Posted on 12/09/2011 7:24:58 PM PST by sickoflibs
For most of his time as a national political figure, Barack Obama has been careful to cloak his core socialist leanings behind a veil of pro-capitalist rhetoric. This makes strategic sense, as Americans still largely identify as pro-capitalist. However, based on his recent speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, the President appears to have reassessed the political landscape in advance of the 2012 elections. Based on the growth of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the recent defeat of Republicans in special elections, he has perhaps sensed a surge of left-leaning sentiment; and, as a result, he finally dropped the pretense.
According to our President's new view of history, capitalism is a theory that has "never worked." He argues that its appeal can't be justified by results, but its popularity is based on Americans' preference for an economic ideology that "fits well on a bumper sticker." He feels that capitalism speaks to the flaws in the American DNA, those deeply rooted creation myths that elevate the achievements of individuals and cast unwarranted skepticism on the benefits of government. He argues that this pre-disposition has been exploited by the rich to popularize policies that benefit themselves at the expense of the poor and middle class.
But Obama's knowledge of history is limited to what is written on his teleprompter. And his selection of the same location that Teddy Roosevelt used to chart an abrupt departure into populist politics is deeply symbolic in the opposite way to that which he intended. It is not by some genetic fluke that Americans distrust government. It is an integral and essential part of our heritage. The United States was founded by people who distrusted government intensely and was subsequently settled, over successive generations, by people fleeing the ravages of government oppression. These Americans relied on capitalism to quickly build the greatest economic power the world had ever seen - from nothing.
But according to Obama's revisionist version of American history, we tried capitalism only briefly during our history. First, during the Robber Barron period of the late 19th Century, the result of which was child labor and unprecedented lower-class poverty. These ravages were supposedly only corrected by the progressive policies of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. We tried capitalism again in the 1920s, according to Obama, and the result was the Great Depression. This time, it allegedly took FDR's New Deal to finally slay that capitalist monster. Then, the account only gets more farcical. Apparently, we tried capitalism again under George W. Bush, and the result was the housing bubble, financial crisis, and ensuing Great Recession. Obama now argues that government is needed once again to save the day.
This view is complete fiction and proves that Obama is not qualified to teach elementary school civics, let alone serve as President of the United States. I wonder what other economic system he believes we followed prior to the 1890s and 1920s (and during the 1950s and 1960s) that that he now seeks to restore? Capitalism did not start with J.P. Morgan in 1890s or John D. Rockefeller in the 1920s as the President suggests. In fact, it was about that time that capitalism came under attack by the progressives. We were born and prospered under capitalism. The Great Depression did not result from unbridled capitalism, but from the monetary policy of the newly created Federal Reserve and the interventionist economic policies of both Hoover and Roosevelt - policies that were decidedly un-capitalist.
The prosperity enjoyed during mid-20th century actually resulted from the incredible progress produced by years of capitalism. Contrary to Obama's belief, the New Deal and Great Society did not create the middle class; it was, in fact, a direct result of the capitalist industrial revolution. The socialist programs of which Obama is so fond are the reasons why the middle class has been shrinking. America's economic descent began in the 1960s, when we abandoned capitalism in favor of a mixed economy. By mixing capitalism with socialism, we undermined economic growth, and reversed much of the progress years of laissez-faire had bestowed on average Americans. The back of the middle class is being broken by the weight of government and the enormous burden taxes and regulation place on the economy.
America's first experiment with socialism, the Plymouth Bay Colony, ended in failure, and our most successful colonies - New York, Virginia, Massachusetts - were begun primarily as commercial enterprises. When the founding fathers gathered to write the Constitution, they represented capitalist states and granted the federal government severely limited powers.
Apparently, Obama thinks our founders' mistrust of government was delusional, and that we were fortunate that far wiser groups of leaders eventually corrected those mistakes. The danger, as Obama sees it, is that some Republicans actually want to reverse course and adopt the failed ideas espoused by great American fools like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.
The President unknowingly illustrated his own contradictory thinking with the importance he now places on extending the temporary payroll tax cuts. If all that stands between middle-class families and abject poverty is a small tax cut, imagine how much damage the far more massive existing tax burden already inflicts on those very households! If Obama really wants to relieve middle-class taxpayers of this burden, he needs to reduce the cost of government by cutting spending. After all, there is no way to pay for all the government programs Obama wants by simply by taxing the rich.
History has proven time-and-again that capitalism works and socialism does not. Taking money from the rich and redistributing it to the poor does not grow the economy. On the contrary, it reduces the incentives of both parties. It lowers savings, destroys capital, limits economic growth, and lowers living standards. Maybe Obama should take his eyes off the teleprompter long enough to read some American history. In fact, he could start by reading the Constitution that he swore an oath to uphold.
bambam is a blithering idiot, but he hasnt done anything 'wrong' if the plan is to destroy the country...
even a moron like the totus would get something right every now and then...
“History has proven time-and-again that capitalism works and socialism does not.”
Capitalism is the best economic system so far in the history of man. It is also true that Obama is ignorant of both history and economics...or he (and others) would understand that our problem is not primarily an economic one. It is a spiritual problem above all. For capitalism to work well, the people must be moral and upright before God.
If our nation does not seek, ABOVE, ALL leaders who seek the help of God, if we don’t reverse our course from being the culture of death...back to being the culture of life and we begin to seek God once more for help in becoming a moral and good culture with people who no longer ignore God....then things will get FAR worse than they are now.
History testifies to this.
What happens in this country will not merely involve our leaders. It will involve all of us. We ALL have choices to make.
“It being the indispensable duty of all nations, not only to offer up their supplications to Almighty God, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of public distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his Providence in their behalf; therefore, the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these states, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war in the course of the year now drawing to a close, particularly the harmony of the public councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause,…do hereby recommend it to the inhabitants of these states in general, to observe, and request the several states to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of Thursday, in the 28 day of November next, as a day of solemn thanksgiving to God for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify their gratitude to God for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience to his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.
Done in Congress at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the Seventh.”
Our prosperity comes from God. What we choose to do can destroy or enhance our prosperity. As our founders said in the above quote...the PRACTICE of our religion is the FOUNDATION of our prosperity. They were right!
What is he talking about?
OWS is getting evicted (by hard-core libs no less) and Republicans have been winning the "special elections" and they did not have that bad of general election in 2011.
And actually, capitalism really isn't even a system...it's just the freedom of the individual to sell his services or what he produces to another individual who has the freedom to acquire them.
Furthermore, IIRC the term "capitalism" was first used by Engels as a way of insulting the idea of a free market economy (i.e. free markets were "controlled" by those rich fat cats who have "capital").
In a sense, you are correct. However, even dictionaries define it as a *system.*
Definition of CAPITALISM
: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market
Also, here is the definition from a philosophical point of view:
Definition of Capitalism
“Capitalism” is conventionally defined along economic terms such as the following:
An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.
Source: Dictionary.com
This is an example of a definition by non-essentials. An essential definition of capitalism is a political definition:
Capitalism is a social system based on the principle of individual rights.
Source: Capitalism.org
In order to have an economic system in which “production and distribution are privately or corporately owned”, you must have individual rights and specifically property rights. The only way to have an economic system fitting the first definition is to have a political system fitting the second definition. The first is an implication of the second. Because the second, political, definition is fundamental and the cause of the first, it is the more useful definition and is preferable.
Because people often use the term “Capitalism” loosely, “Laissez Faire Capitalism” is sometimes used to describe a true Capitalist system. But this phrase is redundant.
It is important to define “Capitalism” correctly because a proper definition is a prerequisite to a proper defense. Capitalism is the only moral political system because it is the only system dedicated to the protection of rights, which is a requirement for human survival and flourishing. This is the only proper role of a government. Capitalism should be defended vigorously on a moral basis, not an economic or utilitarian basis.
Socialism, in my mind, is nothing more than a contrivance in which those who can't/don't produce try to control those who do. Socialist say their system is for the good of the people, but they know (or just don't care to know) that such thinking is pure BS.
Yep! You are correct. I also believe that the differences between socialism and capitalism rest PRECISELY on the understanding of freedom....as a right that comes from God. Private property is an essential key that is based upon that understanding.
“...socialism, by no means an invention of nineteenth century Marxism but much older, must be conceptualized as an institutionalized interference with or aggression against private property and private property claims.
Capitalism, on the other hand, is a social system based on the explicit recognition of private property and of nonaggressive, contractual exchanges between private property owners.” -— Hanns Herman Hoppe, A THEORY OF SOCIALISM & CAPITALISM
http://mises.org/books/Socialismcapitalism.pdf
As a Christian, I also recognize my duty to seek the will of my God as to how I use what I have been blessed with. Our Founding Fathers were very clear in their understanding of the fact that the prosperity of this nation depended upon the PRACTICE of religion.
;-)))
ping
Excellent series of posts.
Like I said, he's a Libertarian.
No stronger a fiscal conservative will you find, however.
And these days, it's the economy that matters.
Sorry, I accidently pinged you to a Bachmann thread last night. This is the one I intended to ping you to regarding Obama via Schiff.
That Obama may be talking like he is because he thinks there is another back-lash to capitalism going on this year. But OWS is not certain to help Obama and may turn on him too.
I wouldnt say all is good out there for us regarding this. The Ohio and Wisconsin governors are under seige.
There were threads on FR yesterday which focused on more recent events as likely sources of the significance of the choice of venue for such an attack on freedom of individual enterprise (often described as capitalism) and an American president's preference for, and embracing of, the coercive ideas which underlie oppressive government planning and control in economic matters.
The place chosen for this outspoken preference for the latter model, yesterday's threads on FR revealed, may be more aptly linked to the 70's seedbed which produced the speech. here and here.
Following the links on the latter site and reading the articles in that issue of the newsletter, if factual, are cause for concern among freedom lovers.
We should remember that we are discussing the economic dimension of liberty when we talk about these things, and that liberty, once lost to government officials who view themselves as more knowing and more caring than the people they are to serve, may never be regained.
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...instead Votes and Power
Thanks sickoflibs.
0bama is much too busy playing golf and taking vacations to actually study and understand the consequences of his commie policies.
Love it. Leftists always deny the motivating force of self interest unless it concerns themselves.
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