What is Capitalism

[Luxman]

New York medical school eliminates tuition after $1bn gift - Feb 26, 2024
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68407453

If they invest the money wisely, it could potentially pay for the education of tens of thousands new doctors in this century alone.
However, the corrupt administration will probably give themselves tens of millions of dollars of yearly bonuses, so only a few thousand students will get free tuition before the money runs out.

 

[Luxman]

Lina Khan – FTC Chair on Amazon Antitrust Lawsuit & AI Oversight | The Daily Show - Apr. 1, 2024

 

[Luxman]

 

[Luxman]

 

[Luxman]

Declaring War on Homelessness Innovative Solutions to End the Crisis

 

[Luxman]

 

[MOTOPAC]

There's lots of liberals who run businesses. Successful ones at that.

 

[Luxman]

Japan's Lost Decade - An Economic Disaster - May 13, 2024

 

[Luxman]

 

[Luxman]

Bill Ackman's plan to fix America

 

[Luxman]

Greed can be a destructive force in human behavior. It's a natural instinct to seek out resources and accumulate wealth, but most people balance this desire with empathy and concern for others.
Unfortunately, there are some individuals who prioritize their own wealth and power above all else, even at the expense of others. This can lead to a range of negative outcomes, from environmental destruction to economic inequality to political corruption.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that our economic and political systems often reward greed and self-interest, rather than empathy and cooperation. In capitalist and other economic systems, companies are incentivized to maximize profits and shareholder value, even if this means exploiting workers or harming the environment.
It's important to recognize and address the harmful effects of greed, both at an individual level and at a systemic level. This could involve promoting empathy and cooperation in our education systems, reforming economic and political systems to prioritize public welfare over private profits, and holding individuals and corporations accountable for their actions.

~AI

 

[Luxman]

 

[Stephen1956]

Greed can be a destructive force in human behavior. It's a natural instinct to seek out resources and accumulate wealth, but most people balance this desire with empathy and concern for others.
Unfortunately, there are some individuals who prioritize their own wealth and power above all else, even at the expense of others. This can lead to a range of negative outcomes, from environmental destruction to economic inequality to political corruption.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that our economic and political systems often reward greed and self-interest, rather than empathy and cooperation. In capitalist and other economic systems, companies are incentivized to maximize profits and shareholder value, even if this means exploiting workers or harming the environment.
It's important to recognize and address the harmful effects of greed, both at an individual level and at a systemic level. This could involve promoting empathy and cooperation in our education systems, reforming economic and political systems to prioritize public welfare over private profits, and holding individuals and corporations accountable for their actions.

~AI

Those with stone-cold hearts vs. those who have a compassionate heart, who believe they are their brother's keeper is clearly illustrated in the old story of "the good Samaritan". The one who had compassion for the man along the road, who had been robbed and striped bare vs. the others who walked by without offering to help. Universal health care vs. fend for yourself, taxes to pay for dental care for everyone vs. a bottle of whisky and a pair of plyers. Compassion should come when those who listen respond by helping when a need is placed on their hearts. Unfortunately, those with stone-cold hearts firmly believe they have no obligation to pay for anything that does not benefit themselves.

 

[Luxman]

While white collar crimes may not receive as much attention as violent or street crimes, they are indeed prevalent and can cause significant harm to individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.
According to some estimates, white collar crimes cost the U.S. economy more than $300 billion per year, which is more than the total cost of all street crimes combined.
White collar crimes can take many forms, including fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion, and insider trading. These crimes can be committed by individuals, businesses, or even government officials, and can have serious financial, emotional, and societal impacts.
Despite their prevalence and impact, white collar crimes can be difficult to detect and prosecute, in part because perpetrators often have access to resources and legal expertise that can help them avoid detection and evade consequences.

~AI

 

[The Yak]

Is there a limit to what corporations are allowed to get away with? "Just go shop somewhere else". Google "food deserts". Wal-Mart is often the only store for miles. Why do we tolerate this?

 

[tvstrip]

The math isn't exactly right, but in the right ballpark.

 

[tvstrip]

Looking at it another way...
As of this post (Sep 2024), Musk is worth $241.8 Billion
(https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/)

If you made $1 Million every day and didn't spend a cent, you would have had to start in 1360 to be that rich. As in, over 130 years before Columbus, around the time the Black death was just over, and the start of the 100 years war.

Or if you made $100,000 every day and didn't spend a cent, you would have had to start 6625 years ago. That was the Neolithic period when we first domesticated horses and chickens (https://www.storiespreschool.com/time_human_prehistory.html)

It's literally so much money it's hard to conceptualize how long it would take to accumulate that much.

 

[tvstrip]

Canada has a handful of cities too, but luckily still not double digits.

 

[D-rock]

View attachment 1156260

The math isn't exactly right, but in the right ballpark.

One of the things about that that makes it even worse is that Elon Musk is an imbecile. I know what the correlation between competency and wealth or intelligence and wealth isn't really as strong as a lot of people think, especially at the very top of the wealth scale, but damn is Elon a legit dumbass. He might be history's greatest example of the concept of a meritocracy not existing and never have existing. How somebody like him could fall upwards his entire life while much more deserving people (which is damn near the majority of the planet) have to struggle through life shows how illogically and nonsensical the world actually runs, not to mention it's unfairness.