The Road to Socialism (Serfdom)
Arthur Schopenhauer is famous for many statements. My favorite is the process of establishing truth. “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Taking a page from Schopenhauer, the road to socialism in America passes through three stages. First, combine small banks and companies into large banks and companies. Second, have the government take shares in large banks and companies. Third, have the politicians direct the flow of capital, investment, production, employment, and consumption.
We are part way into stages one and two, under a Republican president and administration, no less. It won’t take long for stage three to emerge.
Arthur Schopenhauer is famous for many statements. My favorite is the process of establishing truth. “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Taking a page from Schopenhauer, the road to socialism in America passes through three stages. First, combine small banks and companies into large banks and companies. Second, have the government take shares in large banks and companies. Third, have the politicians direct the flow of capital, investment, production, employment, and consumption.
We are part way into stages one and two, under a Republican president and administration, no less. It won’t take long for stage three to emerge.
2 comments:
Sorry but this doesn't seem to me to be a particularly thoughtful post.
The categories of public and private are not what they were 50 years ago. Institutions that were wholly private then are hybrids now, and in some industries the reverse is true as well. Socialism and laissez-faire are Platonic forms of a reality that is more dynamic, more Aristotelian.
Rather than focusing on outdated categories, why not focus on what the actors are doing -- are they promoting individual and group capacities for self-determination or not? And if they are, who cares if they wear the hat of a government agent?
It's too bad that people are blaming this on laissez faire capitalism. "Heavy financial Regulation" was ridiculed and is now being debated. We might end up on the wrong side of history, if we accept it. Most changes brought out by "Commodities and Futures Deregulation in 2000" actually worked. It's only couple of cases where it failed.
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