"Widening and deepening inequality is not driven by immutable economic laws ..."

[Scuba]

[Enthusiast]

1. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

[TDale313]

2. K & R

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Stiglitz sort of misses the point.

Without government intervention capitalism does indeed lead to widening and deeper inequality. It did so in the gilded era, and it is doing it again in the deregulated neoliberal new gilded age.

[daleanime]

5. Yes, but it also makes a difference...

whether we step on the brake or stomp on the gas.

[Dustlawyer]

6. And the "Capitalist" use the government to get more money, faster by purchasing the politicians

and having them write the laws to cut their taxes, give them subsidies, government contracts, loosen regulations, and take more money from us for them to get!

Party ideologues need to wake up, your politicians do not believe as fervently as you about the party! Money and power come 1st with them! They did not rise to the top because of their politics, but because of who their friends behind the scenes are!

[anneboleyn]

7. Exactly. As Marx warned us, Capitalism depends on inequality. The deeper the divide, the better

for Capital to maintain a pliable, obedient labor force in the Proletariat, better to drive up the gap between what is paid to the workers by Capital for what the Proletariat produces and what Capital earns as actual profit, which is of course obscene in our current system. And yes without proper controls on the system, as in the Gilded Age (1880s-1910s) when abuses finally inspired our country to pass laws protecting workers (including the laws against child labor), and protecting smaller companies from larger trusts, workers labored in horrendous conditions with no cushion, no minimum wage, no healthcare, no unemployment assistance etc.

in the meantime the millionaires and billionaires of the Gilded Age threw dinner parties with gemstones (served on ice cream) as party favors, while the ordinary workers slaved away for fifteen hours a day in hellish conditions and prayed they did not fall ill or suffer an accident. This is why there must be checks on the system.

[socialist_n_TN]

9. Solid post. I would only add .......

That the laws that were passed to protect workers and the petit bourgeoisie against the big bourgeoisie are just that, man-made laws. And man-made laws don't have anything to do with the laws that run the system of capitalism. Any man-made law enacted can be repealed if there are enough people hoodwinked into voting against their economic interests. Or if elections can be manipulated or stolen outright. IOW, while the laws of capitalism are inherent in the system and can't really be "repealed" over the long term, ANY law that's man-made is always in danger of being repealed. That's the danger of putting your faith in "regulating" capitalism. Regulations can be overturned, worked around, or repealed outright.

Regulating capitalism is like riding a hungry tiger. It's impossible to do over the long term and you're always in danger of being eaten.

[IrishAyes]

13. Especially your second paragraph.

[socialist_n_TN]

16. Thanks......

That's an original aphorism BTW. One I'm quite proud of. I don't hit often, but this WAS one of the good ones.

[hfojvt]

8. you missed the point though

it is not "doing it again" today because of a lack of intervention. It is doing it now because of the laws that are being written by the store-bought politicians. There has been all kinds of intervention post-Reagan. Intervention that favors the rich and harms the poor.

At the state level too, and even by Democrats http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/154

[treestar]

12. "Corporate welfare" is likely to help people keep jobs too

Why did we save the banks and auto manufacturers? If they went belly up, thousands would lose jobs. Since the "job" is such an integral part of a person's life, the government tries to keep the number of jobs going up. People overlook that when they would normally be sympathetic to people losing jobs.

[xchrom]

18. NAFTA kinda fucks your argument.

we didn't save those jobs for mr and mrs six pack -- we saved those jobs for the sake of the corporations.

look at what government has helped to destroy -- like damn near the entire textile industry -- the steel industry, the list goes on.

[treestar]

19. Who is going to fill those jobs?

No, I think the government is trying - you may not agree on the effects of NAFTA or may have been right, but the government intended to improve the economy. A good economy gives them a good reputation and gets them reelected. They are not purposely trying to mess things up. If they do, it's because they were wrong.

The Republicans are the ones who need to wake up and if they sincerely believe their crap, recognize they are wrong.

[xchrom]

23. dear lord! the 'government' is not filled with 'do-gooders' who have your

best intentions at heart.

that's just idealistic crap.

the government -- like so many other institutions -- only do what's right when they are forced to.

which - as it it turns out - has to be a constant.

[jeff47]

21. Sorta

Demand for those products still exists. So new companies would be created to meet that demand.

But there would be a hell of a lot of chaos while the industry rebuilt itself.

[JoeyT]

15. Yeah, but without the government backing industry,

the peasants can fight back. When the government backs corporations, it's a whole new mess.

Now the titans don't have to eat the bad press of leveling cannons at protesters. The government does it for them.

[DesertDiamond]

4. I REALLY want to post this on FB but there's no share button!

[Scuba]

10. What's stopping you?

[jeff47]

22. Right-click on it

There will be a option that says something like "Copy Image URL" or "Copy Image Link". Actual phrasing depends on your web browser, so look for the "link" or "URL" keyword.

Then go to Facebook. Paste into a new post. The link will go in, and Facebook will load the picture.

[Wounded Bear]

11. K & R...for exposure...

So often we hear the old "That's just the way it is" crap from the defenders of the status quo. The only reason that's the way it is is that we haven't changed it. In so many ways, all laws are attempts to bend reality to a more favorable outcome. The real difference is in who gets to decide what is favorable and who doesn't.

Right now, the poor and working class are being shut out...again.

[cantbeserious]

14. The Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks Own And Control The Politicians That Own And Control Us

eom

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Scuba.

[moondust]

20. Somebody decides.

A bunch of people spend a portion of their lives doing various things to collectively accomplish something, and somebody decides how much each shall receive for their contribution. Some may spend all day slaving away in abominable conditions, while others may spend that day in bed sipping fruity liqueurs from a bejewelled goblet. Nevertheless, somebody decides who shall receive how much of the fruits of their collective activity. It's all man-made.

[Dragonfli]

24. K&R /nt