Comments by "Counting Stars" (@CountingStars333) on "CNBC Make It"
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@richardshane2080 I agree to your point. This is long but not the usual leftist crap people give you...I am not a leftist..so if you want, hear me out and at the end of it, please tell me what you think.
In a capitalist society, we value equal opportunity and rightly so. We realize absolute equality is not possible but equal opportunity is and that is a goal everyone can agree on.
Capitalist democratic societies have stood the test of time. We have prevailed against societies like the Soviet Union..but we need to retain the very element that make us so competitive, and that is innovation and the willingness to bend and make amends when necessary.
The free market is a cornerstone and foundational pillar for equal opportunity in a scarcity society. We do not have infinite resources and thus need the free market to allocate resources.
Why does the market work?
It works because The market is people. The market is not a bunch of corrupt communist bureaucrats deciding who gets to eat.
The free market is people who open small businesses and large ones. It is people who take decisions they think are best. Since economic decisions are not central and since innovation is being used, the market works.
But the market is only as good as the people in it.
Let me repeat that.
The market is people and it is only as good as the people in it. Companies are people. If these very people are trained, educated, happy and healthy, the market is sure to prosper.
If they are not. The market will collapse. We cannot live on automated machines alone. We do not know how...yet.
Let us agree that the government is an entity that WILL tax you regardless of whatever you think. There is no country on this planet where there is no taxation. If you are a libertarian, well and fine but the USA is a highly regulated, advanced economy and the government exists for a reason.
Regulation is a different issue altogether. Let us not go into it now.
If taxation is inevitable, and it is unless you wish to go to jail, it is better for the money collected be used for the benefit of the people, who are after all, the market. They are what the free market exists to serve and cannot do without.
This means easier access to healthcare and education. You cannot work if you are not trained. You cannot work if you are unhealthy. You cannot work well if you are unhappy.
The market needs trained human capital, along with other things to progress properly and bring about the benefit of all who participate in it.
If there is a deficiency in human capital, the market cannot perform its function well and all will suffer.
Since we are being taxed. It is logical that the tax be used towards the betterment of human capital.
In this case, the tax should be used to make people educated, trained, healthy and happy.
If tax is used towards these purposes. The free market is likely to prosper.
Also remember. The free market is an institution that is meant to redistribute resources in an efficient way.
That is it's very purpose
Every economist agrees however that it is not infallible. Nothing is. It can achieve high degrees of efficiency but there are still structural gaps where the market fails, and it is these gaps which must be addressed by other means.
One of these means is taxation and the use of income to plug the gaps.
Here's a harsh reality. Opportunities are not equal in our capitlaist societies.
We would like to believe that the creation of the free market creates equal opportunity, and it does but it alone is not sufficient.
You need to plug those holes in our system which people are falling through. You need to plug the holes which are getting bigger and dangerous. Income inequality is increasing. We economists deal with facts and that is a fact no one will disagree with.
Let us plug the holes for Christ's sake. This is actual human lives we are talking about.
This is a parent struggling to feed and clothe their kid. This is people with dreams and aspirations, people just like you who feel and are in pain.
Let us use our inevitable taxation to help each other and in doing so, help ourselves.
Sure some will abuse the system but guess what, if they had a value based education that helped them grow as a person and gain character, they would most likely not do so.
Humans are nothing without each other. No man is an island.
We do live in a society. Your neighbour being well off is good for you because they will buy your service or employ you, and other people.
You might be wealthy in a poor country with poor neighbours and equally wealthy in one where your neighbours are wealthy too. You will be happier if others are happier. No one wants to live in a gold house surrounded by poverty.
I know what you are thinking, governments are inefficient in healthcare. I agree.
They most certainly are but that is because government employees don't have the same consequences as regular employees. Government owned corporations should have employees who can be fired and they should have incentives. Make them more like regular businesses and a lot of inefficiency will vanish.
Do you have any questions or comments?
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