Before beginning, let me say that I consider myself a capitalist, in that I think it allows for the most creative and productive expression of human nature. However, since human nature is predominantly driven by ignorance, fear and insanity, and invariably leads to corruption, greed, cruelty and all other forms of evil, I think that capitalism requires careful regulation.

That being said, I often wonder what those who so ardently defend the "free enterprise" system are advocating. Even a rudimentary glance at history will show that, the more capitalism has had a laissez faire environment, the worse it has behaved. While the right wing often sites the excesses of Stalinism as an example of the horrors innate to communism - and rightly so - most of the same behaviors have been exhibited by capitalists in furtherance of profits. Granted, the scope of these behaviors does not compare with Stalinism, but that is probably only due to the limiting effects of democracy which, as Winston Churchill observed, is probably the worst form of government, except for all other forms of government.

As an aside, there is a vast difference between communism and socialism as economic policy and as political structure. They are independent functions and it is perfectly possible to have a democratic socialism.

With regards to free enterprise, it is often cited that corporations are beholden to their stockholders and that this is a path to riches for all. However, the empirical evidence says that corporations don't give a damn about their stockholders, with the exception of those who hold a controlling (as opposed to majority) interest, and thus represent the tiny minority of plutocrats who, essentially, rule the world. Further, said corporations repeatedly act in such a way as to sicken, maim and kill a substantial subset of their stockholders, taking an actuarial approach to profit as justification.

And now, a word about THE GOVERNMENT, an entity which, it should be noted, does not exist. There is no monolith sitting atop the power heap and imposing its will on we poor subjects. Rather, there are a large number of pieces, staffed by a large number of people, all of which are acting to some degree in concert and to some degree independently. It is a huge, inefficient mess, which is both its vice and its virtue. Were it better organized, then it might be possible for the most psychopathic among us - who are the most driven to accumulate power - to truly dominate the structure of our lives. The same, of course, can be said for corporate structure, and even more so since the will of the common shareholder is even more diffusely expressed than that of the common voter.

The bottom line is that our problem is not with our "isms" but with ourselves. Since we refuse to even take an objective look at our nature, much less investigate any possibility of improving it, our social system must juggle the needs of individual freedom and the welfare of society as a whole. The only person truly free is someone totally alone. As Hobbes observed such a life is solitary, poor, nasty brutish and short.
- posted by Martin Eagle @ 7:27 AM