Exactly. Any system without a Democratic check is going to be terribly shitty. Capitalism without Democracy is shitty. Socialism without Democracy is shitty. Every single system, by not listening to the people inside it, is crap.

Anonymous

30 January 2012 at 07:04 am

I used to hear all about how what we have right now isn't capitalism. I read that junk on conspiracy theory websites. You want to talk about some shit that never pans out? Conspiracy theories. "What we have right now isn't Capitalism" is just an incredulous way of stopping people from criticizing the current economic system. If it isn't capitalism, then all the criticism about capitalism can't possibly be true! =/ Come on, you don't fall for that "what we have isn't capitalism" shit, do you? Oh and what Stalin had wasn't Authoritarian Communism. What Hitler had wasn't Right Wing Socialism. What Mao had wasn't Totalitarian Socialism. Dude, get real. This is Capitalism and it fucking sucks as much as every other system does. No surprise there. There is no perfect system. Even if we did have "real capitalism" it would blow ass.

Anonymous

28 January 2012 at 08:17 pm

Socialism at best results in poverty, at worst mass murder. Utopian pipe dreams are just that, dreams. Don't be fooled into believing crony capitalism as practiced by the Europeans or Obama is true capitalism. No socialist movement has ever been a working class or peasant movement, quite the contrary. They have all been movements instigated by an elite class as a means to gain power. All socialist societies are run by and for the elites, and once in power, they have always been more than willing to spill blood to maintain that power.

Freedom is the answer you are looking for.

Anonymous

30 January 2012 at 06:59 am

Minimum wage cleans up Capitalism. Unions clean up Capitalism. Regulations clean up Capitalism. Every time you clip a coupon to avoid the free market, Socialism is cleaning up Capitalism. Capitalism only looks good because enough Socialist systems are put into place that it corrects many problems economies run into when adopting strict free market Capitalism. Retirement accounts clean up Capitalism. Loans clean up Capitalism. Free education would clean up Capitalism a lot. You can see how all of these things correct a problem that occurs in Capitalism. You are demonizing and it's boring to read about demons. I just am pointing out that Capitalists allow Socialism in when it needs to make itself look more appealing. I didn't even mention utopias. I criticized them.

Anonymous

30 January 2012 at 07:10 am

I can't believe you say "Utopian pipe dreams are just that; dreams," and then you say "Freedom is the answer you are looking for". Hello there pipe dream! What freedom are you talking about? My freedom to get a job for a rich person (and do all his work for him) or starve and lose my house? That isn't freedom. Work for someone or starve... that's "Freedom"? No. Not at all. Not even close. It's servitude and humility and degradation.

Anonymous

25 January 2012 at 11:50 am

the point being made by Polly, as I have made many times is that rent payments go directly to private landlords. In other words, the government is actually subsidizing the owners of these properties and there is no capital gain or advantage of any kind for the tenants. The people who criticize this system have never had to live with real poverty and seem to think having a roof over your head solves all your problems. People survive by their wits, or in other words resort to extra-legal means, whether begging in the streets, selling illegal drugs or just plain petty crimes which harm all of us. If you allow people to live with dignity, they maintain their respect for their fellow man and society benefits, if you force them into desperate means we all suffer.