We are all aware of what a scourge on humanity religious fundamentalism can be. Different sects have used their supposed authority from God to plague our species with everything from throwing Christians to the lions for entertainment to the Inquisition to 9/11.
But religion isn't the only aspect of the human psyche that can cause such an impassioned and destructive response. The KKK was a form of Manifest Destiny Fundamentalism, they based their beliefs on a few passages in the Bible, but in doing so they completely ignored the compassion and decency of the teachings of Christ. Manifest Destiny was their true goal, but it was too repulsive to be accepted by rational people so they used religious doctrine to justify a campaign of murder that lasted nearly a century in the "Land of the Free."
There are also Constitutional Fundamentalists, who believe that every problem mankind has or ever will face was resolved by our founding document, something the founders clearly didn't believe, as is evidenced in their designing an amendment process. That process was abused with prohibition, but overall it has allowed our nation to become a more fair and ethical nation.
Capitalist Fundamentalism is no different, it's adherents think that the quest for wealth and the mythical powers of the marketplace will bring us to utopia. As with all fundamentalist movements, the evidence of the moral bankruptcy is to be found throughout human history. The quest for wealth has been responsible for as much human suffering as any concept devised by mankind. It has inspired despots to oppress their fellow man from the first tribal conflicts over territory to the current lust for oil.
I am not against capitalism, it has driven our country to international prominence and accomplished things that were unimaginable even a few decades ago. It has in large measure created our modern world, but like all such concepts it can be taken to an unhealthy and destructive level by those who think it to be an unassailable idea. There is no such thing.
Financial markets make no allowance for human compassion, they are incapable of making moral or ethical judgments. They are designed for a different purpose and when we assume that they can do that for which they were not designed we guarantee failure. This is the reason that our health care system costs us twice what those of countries with clearer vision do, and why it delivers us a shorter lifespan.
Fundamentalism is a bad thing, it is ignoring the facts in favor of doctrine. If there is an inherently evil concept in human history, this is it. It has been uniformly destructive in every instance of it's use and I see no rational by which it can ever be expected to be otherwise.
Heres a bunch of them praying to the golden Bull on Wall St. Don't you love the irony? "Christians" praying to the Golden Bull for economic prosperity... Now I know I have seen that somewhere before.oh yea! Moses punishing the Israelites after he returned from the mountain to find them having orgies and worshiping, guess what? That's right! A golden bull!
Let me repeat one of the best things you wrote:
Financial markets make no allowance for human compassion, they are incapable of making moral or ethical judgments. They are designed for a different purpose and when we assume that they can do that for which they were not designed we guarantee failure. This is the reason that our health care system costs us twice what those of countries with clearer vision do, and why it delivers us a shorter lifespan.
That statement is profound, and many on the right seem to have forgotten that fact, in their never ending support of the rich, and in their never ending condemnation of socialism. This country has blended the best of socialism, and capitalism for many, many years. The right seems to have forgotten that fact too. It works when it's balanced.
Capitalism serves the rich and socialism helps the poor. What a wonderful mix!
Donny Dear! Good to see this blog.
I'm going to deviate slightly and just say that the media is running most of everything.
And, whoever is behind the media is who is in charge.
Their agenda is the one that pushes how the country is run.
Lets go back to "the right to the pursuit of happiness".
That's the definition of capitalism. If I have the right to happiness, then that's socialism.
hugs sweetie!
No idea who Donny is, but thank you for reading my blog. I don't think you can accurately refer to countries as capitalist or socialist anymore, we are all a mixture of both philosophies. I think you are seeing black and white when the real world is an infinite mixture of shades of gray. When people argue that we are the one or are becoming the other they argue for and against a myth. That is why in my blog I state that I am for capitalism but against the radical capitalist fundamentalism from which we now suffer.
All I got to say is Obama and his Liberal socialist mob is just one more blow to our American heritage and values.. This country is going to hell faster than water going over a mountain. We need to kick all the illegals out and vote all these morons out of office and get some real Americans into government that represent their constituents not some special interest group or corporation.
This country was built on freedom. Freedom to worship, freedom to prosper and freedom to make your own decisions. I don't care how you slice your pie but we are loosing these freedoms little by little and we better stand up and stop it. If not than we have done nothing but failed. Failed our founders, failed our children and failed ourselves. Government is here to serve us not the other way around.
America better wake up or give up. And I for one was never taught to fail or give up.
So please join me in the next few elections and stand up for your right by electing only those who believe in re-building this country to what it was designed to be. A government by the people and for the people, not the other way around.
That's all you got? Where in our founding documents does the word Capitalist appear? Abe Lincoln, the county's first republican President, did address the subject, here is what he said.
It is not becoming socialist, it is becoming more compassionate and ethical. It is also not your country alone, there are 300 million of us and we all have a voice. Still, you made the assertion that it was formed as a capitalist society, I ask you again where in any of our founding documents does that statement exist?
Its easy for the government to be compassionate with money that they didn't contribute to. Its seem like your definition of ethical would be that I work twice as hard to give to those that don't. Taxing the so called rich will not get money to the poor to improve their life. It will only indenture them to those that give the hand outs. Compassion is not being forced to give my money where I don't want it to go. That's robbery. In our founding documents it say that we have the right to the "pursuit" of happiness. Not, the right to happiness. The first is "capitalism" the second is "socialism" When you tell me that I have the right to happiness, then you better produce. If not, then I have to get it myself.
The first right government is tasked to preserve in the Declaration of Independence is the right to life, that right is denied by insurance companies to 45,000 Americans every year. That is the equivalent death toll to nearly fifteen 9/11 attacks. Human sacrifice to profit is not acceptable to me, especially when every other country in the developed world proves each day that it is completely avoidable, and at roughly half the price we pay. The pursuit of happiness argument would have more merit if we were talking about profit to people, although still morally bankrupt in my opinion, but we are talking about corporate profit. Corporations are not given any rights in any of our founding documents, not even the right to exist. I don't mean to suggest that they shouldn't exist, but it is not a right. It is a privilege and it is one for which they should be willing to pay. If I use my privilege to drive to kill someone I expect that privilege to be revoked, why should a corporation, which is not even recognized in any of our founding documents, be allowed more rights than a citizen?
No hospital turns away people. Everyone is treated.
People don't die because of that. Have to disagree.
45 thousand don't die because of no health care.
There are many things that could be done to take care of low income people. All could be done without the government involvement.
Hospitals not only turn people away, but they call taxis and have them taken away and dumped at homeless shelters. Kaiser Permanente in LA has been filmed doing it repeatedly, as have hospitals in other cities. Patients who are mentally confused and haven't the cognitive abilities to understand what is happening to them. It's been on 60 Minutes, it's been on Dateline, it's been on CNN. There are lot's of things that could be done, but they aren't being done. You'll have to excuse me for believing that Harvard Medical School, who did the study that says 45,000 die for that specific reason each year , knows a little more about the subject than you do. There was another study done by the American Society of Physical Therapists that came to the exact same number, and a third done by the AMA that came to a lower number but was still over twenty thousand. If you have some reason that you should be considered a more knowledgeable source than those please tell me what it might be.
Good study.
But, I believe there is more to that study.
I know people that don't go to the doctor because they would rather spend their money on other things. (not money)
Much of this is choice.
I currently know a man that is having problems but will not go to doctor because its too much money. But, they have lake property and other things.
They have chosen to spend their money another way. While I don't agree, I feel they make that choice.
I know another lady that put in a pool, but says she can't afford health care.
I could give you at least 5 more, just in my little circle.
Here's one that deals only with children, 17,000 kids a year, dead. Because they didn't have permission to live from our health care system. http://www.fiercehealthcare.c...
Financial markets make no allowance for human compassion, they are incapable of making moral or ethical judgments. They are designed for a different purpose and when we assume that they can do that for which they were not designed we guarantee failure. This is the reason that our health care system costs us twice what those of countries with clearer vision do, and why it delivers us a shorter lifespan.
That statement is profound, and many on the right seem to have forgotten that fact, in their never ending support of the rich, and in their never ending condemnation of socialism. This country has blended the best of socialism, and capitalism for many, many years. The right seems to have forgotten that fact too. It works when it's balanced.
Capitalism serves the rich and socialism helps the poor. What a wonderful mix!
I'm going to deviate slightly and just say that the media is running most of everything.
And, whoever is behind the media is who is in charge.
Their agenda is the one that pushes how the country is run.
Lets go back to "the right to the pursuit of happiness".
That's the definition of capitalism. If I have the right to happiness, then that's socialism.
hugs sweetie!
I don't think you can accurately refer to countries as capitalist or socialist anymore, we are all a mixture of both philosophies. I think you are seeing black and white when the real world is an infinite mixture of shades of gray.
When people argue that we are the one or are becoming the other they argue for and against a myth. That is why in my blog I state that I am for capitalism but against the radical capitalist fundamentalism from which we now suffer.
This country was built on freedom. Freedom to worship, freedom to prosper and freedom to make your own decisions. I don't care how you slice your pie but we are loosing these freedoms little by little and we better stand up and stop it. If not than we have done nothing but failed. Failed our founders, failed our children and failed ourselves. Government is here to serve us not the other way around.
America better wake up or give up. And I for one was never taught to fail or give up.
So please join me in the next few elections and stand up for your right by electing only those who believe in re-building this country to what it was designed to be. A government by the people and for the people, not the other way around.
Abe Lincoln, the county's first republican President, did address the subject, here is what he said.
It is also not your country alone, there are 300 million of us and we all have a voice.
Still, you made the assertion that it was formed as a capitalist society, I ask you again where in any of our founding documents does that statement exist?
Its seem like your definition of ethical would be that I work twice as hard to give to those that don't.
Taxing the so called rich will not get money to the poor to improve their life. It will only indenture them to those that give the hand outs.
Compassion is not being forced to give my money where I don't want it to go.
That's robbery.
In our founding documents it say that we have the right to the "pursuit" of happiness. Not, the right to happiness.
The first is "capitalism" the second is "socialism"
When you tell me that I have the right to happiness, then you better produce.
If not, then I have to get it myself.
The pursuit of happiness argument would have more merit if we were talking about profit to people, although still morally bankrupt in my opinion, but we are talking about corporate profit. Corporations are not given any rights in any of our founding documents, not even the right to exist. I don't mean to suggest that they shouldn't exist, but it is not a right. It is a privilege and it is one for which they should be willing to pay. If I use my privilege to drive to kill someone I expect that privilege to be revoked, why should a corporation, which is not even recognized in any of our founding documents, be allowed more rights than a citizen?
People don't die because of that. Have to disagree.
45 thousand don't die because of no health care.
There are many things that could be done to take care of low income people. All could be done without the government involvement.
There are lot's of things that could be done, but they aren't being done. You'll have to excuse me for believing that Harvard Medical School, who did the study that says 45,000 die for that specific reason each year , knows a little more about the subject than you do. There was another study done by the American Society of Physical Therapists that came to the exact same number, and a third done by the AMA that came to a lower number but was still over twenty thousand. If you have some reason that you should be considered a more knowledgeable source than those please tell me what it might be.
http://www.harvardscience.har...
But, I believe there is more to that study.
I know people that don't go to the doctor because they would rather spend their money on other things. (not money)
Much of this is choice.
I currently know a man that is having problems but will not go to doctor because its too much money. But, they have lake property and other things.
They have chosen to spend their money another way. While I don't agree, I feel they make that choice.
I know another lady that put in a pool, but says she can't afford health care.
I could give you at least 5 more, just in my little circle.
http://www.fiercehealthcare.c...