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From: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Whither Are We Drifting
Message-ID: <2876@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Jul-84 18:48:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.2876
Posted: Mon Jul  9 18:48:31 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Jul-84 03:42:20 EDT
References: ihuxq.1044
Lines: 28

<>
Much recent discussion has suggested that "Capitalism" is a synonym for
"free market" when it is, speaking strictly I admit, not.

Capitalism is the economic system that allows private ownership of the
means of production, and allows the owners (capitalists) to make money
simply because they own the means, not because they are hard workers,
bright (they HIRE bright people), etc.  A free-market economy is one that
permits competition among producers without "excessive" (YOU define it)
outside intervention.  Presumably a free market would lead to
capitalism, but the reverse is not necessarily true (e.g. monopoly
or oligopoly capitalism -- prior to the breakup we had a capitalistic
telephone system in the USA, I remind you).

I once saw a little item than ran something like this:

If you have 2 cows, under
COMMUNISM you give them to the government and the government gives
	you some milk.
FASCISM you give the milk to the government, and they give some back
	to you.
CAPITALISM you sell one and buy a bull.

Moo to you, too,
D Gary Grady
Duke University Computation Center, Durham, NC  27706
(919) 684-4146
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