A Question about Capitalism

[edgray]

Then we all die and the cockroaches inherit the world...

I think economic forces will come into play before that happens. As the resources decline and become more scarce, their value will go up. The rich will be fine. The rest of us will die and they'll have the planet to themselves.

 

[pjbleek]

do you mean that people wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they didn't have the option of just going out and buying stuff?

we as a world take things for granted, man has taken too much away and believes mass production is the efficient way.
the farms are smaller and the farmers if they see profit they will sell to the highest bidder.

 

[darkangel]

I think economi forces will come into play before that happens. As the resources decline and become more scarce, their value will go up. The rich will be fine. The rest of us will die and they'll have the planet to themselves.

They will but the rich certainly aren't going to do the hard labor that will produce what they will need to survive.

 

[darkangel]

Here's something to think about. There seems to be an odd 'kink in the tail' ...Why is the consumer seen as king? Yet, the business owner is often seen as a 'working stiff', an emotionless producer, just punching out the next widget...

The fact is, that most business owners are not passionless at all... indeed, their business is their passion, and their next product on the market, that could 'maybe' beat the competition, is their next little 'baby'. Something to be passionate about. Without that passion, the business owner would have no inner-drive, that pushes their business onwards and upwards.

 

[edgray]

we as a world take things for granted, man has taken too much away and believes mass production is the efficient way.
the farms are smaller and the farmers if they see profit they will sell to the highest bidder.

it's true, it's made us more reliant on the machinery that's going to one day let us down.

They will but the rich certainly aren't going to do the hard labor that will produce what they will need to survive.

they'll keep a section of society as their slaves I expect.

Here's something to think about. There seems to be an odd 'kink in the tail' ...Why is the consumer seen as king? Yet, the business owner is often seen as a 'working stiff', an emotionless producer, just punching out the next widget...

The fact is, that most business owners are not passionless at all... indeed, their business is their passion, and their next product on the market, that could 'maybe' beat the competition, is their next little 'baby'. Something to be passionate about. Without that passion, the business owner would have no inner-drive, that pushes their business onwards and upwards.

I'm sure a mass murderer is pretty passionate about what they do too... Hitler certainly was.

But in a more serious answer, I guess without the consumer buying stuff, the business stiff has nothing?

 

[pjbleek]

it all went to hell the day the man allowed stores to be open on Sundays

 

[darkangel]

But in a more serious answer, I guess without the consumer buying stuff, the business stiff has nothing?

Exactly!

 

[Francis]

Ed, why did you got or want to buy an iPhone 4, iPad and a brand new Apple MAC Laptop ?

Did your old ones not work properly ?

Consumers are driven to new products by companies that make new technology attractive with new features and when that no longer works they force you into new devices by setting new standards that the older devices can no longer access..

Hence TDMA Phones can no longer work in Canada and must access GSM networks.. Why ? TDMA Is a derivative of GSM and is just as stable if not better ? With a few enhancements it would surpass GMS in quality but our Telco's forced everyone onto GSM networks making us all buy new phones ?

Do you see the trend and pattern ?

 

[edgray]

Ed, why did you got or want to buy an iPhone 4, iPad and a brand new Apple MAC Laptop ?

Did your old ones not work properly ?

I tend to only upgrade after a few years. I always WANT the new models, but never go out and buy them.

 

[Minor Axis]

That all everyone in business talks about- Growth. However anyone give one reason why growth is necessary for Capitalism to work? Maybe if you are talking about the potential to make a fortune, then yes. Most likely not as many fortunes would be made in a stable zero-growth system. But there is no common sense reason I can see why capitalism would not continue to function. People buy goods and services as they need them, but sales would be lower without astronomical growth. And we can't continue growing forever, so they should start figuring out how to live on less profits. I must say there appears to be a "greed factor" in this discussion. I'm speaking of the moguls who continually preach "growth".

 

[edgray]

That all everyone in business talks about- Growth. However anyone give one reason why growth is necessary for Capitalism to work? Maybe if you are talking about the potential to make a fortune, then yes. Most likely not as many fortunes would be made in a stable zero-growth system. But there is no common sense reason I can see why capitalism would not continue to function. People buy goods and services as they need them, but sales would be lower without astronomical growth. And we can't continue growing forever, so they should start figuring out how to live on less profits. I must say there appears to be a "greed factor" in this discussion. I'm speaking of the moguls who continually preach "growth".

The thing is, we all know from experience that when growth slows, recession looms, jobs are cut etc etc. Japan, for example, talks of recession if their economic growth dips below 3%.

Recession can hardly be called a working system. It's on the verge of breakdown.

I did read a very interesting article yesterday, that showed that both the 1929 depression and the one starting 2008 had one very similar factor: the top 1% were earning a whopping 23.9 of the total income of the US. Couple that greed with a slowing economy, and the rest of society simply don't have enough money between them to keep the system working.