A few days ago Senator John McCain was on the CBS show “This Morning” with Charlie Rose asking about the campaign between Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Newt Gingrich. Senator McCain was begging the Republicans not to attack Romney about his business experiences which had some very questionable results. Senator McCain kept saying the Romney’s was the basic bed rock of the Republican Party. Free Market. Adam Smith. Capitalism and there are always businesses that have to lose and others will prosper. It was fundamental to the whole Republican philosophy of government.
Perhaps that is the whole problem with the Republican party. Their only idea is the Adam Smith – Free Market Economy. The problem is that Adam Smith who did believe that in economic matters competition was good and that it produced benefits for all people. But the problem is that “Free Market” thinking is not all the thinking that has to be done. Free Market competition works great when there are a multitude of suppliers, manufacturers and distributors. Competition makes everybody work harder and better. But Free Market does not work when their is a “SINGLE SUPPLIER.” There is no free market in police, army, navy, fire departments, court systems, highways, utilities, and so many more areas of our lives. The Free Market does not work when there is a monopoly or when one supplier gets so dominate that they dictate price and costs. Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Exxon, and other major players begin to distort the free market.
The Free Market system also fails to have any long range considerations. One look at the housing collapse, the auto industry near failure, and every stock investor who knows the CEO’s do not really care about long term health of the company as long as they get their fortune now. The Free Market competition is short sighted and greedy. The banks, the investment firms, the rating agencies had no interest in long term consequences as long as they got to make their bonuses.
The Free Market system has no way of factoring in the negative consequences of its operation. The Free Market wants to make its product effectively, cheaply, and immediately. It does not worry about the pollution that it causes. It does not worry itself with the changes it makes to global conditions. Does not really consider the negative impact of exhausting its own resources. The Elephant hunters do not have a concern about killing all the elephants and causing them to become extinct.
That means that the Free Market system feels no responsibility for future generations. The Free Market business model is a this year, my profit now, model, with the claimed results that it will make better products cheaper for all of us, but it has no place in its philosophy to consider the role of government in the SINGLE SUPPLIER industries, it has no interest in preventing the negative future consequences of its current actions, and it has no feeling of obligation to grandchildren and great grandchildren of the world.
The Republican Philosophy of Adam Smith and the Free Market have been the driving force that has produced the division of 99 and 1. It is not a healthy philosophy and it does not work well for a long future.
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Rick Brand
Chair
Vance County Democratic Party
www.vancecountydemocraticparty.org
http://ricksmumbles.blogspot.com
Chair
Vance County Democratic Party
www.vancecountydemocraticparty.org
http://ricksmumbles.blogspot.com
Rick you should be praising Wallmart and Exon instead of condemming them. The are a success and they are American owned companies. Wallmart tries to sell American made when posssable but it is almost impossable to find American made.
Idea put enough import tax on imports that would help bring jobs back to America, Starting with the Automobiles.
what about walmart and exxon make them success stories?
It seems to me that the Federal Government had a hand in making it easier for lower income people to buy houses–but not looking down the road about how they could afford the taxes, upkeep, etc. that come with homeownership.
Free Market has worked in the past to keep a middle class–as of today–we are headed to no middle class.
It is unfair, for instance, to expect parents to put school supplies in a cabinet–to be used by all students–. This in fact takes away any incentive for many on the dole to get up and get moving. This country was built on a work ethic and it is fast disappearing.
Of course they had a hand in making it easier. So did the banks and lending companies, the insurance and security companies as well. The free market allowed it, our laws allowed it, and they took full advantage of it. All of that is part of what’s put us in the economic disaster we’re in today
Is he serious?
I cannot believe this man was once a pastor in a church. Must have gotten into the wine a little too often.
Why don’t you make an actual point birdman
Bud, you need a civics, along with a history, lesson. There are other men in history, Mao Tse-tung, Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx to name a few, that also condemned the liberty offered by the free market. And millions of people died at their brutal hands as they tried to implement their perfect society. Scary times we live in, when the Chair of the local Democratic party is out editorializing, if you can puzzle thru what he wrote, about how horrible the American system is and how great the communist system would be.
Rich Brand has been drinking the Democrats kookaid for too long. He just follows the Pelosis, the Dingy Harry Reid and Pres. Obama. What has the Dems done for this country? Given us Unions to rob from the working class to keep their politicos and leaders living in a high lifestyle. Dems keep saying they are helping the poor working class when in fact they’ve dragged them down into the sewers of hell with their welfare checks, with medicaid etc. They want to keep the poor down in the gutters awaitng the next handout. Look what Obama has done in 3 years? Brought the unemployed to over 9%; raised the debt to over 15 trillion; brought stagnation to the economy and others. Oh yeah, he’s taking our troops from Irak and civil war will break out there; he’ll be taking troops from Afganistan soon and more civil war there. So what have we gained? What about energy sources in the USA? He stops the Keystone Pipeline in view of the “greenies” wishes….effectively killing thousands of jobs and keeping us from getting oil from our great ally.He gives taxpayers mony to Solyndra and others which have gone bellyup. And what have we gotten in green energy? Not a thing.
Vote this guy out in November. He’s killing our economy.We can’t possibly do four more of these years.
Very well said Mr. Perkins! It’s sad that the Democrats want to bring everyone/our Country down with them instead of elevate them to success.