Let us define capitalism. No matter how difficult this maybe but maybe a metaphor would help...the late stage of a capitalist system we are in is nothing like the real thing. It is like comparing a 105 year old man to a 23 year old. Now there is nothing to compare. A 105 year old is likely a senile, childish person. Both are "man" in name only. The 23-year old is a real man, vibrant full of energy and potential, the other is on its deathbed... So my definition of a TRUE capitalistic system would be; 1)Free market. 2)Opportunity to compete and start up new ventures and provide labor for a workforce. 3) sound monetary policy with a currency that is backed by some other assets other than a FIAT money. As things are in the US we have not one of these anymore. Yet people decry Obama and Socialism. The biggest single most obstacle and the cause of the current state of affairs in my opinion is the monopolistic multinational corporations. The USA industrial and military complex is close second. The reason they are the cause of these ills is because they have been in power for 40-50 years, so the true power begets the ills of the nation.
Oh, yeah, GM has a monopoly on autos and trucks. And IBM has a monopoly on PCs and PC software. And AT&T has a monopoly on land-based and wireless phones. Companies can't make you buy their stuff. And companies that do create monopolies for themselves usually loose them in the next iteration. The only entity that doesn't lose the monopoly is Government. And if you don't want to buy their sales pitch, they will send their goons over to your house, throw you in the back of black Crown Vic, and take you away. That's the state of the USA.
Freedom and free markets go hand-in-hand. I mourn our loss of freedom every day. To those morons who say, "The USA is the best country in the world, if you don't like it here, go someplace else", I'd say, "Wake-up and take a look around you"! Anyone who wants to know just how bad it's going to get should read "The Black Book of Communism".
One might also say the 105 year old is a wise man full of years of experience, and the 23 year old is the childish cocky know it all kid who's just looking to screw every whore he can find with no concern for the consequences or the diseases he is now giving to everyone.
That doesn't mean anything. Free in what sense, and to what extent? How can you have a "free" market if the money supply itself isn't subject to "free market" control.
No the monopoly is in the US congress and the House of Reps !!!! By millions spent to buy politikos via soft and other "contributions" or BRIBES as most people would call it. People, essentially have Zero say in any serious matter anymore...
The 105 year old man was lucky enough to be born in the right place at the right time. The 23 year old man will face competition unlike anything the 105 year old has ever seen in his lifetime. The 105 year old had it made. Not only did he get to live to 100+, but he had the opportunity to take advantage of the system when it was still somewhat pure. Despite this, he still views the 23 year old as a lazy kid. Of course, if they swapped places, the 105 year old would never survive in today's world. The centenarian doesn't know how good he had it.
Get over it, the US has been run by economic warlords since the railroads were the emerging tech sector... Regaining and keeping our constitutional freedoms is WAY more important to our economic futures than these bullshit political and economic arguments that go on all the time... We need a few of our rights back in their entirety and neither of these political parties we have gives a rat's ass enough to actually do anything about it... they dangle these idealogical and economic arguments in front of us like we are babies in the crib... get the hell out of the crib and start giving the public sector a ration of shit when they don't respect your constitutional rights... http://www.constitutionparty.com/