Capitalism and Democracy don't mix.

I think it's becoming more and more obvious that capitalism and democracy do not mix.  As successful capitalists gain in wealth they begin buying politicians by giving them huge sums of much needed money for their election campaigns.  Those politicians are then indebted to their capitalist sponsors, not their constituents.  We, the people, now find ourselves completely powerless, with no one looking out for our best interests.

"Wait!" you say, "What about the Tea Partiers? They have actually defeated Republican politicians who didn't do their bidding.  Isn't that proof that people still have power in politics?"  The answer is yes and no.  The tea party actually began as a bunch of people who were frustrated and angry that our politicians weren't responsive to their constituents.  In the beginning it included lefties and righties who were equally contemptuous of both parties.  But soon the capitalists realized they had better quickly diffuse the movement to protect their interests, and co-opt its energy and anger if possible, so they began a stealth campaign to organize and direct that anger toward goals that benefited them.  Now almost all of the Tea Party's goals benefit the very wealthy!  But the movement does show us that a large group of motivated people can still scare politicians and get them to pay attention to the group's demands.

Since the vast majority of both Republican and Democratic politicians are bought and now indebted to the capitalists, what can we do?  Well, first we have to leave the two party system and organize around an alternative that we believe will serve the American PEOPLE better.  I propose we look at the Democratic Socialist movement.

The word socialism and socialist are old words that have been turned into "very scary words" to most Americans (so has liberal!), so we must get past that stigma and look at what the Democratic Socialists believe.  From their position paper downloaded from their website (see the link: "What is Democratic Socialism?"):

Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives. ...

Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.  Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting millions of people. Resources are used to make money for capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions should own and control them.

Their very pursuasive position paper goes on to answer the following questions:

Doesn't socialism mean that the government will own and run everything?

Hasn't socialism been discredited by the collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe?

Private corporations seem to be a permanent fixture in the US, so why work towards socialism?

Won't socialism be impractical because people will lose their incentive to work?

Why are there no models of democratic socialism?

But hasn't the European Social Democratic experiment failed?

Aren't you a party that's in competition with the Democratic Party for votes and support?

If I am going to devote time to politics, why shouldn't I focus on something more immediate?

What can young people do to move the US towards socialism?

If so many people misunderstand socialism, why continue to use the word?

I became interested in this movement because Bernie Sanders considers himself a Democratic Socialist and I see that their philosophy is very similar to mine, so I am going to join their national organization.  I urge you to check out their position paper and see if that is the kind of economic system you believe would be better for the PEOPLE of America. 

I suspect that after a few more years of having our economy ravaged and our middle class raped of it's meager wealth, socialism and Democratic Socialism will no longer be a dirty word in America.

--Trakker

Comments

[horsec]

it's becoming more and more obvious that State-Sponsored capitalism and democracy do not mix

The problem is with the government pushing capitalism as the solution to every problem. It's obvious that some problems are better solved by government directly, or by government contracting for services.

Why should any capitalist make money out of universal health care, a system of transfer payments to care providers from everyone using private, a/k/a "insurance," or public "taxpayer" money. It's money in, money out; there is no "risk." The money in is the "capital." What does "capitalism" per se bring to the table?

There's no money at risk with universal health care using either the so-called "private" or public model. Neither business nor government can lose money on universal care. Why should the public pay a capital risk premium for a public service that has no risk?

[Trakker]

Why should the public pay a capital risk premium for a public service that has no risk?

Good point. That isn't capitalism, it's corporate welfare.

[Andy]

I just read Matt Taibbi's [u]Griftopia[/u] which basically outlines the ridiculousness of our current political system. We live in a welfare state-- not social welfare, but corporate welfare, so the best word to describe the current U.S. economic/political system is "Corporatist."

How about BP's $10B tax credit for their oil spill? Happy Earth Day.

[Trakker]

<><>...so the best word to describe the current U.S. economic/political system is "Corporatist."

Yeah, last night I was pondering the fact that Congress does not give a damn about the people who are really hurting these days. The only thing that matters to Congress is corporate profits (...and getting reelected).