On Wed, 18 Jul 2001 15:17:22 +1000, you wrote:
>At 07:55 AM 17/07/2001 -0700, Technotranscendence wrote:
>
><big snip>
>
>>It seems your analogy actually works against your convictions.
>
>Hmmm. :-( This is why I kept reminding people that I am *not* against
>capitalism -- I am just scared of people adhering to it as a religion.
>"Capitalism alone will work... really it will. Have faith."
>
>A quick response to your point of bank deregulation: The biggest disaster
>in Australian banking was when our government of idiots swallowed that
>propaganda about deregulation, hook line and sinker. They deregulated the
>banks, and since then banking costs to the consumer have spiraled upward,
>the banks have been closing local branches everywhere, and they have been
>making record profits.
>
Much the same thing happened here a decade or so ago--we're still
paying for it, I think. They never remember....what's old is new
again, when it comes to propaganda.....
>Yes, yes, you think I am saying "bad capitalism", but I ain't. :-)
>
>Government was originally formed (if I remember my history correctly) to
>give the population some way to control the powerful individuals (lords,
>kings, and barons) that oppressed people. Of course, government can step
>into those same nasty shoes and can be just as dangerous to the people.
>Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It doesn't matter
>if that power is in the hands of government, or big companies, or powerful
>individuals. It all comes to the same thing.
>
>We have a new religion taking hold around the world at the moment that
>convinces people to let the most powerful companies and individuals rule
>the planet unopposed in the name of "market forces". People are
>indoctrinated, perversely, to relinquish all control with faith that the
>invisible hand of the market will balance all things.
I think you have it exactly right! I sure am glad that someone else
here sees it this way. The first thing we can do here in America
about this situation is to rewrite the Constitution, writing into it
the acknowledgement of this NATURAL AXIOM --the stronger will
generally attempt to exploit and oppress the weaker, whether it be the
upper income strata, or those with power in gov't. The exception
being of course the occasional "altruism"--that really being nothing
but the occasional self-gratification.....
And furthermore, the constitution should acknowledge that a country
is owned by and should therefore be operated so as to benefit the
majority of its citizen-owners.
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