Better for all, Capitalism or Socialism?

[TheRealMafoo]

I have read the opinions of a lot of people on this forum, and they all have one common thread... The people who are commenting are trying to improve the world with a system they feel will do the best job.

So I got to thinking, why do some think the polar opposite is better then what the other group thinks? It took me a little bit, but I think I have come to the conclusion (and sorry if this was painfully obvious for some). And as a Capitalist, I will do my best to present both sides without bias.

Capitalists believe in absolute improvement, and the individual, and socialists believe in relative improvement, and the collective.

To put that another way, Socialists will look at the bottom 1% of the poor, and say “how is there life compared to the other 99% of Society”, where a Capitalist will look at the bottom 1% and say “how is there life compared to the bottom 1% 10 years ago”.

Here is a belief that I hope all follow, if not, it's what we should really be talking about. Can a socialist country be a prosperous as a capitalist country (the same country, with different politics)?

I say no, and history is on my side.

The reason I ask, is because if the above is true, you can't have it both ways. Either the bottom 1% is closer to the other 99%, or the bottom 1% live an improved lifestyle. If you can't have both, I would prefer the latter.

The funny thing is I see this everyday at the office. I know who in my office voted for Obama, and who didn't. It seems the people who did, are the ones who complain when someone comes in late, or another team gets a perk. They are concerned what others who do the same job as them are getting paid. They measure there lives based there relative lifestyle compared to others.

All the people I know who didn't vote on Obama, base there lives on themselves, and what they need to do to improve. They don't compare there salaries to others, but to what they made last year. They typically are not concerned with what other people make in the office.

It's interesting how this personality traits flow into political ideologies.

So in closing, I don't care if the wealthy's lifestyle is getting better faster then the poor's lifestyles. I care that the poor's lifestyle is getting better faster then the poor's lifestyle would in a different system. Today, the poor live longer, eat better, live in better housing, have better services, and safety then they did 100 years ago, all because of Capitalism.

So contrary to what some people might think, I feel Capitalism is better for all, not just the rich.