************** You fault the productive and the ambitious for not adhering to YOUR definition of what is 'enough'? If you have proof that they gained wealth unlawfully, by all means, take them to court. Happens all the time. Amazon declared a monopoly recently. Fine. &&&&&&&&&& The principle of accumulating capital is a proven way to create jobs and and general prosperity. Killing the golden goose, aka as socialism/communism is a proven dead end. ******* There is indeed undeserved wealth under CRONY capitalism, under corrupt democracy. Who knows best how to spend YOUR money? You, or a democratically elected "representative"? ********* Democracy as practiced in America is utterly corrupt. It runs on money. The solution is not to kill the golden goose, it is to remove money from politics, to eliminate democracy, which is just two gangs of cannibals. No more corrupt "representatives". Pay your own way. Mind your own business. Use force only in self defense. ((((((((((((( Don't steal from your neighbor, don't allow him to steal from you: no more taxes. &&&&&&&&& Who knows best how to spend YOUR money? You, or a democratically elected "representative"? As the lady said...."Socialism works, until you run out of other people's money". &&&&&& Undue influence doesn't arise from accumulated wealth. It arises when regulation by government makes it possible. It arises when politicians can be bribed. 88888888888 Unregulated Capitalism is a boom and bust system. Responsible people save their money to get through the bust times. Democracy as now practiced instead lets people be irresponsible children, taxing the future in order to gain short term effects, so a hack can get re elected. Government generates nothing, it is a parasite. All it can do is steal from one to benefit another, meanwhile pocketing a juicy slice for itself.
    &&&&&&& It is impossible for any form of government to regulate an economy effectively. Stalin and Mao found this out, and millions of people died as a result.

[–]kingsmegLiberté, égalité, fraternité 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

What does it profit a man to gain an iPhone if he loses his freedom?

We lived for hundreds of thousands of years in tribal groups bound by blood, before the division of labor required by large-scale agriculture, which itself was required to create a surplus needed to support 'god-kings' and their priests and armies. We haven't been free since.

Personally, I would trade that iPhone and even the Intertubes for a chance to live a fulfilling life, surrounded by my extended family.

[–]penelopepnortneyBecome ungovernable 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

So in your view, why doesn't #1 happen?

Here's my opinion: anyone who's ever worked for an organization knows that most people love to talk about problems and propose abstract solutions but the number who are willing to actually roll up their sleeves and do the necessary grunt work are few and far between. I had the exact same experience as a middle manager in various social services organizations over a 40-year career as I did chairing the board of a charity for 8 years.

The reality is that humans are fundamentally lazy, and i don't point fingers at others without pointing it back to myself because I'm incredibly lazy about many things. But the reason we have such a massively uninformed public is because so many people are too lazy to get informed; it's not impossible but it does take time and effort. Instead they rely on talking points, they take their opinions from newspaper headlines instead of even reading the full article when doing so would expose them to the disclaimers that negate or mitigate what the headline just told them. If you don't even understand what the problem is or that there is one, how likely are you to contribute in a positive way to the solution?

[–]Bearcat22[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

1 doesn't happen because of government regulation.

Humans are not FUNDAMENTALLY lazy. That's a common and vile excuse. "oh, I'm only human". The definition of being human is being perfectible, not doomed to failure. The few who choose not to be lazy are punished for their virtues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX4MKIDvXLM&t=2s