Tim Peck is fast becoming my favorite conservative, outpacing the always-entertaining Carl Mumpower. In his March 7 missive, “People and Profits Are in Harmony,” Peck explains the basics of capitalism as a fair exchange between a buyer and seller. And it's true: capitalism as a theory is a wonderful, productive enterprise, and I don't doubt profit as an effective motivator. However, it's just a theory. I could probably make a similar case for communism: In theory, it works great.
Peck is so colorful in his depiction of capitalism, even slipping "property" into the time-honored phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." What a card.
Capitalism, however, isn't so wonderful in practice. When huge corporations use their financial power to sway markets (and now politics) in their favor . To put it simply (and to use one of Peck's examples), "when Steve Jobs invents and sells an iPhone, Apple Corporation profits." Actually, it profits more, because it pays some overseas workers less than a living wage so that you can pay a little less for your smart phone. Do we all profit from this?
In addition, we don't have a free market in the U.S., and it's not because of all those pesky government regulations protecting our land, air and water. No, it's because our government is either bailing out entire industries or sending subsidies (like the Farm Act) to corporations with no strings attached. Why is the government subsidizing oil companies? Why are banks giving their executives huge bonuses from the bailout funds? The list could go on and on.
One final comment: Corporations are not interested in the public's best interest, and they never will be. Heck, they aren't even interested in their employees' best interests. (If they were, layoffs would be a thing of the past.) They are interested in one thing only: short-term profits, and they will do anything, legal or otherwise, to get it. Now tell me, Mr. Peck, is that in line with "people and profits are in harmony?"
— Mark H. Bloom
Asheville
Peck is so colorful in his depiction of capitalism, even slipping "property" into the time-honored phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." What a card.
Capitalism, however, isn't so wonderful in practice. When huge corporations use their financial power to sway markets (and now politics) in their favor . To put it simply (and to use one of Peck's examples), "when Steve Jobs invents and sells an iPhone, Apple Corporation profits." Actually, it profits more, because it pays some overseas workers less than a living wage so that you can pay a little less for your smart phone. Do we all profit from this?
In addition, we don't have a free market in the U.S., and it's not because of all those pesky government regulations protecting our land, air and water. No, it's because our government is either bailing out entire industries or sending subsidies (like the Farm Act) to corporations with no strings attached. Why is the government subsidizing oil companies? Why are banks giving their executives huge bonuses from the bailout funds? The list could go on and on.
One final comment: Corporations are not interested in the public's best interest, and they never will be. Heck, they aren't even interested in their employees' best interests. (If they were, layoffs would be a thing of the past.) They are interested in one thing only: short-term profits, and they will do anything, legal or otherwise, to get it. Now tell me, Mr. Peck, is that in line with "people and profits are in harmony?"
— Mark H. Bloom
Asheville
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"Tim Peck is fast becoming my favorite conservative"
I'm not a conservative. I'm a libertarian.
"even slipping "property" into the time-honored phrase"
Yes, that's the original phrasing. And properly so. Property, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are all derivative of the right to life.
"Capitalism, however, isn't so wonderful in practice."
We don't have a capitalist economy. You say so yourself: "In addition, we don't have a free market in the U.S"
That is correct. We have a mixed interventionist economy. As you point out yourself: Subsidies and bailouts are the consequence of government interference in the economy and are not characteristics of a free market. In a free market, successful business succeed and failing businesses fail.
"'when Steve Jobs invents and sells an iPhone, Apple Corporation profits.' Actually, it profits more, because it pays some overseas workers less than a living wage so that you can pay a little less for your smart phone. Do we all profit from this?"
If I pay a little less for my iPhone then I profit a little more too. The buyer of an iPhone profits or they wouldn't buy one. Right? It's a voluntary transaction for mutual profit. Also, an overseas worker for the Apple Corporation profits by being offered a job that makes him better off. Or else he wouldn't take it. Right?
"Corporations are not interested in the public's best interest, and they never will be."
Corporations, in a free market, must be entirely concerned with the public's best interest. Otherwise they could not make a profit. Right? A corporation can't make a profit by ignoring the interest of its customers; unless the government interferes with anti-competitive legislation, subsidies, bailouts and regulatory capture.
"They are interested in one thing only: short-term profits, and they will do anything, legal or otherwise"
Being interested in short-term profits is perfectly moral. I want corporations to profit because that means they must please me with great products and services to get it. If a corporation, or any other entity, does something otherwise than legal, it is the government's proper role to protect my rights against fraud and any other crime against my person or property. Instead, the government subsidizes and bails out corporations. As you point out yourself. This is a violation of rights where the government forcibly confiscates my property (money) and gives it to someone else to whom it does not belong. Corporations in a free market, which we agree we do not have, are in perfect harmony with people, as I have shown.
The problem, as you have also pointed out, is with the government. Capitalists trade, government robs. It is not corporations, but the government and its interferences that are wildly out of harmony with people.
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By timothypeck
03/28/2012
Exactly. The problem is government. We just need to get rid of the government, so the corporations can make us free, and then if we need to make any kids of rules we can just buy the products from the corporations whose rules we favor. Brilliant!
By bill smith
03/28/2012
People and Profits Are In Harmony
Mountain Xpress | 3/7/2012
http://www.mountainx.com/article/40972/People-and-profits-are-in-harmony
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By timothypeck
03/28/2012
I've, too, have become quite a fan myself of "Mr" Peck's post-logical theories emphasizing the absurdities of theoretical political absolutism in an imperfect world.
Pecks work shines light on the notion that all we need for Capitalism to work perfectly is everyone having an equal starting point, with equal access to capital and opportunity, highlighting how much it has in common with Communism, exposing the juxtaposition absolutists find themselves in, regardless of their alleged placement on the left/right continuum.
Meanwhile, Peck's own lifestyle choices as a man and an artist further highlight these contradictions in a truly Freudian and Faucoultian manner, providing deep analysis from within the simplistic contradictions.
To put it simply, it's so absurd it can only be viewed as art. Huzzah!
By bill smith
03/28/2012
it looks like Tim Peck has already corrected Mr. Bloom on various counts of erroneous points, but i feel the need to also chime in…
how typical it seems that a contemporary Collectivist responds to an article they do not agree with by attacking the author (even though with humor) rather than correctly addressing the issue.
i've recently gotten into discussions with others who for some "card-like" reason are opposed to profit. i continually find myself perplexed how such an anti-profit / anti-liberty mindset has infected so many individuals within our society. it makes me wonder how many people must squirm in their seats every time they hear Spock say, "live long and prosper", while watching Star Trek — "OH NO Mr. Spock, prosperity is bad! 8-)
folks, in case the dismal public education system in Neo-Amerika has entirely brainwashed you into believing otherwise, let me remind you of a truth that we all should know: profit is GOOD — loss is BAD. this is a fundamental economic truth. accept it and get over your confusion already!
i'd like to follow around one of our many local advocates of economic failure with a video camera while they go around trying to explain to all our local Asheville business owners that profit is bad and they should operate their business at a loss — that might make the "America's Funniest Videos" top 10!
have those who accept this foolish notion that profit is bad merely been brainwashed into believing that Collectivism (be it Socialism, Fascism, or "Progressivism") is a more harmonious ideology than Individualism? do they honestly think that a collective body of bureaucrats do a better job of managing OUR LIVES than we can for ourselves?
you can THINK what you want, but history proves otherwise. just consider how the Neo-Amerikan economy has continued to worsen over the last 100 years or so, as elements of Socialism & Fascism have replaced free market Capitalism.
you see, free market Capitalism merely means that individuals are FREE to contract among themselves for services and goods WITHOUT government intervention, or government manipulation of the market place. should an individual or business violate the rights of an individual (be they a customer or employee), THEN it's the purpose of gov't to PROTECT those rights.
by contrast to a free market Capitalist economy, over the last century or so in this country, government has interfered with nearly every market which used to be free. we are at a point now where it is difficult to even think of markets with which government HASN'T interfered, to the detriment of EVERYONE.
perhaps the most destructive example of this is the government intervention and manipulation of the monetary system, prohibiting competing currencies other than the phony debt based "I.O.U. currency" controlled by the Federal Reserve and banking cartels.
yet the Collectivists rail against the status quo Socialist/Fascist (and Corporatist) system which was designed BY and FOR those whose goal it is to favor THROUGH LEGISLATION the very corporations that government itself created, while all the time calling for and expecting government to fix this problem.
perhaps they don't yet understand that it was GOV'T that CREATED the corporations and gave them special power and protection, via CORPORATE WELFARE & LEGAL SHIELDS, in an uneven market playing field which is at odds with FREE MARKET Capitalism. if they only saw the irony in all this!
but they don't, and therefore they continue to preach erroneous false conclusions, like "profit is bad", or attempt to blame free market Capitalism when we don't even have free markets!
they even often get tangled in their own confusion, as did Mr. Bloom who rails against Capitalism in one breath, and in the next admits we don't have Capitalism in America. it become more apparent to me that most of these folks simply do not even understand what free market Capitalism really is, or stop to consider that it just might actually be the kind of system they really desire i fit were permitted in Neo-Amerika.
perhaps one of the primary reasons for all this confusion is because these people see the government continue to operate (for the time being) at a MASSIVE LOSS and erroneously presume that business ought to be able to do likewise. they apparently do not understand that the gov't has only been able to do so by stealing from the People in this and future generations in the form of "taxes", while it also creates "money" out of thin air to keep spending itself all the way into inevitable total economic collapse.
and apparently as with so many other status quo confused citizens who are products of the dismal public education system, Mr. Bloom simply does not know or understand history — "property" was included in one of the earlier drafts of the Declaration of Independence, but was replaced with "pursuit of happiness" because this is far more widely inclusive of various things beyond just "property" of which any individual might pursue for the sake of prosperity.
so Mr. Bloom, in the future you may wish to first consider your own limited ignorance before resorting to calling someone a "card" (or any other name) in responding with your own opinions rather than basing your points in matters of FACT.
By infinitybbc
03/28/2012
A quick guide to comments:
http://snipr.com/22tjiw1
By timothypeck
03/28/2012
Could not agree more Bernard. Well said.
By awatkins
03/28/2012
I gather there's a debate about the proposition: Capitalists trade, government robs. Said debate is occurring on the internet (developed with government research money), and everybody's getting their pages refreshed quickly (due to government regulation, i.e., "net neutrality") despite the fact that Mountain Xpress isn't a wholly-owned subsidiary of Time-Warner or Disney. Yet.
Down with government! Polio, dysentery and lockjaw for everybody!
By sharpleycladd
03/29/2012
I fail to see what this thread has to do with me.
By Barry Summers
03/29/2012
The statist/leftists try to distort the libertarian position--no government and corporations ruling everyone and everything. This is false on it's face. They are infected with 'Freedom Derangement Syndrome.' Free citizens making their own decisions about their money, food, healthcare and their own lives scares the s*** out of collectivists! What real conservatives and libertarians want is limited government that stays within it's Constitutionally-defined roles. Leftists by contrast pursue an ever-expanding and intrusive government that begins as a nanny state---and eventually leads to a police state. The real battle is between liberty and tyranny. Sorry, we won't wear your chains.
By john
03/31/2012