I really just don’t have as much free time as I’d like. I have a full time job, a disabled girl friend, ~3 active friend/family groups, etc. At best I get an hour or two a day to myself and I’d rather do something else other than moderating.
That makes sense. But then how do you find this time for long-form arguments with strangers on the internet?
What you’re describing is laissez-faire capitalism, and every time it has been tried it has been an objective failure. It doesn’t result in tiny businesses, it results in huge ones that create corporate towns.
Fiddlesticks. Look at Hong Kong until China annexed it. Small and medium-sized companies flourished. There are a ton of similar examples. I challenge you to point out a single huge multinational corporation (historical or present day) that grew without government assistance.
Companies do just the same when given the opportunity. They just hire mercenaries and assassins, and that’s where the term “bannana republic” comes from.
Yeah no. Read the wiki on banana republics. From the intro:
[…] thus, the term banana republic is a pejorative descriptor for a servile oligarchy that abets and supports, for kickbacks, the exploitation of large-scale plantation agriculture, […]
Their governments instigate and enable their problem.
I’m not talking about small family owned businesses, I am talking about mega-corporations.
It seems we’re in general agreement that small family owned businesses are far preferable to mega-corporations. (After all, we’re both here in the Fediverse.)
Our only differences on this topic seem to be that I view small businesses as the essential heart of American market economics, and I view mega-corps as mutants resulting from government bloat.
You keep failing until you starve to death, the medical debt collectors come, etc. The american dream has long been dead because we do not live in a society with social mobility.
Again, you focused on negativity to the exclusion of truth. The American dream is alive and well, and there are numerous success stories all around us. The idea that it’s “dead” (let alone long dead) has no basis in reality.
A good example is Donald Trump, who took a small loan of a million dollars … (I’m joking, but my above point is true.)
I do not have anywhere near the amount of money to start one.
Depending on the type of business, you really don’t need any money, or perhaps just a few dollars. Going back to my fruit cart example, it doesn’t cost any money to pick fruit and sell it. And there are a ton of sub-$100 sweaty-startup ideas out there. You may not have the time or the drive to start one, but you certainly have the money.
Not all companies are bad ones to work at, but my point is that not everybody can just up and move to a new job when there are so many companies that are like this.
I have no doubt that some employees who hate their jobs feel trapped. But I contend that’s just their feeling, and they’re not really trapped at all. Especially in the post-covid epoch, when there’s such a labor shortage that you could walk into just about any business and get an interview.
Then it sounds like you’re lucky.
“Lucky” is not the right word. I didn’t grow up here. I’ve lived in a bunch of places, from urban to suburban, and now rural. I moved here because I like the area and the people here. And there are plenty of local small businesses I support as much as I can.
That makes sense. But then how do you find this time for long-form arguments with strangers on the internet?
I usually don’t lol. It’s very rare for me to get into a conversation as much of a tangled mess as this one.
Fiddlesticks. Look at Hong Kong until China annexed it. Small and medium-sized companies flourished. There are a ton of similar examples.
Hong Kong is an incredibly niche place. To point to that city state as a good example to extrapolate the effects of government policy is a bad idea/methodology.
I challenge you to point out a single huge multinational corporation (historical or present day) that grew without government assistance.
I think you missed my point, I am not stating that all or even many corporations become monopolies without government assistance. Usually what happens is that a corporation gets so big that they gain so much control that they can alter government policy, and therefore they grow with government assistance that they themselves implemented. Most if not all monopolies follow this pattern. First the start small, then they get big, then they push out competition, then they buy out the politicians, then they set the laws that make them even bigger.
Their governments instigate and enable their problem.
Instigate? No. Enable? Absolutely.
Our only differences on this topic seem to be that I view small businesses as the essential heart of American market economics, and I view mega-corps as mutants resulting from government bloat.
The mega-corporations are the natural result of capitalism. You can’t have one without the other.
The American dream is alive and well, and there are numerous success stories all around us.
There are also numerous lottery winner stories around. That doesn’t mean that everybody should buy lottery tickets as a means to success.
The idea that it’s “dead” (let alone long dead) has no basis in reality.
Nowadays people are too poor to reasonably afford a home, food, and the basic necessities. The retirement age keeps getting higher. The majority of americans are living paycheck to paycheck. It absolutely has been dead, and for a while.
good example is Donald Trump, who took a small loan of a million dollars
Inheriting wealth is not a means for being successful for the overwhelming majority of americans.
Depending on the type of business, you really don’t need any money
The success of a business is directly tied to the starting investment.
I have no doubt that some employees who hate their jobs feel trapped. But I contend that’s just their feeling, and they’re not really trapped at all.
If you don’t feel like you are free then what is the point? Regardless, it’s not just a feeling, because objectively, vertical mobility is not doing well in the united states. Horizontal mobility is not true mobility.
Especially in the post-covid epoch, when there’s such a labor shortage that you could walk into just about any business and get an interview.
“Just about any business” does not equate to a livable wage, because just about all businesses have employees who are being paid below a livable wage. And like I said, horizontal mobility is not true mobility.
I usually don’t lol. It’s very rare for me to get into a conversation as much of a tangled mess as this one.
I’m flattered. Thank you. I find the conversation enjoyable, though I agree it’s a tangled mess. Yet if you’d find it prudent to quickly wind it down, I won’t be offended.
Instigate? No. Enable? Absolutely.
Well then we’re close to splitting hairs. My contention is governments should be too small to enable companies to grow huge. I get that we don’t completely see eye-to-eye on this, but I’m not sure it’s worth our bickering over the details.
The mega-corporations are the natural result of capitalism. You can’t have one without the other.
I mentioned the importance of definitions recently. Among people who disagree over capitalism, I find we are often operating on different definitions. What if we just talk about free markets? There’s nothing about freedom that inherently gives rise to mega-corporations. They didn’t even exist until relatively modern times.
There are also numerous lottery winner stories around. That doesn’t mean that everybody should buy lottery tickets as a means to success.
No kidding. When you hold a race, there’s one winner. You might give out medals for second and third place, but most competitors are losers. And that’s great. Everyone goes home and tries again tomorrow. In the end, some people are never able to win at all, due to lack of drive, technique, or what-have-you, and that’s fine. Life isn’t fair, and we wouldn’t want it to be. All that matters is that everyone’s able to compete, fair and square.
Nowadays people are too poor to reasonably afford a home, food, and the basic necessities. The retirement age keeps getting higher. The majority of americans are living paycheck to paycheck. It absolutely has been dead, and for a while.
Okay, now I really wonder where you live. Is it a West Coast city? What you describe is absolutely not the America I know and love.
Inheriting wealth is not a means for being successful for the overwhelming majority of americans.
Yeah, it was a joke. I explicitly said I was joking.
The success of a business is directly tied to the starting investment.
No, not usually. Its rate of scale is directly tied to the starting investment. It’s eventual success is only tied to that certain kinds of tech startups, where a ton of work is needed before there’s anything to show for it. For most businesses, success is tied to vision and execution.
If you don’t feel like you are free then what is the point?
The point is always God. And God, incidentally, is the source of our freedom. People may feel a lack of freedom resulting from estrangement from God. That’s hardly the fault of corporations (although you could make a good case that any corporation propagating secular culture is indirectly at fault.)
“Just about any business” does not equate to a livable wage, because just about all businesses have employees who are being paid below a livable wage. And like I said, horizontal mobility is not true mobility.
What’s a livable wage? That’s a mighty subjective phrase. It wasn’t long ago that many of us lived in single-room log cabins that we built ourselves, hauled our own water without plumbing, used outhouses, lacked electricity, had a horse and cart instead of a truck, and grew most of our own food. And we were happy. Because we had God, and in the end that’s all we’ve ever needed. If you’re defining a “livable wage” in terms of anything more than that standard, it’s unreasonable.
I’m flattered. Thank you. I find the conversation enjoyable…
I am enjoying it too, and it’s quite alright. I’m (so far) able to keep up.
Well then we’re close to splitting hairs.
I’ll move on then from this part.
What if we just talk about free markets? There’s nothing about…
Even the term “free markets” is incredibly vague. And depending on what you count as “modern times”, even capitalism itself hasn’t existed until modern times. So it would kind of not make sense to expect to see mega corps in an economic system that doesn’t permit the kind of corps we see today.
And I hate to repeat myself, but core principle of capitalism is competition, but competitions inherently have winners. And therefore the freedom you speak of inherently gives rise to mega-corps. They buy each other up and kill off competitors until they become mega-corps.
Any given loser of a competition under capitalism may not immediately die, but each loss forces a company closer and closer to dying.
everyone’s able to compete, fair and square.
We unfortunately don’t have that though due to inheritance discrepancies, and the burden of entry that corporations put in place through their control of politicians, and through the inherent difficulty of starting a business in an economy as specialized as ours.
For instance if somebody wanted to start up a new business to compete with google, at a minimum they would need several billion dollars to have a reasonable chance of success. Google has such a huge market share and is so well established that it would take decades for any new company to put an actual dent in google’s market share.
Is it a West Coast city? What you describe is absolutely not the America…
I actually live on the East coast, in a mid to large sized city, I think mine is 3rd in pop for my state. And as for your second bit here, I haven’t made anything up.
Majority of citizens living paycheck to paycheck
Housing is increasingly unaffordable with an 18% hike in prices I don’t know about you, but my wage has never increased anywhere close to be able to match that. Grocery prices are no different
The retirement age is going up
Yeah, it was a joke. I explicitly said I was joking.
Sorry, I am a very argumentative person if you couldn’t tell already lol
No, not usually. Its rate of scale is directly tied to the starting investment. It’s eventual success is only tied to that certain kinds of tech startups, where a ton of work is needed before there’s anything to show for it. For most businesses, success is tied to vision and execution.
This is another one of the issues that I wish I had more data on, but unfortunately do not. The closest I was able to find was this:
https://www.luisazhou.com/blog/startup-failure-statistics/
And the most frequent cause of failure is lack of cash, which definitely ties into what I’ve been saying.
People may feel a lack of freedom resulting from estrangement from God.
So this is similar to the drug addiction/true christian inverse correlation that I’ve been talking about in one of the other threads. I know you don’t quite agree with the freedom index I’ve been using, but freedom is not in any way correlated with christianity.
What’s a livable wage? That’s a mighty subjective phrase
Sure, it’s a subjective phrase, and I would personally like to see it added and defined within a new amendment to the constitution, though it probably would never happen
As for an actual definition, a living wage should be defined as a wage that is sufficient to raise a family on, with adequate housing and food. A living wage should be a basic but decent wage for a family.
I would also like to point out that you seem to have missed my point about the lack of freedom through vertical mobility.
And we were happy. Because we had God…
I don’t think that was the reason, I think the reason was because life was literally simpler and more connected to nature. Also you can’t be happy if you can’t afford food and shelter.
anything more than that standard, it’s unreasonable
I’m not saying a livable wage is one in which you will be able to afford anything fancy. It should be a basic wage, but enough so that you can have a family without worry
