470 – Buying the bull about capitalism

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‘PEOPLE BEFORE’ PROPHETS: Are you buying all the bull about capitalism? Or are you buying all the bull about socialism?

One of the more popular manifestations of the misguided debate is the often spouted slogan, which is strongly believed by virtually all those on the left, and meekly accepted by most right-wingers: “People Before Profit.”

“People before profit” is an evil idea, and is no philosophy.

It is a call for outright theft and expropriation, plain and simple. It cannot possibly mean anything else and should be morally condemned whenever encountered.

The desire to live without effort at the forced expense of others is at the root of all the world’s evils. Whether called socialism, communism, fascism, or progressivism, It is humanity’s most self-destructive tendency. From slavery to war, and all social and political evils in between, that evil desire turned into action is and has been the cause of untold misery and sorrow.

Capitalism is the only economic condition that rejects this moral premise. “Thou shalt not steal” is among the essential operative principles of capitalism.

Socialism and all other collectivist systems of governance quite openly preach that “Thou SHALT steal,” and justify their immorality through a host of rationalizations. At the heart of those rationalizations sits a rejection of individualism (individual rights) and an acceptance of collectivism (group rights – identity politics).

Thus, when ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, politicians and all collectivists blind themselves to the reality that ‘Peter’ and ‘Paul’ are two separate individuals. Using mindless bromides like “We can’t steal from ourselves,” they paint Peter and Paul as part of the same collective.

Most collectivists appeal to a false altruism and to economic arguments about efficiency to disguise the evil nature of their philosophy. To do so, all collectivists are forced to evade reality, reason, and morality.

What was once theft and stealing is now called “wealth redistribution.” “The purpose of government is to redistribute wealth,” said former Ontario Progressive Leader Ernie Eves to Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever on a past radio talk show.

In accepting that premise, we doom ourselves to a dismal future, one without hope, and certainly one without prosperity or wealth – for all people, wherever they may happen to sit on the economic scale.

An understanding of what capitalism truly is – and its significance to the well-being of mankind, continues to elude even its most ardent supporters.

What makes the whole debate even more frustrating is that often both sides in the debate will testify how great capitalism has been, and how it has elevated the world’s standard of living. Following their false praise, they then proceed to provide various plans for how to ‘change’ ‘improve’ ‘save’ and otherwise disfigure capitalism into some version of their various non-capitalist visions of forced wealth re-distribution.

Join us for an hour of frustration and clarity, as we take a look at the public debate about capitalism and why so many people can both love and hate it at the same time. The moral conflict is within them, not with capitalism.

It’s a black and white issue. There’s no denying that when it comes to economics, freedom, prosperity, and justice, capitalism is Just Right.