[badsector]

Neither socialism nor capitalism is viable. For short, none of them works. The only system that can function in the long term, provide decent living standards to most of their citizens while also providing opportunities to individuals, is a mixture of both ideas. There needs to be free enterprise but it must not be allowed to run out of control and the government needs to be there to provide necessary services. For that it must collect taxes.<br /> <br /> Capitalism is a one way system. The rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. After a while, the rich get ultra rich and the poor get destitutes, then the system hits a brick wall and collapses, like it did in the early 20th century (does "Great Depression" ring a bell?). The solution is to maintain a controlled form of capitalism that provides enough protection to the lower classes to preserve a wealthy middle class. Today the middle class is being elliminated, again, and we are going down the same road we did a hundred years ago. It WILL crash, it's guaranteed.<br /> <br /> Having said that, communism the way it was defined by Marx and Engels in the mid 19th century doesn't work either. Marx's ideas were relevant in his time and he tried to find a solution to the problem by designing a perfect society, with equality for all. By now we know that people don't want to be equal. Besides, communism in some places degenerated into military dictatorship and caused lots of human suffering.<br /> <br /> Neither expreme left nor extreme right leads anywhere good. The middle of the road is the way to go.

[Innes]

Another point is that those on the extreme right does not know the difference between socialism and democratic socialism or liberal (capitalist) democracy.<br /> <br /> Both the latter systems believe in equality of access to opportunity either through direct government action or by government regulation. That does not mean that all individual are the same but that they should not be prevented by others from being able to achieve. There is no clear division between the two forms of democracy except that social democrats tend to prefer more direct government intervention.<br /> <br /> The right believe that freedom entails the freedom to restrict the access to opportunities for others in order to protect themselves. Since the "capitalist class" is seen as superior to all other classes by economic conservatives they believe that their accumulated wealth entitles them to power over others. If you are not already a member of that "establishment" or a "client" of the establishment then your chance at upward social mobility is strictly limited by their "freedom" to control your destiny.<br /> <br /> A brilliant mind who comes from a socially disadvantaged group will rarely be able to attain the education or break into the networks that provide that individual the opportunity to achieve maximum potential. In theory that should not happen because the "cream should rise to the top" but in practice it does because individuals and groups are jealous of their own position and they create a "glass wall" or "glass ceiling" to prevent upward mobility. The "selfishness" or greed that economic conservatives applaud ensures mediocrity not "positive social outcomes."<br /> <br /> <br />