Antonios

Are you talking about capitalism or parasitism? There is the hard work, innovation and industry that creates the wealth. Then there is the abusive control of peoples rights that sees the wealth sucked from them. The example I gave is housing affordability, where a basic dwelling could be available for less than $50, 000, but for the corruption of planning and development regulations. The inflation of asset values through the abusive regulation of markets is what attracts people to Ponzi schemes in the first instance, and also what makes the crash more violent.

Fester
I mean the parasitism of the capitalism which is the leading part of the capitalism, I mean all the golden boys and the organozations they control.
I agree absolutatly with you about the dweling prices, I do not know what means =Ponzi scheme= my Englis are poor.
I mean the very =smart= capitalist who create a big, very big ballon and they full up it with hot, compresed air and they sell it for gold, I mean the sick, dirty, parasitic, paranoic capitalism which create huge problems not only to ordinary people but to good capitalists who create, produce values and improve our lifes.
New conservatives, extreme right governments, put on the top of the pyramid the crouck,parasite capitalists.
You know, from the Bush's stimulus pack, 18 billion dollars wasted for managers bonus and private airplains.
It is a crime the poor taxpayers to give money for the economy, to open new jobs and the parasites, who have extremely high income, to steal from the stimulus pack
FOR ME THE GOLDEN BOYS ARE THE REAL, THE WORST TERROSTS AND THIEFS AND THEY HAD TO BE IN PRISON.
Do you know how hard the people will sufer of cause them?
Do you know what social and political problems the capitalist croucks will create to the whole world?
NO I AM NOT WITH THE CROUCKS!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Fractelle,

I agree that a balance is what is required to overcome a lot of the problems associated with capitalism. And, once the balance has been found, it's important that it be maintained so as to obviate the need for the bumps and rollercoaster rides that have been experienced in the last hundred or so years.

But the consequence will probably be that if people get lazy again and go back to the old ways of doing things, no one will bother to knock them into line. They will just be dropped off the pack.

RobP

"But the consequence will probably be that if people get lazy again and go back to the old ways of doing things, no one will bother to knock them into line. They will just be dropped off the pack."

Not sure exactly what you're meaning when you talk of people getting lazy again and going 'back to the old ways of doing things'. Are you referring to a return to the eight-hour day, or maybe an end to countless hours of unpaid overtime, or maybe a time when people had a life apart from work? If so, you've lost me.

Or are you referring to the laziness of people who attempt to profit through speculation rather than an honest day's work? If so, but I doubt it, I would heartily agree with you.

It's not laziness we need to be concerned about, it's greed. I agree with you and Fractelle and others who've called for a measured and balanced approach to managing Capitalism, but even if we are able to achieve this ideal, how long will it be before greed again brings us all undone?

Capitalism would work well if we were all prepared to live a modestly comfortable life and work to ensure that all other members of society could do the same. It's the greed of people who want more than their fair share and the mantra of 'greed is good' and 'more is better' that ends up creating a system where a privileged few prosper and the rest struggle.

No, I don't worry about laziness. I'm much more worried about greed.

Bronwyn,

As a general comment, I was talking about the individual laziness that leads to things not being done or maintained properly.

From what I've seen, it's not just greed that's the problem, although that's centre stage at the moment. There are also people who have caused problems for themselves and others by not pulling their weight in the past.

My point was that if they ever decide to go back to that way of living their life, I doubt they will be cut any slack. The caravan will move on as it were.

I wasn't suggesting the laziness epithet applies to you BTW.

AS I understand your heart, but am unable to understand the differences in your posts, even in this thread.
Those criminals who bought about this crisis are a by product of capitalism.
We have always had them, communism had them Socialism did too, part of the problem but not the problem
Hunger and true poverty drove me as a child first to communism then socialism, both drove me back to reality.
Capitalism rebuilt Europe after both world wars.
It rebuilt and refashioned Japan, China while not yet ideal is better for its capitalism.
A better way, still trading much like todays capitalism will come, but it too will suffer on the rocks of greed and theft.
Think quietly with me of workchoices, it harmed the weakest, the already poor and our kids.
It was made to reduce costs of wages to raise profits.
Yet 1800 jobs go over seas so wages can double for bosses.
some thing is wrong.
But blind hate of capitalism must first show a truly better way.