Is U.S. Capitalism On The Brink Of Collapse?

[Williamsmith]

Do you have a "right" to work at Walmart?

A better question for many people would be....do they have the choice?

[bae]

A better question for many people would be....do they have the choice?

We seem to have no Walmarts in my county, and our land use codes seem to forbid the construction of anything similar.

#resist

[ApatheticNoMore]

A better question for many people would be....do they have the choice?

well I don't think anyone who has much of a choice would choose that type of utterly unpredictable schedule (granted there might be worse, it is true). Because it precisely forbids working diligently and forces one into making little viable effort at all beyond just surviving. That is you can't even try to improve yourself in any way if it precludes any possible means of doing so due to scheduling such as getting a second job (or likely even looking for a better job, can't do that under that unpredictable a schedule), getting any further education or training etc..

[Williamsmith]

I don't believe for a moment that capitalism is on the brink of collapse, it is the one apolitical economic system that has provided the most benefit to the highest number of people than any other economic system the world has known.

The danger lies in the growing number of people who misunderstand economics and insist on changing to a system that guarantees rewards not just to those who work diligently at creating wealth but also to those who make no viable effort at all.

Capitalism is the natural state of a long term healthy economy, we should be encouraging it rather than thinking up ways to subvert it, and being the optimist that I am, I believe reason will always overcome emotion in important matters.

I don’t know how capitalism can be described as “apolitical” without taking into account that successful capitalists are successful political lobbyists.

Alan, do you really believe that anyone who criticizes capitalism is trying to usher in socialism or another defined anti capitalist economic system? Isn’t there room for fine tuning abuses to capitalism? After all, this country is not a purely capitalistic economic powerhouse.

In 1929 we had a nice healthy long term economy going with some fine wealthy capitalists until we didn’t. I think there’s disagreement about whether we understand that any change is trying to help the patient or trying to kill the patient.

Why are emotions always mentioned? If it isnt to paint a picture of the other side being less rational and therefore unable to reasonably access a situation.

[ToomuchStuff]

Im not aware that anyone has yet mentioned getting rid of Capitalism in this thread...unless I missed it.

Your questioning things that have no morals and are tools, instead of questioning the users of them. Seems the same as blaming guns instead of the shooters, or pencils instead of the bad spellers.

[Teacher Terry]

Presently the way we are operating now is not sustainable in the long term. Either we need to pay a fair wage for unskilled work or we need universal income. People are sick of being poor and it’s one reason people voted for trump.

[ToomuchStuff]

Because no one has ever been sick of being poor before in this country or any other?

What defines what is "fair"? How does the evolving definition of poverty, middle class, etc. affect that? (I remember poverty as having no air conditioning, refrigeration, or a tv at one point, where phones were shared/party lines)

[Teacher Terry]

In the 1950’s unskilled workers could support their families on one income.

[bae]

In the 1950’s unskilled workers could support their families on one income.

Could you show us the math on that?

[Williamsmith]

Your questioning things that have no morals and are tools, instead of questioning the users of them. Seems the same as blaming guns instead of the shooters, or pencils instead of the bad spellers.

This is a direct quote from me in post #43

“Capitalism in and of itself knows has no built in morality. Only the personal convictions of the human can limit the tendency of capitalists to take unfair advantage of others.”

Unless I’m missing something again....It’s exactly the opposite of how you just characterized me. I’m not questioning anything but the users.