A world without money is really a difficult one to imagine. It is a frightening world where trade and commerce isn’t part of how things are done or how humanity gets improved. Much of human history has been swayed by capitalism or at the very least, the pursuit of wealth. I know there is an entire debate on whether or not Capitalism is indeed such a wonderful thing. There is a whole strata that believes that we may be better off without it, most especially in light of the current credit crisis. If haven’t guessed by now, I disagree with that crowd. That said, the question of “Why Capitalism?” and how it relates to Philippine politics has been nagging behind my head for awhile now.
About a month back, I wrote Re-Imagining Capitalism on my blog (the same post is mirrored here on Filipino Voices) and in it I said:
“…Money with purpose can responsibly drive the world. It is a Reimagining of Capitalism that need to take place. Capitalism needs to bring back the value of protecting shareholder equity, better corporate governance and then it needs to leverage that money, that profit to go change the world.”
I was going through my archives and found “In Search for a Governing Principle“, which I wrote a few years back. This post had a video of serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson of Virgin who talked about life at 30,000 feet:
In the video, Richard Branson talked about two things. First, on how to be successful in business:
“If you treat people well, people will come back for more. I think, all you have in life is your reputation, and it’s a very small world. I actually think, the best way of becoming a successful business leader is dealing with people fairly and well. I’d like to think thats how we run Virgin.”
Then he talked about Capitalist Philanthropy:
“Capitalism has been proven to be a system that works. The alternative, communism has not worked. the problem with Capitalism is that extreme wealth ends up the hands of a few people and therefore extreme responsibility I think goes with that wealth and I think it important the individuals who are in that fortunate position, do not end up competing for bigger and bigger boats and bigger and bigger cars but you use that money to either create new jobs or tackle issues around the world.”
The credit crisis has been described as excessive greed run amok and not so much as businesses failing left and right but because credit is broken. That the weakest link (though a highly important one), the financial services sector needs to learn how to treat people well, how to be more responsible in protecting shareholder equity as it gets out of the mess they’re in. Essentially it is how to be better at running a business.
There is something parallel between the credit crisis and Philippine politics and a parallel between the Financial services sector and the entire strata of leaders in Philippine business, politics and religion. Even as credit dries up, and that money is shored off somewhere to be put to sleep, which is the same for the trust and commitment of Filipinos, which is at an all time low. Which explains why generally, Filipinos are against any “People Power”, or violent takeover. In the same way that the Financial Industry is “broken”, there is such a huge distrust in government by society in general, so much so that every politician is lumped in the same corner and branded, “crook”.
Let’s not kid ourselves. I understand that the reasons why politicians in the philippines run for public office is to protect, ensure and put forward their own personal or family interest and rarely if ever anything for the people. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Business pursues profit too and like politicians, they don’t have to treat their customers well to make a profit and yet, the ones that do pursue being generally fair are the most awesome companies in the world.
As politicians are generally successful and are arrogant enough to act like they are absolute monarchs, don’t they have a clear and present responsibility to go beyond bigger and bigger bank accounts but to use their resources to actually change the country? Not just politicians, but businesses and religion and we the people, have the same responsibilities too, correct?
I know it is a pipe dream. Human nature is rarely so open.
Yet maybe, just maybe, we can establish a society that show malice toward none. It could be a society that shows charity for all even as we are firm in the right as God gives us to see the right that we shall strive to bind our nation’s wounds; to care for every Filipino in every part of the world; and for his wife and children left at home, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace amongst ourselves.
Popularity: 1% [?]
what you espouse, Cocoy, is socialism blended with Capitalism.. sort of like that Nobel Prize awardee that pushed for micro-lending.. I believe, that this focus, which may be a pipe dream is being lived by many Social Entrepreneurs..
yep. i think that this is a better way forward.
so socialism, tapos sabi mo sa baba small government. Socialism is big government.
Know your politics cocoy. Libertarian= republican=US conservative.
Socialism=big government=left of center democrats.
BrianB,
i am for small governments, and for local governments but only so much as needed. You could say I don't like too many laws or taxes.
I also believe in Capitalism.
I don't like guns. I don't like violence but i recognize that there is a role for a military force and spies.
Most people think, I'm agnostic I am not a religious conservative. My family is deeply religious, deeply Catholic. They will be the first to tell anyone that I am not deeply religious at all. I belong left of that spectrum.
i also believe that there should be a sense of responsibility with regard to how one does business, how one should relate to others, how we can change the world, and that his whole notion of Capitalist Philanthropy appeals to me.
You just like lower taxes because you live in Manila, where most of the national tax revenues go. So you still get the MRT, fly-overs, etc. and think that even with lower taxes you will still get the benefit of 21st century progress.
Cocoy, you lower taxes, most Filipinos will only spend their gains abroad.
i said i wasn't too keen on too many laws or high taxes. i didn't say i was in favor of lowering taxes.
my hypothesis is that the philippine government isn't very efficient in how it operates. i neither have the resources nor the time to find out if that hypothesis is true.
Anyway, Filipinos can fly to las vegas for a night of poker and debauchery? That's new to me. Where do I sign up? I could use a vacation, you know?
Let's see what taxes do Filipinos have to pay:
VAT. Income Tax. Real Estate Tax. Cedula. Corporate Income Tax. Tariffs (for imported goods). Let's not forget we pay obnoxious fees for a driver's license. (Have we actually caught anybody with the mandatory drug test?) There is also the road user's tax. Etc. etc.
shouldn't we distinguish between those who mistrust government, and those for whom government is a necessary part of their lives? and those who do their civic duty and vote, for whatever reason, and those who think they have better things to do on election day, and thus take themselves out of the equation?
you already know i am for as little government as possible, to involve them only when absolutely necessary. that said, i don't think we should separate everyone. It is natural to mistrust government, just as to trust it. There will always be people who would have better things to do on election day, just as we can't have universal love or universal acceptance.
A person may not vote on election day, but he or she is still part of society by paying taxes just as those who mistrust government pays taxes indirectly every time they have to go buy anything. And even if they do mistrust government, we can't have a world where everyone just says "yes" all the time.
my point is: they also serve those who stand and wait.
Republican ka pala eh. Small government, dahil alam mong kukurakunin pa rin ang taxes and alam mong mas bobo sayo ang gobyerno. Ang hindo mo alam, small government means, the oligarchy will reign. Hindi mo alam yun dahil matagal nang maliit gobyerno natin, except nung martial law. Yung mga mayayaman pinapabayaan lang kung anong gawin nila maski labag pa sa prinsipyo ng demokrasya.
ba't palaging moderated?
to the blog moderator, bring back the old commenting format. just moderate the trolls.
Agree. lang kwenta ito. Puro pangalan lang. Intense debate FTW 2.0!
Mali talaga itong small government ni cocoy nato. Alam mo cocoy napaka selfish ng middle class natin. Mga admirers yan ng mga rich eh, yung mga middle class nayan. Puro pakunwari. Pag pinabaan mo ang taxes karamihan ng peso mapupunta lang sa abroad. Eh lahat na nga ng bilihin imported na eh. Gets mo ba, Coy?
BrianB,
i think you're missing the point of why everything is always imported. part of the reason is that it is often cheaper to just import it. textiles. i used to know a guy who ran a textile plant in Caloocan. When the chinese started making textiles cheaper, and people started importing them, of course the Local Textile industry started to suffer.
All things being equal, who would you buy goods and services from the local guy with higher price or the imported one that's cheaper?
I don't mind outsourcing cheap labor. But what local brands do we have? And what money do we get from our intellectual properties? Nothing. Anyway, our country is so different from the US, it's useless to discuss this when our references don't match with the reality. If you're saying government should leave progress to individuals, I totally disagree. Higher taxes, flat income tax, inheritance tax increase, land reform. The rich will threaten to migrate, let them, just tax all their businesses here. Where they going to go? They cannot successfully do business elsewhere.
Subsidies and discouraging replications of the same businesses (kiosks, restaurants, buses, etc.) and tax holidays on innovative companies.
You're probably thinking the less taxes politicians have to go on, the thieves among will eventually lose interest in politics. No, politicians also enjoy business influence in licensing for example. Do you think they cannot exploit that and ruin businesses?
BrianB,
Why should there be subsidies and why should there people actively discourage replication? At the dawn of the century, people thought Apple was insane. They said, "Apple is going to make an MP3 player? Frak, what is Steve Jobs on? This is going to be the end of Apple!" And you know what? Apple took the mp3 player concept— which at the time was virtually non-existent and filled with companies that delivered lousy devices and created an entirely *new* industry. How many companies are making iPod accessories? that's at least a billion dollar industry around an mp3 player!
how about hamburger stores? There is an entire fleet of hamburger chains in Metro Manila alone: Jolibee. McDonald's. Wendy's just to name three "big name" chains. Then there are companies like Brother's Burger. Who would have thought that a small chain like Brother's Burger will find a market in an already crowded arena? And there are other burger houses too, which compete in the same way.
My point is this: let the market determine what is good and what is bad. let government step in *only when absolutely necessary*.
Actually i don't think even when you lower taxes that politicians will suddenly disappear. that's never going to happen. it isn't solely the kickbacks that make them want to join in. They've family interests to protect too. Having power and wealth and influence? These are the things that keep the big boys going. They're not going to stop doing that even if you lower taxes.
And lowering taxes per se isn't the solution either. So what if you lower taxes? From the government perspective, is there an infrastructure in place to encourage business to survive?
From the startup perspective, did you know that the maintenance cost associated as we increase the number of computers by 10 units in a software/computer business is roughly equivalent to two people we could be employing at the minimum wage level or equivalent to one developer? The price of labor, the cost associated with getting *decent* internet, and efficient power is just astronomical, you know?
The only reason most people think that a world without the monetary system is unimaginable, chaotic and simply impossible is because the corporate world, the world of capitalism has been instilling into our minds that it is the case… which isn't. As much as economy goes, people are well-off trading so resources can be spread around. The more scarce the resource is (like diamond, gold, oil), the more valuable it is for trading. Scarcity is the main idea here… because things that aren't scarce (like the air that we breathe, or the sunlight, or wind, or tidal waves) are not profitable. BECAUSE OF THAT, companies, all of which like you said focus on gaining PROFIT, don't like resources that are abundant and available for everyone, so they make resources SCARCE… because basically scarce things are the only ones profitable —– that's ultimately what economics is for… they told me that this is the best system, a system that works – so I quit learning economics
coz here's what I think and what's baffling in this whole thing, all the companies are like that (earning profit by making their product scarce), then the consumers would be left to work their asses off to get the money they need to buy those scarce stuff which we mostly need… which basically means that consumers are MODERN SLAVES of the Companies…
examples out of many
— oil companies that control the pricing because they claim that this non-renewable resource which all the cars need in order to run, is scarce.. (when there's A LOT of alternative RENEWABLE resources for running engines)
— all the computer industries who are capable of producing computers that can last a lifetime, updating now and again for newest programs, only sell defective computers that last couple or so years so consumers would always come back and purchase another one or get them fixed
— and most of all… education— WHY THE HELL DOES IT COST TO LEARN SOMETHING WHEN WE ALL NEED TO BE INFORMED AND EDUCATED??
—can if you don't have money to purchase all the resources, would you live in a satisfying life? NO,, you're left to work for a job that's mostly not the one you truly like just to earn money… You're forced to work on a career that you think would give you the best money rather that a career that would make you use up your true potentials as a person… and guess what is that even HUMANE??
And most people say it's the best system?? Doesn't this very system violate the basics of DEMOCRACY??
Well, it makes sense coz in this world, not one country (even those that are listed to be so) are truly 'democratic'
And to tell you one fact, there is an alternative system that I think would work (not perfectly but it would work a thousand times better than this current one)… it's the Resource Based system which focuses on making everything abundant so everyone can have them with no price whatsoever (health services, education, food, technology, even cars..) it's a system made by Jacque Fresco called 'the Venus Project'
you can search all about him and the project on google, trust me, it's a real thing that he started years ago… I'm sure u'll be having questions, he has a lot of websites explaining this… and there's more and more people that are opening their eyes to reality.
it's time people make a choice for themselves and not be slaves by the corporate world, the monetary system and all the bullshit that the federal banks are putting us all into.
ahhh, eLLesirK… You sound like you are trapped in your job. But really, do you not know that you can say NO? Do you not know that you can resign and move to, say, Surigao and do ukay-ukay, run a sarisari store, teach high school, etcetera. As you yourself say, it's time people make a choice for themselves and not be slaves by the corporate world.
uhm..am trying to see your view on why you seem to think that I sound like I'm trapped in my job… to tell you the truth, I don't really get why you think so, but it'd be nice if you would explain better.
I actually know that I can pretty much do whatever I need to experience and be the best of me and that's exactly what I'm doing now… I'm really a democratic person or at least I want to be.. but I still have bank accounts coz that's how I get paid, I still pay and go to the university to widen up my fields, well basically so the 'corporate world' would accept me more like a professional, entitled to have a better job than an unskilled worker.
But I'm just stating my opinion about the system of things right now, it could be better.. it could serve everyone instead of stupefying most people, reducing them to be classified in what I think a meaningless hierarchy where the top people seem to be only a few owning 90% of the whole world's money…
"…making everything abundant so everyone can have them with no price whatsoever…". Hmm, easier said than done. If it can be done, done already. It's a system that's perfectly against the grain of human nature…and human nature is greedy. To enforce this kind of system will take the hands of God.
And, as we all know, God , inspite of his ruthlessness, failed even with just His two individuals He first first created.
You're right, it's a system that is perfectly against greed… but greed is not ingrained in human nature.
I think and I'm pretty sure I'm right when I say that it's only a product of thinking and believing that you have to have more of something that not everyone has. In other words, people become greedy of scarce resources and that's a direct result of the corporate trying to make things scarce so people would have to buy their products more.
Let's take for example the air that we breathe.. since it's abundant and available for everyone, do you see anyone that's greedy for air??
In the same manner, in the place where I live in, clean and fresh cold water is free for everyone (fortunately),… and I don't see anyone who has ever been greedy for cold water just because it's abundant in nature.
Greed is a direct product of making things scarce… so why would we support a system that encourages companies to generate products that are scarce instead of focusing on abundant ones
say for example, making natural renewable resources (solar, wind, waves, geothermal, hydro..) to generate energy to run engines in let's say cars which most people use. It's abundant, it's practical, it's necessary and most of all it doesn't destroy earth… with the technological advances, energy can be taken from those resources virtually at no cost. So why not eliminate oil companies??
What you mentioned about God, well I don't really take it literally but if you interpret it that way, it seems so simplistic, i really think it didn't go down exactly like that :D
@ eLLesirK – good to see some positiveness.
(this is a repeat because my answer is not posted.)
What is more simplistic than saying that " air we breathe is abundant threrefore free" ek ek.
and then this, "…with the technological advances, energy can be taken from those resources virtually at no cost. So why not eliminate oil companies?"
That's like saying that harnessing solar energy, wind, waves, geothermal, hydro power is as cheap as breathing. It's not.
Two harmless responses already subject to moderation or approval, hmmmn. Not good anymore.
I'm going to have a break, see you later guys.
Guys, civilization was founded on the principle that Man can master nature. That's Civilization 1.0. Civilization 2.0 is about mastering human greed.
And you can please quote me. I said it first. My own coinage… civilization 2.0. K?
He he he. I hear you BrianB.
I'd also like to copyright, patent, or trademark WTF 2.0 meaning Fuck the Witch. Twice.
you mean FTW 2.0?
"I know it is a pipe dream. Human nature is rarely so open. Yet maybe, just maybe, we can establish a society that show malice toward none. "
Right on Cocoy! Almost 40 years ago, John Lennon 'Imagined' the destructive force of modern day materialism.
'You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger. A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people. Sharing all the world…
Radical, socialist (almost Commie if you ask me) Brit don't you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okd3hLlvvLw
I give to charity, when I have an excess of stuff I don't need. Big corporation do the same for tax incentives. It's voluntary and I have no beef with that. Sadly, there will always be a "Gordon Gecko" around. Its a good piece cocoy, made my gears turn.
Leaving you with something from the O Jay's, its the intro song of a silly reality TV show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROZMlfELtII
ya giving extra income from your hard earned money to charity is pretty noble, I respect that.. but the thing is, if those corporations do not just focus on maximizing their profits by making their products as scarce as possible refusing to take measures to make products and services abundant for everyone in the same manner as air is abundant to us.. then there wouldn't be any poor people to give charity to.. do u get what i mean?
and people would just be having this mutual relationship where they maximize their full potentials as persons to be able to contribute to society at large — that's what I call natural harmony
Now with the whole monetary system and big corporations behind them…the thing that comes out of it (and it's pretty obvious) is that there will be just a FEW people with a lot of money, a lot of people would struggle to get some, while others suffer because of lack of it to support their lives. This causes repression, encourages crime not to mention greed, stimulates wars… i mean is this HARMONY??? i think not
there are alternative systems (not communism, not socialism, not dictatorship, not capitalism) more humane, and more harmonic
let's just focus on the fact there all people should have what earth has to offer regardless of their status because the resources are there for our usage, not just for the chosen ones that can 'afford' them…
and the fact that we, in turn, have to take care of the earth's resources, using natural resources that are renewable… this is our home, why contaminate it just because of profit??
and last but not the least, the idea of controlling others forming a government that would lead a country or a group always fails.. has politics ever remained for the people?? fact is, people in power always gets biased…
by now, we have all the means to make our society naturally harmonious, with the present technological advances
but corporations withhold that progress for the sake of 'monetary profit'
Greed is Good. It works – Mantra of all CEOs in this Planet Earth.
OR
If our personalities in public office treat people well, people will come back for more. I think, all you have in life is your reputation, and it’s a very small world. I actually think, the best way of becoming a successful public servant is dealing with people fairly and well. I’d like to think thats how we run Philippines.
the concept of management is almost the same in public and private entities.
exactly.
In the Reality of World Business. It is a Sharks eats Sharks. Greed is Good. It works…
(Hey what happened to my comment? I made it earlier than Danilo). Anyways, to repeat:
"I know it is a pipe dream. Human nature is rarely so open. Yet maybe, just maybe, we can establish a society that show malice toward none. "
Right on Caloy! Some forty years ago, John Lennon tried to 'Imagine' a world without materialism. Without the greed, nationalism, and religion that create wars and disunity.
'You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger. A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people. Sharing all the world…'
Pretty radical, socialist (almost Commie) Brit, don't you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q0Eyw3l3XM
John Lennon lives…the American CEO did not believe it…Greed is Good. It works…
There are no virgins in this post and I'm…..disappointed.
All have gone to Islamic Suicide Bombers…
"If you treat people well, people will come back for more. I think, all you have in life is your reputation, and it’s a very small world. I actually think, the best way of becoming a successful business leader is dealing with people fairly and well. I’d like to think thats how we run Virgin."
How pure and "virginal".
A capitalist talking about so-called his business principles and extending them to economics, politics or morality. Who is he kidding? Businessmen are the least to be trusted when it comes to politics (remember in Pinas the political and business interests are often one and the same). Same as gushing over Donald Trump's philosophy (the pompadour is a dead giveaway). I'd rather listen to a worker, not a slick capitalist like Branson.
Capitalism's economic foundations are not just the what are being re-assessed right now — but its whole philosophical edifice (we've been stuck with money or capital as the sole outcome or the fruits of labor).
wazz happening with the moderation thingy?
maybe you are not saying enough nice things about FV and its stable of writers????
Hehe, review my posts — I usually comment on the content of blog posts and its arguments — and very seldom comment on the writers or FV itself.
The will moderate your Blog Post. If they dont like what you posted. They will remove it.
IntenseDebate's been installed as part of our continuous effort to make Filipino Voices a better site to engage with our readers. We strongly suggest you subscribe to IntenseDebate.
Did you not forget your History. That since the Spanish Colonial times, the Philippines was ruled by these
three classes: The Oligarchy, The Military and The Clergy. We continued the same social strata up to now.
The Politicians became the Oligarchy, the Military is controlled by the Politician. The Clergy has to say for who
to vote for. Look at the Iglesia Ni Cristo voting block.
Unless, we can restructure our society. We will not have True Democracy. Where everybody has a good chance
to prosper. And we can share the wealth of the nation.
America suffered from ran away Capitalism. People in the business sectors are just preoccupied to the profit
of Greed. Greed is good to them. It works for them. So, they stole and rob the American investors without even
a conscience. It is Capitalism gone wrong…
ano daw?
that's immorality. when personalities in public office do not apply the concept of SOCIAL Responsibility, there's really no point of discussing socialism nor capitalism. Both will never work when the foundation of having the people as the center of policymaker has been ignored or taken away from their current and expected responsibility.
Cocoy, it's not a world without money alone that is important. What's important is the employment and productivity of the people. Money comes from trade during productivity and employment.
of course. i think it was mlq3 who raised the question several months back that the per capita income hasn't really increased which was why people don't feel progressive at all. government keeps telling people that lives are improving but the money people are making isn't really translating to more net income.
yes, bring back the old format . the site is no longer user friendly. to see the discussion of a thread, you have to click the replies underneath it. let it be more transparent.
what do you mean, click the replies to see them? the default is to display the replies. when u want to hide it you click.
FV decided to go this route… so we could better manage user comments, prevent spam etc. etc.. part of the whole, we hear you guys want better moderation. this has been in active discussion behind the scenes for weeks now, even before the site revamp.
leytenian, just keep on telling us what you like about the new system and what you don't. i'm sure nick and the others read comments all the time. we appreciate the input as it helps us decide how best to give you readers the best user experience possible.
gabbd,
i wanna read all the comments from people. and how do i keep my screen name on default so that I don't need to keep inputting my name, email and website every time i reply?
and I also have sent a comment 20 minutes ago and it's not here. is it being monitored or screened?
It's no longer convenient.
oh, as for the name thing, i think if you create an account in intensedebate and login, then the site recognizes you.BongV suggested i register.
as for the comment monitoring, i dunno… i haven't been commenting recently.
I apologize for the inconvenience.. we are working hard to fix the issues as quickly as possible, rest assured, your comments are still here, the moderation system is still getting fixed..
Richard Branson's principles in business are quite simple. He has no need to complicate things as he is a go getter – a maverick in all sense. He does business with some fun. As you can see the person was not totally up there all the time.
He encountered a lot of things and that includes dealing with all types of government. But the reality is you can always see that Branson always takes with him his values and how his parents brought him up. So, if you think that kind of principle will work with Filipinos – hey, why not. Almost everyone likes to have fun. But then in that fun there should be a real sense of seriousness in getting out of the glum. Taking a positive attitude towards most thing and not self-deprecate our way to politics. I am not based in the Philippines but all I find in most blogs are doom and gloom, everyone wanting to go outside of the country. A personal observation but it is true.
I laud the author for writing this article and this is a good start. For progress to happen, everyone must take a chance and most of all be appreciative of what the Philippines is all about – warts and all because I am and I have been out of the country for a long time.
Exactly.
thanks BizPerson! :D cheers!
Complain to Nick Tingog. He is the Web Editor.
Run in 2010 if your pipe dream is to join the capitalist clique?
Run, just the same way, if you are already one?
Politicians or capitalists – generation after another – always 'infest' politics and pest control is yet to be invented.
well i'm already a member of the capitalist clique. i've lost count how many times i've been to a chamber of commerce meeting ;) those days are behind me but i'm not closing the door for a return to that kind of life. that said, i know what's it like to sell one's soul so i'm not too keen on running for public office.
it isn't an infestation that i'm interested in, or pest control. human history is about politics and commerce and it will still be about those things in the future. what i'm trying to say is that people could be and should be more responsible.
whats interesting about that interview is that he avoided a direct question with his "how to be succesful in business" line. the question, was also about branson's ruthlesness.
i'm no branson expert, but here is another side to branson: http://www.economist.com/people/displaystory.cfm?...
yikes, i'm sorry, why do i have 3 comments in a row. i swear i didn't purposefuly do that. also, isn't the comment filter supposed to detect multiple comments?
Sir, I mean no offense when I say this:WTF?
You're article is based upon delusions of a wealth creation system based upon hard work which does not apply to all segments of the demographics. Only the petit-bourgeois are fortunate enough to harness capitalism. WE are more feudal than you imagine. You only have to look at Haciendas and utilities fiefdoms to comprehend the largest employment system in this country. Meaning, you have to be born to the right parents to fully enjoy the benefits of surplus labor value. Fortunately, if you work hard enough you can rise to the ranks of upper middle class. Doubtful however that you end up on the level of Richard Branson if you were born poor.
Capitalism does not apply to everyone in this country. Most certainly not the permanently poor.
why capitalism?
The importance of third world FOREIGN DEBT can give the First World a means to check the development of the poor countries in the world such as the Philippines. Capitalism uses DEBT as an INSTRUMENT
by which it can dictate "structural adjustments" that make it impossible to industrialize. It is indeed an ideal instrument , since it suppresses industrialization in ways that apparently have nothing to do with it.
The current financial crisis is about DEBTS and the inability of many people to pay. Extending credit to low income families is equivalent to extending debts to the poor countries. Capitalism at personal level has the possibility of negotiation, mitigation and re-structuring debt. It does not deny individuals right and dignity.
For a country, denying the possibility of such an alternative is the negation of ONENESS. The denial of an alternative is therefore the denial of human dignity, which is not a matter dignity cannot be separated from the content of everyday life.
Capitalism can be a form of a psychological warfare. If the relationship between the existence of alternatives and human dignity is taken seriously, then we can easily conclude that the attempt of a regime to destroy all alternatives is an assault on human dignity itself. In our society, majority are not accorded the right to live in dignity. Only FEW may live in happiness and dignity if they manage to find space in the marketplace to acquire the means to do so. If they do not succeed, the market confirms that they possess neither dignity nor the right to claim it.
Spoken like a true socialist who'd prefer to blame social stuctures for their lack of drive.
Hmm, how about Manny Villar?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_Villar
here is the branson like i posted earlier… a different picture that the vid:
http://www.economist.com/people/displaystory.cfm?...
ya what's up with this.. it's too time consuming but i guess they're doing this for a good cause :P
All told, government is certified 'retardant' to the full blossoming of the capitalist greed.
Ask Sen. Enrile and he will be glad to discuss it.
It is clear from the replies that many favor big government when that is precisely the problem rather than the solution.
I would have to agree with cocoy on some points about capitalism.
"Unfortunately the link you have requested on Economist.com is not valid." :( Anyway, i'm pretty sure Brandon has other characteristics. Don't we all you know? I still like his Capitalist Philanthropy idea.