{"id":16729,"date":"2015-04-07T20:38:27","date_gmt":"2015-04-08T03:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/?p=16729"},"modified":"2015-04-11T01:29:42","modified_gmt":"2015-04-11T08:29:42","slug":"what-price-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amicuscuria.com\/wordpress\/what-price-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"What Price Capitalism?–Crimes Against Humanity?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much has been made of the often rancorous debate surrounding capitalism, whether it truly exists in the U.S. and if it is the best we can do in terms of fairness, efficiency, and sustainability. One aspect is, however, irrefutably apolitical: A sustainable economy requires a sustainable environment and vice-versa–a tautology, really. If capitalism requires ever increasing levels of production and expansion (as economists claim) in a world of finite resources, the two are incompatible…not some distant day in the far off future, but now, today where untold numbers of people suffer and die from its toxic impact along with its severing their access to vital fundamental necessities (e.g. clean safe air & drinking water) for themselves, their children, their community.<\/em><\/p>\n

At its core, our economic model acts as a virtual executioner of entire populations, both human and not, by providing incentives (profit) to promote their destruction as surely as the Nazis used the mechanism of government toward the same end. Ours, simply sells permits to corporations that allow them to, in essence, operate the gas chambers. Our national policy favoring such wanton slaughter and death by proxy begs we ask a disturbing question: What was the point of beating the Nazis only to become just like them?<\/em><\/p>\n

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Capitalism in America: Giving Crazy a Bad Name While Subverting Democracy<\/h1>\n

by John Atcheson<\/em><\/p>\n

Ever since Milton Friedman\u2019s series of essays on Capitalism and Freedom<\/em>, conservatives have tried to link democracy and capitalism as essential handmaidens.\u00a0 But as the evidence shows, it\u2019s a reality-busting bundle that only a psychotic could love…Or believe.<\/p>\n

The fact is, capitalism as practiced in America \u2013 far from being democracy\u2019s handmaiden — is anathema to freedom, and ultimately, impoverishing to the vast majority of its citizens.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s driving us crazy.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Take a Look at Crazy<\/strong><\/b>:<\/p>\n

Sometime around 2050, large portions of many of America\u2019s coastal cities will become uninhabitable due to periodic floods of epic proportions, unless we spend trillions of dollars on sea walls and pumping systems.\u00a0 Think Katrina and Sandy occurring every year in the majority of our coastal cities.<\/p>\n

The coastal flooding will be accompanied by droughts, huge forest fires, famine, massive migrations of climate refugees, and extinction of up to half the world\u2019s species.\u00a0 Oh, what the hell, throw in widespread pestilence, too.<\/p>\n

But of course, the most ardent believers in capitalism say we can\u2019t afford to take steps to prevent this \u2013 even though clean energy systems would create more jobs and economic growth than continuing to use fossil fuels.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s a psychotic to do?<\/p>\n

Well, the true believers are in denial, with some even trying to pass laws prohibiting people from acknowledging the reality of climate change<\/a>, which is the cause of all these catastrophes. Or, in the case of Florida \u2013 the State which will suffer the most \u2013 the governor is prohibiting state employees from using the words \u201cclimate change\u201d or \u201cglobal warming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, that\u2019s sane.<\/p>\n

Any objective look at this kind of behavior would have to label it as certifiable, mandatory lock-up, straight-jacket worthy insanity.<\/p>\n

But it gets worse.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d think preserving the capacity to feed people would be pretty much an imperative.\u00a0 But you\u2019d be wrong.<\/p>\n

As George Monbiot pointed out<\/a>, the UN estimates we will need about 6 million hectares of new farmland each year to keep up with population growth \u2013 instead, we\u2019re losing 12 million hectares to depletion.<\/p>\n

Why? Because the consumptive monocultural approaches we use are \u201cprofitable,\u201d according to capitalism.\u00a0 So, basically, capitalism is setting us up for starvation and calling it profitable.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, we\u2019re turning the oceans \u2013 the main source of protein for more than a billion people \u2013 into sterile acidic and nearly lifeless crypts.\u00a0 Already, fisherman across the globe are pulling up nets fouled with jellyfish, which will dominate the seas in the not too distant future.<\/p>\n

Another clear sign of psychosis.<\/p>\n

Then of course, there\u2019s the fact that Obama is proposing aggressive measures to cut carbon at the same time as he\u2019s permitting exploration for more oil in the Arctic, even though we know we have to leave most of what we\u2019ve already found in the ground or risk global catastrophes of biblical proportions.<\/p>\n

Yeah, that makes sense.<\/p>\n

We the people share a big part of the blame. While the Plutocrats take over the country, we keep electing people who hate government and want to turn it over to the private sector \u2013 aka the plutocrats — to run government.\u00a0 Yet government is the only force capable of stopping the march of the fat cats and oligarchs.<\/p>\n

At the state level, we\u2019re seeing the fruits electing fruitcakes to run the state and the economy. In Kansas, they\u2019re so hot to cut taxes that school systems can\u2019t even finish the year.\u00a0 And once promising Ohio has been consigned to the trash bin of economic history by this counterfactual clap trap, while Wisconsin \u2013 another bastion of conservative psychosis, lags far behind the nation in job growth and wages.<\/p>\n

Crazy? It doesn\u2019t get any crazier.\u00a0 OK, now let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n

How Capitalism Subverts Democracy<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

For starters, let’s acknowledge that in the United States, the interests of Big Money routinely trumps the will of the people. Here\u2019s the proof:<\/p>\n