We're the Government -- and You're Not

aleronstube Says:

May 16, 2012 - Which wealth do you speak of? The USA, a capitalist nation, is the poorest in the world with trillions of dollars in debt. It has poor, homeless, and poverty-stricken cities like Detroit. Mercantilism simply means the balance of trade, you are confusing the practice of mercantilism to the meaning of the system. The study found capitalism to be inefficient and inferior at creating progress. North Korea is not a mercantilist nation. I don't know where you get that idea from. Sounds like rhetoric.

globalchaos1984 Says:

May 16, 2012 - Yeah Communism is clearly a better option than Free Market Capitalism... idiot.

aleronstube Says:

May 16, 2012 - I didn't say it was? I'm against communism just as much as I am against socialism, capitalism, and democracy. Perhaps if you'd care to read the conversation instead of entering in insulting comments you'd have understood that.

globalchaos1984 Says:

May 17, 2012 - So what are you for then?

aleronstube Says:

May 17, 2012 - I'm a Confucianist. Our beliefs lie in combining benevolent monarchy (rule by the most noble) and meritocracy (rule by the most intelligent).

Disisions Says:

May 17, 2012 - This is just sad.

globalchaos1984 Says:

May 17, 2012 - How do you determine who is most "noble"?

aleronstube Says:

May 17, 2012 - The title is earned through an act of selfless honor, and passed down through his or her children. Each heir is educated to be just and noble in their actions, as their ancestor was.

globalchaos1984 Says:

May 17, 2012 - I think you were born 600 years too late.

aleronstube Says:

May 17, 2012 - That's not a valid argument. If you are claiming something is wrong because it is old, I can claim republics are wrong because they are new. It's a fallacy.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 18, 2012 - Wealth are goods and services that are available for purchase, with the exception of land and unearthed natural resources.There is less poverty today than there ever was in history. And a poor man in the US is a lot better of then a poor man in Ethiopia.

aleronstube Says:

May 18, 2012 - That is your definition of wealth, but it doesn't define wealth in of itself. There are very limited goods and services available, and their prices are not often fair. What you speak of in terms of poverty is untrue. Perhaps you are unaware of the many prosperous times in history where there was no poverty. You seem to be using a common trait, and that is to compare your country to one that is worse than you. Instead, try comparing your country to a superior place, one without your problems.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 18, 2012 - Mercantilism has always been autartic in nature. Autarcism for nations has been made impossible by the division of labour, which allows us to sustain a population of 7 billion. North Korea begs to differ, but the results need no explanation, such as massive famines.

aleronstube Says:

May 18, 2012 - You're taking mercantilism to be something it is not. The concept of mercantilism is to control import and export and to keep trade in balance. There is nothing self-rule about it.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 18, 2012 - Wealth isn't how much property is in how many hands. Wealth is simply created. Even goods that are not purchased are still wealth upon creation. There has NEVER been no poverty. Ever.The US is not my country.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 18, 2012 - Self-rule? I mean economic autarcism. As in the desire of a nation to produce everything in order to reach of all its own demands.

aleronstube Says:

May 18, 2012 - There have been times where poverty was not an issue, unlike today. Wealth is not created, wealth requires articles of value, such as gemstones or gold.

aleronstube Says:

May 18, 2012 - I haven't heard of that word before, it's not in any dictionary and doesn't show up on Google. I thought you meant autarchism. Mercantilism simply requires balance. It does promote self-sustaining societies, yes, which is not unachievable. Mercantilism is required to prevent debt and inflation, as it balances the import and export of goods.

dyne313 Says:

May 20, 2012 - I've never heard that definition. Just ask any Austrian economist. Capitalism is the free market.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 21, 2012 - Really, because that's the definition that Rothbard supported. Last I checked, Rothbard was an Austrian economist.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 21, 2012 - Capitalism is not and has never been synonymous with the free market. You can be a capitalists and be against the free market (as every State in existance) as well as you can be pro-free market but not a capitalist (like myself, a geoist).

dyne313 Says:

May 21, 2012 - Oh. Well I don't support that opinion.

SSTTEEAALLTTHH Says:

May 21, 2012 - Well, that's your right. But the fact that there are several economic theories that could be defined as anti-capitalist free markets (such as geoism, mutualism, certain form of agorism) suggests capitalism is not synonymous with the free market.The key term in capitalism is 'capital'. Ideologies such as geoism, mutalism etc. disagree on what exactly that capital is (which people are supposedly eligible to claim and operate for profit in capitalism). That has little to do with the free market.