The Vegan Marxist
12th July 2010, 05:28
Capitalism, of all socio-economical systems in the world, has reigned suppreme worldwide. Here in America, it is the very essence of modern day profit making. And, beyond the pro & anti stance between the democrats & republicans - the two party system - both tend to find themselves agreeing on the same economical system. Now, whether it is regulated or unregulated is a different story altogether. Though, as America finds itself under an economical turmoil, in which is said to be the worst in history since the Great Depression, is it not just a bit worrying that the two only powerful parties of this very country supports the same economical system? You hear plenty of labels by both parties on what one see's in the other. To the democrats, unregulated capitalism is nothing more than crony-capitalism. To the republicans, as illogical as their statements can get, see regulated capitalism as nothing more than a "government takeover". But, as much as one can take in by the mainstream media, that is the only debate we really hear about our economy & how it is operated. But what about, say, the Socialists in the country? What exactly are their opinions on this situation? Should we not be getting an opinion by those who are opposed to the economical developments as well? I would say so. Which is why I will now give my own take on the present situation at hand.
Out of any analogical referencing of capitalism that I can give you, comparing both regulated & unregulated capitalism to a road has always been useful to me. One cannot travel on a road without noticing the cracks that tend to creep up here & there from time to time, & really, it is only the inevitable effects of the constant usage &, in some cases, abuse of the road. Of course, if left untaken care of - unregulated - then soon you'll find yourself not driving over a crack in the road anymore. That little crack will turn into a large pothole - some larger than others. This, of course, will lead to detrimental effects to not only the cars that come across it, but the very lives of those in the cars. When matters come to worse, we're looking at death. This is what happens when cracks are left unattended to & aren't eventually paved over with new pavement - regulated. But is a "regulated" road any better?
When comparing a "regulated" road to a "unregulated" road, of course one will come to the conclusion that the "regulated" road is far more efficient & a lot safer than a "unregulated" road. There's no doubt about it, but that's not the point now is it? Does a "regulated" road have the ability to prevent disasters? Well, when speaking in short-terms, I would say that a road could hold up quite nice if kept under a close watch & a tight leash. Though, when one starts speaking in long-terms, we've got ourselves a different story. The constant use & constant re-paving of the road will eventually find itself buckling down for a large surprise for any car ready to drive over it. And the problem about this is that they are what a surprise is - unexpected. In which leads to even more detrimental consequences. When facing a "unregulated" road, at least there is some kind of awareness of this serious problem. Whether anything is done about it is up to all of us. But when a "regulated" road becomes continually used over & over again, when disaster strikes, no awareness is grasped until it happens right there & then. Now, I'm not saying that regulated is worse than unregulated, but I am saying that both lead to the inevitable disasters that await those using the road. When under a choice on whether you want a "regulated" road or a "unregulated" road, this question becomes no different than whether you want to crash your car now or later.
Of course, for one to keep re-paving the roads, which like I said finds itself under an inevitable stance of destruction, it costs money to do so. And where it costs money, profit is cut short. Within a "successful" capitalist system - successful to those in charge that is - profit is an absolute necessity. Without profit, the capitalists do not get rich. So the idea that a road is left unregulated due to being unaware seems quite simplistic & illogical. The "unregulation" of a road is nothing more than a disaster to come, but a success to those who profit off of such. Though, profit is still flowing whether you pave the road or not. How much money you want is up to the Capitalist in control. Of course, though, as history has shown us, those found to reek profit under blatant disregard of the safety of those around them - unregulated capitalism - that person, for the majority of the time, finds him/herself going to jail because of it. Which is why regulated capitalism has come to find itself useful & effective. You find yourself in a country where a lot of people are getting away with a lot of things.
So we now come to ask ourselves the only question that really makes sense - should we not create a new road instead of trying to "fix" what is left of the old road? I mean, when it comes to bridges, we've pretty much gotten the picture. When a old, overused bridge comes to see its final days, it is immediately smashed down & replaced with a new & better bridge. Though, when it comes to roads - when it comes to our economical system - we remain constantly using the one we have at the present time, despite every disaster, going from small to large, as time has gone by. Capitalism is nothing more than an inevitable road of destruction & until we do something about it, disaster will continue to lurk its way in our midsts, whether we let it or not.
"We are marching in a compact group along a precipitous and difficult path, firmly holding each other by the hand. We are surrounded on all sides by enemies, and we have to advance almost constantly under their fire. We have combined, by a freely adopted decision, for the purpose of fighting the enemy, and not of retreating into the nearby marsh, the inhabitants of which, from the very outset, have reproached us with having chosen the path of struggle instead of the path of conciliation." ~Vladimir Lenin
Red Love & Salutes!
Out of any analogical referencing of capitalism that I can give you, comparing both regulated & unregulated capitalism to a road has always been useful to me. One cannot travel on a road without noticing the cracks that tend to creep up here & there from time to time, & really, it is only the inevitable effects of the constant usage &, in some cases, abuse of the road. Of course, if left untaken care of - unregulated - then soon you'll find yourself not driving over a crack in the road anymore. That little crack will turn into a large pothole - some larger than others. This, of course, will lead to detrimental effects to not only the cars that come across it, but the very lives of those in the cars. When matters come to worse, we're looking at death. This is what happens when cracks are left unattended to & aren't eventually paved over with new pavement - regulated. But is a "regulated" road any better?
When comparing a "regulated" road to a "unregulated" road, of course one will come to the conclusion that the "regulated" road is far more efficient & a lot safer than a "unregulated" road. There's no doubt about it, but that's not the point now is it? Does a "regulated" road have the ability to prevent disasters? Well, when speaking in short-terms, I would say that a road could hold up quite nice if kept under a close watch & a tight leash. Though, when one starts speaking in long-terms, we've got ourselves a different story. The constant use & constant re-paving of the road will eventually find itself buckling down for a large surprise for any car ready to drive over it. And the problem about this is that they are what a surprise is - unexpected. In which leads to even more detrimental consequences. When facing a "unregulated" road, at least there is some kind of awareness of this serious problem. Whether anything is done about it is up to all of us. But when a "regulated" road becomes continually used over & over again, when disaster strikes, no awareness is grasped until it happens right there & then. Now, I'm not saying that regulated is worse than unregulated, but I am saying that both lead to the inevitable disasters that await those using the road. When under a choice on whether you want a "regulated" road or a "unregulated" road, this question becomes no different than whether you want to crash your car now or later.
Of course, for one to keep re-paving the roads, which like I said finds itself under an inevitable stance of destruction, it costs money to do so. And where it costs money, profit is cut short. Within a "successful" capitalist system - successful to those in charge that is - profit is an absolute necessity. Without profit, the capitalists do not get rich. So the idea that a road is left unregulated due to being unaware seems quite simplistic & illogical. The "unregulation" of a road is nothing more than a disaster to come, but a success to those who profit off of such. Though, profit is still flowing whether you pave the road or not. How much money you want is up to the Capitalist in control. Of course, though, as history has shown us, those found to reek profit under blatant disregard of the safety of those around them - unregulated capitalism - that person, for the majority of the time, finds him/herself going to jail because of it. Which is why regulated capitalism has come to find itself useful & effective. You find yourself in a country where a lot of people are getting away with a lot of things.
So we now come to ask ourselves the only question that really makes sense - should we not create a new road instead of trying to "fix" what is left of the old road? I mean, when it comes to bridges, we've pretty much gotten the picture. When a old, overused bridge comes to see its final days, it is immediately smashed down & replaced with a new & better bridge. Though, when it comes to roads - when it comes to our economical system - we remain constantly using the one we have at the present time, despite every disaster, going from small to large, as time has gone by. Capitalism is nothing more than an inevitable road of destruction & until we do something about it, disaster will continue to lurk its way in our midsts, whether we let it or not.
"We are marching in a compact group along a precipitous and difficult path, firmly holding each other by the hand. We are surrounded on all sides by enemies, and we have to advance almost constantly under their fire. We have combined, by a freely adopted decision, for the purpose of fighting the enemy, and not of retreating into the nearby marsh, the inhabitants of which, from the very outset, have reproached us with having chosen the path of struggle instead of the path of conciliation." ~Vladimir Lenin
Red Love & Salutes!