| | Here is my response to my buddy, who used this video as an argument against me:
===============
The Bill Maher video (in which Maher used a statement by FDR's Fed Chairman Eccles to liken the economy to a poker game) is wrong -- because it views an economy as a zero-sum game like it is in the jungle.
In the jungle, there's only so much wealth (food, shelter, etc.) to go around -- and animals constantly fight over it, instead of producing it themselves. A 'lawless' jungle is an example in action of the Marxian concept of class warfare. Only the strong survive. This is different from rising tides lifting all boats. Animals can't make tides rise like humans can.
In a human economy, wealth gets produced (the whole economic pie grows). As of 2001, 90% of the world had never, ever been richer. Results under GW Bush -- which are indeed bad -- are not an example of free enterprise, but Big Government cronyism. If the government stays small -- like the Constitution tells it to -- then these problems don't arise.
It's hard to get folks to see this because -- not believing that learning and reputation will happen (because of the prejudice of low expectations) -- they aren't ready to try the smaller government prescribed by the Constitution. Most of the time, however, when you expect more from folks -- you get more from folks.
If most people agreed that more should be done about their neighbor's welfare, then socialism wouldn't be needed as a government-enforcement -- because they'd be helping their neighbors. It's only on the premise that an elite, special interest group should get to spend the wealth that other folks create -- because they have special feelings of social or cosmic justice -- that the cause of government-enforced socialism can get off of the ground.
Ed
===============
Ed
|
|
