Ayn Rand "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal"

It took centuries of intellectual, philosophical development to achieve political freedom. It was a long struggle, stretching from Aristotle to John Locke to the Founding Fathers. The system they established was not based on unlimited majority rule, but on its opposite: on individual rights, which were not to be alienated by majority vote or minority plotting. The individual was not left at the mercy of his neighbors or his leaders: the Constitutional system of checks and balances was scientifically devised to protect him from both. This was the great American achievement—and if concern for the actual welfare of other nations were our present leaders’ motive, this is what we should have been teaching the world. Ayn Rand Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, 138.

Fighting Depression

I remind that many government, corporate and government decision makers have put us into the downward spiral. Most of them deserve to sit in prison on criminal charges. Crimes against humanity, fraud and murder will do for a start.The first task is to clear the economy of the deadwood so we can begin the restructuring in a democratic setting. A few opportunities present themselves. Dumping the IRS would ramp up consumer spending. Hate agencies such as Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the FBI and the CIA must be dissolved. The Federal Reserve, the fuel and food industries should be nationalized. If the workers of the Big3 can produce a competitively priced [EV], ownership of the companies should go to them.If the resident rents a property or is paying a mortgage on one, it should be his.If a municipality obeys fair hiring laws etc, it should receive Federal aid to pay police, firemen and teachers.Students should receive a subsidy to permit them to continue as high as they can go.A vital element is state supported health care based on the ability to pay. Doctors who refuse to see non-paying patients at least four hours per day should migrate abroad.

Chinese Capitalism versus American Plutocracy

In the article, Kuznet and Cohen make good sense. Having a man with a brain in the White House is a tremendous asset. Dealing with the brain of Putin, Bush became his poodle. McCain will fight anyone to the last drop of American blood.
Using authoritarian means, the Chinese have constructed the best capitalist economic growth engine on earth. Why? They execute corrupt officials who impede economic growth.
By contrast, the US has rewarded corrupt corporate and government officials until they have bled the country dry. The authoritarian leadership suppresses the citizens through ignorance, poverty and intimidation that impede and distort the capitalist system.

Communistic Capitalism

Communistic Capitalism

Naomi Klein, HuffPo

So far, the Olympics have been an open invitation to China-bash, a bottomless excuse for Western journalists to go after the Commies on everything from internet censorship to Darfur. Through all the nasty news stories, however, the Chinese government has seemed amazingly unperturbed. That's because it is betting on this: when the opening ceremonies begin friday, you will instantly forget all that unpleasantness as your brain is zapped by the cultural/athletic/political extravaganza that is the Beijing Olympics.

Like it or not, you are about to be awed by China's sheer awesomeness.

The games have been billed as China's "coming out party" to the world. They are far more significant than that. These Olympics are the coming out party for a disturbingly efficient way of organizing society, one that China has perfected over the past three decades, and is finally ready to show off. It is a potent hybrid of the most powerful political tools of authoritarianism communism -- central planning, merciless repression, constant surveillance -- harnessed to advance the goals of global capitalism. Some call it "authoritarian capitalism," others "market Stalinism," personally I prefer "McCommunism."

Note: The reader might note the similarities between ‘authoritarian capitalism’ and Corporate America. Why are the Americans wallowing in disaster? They have world class expertise in merciless repression and in constant surveillance. Where do they fall down? They have little or no central planning. The corporations do not plan on a comprehensive scale. They are industry specific.

Economic Liberty

“Economic liberty is embodied in the practice of
free-enterprise capitalism, which functions best if largely unconstrained by
government taxation and regulation.”

This is a lofty statement. If all the components described
the American reality, our nation would be in fine shape. Unfortunately, none of
this describes the conditions on the ground so to speak.

Corporate America
controls 99% of the government and of the media. The idea is to strip the
ordinary citizens of their Constitutional and human rights so they have no way
to redress grievances. Through Federal control of the school curriculum, they
have dummied down the population to be unaware of the rights they once had and
of the duties involved in maintaining liberty.

Law enforcement and judicial officials do not serve and
protect the people. Rather, they work to suppress free expression by
dissidents, whistle blowers and other rowdies who seek liberty and justice for
all.

Deregulation has set loose a collection of robber barons,
organized thieves and seditionists to degrade the populace and to loot the
public treasury.

Very few enterprises are competitive and none of them allow
the free movement of labor, capital and the factors of production.

Dressing up negative campaign ads with quotes from the
founding fathers won’t benefit anyone.