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In a society based on centralized control (leftist, socialist, communist, whatever), there is really only one way to get ahead. You must figure out who has political power, befriend them, and do favors for them. There is no reason for you to help the common man, so you focus on those in power. Everything is in one pie, and if you want a piece of that pie, you must serve those above you.
In a free society, you get ahead by serving those below you. Figure out what people want, then figure out how to give it to them. Lots of people. If you can serve more people, and serve them better, then you’ll gain more wealth and influence. It’s the opposite of leftist societies – political leaders can hurt your business through regulation & taxes, etc., but they really can’t help you. Not much. So you serve everybody except them. Your only interest is in improving the life of the common man, because that’s how you get rich.
There are a lot of reasons that leftist governments make life worse for everybody in their country except for the politically well-connected. But this is a big one. The smartest and most ambitious people spend all their time trying to figure out how to make life better for political leaders, instead of spending all their time trying to figure out how to make life better for everybody else. And guess what happens? Life gets better for political leaders, but life gets worse for everybody else. Imagine that.
When Democrats talk about using government to make people rich, most people just sort of roll their eyes. But it gives me the creeps.
What if Democrats really believe in that sort of thing? Perhaps they’re stupid or ignorant. But what if they’re not? What if they really want a world where the population suffers so the politically connected can live well?
That’s simply evil. I don’t use that word much. But I can’t think of another way to describe leftist government systems.
About half of the voters in the last election voted Democrat. I hope they’re stupid or ignorant.
I really do.
Discussion (45)
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It is possible to get ahead by exploiting those below you, you know. You can be a slumlord. You can sell booze. You can extend usurious and even extortionate credit.
You can buy businesses, leverage them with excess debt, then declare bankruptcy when there's a downturn and cancel pension and health care obligations. There are many other possibilities.
That's if you're rich.
If you're not, then you probably have to suck up to your boss. It's probably been a long time since you've been in such a position, Doc, if ever. Me too. But I think that it is the reality of the lives of most people.
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By suck up to your boss, do you mean do the things that your boss requires of you for your job?
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No, I also mean live in fear of your boss, having to put up with a boss who is a jerk or a petty tyrant. This is quite common, I think. I don't suffer it myself, for which I am thankful.
I think that the Ayn Randian glorification of capitalism is quite inaccurate.
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I'm going to make a more generic comment.
I'm a civil litigation lawyer. I've been doing it for 26 years now. I've seen a lot.
What I see, day in and day out, is how people mistreat each other. They lie, cheat, steal, exploit, and manipulate. It's very common.
A major purpose of the legal system is to regulate that sort of behavior. I think that it is essential to the preservation of civilization.
This is the purpose of the government regulation that is criticized in the OP. Left to their own devices, we know what capitalists will do. They will rape the land, clear-cut the forests, pollute the waters, pump poisonous fumes into the air. They will exploit their workers. They will hire thugs to beat up their workers when those workers organize for decent treatment. They will create company towns in which people will live a life similar to indentured servitude. They will sell adulterated food and fake medicine.
All of this happened in our country. These are the reasons that we have many of the laws and regulatory agencies against which Republicans love to rail.
Laws and regulations are not perfect. Government does create some problems. It solves other problems.
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Another follow-up to this one. It is outside of my experience.
One of the reasons for the sexual harassment laws was that for some bosses, sex with their female employees was one of the things required for her job. It happens. It's evil.
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