Capitalism has been, you could say, our 'silver bullet' as a so-called 'world economic power.' But the thing is, capitalism doesn't guarantee very much in the way of equality. It supposedly guarantees the success of all who try (this is why conservatives generally don't support social programs), but it leaves out the impoverished. Our elitist, ethnocentric society doesn't allow for the socioeconomically disadvantaged to raise their status. As Randy Newman said "The rich just get richer, and the poor you don't even have to see." This is perpetuated by capitalism. Are there alternatives to this? What do you guys think?

natch.

Boy, you'd have thought that the extremist socialist party line would have died along with the Soviet Union... :rolleyes:

Anyway, the way I see it, modified capitalism is really the only effective way to run a modern, democratic government. Despite whatever intentions people may have when founding extreme socialist or communist governments, history has repeatedly demonstrated that corruption and inequality are present to such an extreme degree that the system becomes untenable. Now, the degree to which you want to modify capitalism may be up for debate (like the American model versus the European model), but overall I will never accept that I purely socialist or communist government is a good form of government.

I will certainly admit that is flawed; however, if you can show me a sytem that is feasible that does NOT have any flaws, I'm all ears. Allow me to paraphrase Winston Churchill - "Capitalism is the worst form of economics, except for all the rest that have been tried."

I am interested in Hugo Chavez and what he does over the next few years. He has a marvelous windfall of oil profits at his disposal, and currently seems to be running a very populist socialist operation with it. I'm curious to see whether it works out. He could use the money to build a stable government and kick-start a prosperous society, or he may just waste it on programs that keep him popular but do little real good. It's an interesting social experiment, assuming Chavez isn't just another charismatic strongman.

However, I'd still rather be in the United States than participate in whatever social experiment Venezuela is conducting.

As Dimmick points out, most, if not all, of the overtly socialist/communist experiments in history have flopped. Some just fizzled, and some have been catastrophic (China's Great Leap Forward, the USSR). Considering that communist governments have managed to kill millions of people over the last century, I find it hard to believe anyone who says "But it'll work this time!"

The founding fathers did not envision a government that guarantees equality of income or personal circumstance. The Constitution is designed for equality under the law. One of their most treasured ideals was limited government.

Equality under the law additionally covers certain protected groups. Race, religion, sex, political affiliation and disability, primarily. The workplace reflects our diversity, too--the employment market seeks the most qualified.

The market economy simply allows you to own your own labor, and choose what you purchase. Everyone knows that the ticket up is through education. The poor and minority populations have more options from the govt in terms of funding than anyone. Just apply for financial aid, and you'll see.

It's not perfect, but it's more fair and more successful than any other system.