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The Forum > Article Comments > Is there an alternative to capitalism? > Comments

Is there an alternative to capitalism? : Comments

By Sam Ben-Meir, published 12/10/2017

One would think that perhaps we would keep an open mind regarding alternatives; instead of buying the tired old argument that anything else must either lead to totalitarianism, or be incurably utopian.

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There are plenty of alternatives to capitalism, the kibbutzes have been operating successfully for decades, the main reason that this model has taken over the world, and that is because most people are not suited for living on a kibbutz.

Mondragon also survives because when sales and prices fall, it can cut the wages of all its employees. Try doing that with the unions here. The workers would prefer to retrench people than take a pay cut.

The only way these systems would work universally would be to use draconian laws to enforce them.
Posted by Shadow Minister, Thursday, 12 October 2017 3:09:22 PM
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Sorry Shadow, can't agree!

First because co-ops almost alone were the only free market private enterprise business model that mostly survived the Great Depression largely intact. and second, where they prevail as the preferred business model, the money they earn is invariably reinvested in the host community!

If you want to see just how well this model works? Take a butchers at the town of Melaney. The missing piece of the puzzle is laws that outlaw predatory pricing and parasitic, profit demanding middlemen!

With the latter made unlawful, the cost of living and or doing business could be halved? And allow many more co-ops to successfully startup!

Finally, these family or community startups? Fail less frequently if they're adequately capitalized and have mentored management and AGM's!

Moreover, have to my limited knowledge, have never ever grown too big to fail!?

And ideally suited to management by a single competent manager, with nowhere to hide! The most efficient and competitive co-ops, would very rarely if ever, exceed a 350 person work force!?

Meaning, the shareholder cohort quickly susses out the incompetents, the crooks, the drones and bottle necks, out of vested self interest!

Unions just don't get a look in and why would the working shareholders need any protection or straightjacket conditions placed, that like the british disease, able to bankrupt and kill entire industries.

The celtic economic miracle was largely created/built on government financed and or facilitated, cooperative capitalism, manifesting as, co-ops, family firms and family farms?

And underpinned by an education system that successfully exported well credentialled graduates, to the world!

We'd lose nothing by taking a leaf from that, [massively successful initially,] book!? Always providing it's always and only, our people and their best ideas we preference!

We have traded or sold our economic sovereignty!

This is perhaps, the only economic model left to us, to win it back?

Now let's see who genuinely backs it and us to know whose fair dinkum and who are the economic Benedict Arnolds hiding in plain sight among us?
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Thursday, 12 October 2017 4:58:07 PM
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yeah capitalism is so far from perfect however the point Hasbeen makes about socialist being so generous with tax payer money is so true. Can you believe some of the abc journalist get paid $300,000 plus pa to push their propaganda.
Posted by runner, Thursday, 12 October 2017 5:41:30 PM
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And worth every last cent of it too.
Posted by ateday, Thursday, 12 October 2017 6:09:25 PM
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Capitalism is not the problem. Predatory capitalism is the problem. Predatory capitalism exists only to create monopolies that in turn exist only to destroy competition and localised self-sufficiency.

Capitalism is a workable system but can only function appropriately if heavily regulated. Those who benefit from predatory capitalism will always use their power and influence to eliminate the rules and regulations that interfere with their profits.

As an adjunct, 'there-is-no-alternative' propaganda is their major weapon. Keep on pushing the propaganda model that socialism equals slavery and that any changes to the predatory capitalist system will automatically create financial chaos.

If all else fails, overthrow any government that represents a serious threat to the predatory capitalist system - just in order to 'prove' that anything other than predatory capitalism is doomed to fail.
Posted by Killarney, Thursday, 12 October 2017 6:24:29 PM
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Alan,

Capitalism is about the market and free trade, that Mondragon manufactures goods and sells it into the market and adapts to suit the changes in the market makes it an instrument of capitalism, with a unique management model.

In the early 1800s, a group of monks dedicated to god and poverty started breeding merino sheep for wool and became enormously wealthy, yet no one is suggesting businesses based on monastic cloisters.
Posted by Shadow Minister, Thursday, 12 October 2017 6:38:42 PM
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