Down with "capitalism"!

I have no life lessons or inspiration to offer you. Mathematical beauty is "my thing", but I can't give you pictures! (But you can search for my name; I seem to be the only one on the Web.)

*\\*

I've been a political (or antipolitical) radical for long enough to lose the appetite for preaching without provocation. But I'll take this opportunity to make one point about the word CAPITALISM, which means at least two very different things:

* A free market, in which private property and services are exchanged without anyone's permission.

* Government benefits to existing businesses, including subsidies and regulations designed to prevent or discourage competition from new businesses.

Conservative politicians point to the first to gain approval for the second. Progressive politicians point to the second to scare you away from the first. Despite their rivalry for office, they share a vital interest in preserving the system, and thus in obscuring the difference between the two "capitalisms".

So I've stopped using the word "capitalism", at least on its own. For the first I say "free market" or "open market". I haven't quite decided what to call the second; it has been called "crony capitalism" and "neo-mercantilism".

Next time you use or hear the word "capitalism", I hope you'll stop and ask, "Wait, which capitalism?"

*\\*

If you've read this far, your reward is my favorite quick'n'easy recipe:

In a baking dish, melt one-third of a stick (40g) of butter. Blend in half a cup (118cc) of honey, one tablespoon (15cc) of prepared mustard, and one tablespoon (15cc) of curry powder. Roll two chicken breasts in this sauce. Bake for an hour at 350°F (176°C), turning & basting once. Serve with rice.

*\\*


Anton Sherwood
Cascadia
rant[AT]bendwavy.org

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