Comments on: Last Sunday: Anti-capitalism in Five Minutes http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:40:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Max Shields http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/#comment-127 Max Shields Sun, 06 May 2007 03:36:35 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/#comment-127 Mr. Jensen your points are well documented but I would add the need to include an alternative to the demise of capitalism. The problem has its soluton in your point about unsustainability. Living systems are self-organizing and by their nature will renew through self-organization. There is evidence of actual, not just theoretical manifestos, community based economies and commonwealth distribution of wealth back as income to people in those areas. For more read America Beyond Capitalism by Gar Alperovitz. The "left", in general, has not posed the alternatives, and while your identification of the core problems with capitalism are on the mark, and as I said, well documented, it is essential to offer sound alternatives. Lastly, as far as the collapse of democracy in the US, I would attribute that to a combination of corporate "preditory" capitalism and SIZE. Since the days of Aristotle, through the founding of this nation and thinkers on both sides of the political spectrum it is well understood that democracy is sustained on a small scale - mostly regional - and not sustainable in large expansive highly populated nation-state like the US of A. The size factor creates an elitist body politic that rules through a divisiveness born out of the natural distinction between regional cultures (which are the natural size for a vibrant democracy). The challenge, than, is to transform the structures which are unsustainable to structures which are sustainable. That is the positive and necessary message. Mr. Jensen your points are well documented but I would add the need to include an alternative to the demise of capitalism. The problem has its soluton in your point about unsustainability. Living systems are self-organizing and by their nature will renew through self-organization. There is evidence of actual, not just theoretical manifestos, community based economies and commonwealth distribution of wealth back as income to people in those areas. For more read America Beyond Capitalism by Gar Alperovitz.

The “left”, in general, has not posed the alternatives, and while your identification of the core problems with capitalism are on the mark, and as I said, well documented, it is essential to offer sound alternatives.

Lastly, as far as the collapse of democracy in the US, I would attribute that to a combination of corporate “preditory” capitalism and SIZE. Since the days of Aristotle, through the founding of this nation and thinkers on both sides of the political spectrum it is well understood that democracy is sustained on a small scale - mostly regional - and not sustainable in large expansive highly populated nation-state like the US of A. The size factor creates an elitist body politic that rules through a divisiveness born out of the natural distinction between regional cultures (which are the natural size for a vibrant democracy).

The challenge, than, is to transform the structures which are unsustainable to structures which are sustainable. That is the positive and necessary message.

]]> By: Max Shields http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/#comment-95 Max Shields Thu, 03 May 2007 18:57:49 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/#comment-95 First, Pablo, your post is what is empty. It's an attempt to divert the subject with an infintile game of putting your hands over your ears because you don't like what's being said. If you had a case - you'd state it rather than telling others how you invested time and money (seemingly on separate occasions) and never completed reading the book. From this Mr. Jensen's post I can find nothing to quarrel with regarding facts. It may not be new but it needs stating because the predominate take is that TINA rules regardless of the greed, selfishness and unstainable and damage the system perpectuates in US foreign policy and massive economic and political inequalities and destruction of our democratic institutions. It is not sustainable there are facts to support it; a little reading of Adam Smith will provide the basis for the engine (greed) that supports this system of capitalism. So, Mr. Pablo, if you think you've got something to add - factually - then please do. First, Pablo, your post is what is empty. It’s an attempt to divert the subject with an infintile game of putting your hands over your ears because you don’t like what’s being said.

If you had a case - you’d state it rather than telling others how you invested time and money (seemingly on separate occasions) and never completed reading the book.

From this Mr. Jensen’s post I can find nothing to quarrel with regarding facts. It may not be new but it needs stating because the predominate take is that TINA rules regardless of the greed, selfishness and unstainable and damage the system perpectuates in US foreign policy and massive economic and political inequalities and destruction of our democratic institutions.

It is not sustainable there are facts to support it; a little reading of Adam Smith will provide the basis for the engine (greed) that supports this system of capitalism.

So, Mr. Pablo, if you think you’ve got something to add - factually - then please do.

]]> By: Pablo http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/#comment-75 Pablo Thu, 03 May 2007 10:18:59 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/last-sunday-anti-capitalism-in-five-minutes/#comment-75 Interesting, I bought a book by this guy and went to a book signing in Houston. I never completed reading the book, and I did not read the present article past the three item "definition" of the problem. Another empty article written by someone who is making a living off of "progressives" but has ZERO to add to the discussion. Interesting, I bought a book by this guy and went to a book signing in Houston. I never completed reading the book, and I did not read the present article past the three item “definition” of the problem. Another empty article written by someone who is making a living off of “progressives” but has ZERO to add to the discussion.

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