On another note, is there a country that meets the definition of socialism in that all industries are owned by the workers? I think the textbook definition of socialism exists only in theory and not in practice.
The problem is that you donât seem to realize that reality is more expansive than our categorization or our language. While most people may be able to name a dozen colors, a smart phone can show over a billion distinct colors. While you may be able to name a handful of economic theories, thereâs an uncountable amount of policy positions a person can take.
Not wanting businesses to be able to legally exploit people and ruin their lives does not mean that I want the government to be overbearing. It doesnât make my position fascist. Making it seem like there are only two or three boxes just speaks to the limits of your categorization, not a problem with my position.
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There are degrees of economic freedom throughout the world and throughout American states and cities. I think most have learned that government-managed economies donât work well. China obviously figured that out and abandoned communism for a system that better resembles fascism. Unfortunately, it seems that many western leftists still believe that a government-managed system is better. One who believes so may not necessarily be a communist or a fascist, but they cannot be accurately called a capitalist either. Many on the left have made it clear that they despise free-market capitalism. I will gander that any Democrat running on a platform of free-market capitalism is a sure loser in a Democratic primary.
No, it doesnât. The problem is government. It only expands. It is the slippery slope because it canât be stopped, much less controlled. It takes revolution to contract government.
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If you think there are only a handful of distinct economic positions, itâs not much different than thinking there are only 5 distinct colors. No modern economy fits evenly into your 3 boxes.
Attempts to make it seem like youâre either an anarcho-capitalist or a fascist is just an attempt to dumb down the debate and to link people to positions they donât actually stand for.
I donât see many people yearning to live in places that have no government, so your argument is nonsense.
Well, if you think âno governmentâ is my argument, the nonsense is yours.
Argumentum ad populum is a fallacy and a weak one at that.
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I never said there is only a handful of economic positions. I said that the practice of government dictating to private business owners is fascist in nature because thatâs what fascist societies did. Rent control is one example of government fascism in America today. Donât insult the reader by stating that rent control is a free-market capitalist concept. You dislike calling a spade a spade because it doesnât reflect favorably on your economic worldview.
Yea, that was a weak and disingenuous response.
Mine?
No, his remark that âI donât see many people yearning to live in places that have no government, so your argument is nonsense.â.
Weak.
Ok, thanks for the clarification. Welcome to the forum.
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Thanks for the hospitality.
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If said private business plans to use Government amenities to conduct business (public roads, clean water, police, fire, etc) , then they will be subject to regulations the elected Government places upon businesses for the collective good of the community. If you donât want to let black people into your urgent care facility we have collectively decided that we will not allow you to run an urgent care facility. No, that is not âfascismâ. Trying to deny services to people based on what race they are and then wanting the government to support you in that endeavor is fascism.
When I read the OP, I thought about the government dictating that owners of coal mines canât hire 16 year olds.
Is that also a fascist position?
Define âfree market capitalismâ.
Are you for any regulations?
Why do you believe that businesses must operate for âthe collective good of the communityâ?
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Nope.
Of course I support regulations.
So we agree limits/regulations should be applied to Free market capitalism. The debate is how much and how many limits should be applied.
That has been a debate for a very, very long time.
I think it is best to look at a variety of economic systems that are practiced around the globe, and see which ones produce the best overall results for the majority of the society. This way, we get past the theoretical debate, and can look at the actual results.
Of course, that is a moving target, as economies are not static. But we can look to some good examples, and try to determine what works best with the available data.
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