In Defense of Capitalism

Lately I have observed any number of our leftist US leaders denouncing the “evils of capitalism” and simultaneously suggesting that if we would just launder our money through the government that life would be so much better. Pardon my cynicism, but I can’t help but be just a little suspicious when the fox proposes to stand watch over the hen house(!)

Until last night these thoughts had been simmering more in my subconscious than they had been finding their way to my voice and keyboard. However, last night I happened to accompany my wife on a shopping trip to look for a new (and much-needed) dish washer, and while standing there in the store considering the dish washers on display before us I experienced what I can only describe as an epiphany.

The catalyst for my catharsis was a combination of my astonishment at the wide range of choices in dish washers that our capitalist system had humbly laid out before me to consider. There were dish washers there from a variety of manufacturers and at a wide range of prices. Those occupying the higher price tiers offered more quiet operation, more control and maybe a little longer service life. All of this variety and affordability was a direct result of the economic competition that exists both between manufacturers and stores. It is quite obvious that they are all working very hard to please me, the consumer.

And, as I stood there contemplating this, a helpful and energetic young man employed by the store introduced himself and offered to help us to understand the various benefits offered to us by each product (some benefits would not have been so obvious without his assistance). Fortunately my wife was there to “talk shop” as I continued my own less pragmatic musings on the nature of our shared “capitalist experience”.

Those musings turned now to the young salesman himself, and how capitalist forces were at work to cause him to be supremely informed about the products he represented and, more importantly, to try hard to please both us and his employer. The result was not only a pleasant experience for us, but for this young man as well. I then considered that this young man was but one person in a virtually endless procession of people working diligently behind the scenes to ultimately present these dish washers to us for our consideration. I marveled at the realization that all this was taking place just so that manufacturers and stores would have some modest probability of selling us a dish washer for what seemed an amazingly low price for such an important household device.

Unlike politicians, the economic force of capitalism cannot help but work tirelessly behind the scenes 24×7 to provide us all with a wide range of choices for products and services to better our lives. Capitalist organizations are striving constantly to offer us better products at better prices – and to please us in any number of other ways.

It is to our own disadvantage (if not to our own peril) that we listen to those self-servicing political voices that would seek to stifle capitalism in order to detour the flow of money through their own money-grubbing hands.

I think Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo said it best:

Capitalism

There’s nothing wrong with Capitalism
There’s nothing wrong with free enterprise
Don’t try to make me feel guilty
I’m so tired of hearing you cry
There’s nothing wrong with making some profit
If you ask me I’ll say it’s just fine
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live nice
I’m so tired of hearing you whine
About the revolution
Bringin’ down the rich
When was the last time you dug a ditch, baby!
If it ain’t one thing
Then it’s the other
Any cause that crosses your path
Your heart bleeds for anyone’s brother
I’ve got to tell you you’re a pain in the ass
You criticize with plenty of vigor
You rationalize everything that you do
With catchy phrases and heavy quotations
And everybody is crazy but you
You’re just a middle class, socialist brat
From a suburban family and you never really had to work
And you tell me that we’ve got to get back
To the struggling masses (whoever they are)
You talk, talk, talk about suffering and pain
Your mouth is bigger than your entire brain
What the hell do you know about suffering and pain . . .
(Repeat first verse)
(Repeat chorus)
There’s nothing wrong with Capitalism
There’s nothing wrong with Capitalism
There’s nothing wrong with Capitalism
There’s nothing wrong with Capitalism

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