ncallaway said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fantasea
The divide between rich and poor in the US will continue to grow wider as those with ambition use their wits and wisdom capitalize on the available educational opportunities to improve their circumstances and the suckers who allow themselves to be cast as victims of the system will stay right where they are, refusing to become educated and rendering themselves incapable of anything but menial jobs.
As US factories continue disappear, so will the factory jobs. Tech is getting higher all the time. Those who can't measure up will keep the fast food chains staffed.
The argument over earning disparity is ridiculous. Brainpower has always outranked manual labor and is worth every penny. If you don't have the right people at the top, there are no jobs at all at the bottom.
I'm not saying brainpower shouldn't outrank manual labor, but I think with the wages as far apart as they are (between, say, a CEO, and a machinist), the system can't last forever. Fast food chains can only become so prevalent, and thus only have so many jobs, before they stop making money.
I'm not saying it will happen soon, and I'm not saying it's going to be a bloody revolution. But capitalism, while a good system, simply can't last forever. That's part of how society works. It will continue to change and evolve with time. It has done so since the beginning, and it will continue to do so.
I do not wish to come across as flippant, however, the argument you make is about the same as asking the question, "How high is up?"
Persons set limits based upon what they think is going to happen. Then they are surprise to find that the limit they set, which they thought was high, turned out to be low.
The next time you encounter a person who has owned the same house for twenty years or more, ask two questions; what did you pay for it; what is it worth today. Then ask what he paid for the first new car he bought and then compare this to the advertised prices for a similar new car in today's market. You'll get an earful of how both of these things surprised him.
On the other hand, wages, in general, have risen at a pace which has always permitted people to buy all of the new homes and new cars produced. Yes, there has been an occasional blip, but the graph continues to climb.
It's quite likely that your grandfather's generation, when your age, had the same doubts you are experiencing. I believe that your grown grandchildren, who will be far better off than you, as you are better off than your grandfather was at your age, will, at the same point in their lives, will experience similar doubts.
If you disagree, and think we have reached the highest step on the ladder in the evolution of economics, I think we're (as two people in debate) stuck. I simply don't think we're (as society) there yet (nor will we ever be, in my opinion).
As the old cliche' goes, "You ain't seen nuthin' yet!"
I do, however, think capitalism will last for quite some time.
Because it has been recognized as the best way to raise living standards, it continues to spread throughout the world.