Posted on 07/22/2015 7:13:54 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
My guess is most of us would agree that America seems to be in decline, but not for the reasons TIME magazine does. Much of the decline is centered in the politics and policies of the governing party.
But TIME is pretty sure that, given the study that they cite, the reason is … capitalism. Here’s the “it was great, but” reason:
“We looked at very broad measures, and at individual measures, too,” said co-author Hershey H. Friedman, a business professor at Brooklyn College – City University of New York. The most dangerous sign they saw: rising income and wealth inequality, which slow growth and can spark instability, the authors say.
“Capitalism has been amazingly successful,” write Friedman and co-author Sarah Hertz of Empire State College. But it has grown so unfettered, predatory, so exclusionary, it’s become, in effect, crony capitalism. Now places like Qatar and Romania, “countries you wouldn’t expect to be, are doing better than us,” said Friedman.
I wish those who opine about this sort of thing would begin to delink capitalism and “crony capitalism”. Because as soon “crony” is added, “capitalism” is no longer evident. Instead you have powerful corporate/social/political constituents helping write laws that raise bars to entry in a markets to impossible heights. You have the same entities suggesting regulations which have the same effect. Capitalism, in its barest essence, is a voluntary transaction between two free people which ends profitably for both. That’s it. When government begins intruding with regulations and laws designed to limit and protect certain constituencies, from corporations to unions, that’s not capitalism, whether you stick “crony” in front of it or not.
It is certainly cronyism. The government attacks, for instance, on Uber are rampant cronyism. They’re designed by government to protect an existing constituency that doesn’t like the competition (and has had a government granted monopoly for decades). Of course, in the end, it is the consumer – i.e. the citizen – who is hurt by this sort of cronyism.
And it appears that cronyism has gotten worse and worse over the past few years. So while America may be in decline, it isn’t because of capitalism.
It’s because of cronyism, government favoritism, or whatever catch word or phrase you wish to tag the phenomenon with. But leave capitalism out of it.
Of course it's causes are completely beyond their comprehension.
We are in decline because the Progressive Left appears to have won its Hundred Year War on American liberty, constitutional law and free markets.
It’s really no great mystery.
Has TIME Magazine figured out why it is in decline yet?
If they don’t say “diversity” they are lying.
White Privilege
ANY mention whatsoever that there has been a total lack of leadership, or that being a 'Community Oraganizer' in NO WAY prepares you for the Oval Office, or that socialist and communist ideals do not result in a strong country, or that the guy in the white hut is bent on dividing the Country, ensuring it's destruction by selling out to our enemies?
Democrats/Obama/Corrupt MSM/Hollywood
That axis. It’s really that simple.
If Time is against capitalism, why are they charging customers?
Yet these same Fascists impose slave wages on LEGAL immigrants and minorities by flooding the labor market with ILLEGAL immigrants.
Capitalism. People still have enough freedom they can provide alternative information outlets. Time can’t compete.
Time translation: We have not achieved our Communist Utopia YET....and will be in decline until we become so.
The US is devolving from what it once was, characteristics that made it great. The US is becoming a different nation. Fifty years of importing third world immigrants and white birth rate decline has driven the change.
“Progressive” being a code word to the left for socialism, leftists only see progress in terms of government’s ability to collect and redistribute wealth. They judge the quality of health care by how much the government controls it. When they give you their list of best countries to live in, it’s not how modernized the society is, but the degree to which government is involved in it.
2 other words
secular humanism
>>If they don’t say “diversity” they are lying.
They said it was crony capitalism, and as the article points out, that is just cronyism with very little capitalism involved.
“Diversity” is one aspect of the cronyism: hire this person for their skin color and not their ability is the ultimate cronyism and anything but capitalism where you always hire the most skilled worker that you can afford.
Rising wealth inequality is a normal attribute of a recession and is a good measure as to whether the recession has ended or not.
It has happened in every recession and depression that we have experienced. And it always will happen, it simply is part of a recession.
So, the answer is simple. Pursue policies which result in GDP growth and the disparity goes away. EZPeeZee.
Hard to believe Time could publish this. Not sure it knows what is really going on. This has been happening for almost a century.
Pure capitalism and pure communism both lead to inevitable self destruction if the people are amoral.
Unfortunately, both systems inevitably seem to lead into a consolidation of power. Either through communist personality cults or vast corporate crony monopolies.
And once power is consolidated, those in charge want a dumber population to abuse and control. And dumber leads to immoral until the entire system collapses.
So no, I don’t see a solution with any current existing system. They are all short term solutions and doomed to die and be reborn
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