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14/01/18
20:35
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Originally posted by pear
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Hi Archimides$
"The major distinguishing factor is who controls the means of production from an economic perspective."
Thank you for replying. At least we are now in a real discussion.
If I may give you what the answer is:
In a capitalist society it is the consumer who has unlimited choices, but constrained by his disposable income who decides what is produced and how much is produced. In a socialist economy it is the state who decides what is produced and how much is produced In other words in a free market the consumer is sovereign.
The real enemies of the free markets are when the consumers do not get choices, ( monopolies and oligopies - think banks and electricity suppliers) and when the wealth of a free country gets more and more concentrated in the hands of a few. (Effective demand falls off because of overall disposable income which leads to cut down in production etc etc. - think the killing off of the middle class in Australia.) And just think now why after about 40 years of not increasing wages with indexation why now people are starting to talk about this being a problem.
Archimides$, love to debate this at an adult level without the left, right B,S. Australia is a mixed economy. All western countries are a mixed economies and there is very little difference between the major parties.
Pear
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When "consumers do not get choices"? You mean like when capital progresses through it's natural tendency to concentration? and the loony right "libertarians" start jumping up and down about "real capitalism"?
In "real capitalism", we are told, capitalism doesn't tend to concentration. That's not real capitalism, apparently.