The Socialism Tag Listening to mainstream (corporate) media in the run up to the 2020 election there is no discussion about Socialism or Capitalism. The assumption is, at best, that everyone understands these complex economic issues. The more likely assumption is that it is simply that one is a bad ideology and the other good. Much of this belief is based on the Cold War fervor of an earlier Era. I have heard brilliant discussions from Marxists on the subject and nothing from other economists. Capitalism seems to have few defenders. On the political front most people understand the dichotomy for a Cold War perspective of good VS evil. A younger and larger demographic are less certain regarding this clear-cut perspective. The topic would hardly be an issue today if it weren’t for the candidacy of a professed Democratic Socialist and his throng of supporters on the ‘unhinged left’ who have managed to make wage inequity an issue along with outrageous costs for tuition and inadequate medical care. The independent from Vermont surprised the rigid right who long thought the topic was closed. In truth Bernie is no more a Socialist than neo Christians are Christian. Today neither is any more than a moniker meant to point out the flaws of an opposing ideology. The right seems to take the name seriously but find themselves quite unable to mount a coherent argument against their warped perceptions of what it is. The younger people and many of the older voters laugh at the argument that socialist programs like Medicare and Social Security will somehow destroy a free market economy. Without effort the left has vilified Capitalism by allowing it to follow its natural course of monopolizing the market and extorting the consumer at every turn. Enter the climate reality. Long termed an externality of the economic system, the environment has become an existential issue. Any true capitalist would seek a means of investing capital to meet this threat but alas the environment remains an externality in the economic model and anyone proposing otherwise is a threat to financial stability. The plain fact is that the obvious is be coming obvious to a multitude(a Christian term). Similarly the voice of opposition to the obvious is becoming more shrill, distracting, or quiet. A new economic model is on its way and it includes both capitalistic and socialistic elements in that it will include the people and the planet in future economic models.
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The Socialism Tag
Listening to mainstream (corporate) media in the run up to the 2020 election there is no discussion about Socialism or Capitalism. The assumption is, at best, that everyone understands these complex economic issues. The more likely assumption is that it is simply that one is a bad ideology and the other good. Much of this belief is based on the Cold War fervor of an earlier Era. I have heard brilliant discussions from Marxists on the subject and nothing from other economists. Capitalism seems to have few defenders. On the political front most people understand the dichotomy for a Cold War perspective of good VS evil. A younger and larger demographic are less certain regarding this clear-cut perspective. The topic would hardly be an issue today if it weren’t for the candidacy of a professed Democratic Socialist and his throng of supporters on the ‘unhinged left’ who have managed to make wage inequity an issue along with outrageous costs for tuition and inadequate medical care. The independent from Vermont surprised the rigid right who long thought the topic was closed. In truth Bernie is no more a Socialist than neo Christians are Christian. Today neither is any more than a moniker meant to point out the flaws of an opposing ideology. The right seems to take the name seriously but find themselves quite unable to mount a coherent argument against their warped perceptions of what it is. The younger people and many of the older voters laugh at the argument that socialist programs like Medicare and Social Security will somehow destroy a free market economy. Without effort the left has vilified Capitalism by allowing it to follow its natural course of monopolizing the market and extorting the consumer at every turn. Enter the climate reality. Long termed an externality of the economic system, the environment has become an existential issue. Any true capitalist would seek a means of investing capital to meet this threat but alas the environment remains an externality in the economic model and anyone proposing otherwise is a threat to financial stability. The plain fact is that the obvious is be coming obvious to a multitude(a Christian term). Similarly the voice of opposition to the obvious is becoming more shrill, distracting, or quiet. A new economic model is on its way and it includes both capitalistic and socialistic elements in that it will include the people and the planet in future economic models.
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