While interviewing Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on PBS Firing-Line, July 15th, 2018, Margaret Hoover asked Cortez, “Do you think that capitalism has failed to deliver for working class Americans?”
What is problematic is our economic system is not “capitalism”, and it ought never be referred to as “capitalism” by those who support and defend the economic system our Founders created and left to us.
The fact is, the word “capitalism” was unknown to our founders. In fact it was used and popularized by Karl Marx to describe a free market system in an evil light. By contrast, our founder’s often describe our system in a manner promoting a free market, free trade, or free enterprise ___ “free” being the operative word. For example see Thomas Jefferson : First Annual Message to Congress
”Agriculture, manufactures, commerce, and navigation, the four pillars of our prosperity, are the most thriving when left most free to individual enterprise.”
I have never found our founders using the word “capitalism” to describe our system. In fact, the very reason for granting power to Congress to “regulate commerce” among the States was to protect and advance free trade among the States by forbidding one state taxing another state’s exports which passed through its borders. This is further illustrated in Article 1, Section 9 which declares: “No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one States over those of another; nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one States, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.”
But our progressive/socialist domestic enemies do not like the word “free” being used to describe our economic system because it is hard to attack the word “free” which clearly implies the people are to be “free” to engage in commerce and freely trade with by mutual consent ___ an original inalienable right of mankind. “Capitalism” on the other hand gives great latitude to cast America’s system in an evil light, particularly as a system manipulated by evil “Crony Capitalists”.
For more on the distinctions between our system, as intended by our Founders, and “Capitalism”, see: PART TWO: Free Enterprise is Better than Capitalism The following descriptions of “Capitalism” and “Free Enterprise” are noted as follows:
Capitalism (crony capitalism): A system where the law encourages market forces and also gives preference and special benefits to the sector of the economy owned by big capital—including big corporations like in Corporatism, but also wealthy foreign and multinational corporations, and highly influential non-corporate institutions such as rich foundations, moneyed trusts, political parties, well-funded lobbies and special interest groups, affluent non-profit entities, wealthy families, moneyed foreign investors, and others with large amounts of capital. Under this system, the rich rule society, and they naturally influence government to maintain policies that benefit the rich more than others.
Free Enterprise: A system where the law encourages market forces and gives no special preferences; it protects equal rights for all individuals and entities and leaves initiative and enterprise to private individuals, groups, businesses and organizations that are all treated equally and with minimal legislation by the legal code.
The bottom line is, we know Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has attacked “capitalism”. But does she support the free market system our Founders left us with and reject the force of our federal government being used to confiscate the earnings of one group of Citizens which is then transferred to another for their personal economic needs?
JWK
The freedom to fail or succeed at one’s own hand is a PROGRESSIVE`S nightmare and not the American Dream
