The image of the robber baron has been burned into the psyche of the
American consciousness. When one thinks about capitalism or free
markets, this is the image that comes to the forefront of most people's
minds. This image has helped create the misconception that capitalism
and free markets have come to create the financial mess that the world
finds itself in. The truth is that government and their attempts to
regulate markets is what created the robber baron in the first place.
They would have never been able to reach the pinnacles they reached
without the levers of power that government provides.
There's a difference between a good businessman and an elitist
"capitalist" robber baron who claims to be a businessman. A good
businessman will provide an excellent product or service which he will
constantly be trying to improve upon in order to keep his customers
happy and satisfied. An elitist "capitalist" robber baron will try to
eliminate all competition so that anyone wanting the product or service
he provides (usually through the form of some soulless corporation) will
have to be forced to purchase it through his corporation no matter how
poor the quality. He is not interested in keeping his customers happy or
satisfied because his goal is to create a system where they have no
alternative vendors to buy from. He is only interested in keeping his
"shareholders" happy and satisfied as an excuse to implement anti
humanitarian policies and not be held responsible either in the
marketplace or in his own conscience, if he has one.
I put the word capitalist above in quotes because that's what most
schools would teach, that these robber barons of the past were
capitalists. A capitalist is someone who invests his own capital (money
or wealth) in some venture or business in order to make a profit. The
robber barons of old, the Rockefellers for instance, didn't get their
monopolies through investing their own capital in business per se,
however, they invested in government and government power so that laws
and regulations could be created that would help eliminate competition.
This is done by creating regulations that only the very wealthy
corporations can afford to pay for hence preventing most competition
from even entering the market in the first place, thus limiting consumer
choice.
I think there's a bigger problem in that in a free market the consumer
needs to be well informed. This is a problem because it seems to me that
most people don't care to be informed about the most basic things
regarding consumption and the economy, let alone being well informed
about the things he's consuming and how the economy he takes part in
works. It seems to me that too many modern day common folk just want the
politicians to make the economic decisions for them which gives away
their power to someone else. They shouldn't be surprised when such
people do a poor job or abuse that power or make decisions based on what
benefits them personally rather than what benefits the public at large.
It would seem counter intuitive that a free market based on competition
would result in a more cooperative system, but that is because most
people don't stop to consider that they are part of the system, along
with all other consumers who wish to partake in the modern marketplace.
The need for them to become well informed translates into an ability to
judge a product based on more than just its price. Unfortunately most do
not seem willing or able to judge past price and perhaps quality and to
seek out information on things like the conditions the production
workers endure to make the product, the environmental effects the
product might create, the contribution to community the producer makes,
long term health effects the product might have, and other more ethereal
details on how a certain product might be good or bad for humanity in
general. People only seem worried about whether they want something or
not and how much it will cost. Corporations love a less educated
consumer because then all they have to worry about is cost, more or
less.
A free market, when operating properly, would let the world of ideas
come to fruition and elevate humanity to its highest potential. This
would work by allowing the consumer the ability to chose with his money
which competitor is the best. For instance, let's take the idea of a
widget. In the marketplace, company A claims to have the best widgets at
the cheapest cost on the planet. Just about anyone who uses widgets
wants to buy their widgets from company A. But Joe Public has what he
considers a better idea on how to produce widgets and bring them to
market. He goes about using his own capital and perhaps borrowing from
some friends and family to create company B and begins competing with
company A in the widget industry.
Perhaps the widgets company B produces are equal in quality, but they
cost a little more. They are made, however, in a way that has much less
impact on the environment in a facility that treats workers with
fairness and respect. It would be up to company B and the consumers who
felt these were important issues to get the word out. It would be up to
the consumers to decide what was more important and how much they were
willing to support company B's principles. In this way, everyone has
their say in the marketplace. In this way, everyone decides which ideas
prosper and flourish and which ones wither on the vine and die. In this
way, everyone's vote counts.
There are those who would argue with these ideas. They would claim that
people are too stupid, or lazy, or apathetic to make such decisions. To
these people I have a couple of things to say. First, do you really have
such disdain for your fellow human beings that you would judge them so
harshly? On what basis? Are you prepared to be so judged yourself?
Perhaps you're making this judgment about people you don't even know not
based on reason, or even emotion, but based on what you know about
yourself.
The second thing I'd like to say is perhaps that's because of the
government owned education system. We are all imperfect human beings and
have a tendency to behave in ways we've been trained to behave in.
Unfortunately many of us seem to think that once our formal education
has ended we are no longer learning. Perhaps if we wish to build a freer
society where people take more responsibility for themselves and for
their community, we should start by training the children to be free
thinking individuals rather than mindless consumers. Perhaps we should
all realize that we should spend our entire life learning, whether we're
attending school or not, and strive to become free thinking individuals
rather than mindless consumers. It's a shame that we have little choice
in how our children are educated because so much of our income is taken
through property taxes that hardly anyone has the means to send their
children to any school other than public school. Are you truly surprised
when public schools indoctrinate children to empower the system rather
than training them to empower themselves? It is this government system
where the training to compete truly begins, and often children are
trained that competing against authority is futile.
The alternative to free markets is what we have today. It is less choice
for the individual. It is the individual having less to say about what
is important. It is those in charge having more power to make decisions
for you instead of you having the power to decide for yourself what's
important and what isn't. It is a seepage from the marketplace of
products and services into one's personal life and the marketplace of
ideas. It is a growing tyranny that starts in a seemingly benign manner
and quickly mutates into horrors we as human beings seem to have to keep
revisiting from time to time for some strange reason. It is, as always,
the empowerment of a wealthy elite who seem to harbor dangerous world
domination fantasies. Do you truly wish to see these people continue to
steer us all down the path they've chosen? If so, then just go along
with the status quo, put your head down and continue to go along to get
along.
Remember, change begins within. If you wish to see change in the world,
it is important to first create that change in yourself. As a consumer,
you have a great deal of power. Do not allow that power to be taken from
you. Insist that you be allowed to make your own choices. And when the
powers that be become determined to make laws limiting your choice and
therefore your power, insist upon denying consent. We are many and they
are few. Don't be afraid to stand up and be counted. Let them know that
you know. Just as they need your cooperation in order to rule over you,
the free market needs your cooperation in order for you to rule over
yourself.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help
me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews
if you like them so that others might also find and enjoy them.
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
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