Thursday, August 18, 2011

Striking a balance

Communism and Socialism focus on the good of the masses; sometimes to the detriment of the individual.  Capitalism and Libertarianism focus on the good of the individual with no regard to the impact on the rest of society.   As humans, we are both A PART OF the group and APART FROM it.  Both idealogies cannot work sustainably if implimented 100%.  So there has to be a balance between what is good for me and what is good for the rest of my fellow human beings (who I consider to be extended family).  The functioning and prospering societies in the world right now strike a balance somewhere between 30/70 and 70/30 Capitalist/Socialist.  I think that we can tinker with the balance between those benchmarks.  But to go too far in either direction is ridiculous.  I hear a lot more talk about moving to 100% capitalism than I do about eliminating it completely.   Those who say there should be no regulation, no safeguards, no taxation, no public services, etc. are really saying that there should be no community.  I feel sorry for them and would not want to live in their world.   The ideal balance may never be found, and it should probably change with the times and needs.  But we need a mix of both Capitalism and Socialism.

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