Mr Barker - I have to comment on some of the absurdities here.
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http://www.kstatecollegian.com/issues/v102/fa/n057/opinion/opn-bailey.html
Though communism's ideal shames capitalism, both fail in the end
Communism as an ideal shames capitalistic greed.
In communism -- not Marxism, but pure communism -- we find a dependence upon
the good in humanity. No one person is above another. All are equal. People
work together, not against one another. Success in pure communism depends
upon the good that resides in each person's heart.
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Marx invented Communism.  They are the same thing.  The phrase "not
Marxism, but pure Communism" is a contradiction.  It is like 'Christianity,
but not that of Christ.'
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In capitalism we see a dependence upon all that is bad in humanity. All the
most gifted rise to the top. Those who have not been endowed with the gifts
necessary to "climb the ladder" are simply trampled. People work against one
another, pushing and shoving in a desperate attempt to get to the top,
whatever that is.
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This is a negative, pessamistic version of capitalism.  Pushing and
shoveing is not what it is about.  Each person competes with others
in a free market to provide the best product.  The pushing and shoving
starts up when socialistic elements start to intrude.  So when I say
Capitalism, I mean free-market economics.
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Success in capitalism depends upon the evil that resides in each person's
heart -- the greed that defines us all.
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Again, a negative and pessamistic portrayal.  The greed in every person's
heart will be there no matter what system of government is used.
Capitalism attempts to direct that self-interest in a positive fashion.
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Without the greed of self-interested people like you and me, capitalism
would crumble. However, because we are by nature very greedy and
self-centered, capitalism flourishes.
Bill Gates did not rise to the top of the computer world simply because he
loved working with computers. Definitely, his motivation to succeed and
willingness to work hard are admirable.
However, the underlying motivation behind almost all capitalistic success
stories -- and most likely Gates' -- is greed. This is not a commentary on
Gates alone, but rather a statement of the general badness that resides
within humanity.
People are driven by the desire to consume more and more, climb higher and
higher, and push harder and harder -- without regard for who or what is left
in the wake of their "success." Left in the wake of such greed are those
who, for whatever reason, cannot -- or will not -- prostitute themselves for
what the system defines as success.
The capitalistic system both disturbs and disgusts me. In an ideal world, I
would find communism preferable.
We do not live in an ideal world.
In our world today, communism does not work. That has been proven in the
past decade. At the very least, it has been proven that communism apart from
God does not work.
And, despite the number of "Jesus Communes" that have sprung up all over the
globe, it has not been definitively proven that communism with God involved
works. People are still far too selfish.
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Another contradiction.  The official religion of Communism is
Atheism (spelling?).
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So we find that as a political system, communism fails. And, we find that as
a system of morality, capitalism fails. Some would say the solution is
somewhere in the middle -- socialism, perhaps.
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Communism is Socialism.  The only difference between Socialism in the
West and that in Russia and other places, is the single party concept.
If the Republicans or Democrats or Tories or Labor, ad infinitum were
to squeeze out the other party, we would end up just like the USSR.
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I would contend that when the strengths and weaknesses of the various
political systems are taken into account, one system is not inherently
better than another. The reason for this is that all systems are forced to
be populated by humans. And these humans are always bad.
What, then, do I propose as a solution?
The only solution I see is a solution that takes away the inherent badness
that resides within us all. All religions address the issue in one way or
another.
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Better people than this guy have tried to erase the badness in all of us.
So far it has never happened.  If it did then we would not need a political
system, since no one would do anything bad.  Everyone would follow the
Golden Rule, etc.



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