[Fmpro] playing games

[Rick Blanc]

"I'm sorry Rick, but the impression I get is that you don't want to discuss 
economics with anyone who thinks that current practices evidence some 
obvious and extremely harmful flaws. Perhaps you do have a more pronounced 
understanding of economics than most here, certainly myself included. 
Therefore the tragedy is that you have the head to more effectively approach 
change, but apparently not the heart. - JohnB"


Not at all, in fact I make the same points repeatedly and continuously, and meet a lot of resistance.

Briefly my point is that we know there is corruption, flawed practices, problems etc. etc.  We know that; it is not news.  To one extent or another its always been that way and always will, because we are dealing with human institutions.

Capitalism is the evolutionary product of several hundred years effort and was a big step forward.  There seems to be an impulse among many people to immediately place the blame with capitalism when they look around and see things they don't like.

This is a mistake.  Capitalism per se has little to do directly with any of the issues being discussed here.  In fact capitalism is largely responsible for creating circumstances in which the capital is available that creates industries and careers.  No other economic system has come even close to the achievments of capitalism.  Ask anyone from eastern Europe or any other country.

When trying to find solutions to the very real problems described by people here it would be much more useful, in my opinion, to research what is actually going on in the current system rather than just condemning the system wholesale.  The latter is throwing the baby out with the water and while it may bring some personal satisfaction it is unlikely to lead to any kind of meaningful solution.  In this context, going out in the ozone and discussing the great abstractions of economic theory may be entertaining but it is not useful.  Similarly, when I see people instinctively go off in that direction I try to put the brakes on.

RB