Wednesday, August 4, 2021

It's the Bureaucracy, Not The Capitalism

Capitalists, it seems to me, seldom believe in capitalism as any sort of ideology.  Even if the origin stories about companies coming out of garages are true, once they are big, they get into the lobbying business.  Arguably, they have to do it, whether they want to or not- once the bureaucrats smell profit, you either play the game or they come and screw you.

Socialists, on the other hand, believe in socialism.  They believe in it so much that when something doesn't work, they blame the rest of us.  

So, it's annoying when I hear people blame capitalism for, well, whatever.  It isn't the capitalism, it's the bureaucracy- the same bureaucracy that tries to implement socialism.  

I doubt politics is ever going to work at all, but one of the big issues is that the non-left refuses to admit to reality.  It's pointless to meet a progressive talking point with words like 'freedom' or 'free markets'.  We already don't have it- and they carefully advertise and shape public opinion to the point where they are likely to get what they want.

But there's one way to short circuit this stuff- figure out what the left is marketing to the public- and then provide it with one very important change- take the bureaucracy out of it, or if possible, nuke a few existing bureaucracies.

One example would be nuking the fed and giving everyone a 'universal basic income.'  Create the currency, send it to the people rather than creating all these moral hazards at the top of the financial food chain.  Banks would actually have to cater to people again, and financial institutions wouldn't be able to run around, buying up single family homes.   So, obviously, one aspect to this is to think critically about the concept, and find a way to target the outcomes we want rather than whatever it is the left wants.

Another example is cancelling student debt- but why the hell should the taxpayer pay for it?  We've all noticed these graduates don't know anything real and have had their heads filled with garbage.  Higher education is, therefore, fraud.  You make those who committed fraud pay.  Include damages- don't just cancel the debt, but have some chunk of money there for the taking, so that odiously elitist barista with her communist English degree will come in and admit (at least on paper) that she was defrauded, that she actually doesn't know anything.   This would destroy the bureaucratic parasites in these universities, and force said barista to disavow her position in the bureaucratic class.  

Of course, if you have fewer bureaucrats,  socialism becomes less dangerous, because you have to have someone somewhere with some nominal authority to act on the principles of an ideology.  With capitalism- you just need anyone willing to save up some money and buy a capital good or two to go into production.  And if that capitalist looks around and sees there's no bureaucrat to bribe or scheme with, well, he might just stick to capitalism rather than get up to these shenanigans people seem to blame capitalism for.

No comments: