Abolish capitalism to save the planet?

[Voluntary]

Let's examine Bolivia and the inane comment made by Evo Morales that we should abolish capitalism.

Index of Economic Freedom

Business Freedom: 58.6%--"The overall freedom to start, operate, and close a business is restricted by Bolivia's national regulatory environment."

Investment Freedom: 20%--"Despite relatively simple laws, foreign investment is hindered by social unrest, weak judicial security, arbitrary regulation, a cumbersome bureaucracy, rampant corruption, and a somewhat hostile populist government"..."Nationalization continued with the February 2007 seizure of a Swiss tin interest"...."in November 2006 to certify that the state would seize "unproductive" private property."

Property Rights: 25%--"Although statutes guarantee property rights, the judicial process is time-consuming and subject to political influence and pervasive corruption. The enforcement of intellectual property rights is erratic and largely ineffective. Competing claims to land titles and the absence of reliable dispute resolution make real property acquisition risky. Expropriation is a real possibility, as is illegal squatting on rural private property"

Freedom From Corruption: 27%--Corruption is perceived as widespread. Bolivia ranks 105th out of 163 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2006."

Labor Freedom: 30.5%--"Bolivia's labor market operates under highly restrictive employment regulations that hinder employment creation and productivity growth"..."Bolivia's labor freedom is one of the 20 lowest in the world."

Basically Evo Morales is bitching about capitalism without even trying it first. Functional capitalism requires well-defined property, which in protects people from corruption. Capitalism requires people to open and close a business with relative ease. Requires a high degree of labor freedom; the right to sell you labor along with the right to hire and fire people with ease.

The high degree of corruption is why FDI is -280.8 million. That is what happens when you seize foreign property and subject business and people to expropriation risk.

Perhaps capitalism is not at fault, but government corruption, poorly defined property rights, restrictions on business, and restrictions on labor and individual freedom.

[Century 25]

Quote by: Voluntary For it to functional properly, capitalism requires individual freedom. You must be free to sell or hire labor. Capitalism is great at generating. There are strong correlations between gdp/capita and reduction in infant mortality rates, increases in life expectancy, and curbing population growth. Capitalism also spurs innovation and increases the standard of living.

"You must be free to sell or hire labor." Like slavery.. child labor..?? Or importing illegal aliens and as many 3rd world "workers" as it can. Oh yes.. that is the Virginia Co.'s (America's) grand legacy. Now we ship all the possible jobs off-shore (been going on for many years now) - and still, the illegals come.

As for your: "There are strong correlations between gdp/capita and reduction in infant mortality rates, increases in life expectancy, and curbing population growth." - What are you smoking..? Our infant mortality: Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy for Selected Countries, 2007 — Infoplease.com there are 20 countries with less infant mortality than the United States.. As for life expectancy: Life Expectancy for Countries — Infoplease.com - we are well down the list.

As for curbing population growth.. we now have: over 6.6 billion people on the earth.. and in the USA: 303,937,562 (minus, of course, the ?? million illegal aliens our 'capitalists' have invited in to fulfill the voracious needs of their pursuit of laissez faire.. "business as usual" - wonderful.. Then too, their cost of being here is shifted to the taxpayer's (not the greedy capitalists) - yeah.. who pays their medical costs.. and the crime.. the schools we must build. Our population is ballooning well beyond what was projected in the past 20, 30, 40+ years.

Census Bureau Population Estimates: PopClocks

Office of Population Research, Princeton University

World Population Clock

As for the rest of your spiel.. I won't waste my time.

Btw, I looked at your site: Kiva - Loans that change lives

That from your thread: Help Developing Entrepreneurs.

Are you here drumming up business..??


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[nerdvincent]

Quote by: Voluntary More nonsense from you. Both Canada and France have market-oriented economic systems. Chirac came into power in 1986 since the socialist movement in France was seen as a failure. Within a month of coming into office Chirac's plan called for the privatization of 65 industries and 900,000 thousand jobs. France is more capitalistic now, then 20 years ago. Pick up a history book.

Chirac came into power in 1996, after losing the first round and winning the second round with 53% (47% for the socialists). So no, socialism wasn't seen as a failure. If you look here, you'll notice that unemployement in France followed the trend of Europe and America (thanks to globalization), it wasn't a mere socialism mistake. At the end of Chirac second term (with hardcore suburban unrest and heavy protestation) unemployement was raising again. Sarkozy succeded to Chirac last year, and after a mediocre year people are begging for socialism.

[Voluntary]

Quote by: Century 25 "You must be free to sell or hire labor." Like slavery.. child labor..?? Or importing illegal aliens and as many 3rd world "workers" as it can. Oh yes.. that is the Virginia Co.'s (America's) grand legacy. Now we ship all the possible jobs off-shore (been going on for many years now) - and still, the illegals come.

Many immigrants come over illegally without being imported. There are still plenty of good jobs in America, but they require increases in human capital compared to the past. Honestly, I really don't know what you are ranting about.

As for your: "There are strong correlations between gdp/capita and reduction in infant mortality rates, increases in life expectancy, and curbing population growth." - What are you smoking..? there are 20 countries with less infant mortality than the United States. [/quote 6.4 out of a 1,000 is pretty damned good. Only market based economies marginally edge us out. I'd say that is pretty good compared to 30 out of a 1,000 in 1950. As for life expectancy: Life Expectancy for Countries — Infoplease.com - we are well down the list.

78 year is pretty good (plus there is an obesity problem in the US). Like infant mortality rate, you are completely ignoring the correlation. Gapminder Community

As for curbing population growth.. we now have: over 6.6 billion people on the earth..

It was bad rhetoric on my part. What I should have said is that an increase in gdp/capita leads to a decrease in children per woman. Surviving infant mortality and living longer is a dilemma. Again, bad rhetoric on my part.

As for the rest of your spiel. I won't waste my time.

Good, then don't. You want to abolish capitalism and replace it with what?

Are you here drumming up business..??

You are a acting like a clown. First off, how could I drum up business. I am not even associated with this non-profit organization. Second, how do non-profits make a profit?

I started that thread in response to this anti-capitalist thread. I donate since it is the right thing to do. Instead of my money sitting in an non-interest bearing account, I circulate it to people in need to advance economic freedom. I believe in the individual and entrepreneurship. Instead of bitching about the world and committing libelous accusations, try contributing to the world.



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[Voluntary]

Quote by: nerdvincent Chirac came into power in 1996, after losing the first round and winning the second round with 53% (47% for the socialists).

He was Prime Minister in 1986.

So no, socialism wasn't seen as a failure. If you look here, you'll notice that unemployement in France followed the trend of Europe and America (thanks to globalization), it wasn't a mere socialism mistake.

The graph you provided shows that Chirac left office with a lower unemployment rate than he inherited.

At the end of Chirac second term (with hardcore suburban unrest and heavy protestation) unemployement was raising again. Sarkozy succeded to Chirac last year, and after a mediocre year people are begging for socialism.

Are you referring to the young people who think having a job is a right and not a privilege? People under 26 years old wanted to be protected from being fired for up to two years. Guaranteed employment discourages firms from hiring and contributes to unemployment levels.