Why Blame The Private And Not The Public
By gewcew23
@gewcew23 (8007)
United States
February 24, 2009 2:48pm CST
I can hear it now, "There you go again beating a dead horse, we need to move on." Well I am sorry but I am not. I cannot turn on a financial network without hearing some wizard of smart saying that the market needs new rules and regulation. Then we hear from some blogger with a big news corporation that capitalism, free market principle, and laissez faire economic have been proven wrong, and what we need is a mixed economy. We have politicians including our own current President that have demonized capitalism. The reason why I refuse to give up is that the wrong system has been charged with the crime. Since the begin of the 1900's America has been a mixed economy with rules, regulation, and government ownership. No where from the begin of the 1900's to today has America been capitalist, laissez faire, free market economy, yet that is what gets blamed. True the power has at time shift more to the private sector from the public, but never a true free market economy. Government in most states is the largest sector. Name one company or even a list of that can compare in the size and money of the federal government. You could take the ten biggest companies and the federal government would still be larger. To all that say that we need a mixed economy, we have a mixed economy, and that is the problem. Some where as a country we have got to stop blaming the private sector and start placing the blame where it should be, the government!
3 people like this
6 responses
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
24 Feb 09
There is only one problem with your thinking. We can only live under a free enterprise system as long as everyone is honest and no greed allowed. This is where we need laws and these laws policed and strictly enforced by the Federal Government. Our government not doing this is what has cause all the problems in our banking system. We pay the people in Washington to work in our best interest and they are not doing it. Until our government are doing the job we are paying them for capitalism will never work. The depression in the 30's, many dips in the economy since and the mess we are in now is proof positive Capitalism will never work unless it is very closely regulated.
Anyone cannot be allowed to start a business and just run it any way they wish. There are certain things we cannot do in business without creating problems for the business and everyone else. The mess our banking system is in now is proof positive of this. They were just let go to do what ever they wanted to and now you can see the results of that. Also inflation of any kind must not be allowed in a free enterprise system. Even the term "Free Enterprise System" is a pipe dream. No such critter can exist and have a stable economy. When you apply regulations and enforce them that will assure a stable economy you no longer have a free enterprise system.
Art
1 person likes this
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
25 Feb 09
It was government interference in the free market that created this problem in the first place.
1 person likes this
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
2 Mar 09
Yes there is a free market. It is wide open to the greedy rich to rip everyone off. The ARM's are what brought on the crash of the housing market. They would sell a house at 4% and then in 6 months raise it to 12%.Do you realize what that does to the payment of a $300,000 house? People were paying their payments at 4% but they couldn't pay then when they went up to 12%.
If you want a good example of how well the free market works the next time you buy food look around at the prices. Greedy people know we must have food and they are taking advantage of this and raising their prices. A free market won't work without profit and price controls. If you put controls on it then it is no longer a free market. You stick by your free market and we will continue to have the props kicked from under us about every 60 years just like we are right now. Oh I do know how the economy works. I have been a student of it for 70 years. I have seen many of these little "Corrections" of your so called free market.
Art
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
24 Feb 09
America the land of freedom and opportunity is fifth in the world as the most free country as to economics and civil liberty. Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, and Switzerland should never be ahead of the USA when it comes to freedom, not in a million years.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
25 Feb 09
I think too much regulations is a bad thing. It creates fear and stifles incentive. What I think is what happened is that there were a few bad apples in the private sector, and the government decided "well Blankity Blank and Sons employed underaged children to work the mills" or "NO Good Company" made people work overtime in unsanitary conditions and did not pay them enough so we have to make rules. So the government decides that all private sectors are bad and all government sectors are good.
1 person likes this
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
24 Feb 09
There never really was a true free market economy. We don't really know if it would work. There always was some sort of oversight, some ruling power that determined what's fair and what should be done. You are right, government always somehow was involved.
But I don't think the government is completely to blame here. Mostly it was pure greed and people messing with a market who had no business being in there. People had money in the stock market without understanding the dynamics, people whose money really didn't belong there, people who had everything to lose when things turned even slightly sour. Same for the real estate market where people started flipping houses and owning stuff well beyond there means. And yes, consumers who decided that keeping up with the Joneses is what they needed to do, and if it meant to be in debt up to their eyeballs. Where exactly do you lay the blame for the government here? Obviously they failed to regulate properly and failed to act in a timely manner even when the alarms sounded loudly. But I don't think that's what you mean.
So if I understand you right, government should not own anything, or even employ people? Where do you draw the line there? What would be the right measure? Where exactly do you lay the blame there in terms of property ownership by the government and the government being an employer?
1 person likes this
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
25 Feb 09
In a true free market everyone, large or small have the same chance. This is where our government gets involved and screws everything up for the little man. The government has always worked in favor of the big money people. The big money people are the ones that get the politicians elected and reelected. The right kind of government regulations would keep a free system free with equal opportunity.
As for government ownership they don't actually own anything. Everything the government has they have bought and built with tax dollars so everything actually belongs to the American people.
As for government employment they should employ as many working people as they can. It is the best way you will find to get tax dollars back into our economy where they belong. The government is mostly to blame for this mess for not doing the job we are paying them to do.Out biggest problem in the past several years is big money people outside the government running this nation through the government. There is plenty of blame to go around to all of us if we will just be honest about it.
Art
1 person likes this
