A debate, Capitalism Vs Communism

[kanageddaamen]

Communism is a fine idea when applied to small groups of closely interconnected people who are all like-minded.

It is a horrible idea on a national level and results in a complete lack of production and innovation and requires police state to enforce.

Communism on the macro scale is too incompatible with human nature. People want to feel like if they are specially skilled, work hard to become good at something, or have innovative ideas, they will be rewarded for them.

This is the basis of capitalism. I can strive to improve my life by working hard. In doing so, I create, produce and innovate. Were I not to have the rewards for my labor, what motivates me to do these things? The well-being of someone I do not know and will never meet? How do I know that they are doing the same? Eventually all production is reduced to "the least I can get away with doing"

For example. Say I am an intelligent individual who works hard and becomes a doctor. Why should that hard work not be rewarded? Why should the below average intelligence, lazy person down the street enjoy the same standard of living as I when I am saving peoples' lives and he is scrubbing toilets. I now no longer have any motivation to do more difficult work. I might as well scrub toilets.

Also, you seem to have a misunderstanding of how capitalism is supposed to work. Capitalism relies on market pressures, and profit motivation is a good thing. The market should dictate how things proceed. If the market(ie, the people) does not care about the environment, for example, then they will suffer the consequences of those actions. If they DO care about the environment, then they will only support companies that comply with their wishes, and companies that do not will not be able to compete.

What should dictate policy if not the will and desires of the people.

In communism on a macro scale, you are talking about a handful of people dictating the policy they determine to be best.

Capitalism, however, has a flaw in that it can be inherently self destructive. Profit margins can be maximized by leveraging an ignorant, poorly informed populace. Because of this, business has no motivation to educate beyond what is required of its employees, as education will create competition, a more discerning consumer, and decreased profit margin. In this scenario, unless the people force themselves to be educated and well informed in a anarchist-capitalist society, they will not be. This results in market self-regulation to be near-impossible.

This is why I am a capitalist who supports strong government investment in education. The market improves (as a whole) as the education of the population improves.

I will admit though, the average American has no idea what communism is. We have this knee-jerk reaction in this country because of the cold war, when really its just a different economic policy.