Moved from D1 forum

[kandrathe]

I just disagree with the general conception that 'capitalism is the winning and thus the best ergo the ideal system'.

Not necessarily the best, and not ideal.

I also notice that in discussions like these capitalism is exchanged for 'free' and communism for 'dictatorship'.

And, there is a good reason for that. By definition, capitalism depends upon the ability of individuals to own property. Private ownership is a key part of capitalism. Without a protection of private property rights by a strong rule of law, administered by the state, capitalism will descend into anarchy.

Communism removes private ownership, and then your job, the place where you live, what you eat, etc are "dictated" to you by commissars and administrators. Where communism has been attempted it has been accomplished through totalitarian dictatorships.

Any state in which taxes are collected has a certain form of socialism/communism but we don't see the USA or the Netherlands as a communist state, do we?

I think "communism" is a good thing, when practiced at the right social level. My family operates communally, and in some ways, my neighborhood does as well. I wouldn't mind if my community became more communistic, because we all participate and share with each other, and we volunteer our time to uplift our community. Have you heard of Yishuv Kehilati a type of commune in Israel? They are a bit too selective, but there are similar types of cooperatives and covenants throughout the US, especially for elderly communities. You know that I grew up on a small farm, and our life would have been impossible without helping and getting help from neighbors.

Once you get to a high enough level though, I would like things to be very sparse. I want it to be very difficult for the State to implement a state wide program. They need to justify the expenditures to all the voters as something in our common interest. Now, urban renewal might be in the common interest of all the voters, so it doesn't mean that the money doesn't flow to where it is needed.

I want it to be very very difficult for the Federal government to engage in something like WAR. It is far too easy for our federal government to rack up a trillion dollar bill fighting a bunch of wars which are not in our national interest.

And... it is the same with social programs at the Federal level. There are vast differences between what the needs are in Fairfax County, Virginia versus Buffalo County, South Dakota. We need to recognize the vast differences in earnings and costs across a broad geography, rather than a one size fits all mentality.