From: Dehede011@aol.com
>I think you have to distinguish between Capitalism at the Macro
>level and at the level of the individual businessman.
I'm trying to distinguish between capitalism, a form of economics,
and the actions of greedy or unscrupulous persons.
>In a capitalist society with a capitalist government no one except
>the government is allowed to initiate the use of force and that
>against only the invader and the criminal after due process.
This is confusing economics with politics again. How or why to use
force has nothing to do with capitalism.
>But nothing in that process says that the individual businessman
>has to be a capitalist in personal philosophy. That individual
>could possibly be member of a number of personal philosophies but
>if they can not get away with using force, coercion or deceit the
>only tools left to them is free trade.
Capitalism isn't a philosophy, it's a type of economics. My point
is that many traits of individuals are erroneously accredited to
capitalism.
>Personally I have worked for individual businessmen that were
>complete scoundrels personally but could not effectively get away
>with that behavior given our laws and courts. He made a business
>of contracting for work and his best workers knowing him would
>demand, and got, pay in advance before they would go to the job.
>The man was still operating as a capitalist even though he really
>didn't want to - he couldn't get away with anything else.
This person may be a capitalist by default, but he/she is also
dishonest, and a scoundrel.
Many people seem to think capitalism implies a certain set of moral
or ethical values (or it should). It does not.
Scoundrels can also be capitalists, so can dictators.
Brian
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