Capitalism –noun
an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations,especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.
Capitalize –verb (used without object)
7.
to take advantage of; turn something to one's advantage
Greed –noun
excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions.
Economics. It's not the funnest thing in life, but it does control many aspects of our lives: where we shop, what we eat, what we can afford, where we live, ect. The system of capitalism has been an essential part of the American identity for a very long time and became even greater in the 1950's. This was due to the fact that after WWII, production in Europe and Japan ceased to exist. America became #1 in production of... well, practically anything. The tax bracket worked something like this: the most wealthy paid 90% percent of their income to taxes, and managed to live VERY comfortable lifestyles. At the same time, middle class America was capable of living well and having good jobs. Roads, schools, hospitals, and all good things were built for people to maintain healthy lifestyles due to the fact that people in the upper 1% were paying their very high taxes. The poverty stricken were provided for.
Basically, its good to be the king of production.
However, during the Regan era, the upper 1% of the population went from paying 90% to about 50%. No more roads, schools, or hospitals (in fact, he closed most of the mental hospitals and tried to get mental diseases to not even be considered as actual diseases). People in poverty were not provided for. The gap between the wealthy and poor began to increase as the middle class began to disappear.
The trend of tax cutting continued. Money is now being taken away from schools, educators, and the poor due to greater tax cuts.
So, capitalism. Liberal market. Competition. Let the invisible hand of the market do what it will. Take raw materials, make a consumer good, and sell. May the best product win.
What this can lead to is one strong manufacture taking advantage of a weak manufacture and overtaking them along with their accessibility to raw materials. This could possibly limit competition and make an eventual monopoly (hey, Rockefeller did it). The leader of the monopolistic cooperation would be able to manipulate the means of production from the raw materials, workers, to the final product. They would be able to cut losses and wages in order to create a greater profit for their company, which leads to lining their own pockets.
To me, that seems greedy.
People add to this greed because the owner of the production keeps insisting that more, and better things are needed. Cost continue to rise, while wages go down. People in the working class can become unable to afford basic needs due their wages.
With all that information in mind, it leads me to a question - Would Jesus be a capitalist?
Think about it: capitalism is the idea of taking advantage of the situation
for profit. Your life is defined by how much money you make and where
to take greater advantage in order to make your life better.
There is no end with that cycle: take advantage, make a profit, take advantage, make a profit.
Jesus calls His followers to provide for the poor, orphaned and widowed. Also, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).
Please do not read what I have not written. This is not against capitalism. What I do not understand is why followers of Jesus act a certain way.
