Pol. Ideology 54: On the Multiple "Death" of Capitalism

A friend who considers himself a "social liberal" reposted in his fb wall Akbayan Party's "progressive books", one of which is this book published in July 2013 and written by Cong. Walden Bello of Akbayan. I commented that pallpak na naman (a loser) si Walden Bello and other socialists. Capitalism's last stand? Which is... facebook? twitter? youtube? coca cola? samsung? toyota? shimano bikes? When socialists keep using capitalism's inventions and innovation, they are in effect recognizing capitalism's dynamism.

My friend commented that “history has shown the excesses of both planned socialism & laissez-faire capitalism”.

The irony here is that while the world has seen several full socialist, full central planning economies (USSR then, E. Germany and other E.Europe, until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989), the world has not seen a full laissez faire capitalist economy. Mention ANY country especially in recent period where such economy is not regulated by SEC, Finance/Internal Revenue, Trade and other Departments or Ministries, Local governments, etc.  My bet is that No such economy or country exists.

Friendster capitalism was killed not by any socialist revolution or workers' insurrection, but by facebook capitalism. When socialists themselves like Walden Bello, Satur Oampo, other Akbayan/Bayan Muna leaders also hug and embrace many products and services of capitalism, from facebook to youtube, yahoo, google, samsung, etc., the term "Capitalism's Last Stand" is a comedy.

The book has a review here, portions of it says that

"collapse of the global real economy - covering such issues as the Wall Street meltdown, the disintegration of the Greek economy and the rise of China..." – amazon review of “ Capitalism's last stand”

See, he's doing a comedy. "Collapse of the global real eonomy", when, where? Visa, mastercard, Citibank, HSBC, Shangrila, Hilton, Peninsula, Toyota, Ford, BMW, Kia, etc. they are all alive and kicking.

"Death" of capitalism

Capitalism has "died" more than a dozen times in the past. It "died" during the Depression, it again "died" during WW1, "died" again during WW2, during the 70s oil crisis, during the 1987 stock market crash, the 1997-98 Asian finanial crisis, the 2008-09 US housing bubble, the EU debt crisis of 2009-2011, and by Walden 's analysis, it should have died last year too. And it will die again this year. And next year.

Pol. Ideology 36: On Capitalism, Akbayan, Drugs Legalization and Toqueville

Facebook proves to be a good venue for exchanging ideas with friends. Below are exchanges on various topics on various dates this month.

A. October 03, 2012

My friend Floro posted this in his wall, our discussions after

I believe the bright minds of the free world unlike the Capitalists and profiteers and the grafters in government who are acting as police for the filthy rich will find easier and better ways to get around with this concern, so much so that governments will run out of resources running after proponents of free access, free information and free exchange of ideas. There are more dumb people in governments and in the police than there are among the street children who survive even if their governments and police do not take care of them...There will be a lot of catching up to do for them...meanwhile we will continue to have fun. Lets work on their loopholes as they try to profit too much!!!!The world has changed and that is why the Capitalist World is slowly crumbling with their ran away deficits because in the west their governments no longer have money...and yet the Capitalist can easily move from state to state with their money...Let us chase them profiteers while the government chase us!!!!

Nonoy: Floro, capitalism invented facebook, youtube, twitter, linkedin, google, yahoo and other instruments of freedom of expression that we now enjoy. BIG governments like a socialist or communist or welfarist government, invent regulations, prohibitions, coercion.

Floro: Yes Nonoy I agree but there are capitalist who have insatiable greed for money and there are capitalist who profit more from the inventions of others. There are laws that regulate but this are supposed to be for greater access of the greater majority not for the control of a few who make their money make money without sweat. while the rest of the world work like slaves getting almost nothing. The worst side of capitalism and socialism had made life more difficult to the free world!

Nonoy Free world means free individuals. People are free to be hard working or free to be lazy. For people who chose to be hard working and ambitious, regulations that prohibit them from starting any entrepreneurial activity unless they get first the signatures and permits of various government officials, from local to national, should be drastically cut or removed. For people who chose to be lazy or irresponsible, they should not be given too many subsidies. For people who chose to become bureaucrats all their lives and have no other skills but regulate-regulate-regulate, tax-tax-tax, their number should not expand as they produce nothing productive.

Floro  Nonoy I agree but I also agree with Paretto Optimality! You can be a greedy capitalist but please pay your workers decent wages and allow them decent lives not slaves...something to that effect I suppose... I also abhor lazy people, mendicants and beggars who do not try to look for options and chances!

Nonoy: The best option for many workers is to quit being workers and become start up entrepreneurs someday, and not demand for endless labor law protections. They should learn where to get the cheapest and stable sources of raw materials, technology, credit, etc; they should learn whom to sell or partner customers, people who will pay them back; they should learn to deal with their own workers being former workers themselves in the past; they should learn to deal with endless business bureaucracies, taxes and fees imposed by the government, local and national, and so on. If people think it is easy to become an entrepreneur and employer, that money is easy to obtain that way, they should try it.

Philippine left's website popularity

Leftist and socialist philosophies permeate many societies' public policies. It is easy to spot the groups and individuals who advocate these philosophies. How? Just observe their language and policy pronouncements: Personal and parental responsibility, individual liberty, these are strange concepts for them, you seldom or will never, find such terms in their literature. Instead, you will find these keywords very often -- "more government responsibility and intervention", "more government regulation and taxation", "social equality", and sometimes, "nationalist industrialization."

The most leftist organization in the Philippines of course, is the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA). These groups are fighting for, nothing else but communism in the Philippines (with transition stage in "national democracy" then socialism then communism) via armed struggle and armed revolution.

Both CPP and NPA have no websites of their own. The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) handles their online presence with its website, http://www.ndfp.net/joomla/.

I checked its global traffic rank via alexa.com, somehow high: