Posted on 12/09/2005 8:11:20 PM PST by AZRepublican
So far so good. However, it is intended to extend the legal regime of the modern American corporation.
bttt
God says no, you're not just animals and because of that you will live by laws, strict laws and do what is right not what just feels right.
And in another brilliant observation, wetness thrives where it's raining.
As if that's its purpose.
All soceities have rules, no?
So there is no such thing as a free society to begin with.
Only the virtuous society can be free. John Winthrop said in 1645: "[True freedom] it is a liberty to that only which is good, just, and honest"
Then there weren't enough rules, because tyranny evolved.
We must learn from history.
Without rules to check the growing power of the powerful, we lapse into tyranny again.
What does anyone imagine is the value of power if not to use it to gain even more power?
The big fish eats the small fish, and becomes bigger still.
Is the majority of mankind doomed to be the losers in a global game of Monopoly--
Doomed to go round and round the board, hoping to survive one more throw of the dice without losing everything to the owner of Park Place and Boardwalk?
Freedom on a worldwide scale hits Women and Minorities hardest!
Only the virtuous society can be free. John Winthrop said in 1645: "[True freedom] it is a liberty to that only which is good, just, and honest"
To be clear it should be; Only virtuous individuals can stay free.
"So there is no such thing as a free society to begin with."
By that logic Communism is not a tyranny it is just another rules based society.
Primitive/tribal societies existed for the most of mankind's history. The first large political structures developed as a result of agriculture and increased density of population, first in Mesopotamia, then in Egypt, India and China. Their despotic character was a result of practical needs and the low level of political culture.
This what we call a free society was developed in city states of Greece (for the part of society, not for the slaves).
Then the Christian doctrine and practice liberated whole society. Mass democracy is a very recent and possibly short lasting experiment.
The middle class is the engine that drives growth. Without the middle class you do not have growth. The majority of job creation in the US is from small business which are headed by a majority of the middle class. The poor in the majority of times do not have the capital to drive economic growth or wealth creation. The very rich do not like to take major risks. They have theirs, why should they risk it all. Yes they will invest in safe secure industries, they may even take some risk but it is the middle class that takes the most risk, that in the past drove the savings and investing of the USA. It is because of the middle class that this country has been the greatest economic engine in the world for the last 60 years. without a middle class free trade will fail. Thus most third world countries do not see any benefit from globalization. Only when the worker protection laws/environmental laws/ and right to organize come to these third world nations will they see any wealth creation because the middle class would have been formed. the USA is in the process (due in large part by the outsourcing of middle class jobs to the dirt poor) of destroying the middle class in this country. If the cycle continues this country will look more like Mexico with a few very rich and 90% poor. Much like the USA of the 18th and 19th Centuries. An example GM has shipped countless jobs to Mexico and overseas. these jobs where good paying and help support numerous other businesses in the Area of a GM plant. These employees and the people downstream bought GM cars. Now GM is seeing their market share shrink. One reason is because these laid off workers and the downstream economy can no longer afford to buy their product thus GM is killing their own customer base and they wonder why they are losing market share. In thier Greed to make more money GM has shot itself in the foot and may have inflicted a fatal woundon itself. Free trade is not the answer.
Freedom is what drives growth.
Since 1980, the percentage of American workers owning stock has increased from 25% to 56%. More than 70% of American households own their own home (an all time record) and the average American household has about 57% equity in their home. Since Bush was elected, household net worth has gone from about $41 trillion to more than $50 trillion today.
In the past 30 years, the average size of a home has increased from 1,550 square feet to 2,200. In 1975, only about 40% of all homes had air condiditoning. Today, it's more than 80%. Thirty years ago, only about 40% of American households had color T.V's; now it almost 100%. Back then, less than 2% of households even had microwaves. In '75 only about 5 million had cable. Today, 85% of all American households have cable. In the 70's we were stuck with Formica, shag carpet and manual garage door openers. Now we get hardwood floors, granite counters, automatic door openers, hot tubs and home theaters.
In 1975, American's owned about 9 million recreational boats. Now it's more than 23 million. In '75, only about 55% of the population finished high school. Today it's more than 80%. Only about 15% of Americans finished four years of college in 1975 while today it's more than 25%. In 1975, there were less than 100,00 people with computers. Today, just about everyone has a computer and a cellular telephone.
Life expectancy has increased from about 71 years to almost 78 years during the past 30 years.
In the past 30 years this country has never rejected a free trade agreement and has dramatically reduced tariffs and eliminated regulations hampering trade. You can claim that the powerless are a growing segment of our society.You can also try to sell the idea that wealth only gravitates to those already holding the wealth. Unfortunately, you just can't prove it.
ping
Yet you continuously advocate for more government control over our lives. I guess you can make brilliant observations but just can't manage to grasp them.
Some folks will continue to believe that government can fight market forces and make things better. Riots in France and Germany's 11% unemployment rate are good examples for why this thinking is misguided. Capitalism, created for the first time in history, a new economic system, the necessary corollary of political freedom, a system of free trade based on a free market.
Too much government interference and control still remain in the U.S. But the extent to which certain countries were free has been the exact extent of their economic progress. The United States, the freest, has achieved the most.
Maybe you should define your terms as to what income constitutes middle class and very rich. I don't think you have any idea what the sources of investment capital are or what percentile of American incomes accept greater risk in their investments.
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