Poster of Moore's new movie (AP)
Michael Moore’s new documentary, “Capitalism: A Love Story” is soon slated for nationwide release. It tackles the negative impact of runaway capitalism, especially the recent trillion dollar bailouts for multi-national banks and corporations like AIG. Moore’s social commentary rides the cusp of popular outrage, suggesting that America’s love affair with all things capitalism may be a fatal attraction.
The quickening corporate scandals of the last few decades have been escalating in size and intensity: it hasn’t been a case of just a "few bad apples”. The failures of the S&L crisis, Enron, subprime mortgages, Bear Stearns, Lehman, AIG, reveal a deeper social pathology; an epidemic of self-serving materialism, eating away at the soul of America.
“Capitalism: A Love Story” challenges a morally complacent and slumbering nation unaware that the compound depredations of excessive profiteering and consumerism just don’t jive with our most revered ethical and religious teachings.
Moore explains,
"I started out wanting to explore the premise of capitalism being anti-American, and anti-Jesus, meaning it's not a Democratic economy. And it's not run with a moral or ethical code. But when the crash happened, it added a third plot line: not only is capitalism anti-American and anti-Jesus, it doesn't work."
More people are waking up to this perspective (no pun intended) -- that is, the opinion that unhinged capitalism is not only unsustainable, but ultimately, self-destructive. Not so much that markets and competition are inherently bad, but when mega market-players target our political system to ‘buy’ favorable legislation, the inevitable results are disastrous. Multi-national corporations wield billions of dollars to influence and author policy, undermining our democracy. Politicians are bought up one-by-one until all we’ve been left with is a neutered republic, bloated beyond recognition, unable to neither self-correct nor adequately serve the majority of Americans.
Take, for example, our current health care debate. Insurance companies, pharmaceuticals and industry lobbyists hedge their bets by playing both sides of the field, solidifying their control. Over the last two Federal election cycles, the health care industry has “invested” nearly a billion dollars manipulating the political process: $963 million dollars of lobbying and political contributions pumped right into members of Congress. Candidates get sucked into the donor vortex, spun into acquiescence, made dependent upon continued support and consequently, unable to deliver on any significant health care reform.
Dr. James Kimmey (Missouri Foundation for Health) recently commented at former Missouri Governor Bob Holden’s Public Policy Forum, the industry's returns on this lobbying “investment” are the five health care bills now floating around the District of Columbia.
Hardly a peep is heard from Congress about what happened to calls for single-payer health care, no apologies offered by those in power to the majority of people who need coverage, want a public option. The conciliations and concessions largely all directed toward Big Insurance, Big Pharma, Big Medical.
Where are the progressive voices protecting the people first?
Political leaders have not been so easily compromised or weak-willed in our nation’s past. President Andrew Jackson bravely fought against corrupt banking powers and Teddy Roosevelt opposed corporate monopolies, promising a "square deal" to everyday Americans.
FDR, godfather to progressives, in a speech in 1936 spoke in no uncertain terms. Roosevelt proclaimed our Revolution of 1776 threw off the tyranny of the British Empire, but as America matured, new forces emerged seeking to reassert servitude and oppression. Through the machinery of modern civilization, “economic royalists carved new dynasties” simultaneously making the argument that anyone opposing their brand of capitalism, was anti-American.
“These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power. Our allegiance to American institutions requires the overthrow of this kind of power.”
Political courage and conviction are in short supply today, but the natives are growing restless. With Wall Street and Washington in bed together, the ever-increasing bill for this tryst in the trillions, it may be time to summon some of FDR’s strength and resolve to break up this unholy romance. Corporate and government collusion to this level is not progress, but rather turns back the clock to a darker and more socially unjust era.
As FDR said,
“...the resolute enemy within our gates is ever ready to beat down our words unless in greater courage we will fight for them.”
With my ear to the street, I sense a fight like no other welling up in the people. The folks in upper echelons of national power need to honor their commitments and start serving their real master, the American people, or we will find a different crew.
For more info:
Wikipedia on Capitalism: A Love Story
FORTUNE Interview: Michael Moore: 'Capitalism is anti-Jesus'
"What Went Wrong Ethically in the Economic Collapse" by Alexander F. Brigham & Stefan Linssen
"Billions for Lobbying at the Taxpayers’ Expense" by Richard M. Ebeling
An Excerpt From "The Audacity of Greed" by Jonathan Tasini
Comments
The problems you cite, "the S&L crisis, Enron, subprime mortgages, Bear Stearns, Lehman, AIG" can mostly be blamed on GOVERNMENT.
And it will not stop as long as this administration continues to fill its positions with the same people who were in charge of those same companies.
The problem is not capitalism! Its the Goverment allowing these types of things to happen, because our goverment officials profit from the wrong doings of the wealthiest of the wealthy with campain donations for one. Just like you do not flush all healthcare insurance down the toilete for the 15% who don't have it, you don't throw out all capitalism to fix the small percentage that is corrupt. America is built on capitalism and without it we will no longer have any good ideas coming from our people. Socilaism, which is in the process, will ruin our country, not fix it, this is not debateable, its proven around the globe. There must be a way to keep the small population of greedy elitest pigs from ruining all of the good that capitalism offers!
I have asked many to answer this question.
Can the government FIX the financial problems we see today?
Many on the left answer YES.
If that were true, why could the government not have PREVENTED the problem?
There is so much wrong with this post!! Others have mentioned that it is not capitalism, as capitalism and markets are different concepts and we do not have free markets, but government intervention in the markets that is the main problem. It is something that has been going on since the founding of our country.
In any case I would like to ask excatly how is capitalism, that the private ownership of capital i.e. private property, anti-Jesus??
When did Jesus call us to give up our private property to the state so it can help others?? I recall Jesus asking his disciples to leave everything behind to follow him but when did he say we should leave everything behind to follow the state?? The fact is he called individuals to follow him and help the poor not the state or not for individuals to give what they have to the state!!
Viewing some of these posts, it's clear that some people just don't get it. Blame the government for not preventing some of these problems? That's the point, the role of government should be to protect the public from these corporate entities. Since the election in 1980, the drumbeat from the right has been "government bad". They got government "out of the way" as they love to say, but out of the way of corporate entities to profiteer to the point of their own peril (as well as the rest of us). The purpose of a corporation is to make profits for their investors. This works out fine unless and until the corporation uses those profits to change the rules to increase their own profits. They will change the rules until the system breaks.
DeLear's summation of Michael Moore's CAPITALISM is excellent, but the message of the film will never convince the small-minded rightwingers who are mostly poor rednecks but consistently vote against their own benefit because they are so selfish and don't want to pay taxes on anything -- certainly not universal health care or schools, roads and even the fire department or law enforcement. It's called GREED
The problem is not Capitalism.
The problem is extremism on the left and the right.
There is really NO big difference between Democrat and Republican Incumbent Politicians.
The only major difference between the IN-PARTY and OUT-PARTY are the two extremes that each go to:
Extreme #1: One extreme wants regressive taxation, unfettered capitalism, little (if any) government regulations, and freedom to explore and wallow in every manifestation of unchecked greed.
Extreme #2: The other extreme wants a nanny-state with citizens increasingly dependent on the government; with massive cradle-to-grave government programs (which are usually severely mismanaged) that nurture a sense of entitlement and dependency on government; wants to grow government ever larger (despite the already current nightmare proportions); rewards failure and laziness; and perpetuates the myth that we can somehow all live at the expense of everyone else (One-Simple-Idea.com/MainPartySimilarities.htm).
Also, the real root problem is NOT only government, when the 535 members of Congress enjoy cu$hy 85%-to-90% re-election rates (One-Simple-Idea.com/CongressMakeUp_1855_2011.htm).
Congress has a nice system. Since there are rarely non-incumbent challengers in either party, and since most voters won't vote for anyone in the OTHER party, Congress enjoys 85%-to-90% re-election rates (87% in the last 2008 election).
As a result, these 10 major abuses continue to hammer most Americans: One-Simple-Idea.com/Abuses.htm
At any rate, the voters have the government that they elect, and re-elect, and re-elect, and re-elect, . . . , at least, until repeatedly rewarding failure, and repeatedly rewarding incompetent, arrogant, FOR-SALE, and corrupt incumbent politicians with 85%-to-90% re-election rates finally becomes too painful (One-Simple-Idea.com/NeverWorse.htm).
and be able to be truely competitive in a fair market system. If government wasn't beholden to corporate donors, and lobbyists who write their legislation and tell them what to think, and hold their hands out for contracts, bailouts, and tax loopholes, government would be able to more fairly regulate private enterprise for the good of the people, and balance our damn national checkbook.
A number of you don't seem to realize that your Anti-Government, or Anti-Socialism, or Anti-Capitalism, or Pro-Gov, Pro-Socialism, Pro-Capitalism bent on the view of the issue are clouding your thoughts. The problem, as Byron eloquently points out, and many of you posters with seemingly different views, is the unhealthy and corrupt relationship that has been developed between government and our private sector. ALL government is inherently Socialism, the differences are how much influence the government has, how much influence the citizens have, how much freedom is allowed, etc. What we need is a thriving Democracy, and a thriving economic system, which is most likely through a form of Capitalism, but not our current form. We need a stronger barrier between Private corporate enterprise, and Public government enterprise. If markets, banks, and corporations didn't spend so much time and money trying to own government, they would have more time and money to innovate
The key to understanding both American capitalism and government is the concept of economic inequality. For the incredibly successful post WW II years there was high economic growth and wealth creation that was shared over about two decades. But then corporate corruption took over the government, with the result that wealth creation was no longer shared, but intentionally steered to the richest and most powerful people. Thus we have had rising economic inequality because the government no longer serves the people, but serves the corporate elites that control the two-party plutocracy. We must remove corporate control by eliminating all forms of money going into the political system beyond relatively small amounts from individuals. This requires a constitutional amendment that Congress will never propose, which is why we must force Congress to convene the first Article V convention, the option the Founders gave us in anticipation of a government no longer worthy of support.
Rusty, Joel,
You're both right. Economic inequality has been growing for a long time. The gap has never been larger since the Great Depression (One-Simple-Idea.com/Abuses.htm#Chart). Not since the Great Depression has the wealthiest 1% owned 40% of all wealth.
Rusty, You're right. Our government is FOR-SALE, because 99.7% of all 200 million eligible voters are vastly out-spent by the tiny 0.3% of the wealthies voters who make a whopping 83% of all federal campaign donation of $200 or more (One-Simple-Idea.com/OpenSecrets_DonorDemographics.htm).
Also, the Constitution is being violated in MANY ways: One-Simple-Idea.com/ConstitutionalViolations1.htm
Article V is being violated, and all members of Congress joined in Walker vs Members of Congress to violate Article V, despite over 700 Article V applications from all 50 states: FOAVC.ORG/file.php/1/Amendments
At any rate, the voters have the government that they elect, and re-elect, and re-elect, and re-elect . . .
I suspect most voters would support TERM-LIMITS, a BALANCED-BUDGET amendment, and a number of other common-sense amendments.
But good luck with that, since Congress blatantly violates the Constitution and refuses to call an Article V convention, despite over 700 Article V applications from ALL 50 states (FOAVC.ORG/file.php/1/Amendments).
Good luck with that, since the majority of voters continue to repeatedly reward failure, and repeatedly reward incumbent politicians with 85%-to-90% re-election rates (One-Simple-Idea.coim/CongressMakeUp_1855_2011.htm), . . . , at least, until that becomes too painful and voters possibly repeat what the majority of voters did in year 1933, when they voted-out a whopping 206 members of Congress (One-Simple-Idea.com/CongressMakeUp_1855_2011.htm#GreatDepression).
At any rate, the voters have the government that they elect, re-elect, re-elect, re-elect, . . . , at least, until that finally becomes too painful.
I find it remarkable how close the “opposing” sides really are in this debate. What is getting in the way of a rather unprecedented (and powerful) alliance is the shrill nature of the debate itself. On both sides, there are “trigger” terms and phrases that set people off.
Our friends on the right read the word Capitalism and immediately see red. (No pun intended). And we progressives tend to get up in arms whenever the role of government is questioned.
But seeing red hides the fact of the matter: Michael Moore doesn’t support corporate bailouts any more than, well, Joe the Plumber. The real problem that DeLear is getting at is how entrenched corporate special interests have become in our politics – on both sides.
Everybody is filled with righteous outrage, and outrage can lead to positive democratic change. But only if the outrage is coupled with sincere, civil discourse.
You have gone right to the heart of our doom -- the blind embrace of capitalism as something that is God-given. No where in the New Testament does anyone, Jesus or disciples encourage the basic selfishness that is capitalism. In fact, from Jesus on, there is a clear call to put others first. Rampant, corporate capitalism is the exact opposite of the best of Christ's and the early Church's teachings.
The original capitalism arose among individuals who wanted to throw off the economic control of the religious institutions of their times. The worst abuses of Capitalism were kept in check because their interactions were person to person.
But corporate capitalism has no such controls. Its encourages the worst possible behaviors through incorporated anonymity.
As for Jesus supporting Capitalism, any honest reading suggests that is nothing but selfish self-denial. He called us to be our brother's keeper, not a Pharisee lending money in the temple.
"Bi-partisanship" is just that, partisan for two ideologies. As such, it is exclusive of any views or policies not of the two parties. Most Democracies invite multiple views, even greatly differing views to the debate. While the U.S. invites a mere 2. Calling it optimistically "Bi-partisan". How bout "omni-partisan" or Non-partisan for a real change?!
Nader, Kucinich, Ron Paul, why are these voices smothered by the corporate media just as they are lauded by the public?
Many questions, demanding real solutions.
Keep up the great work, Bryon!
nothing short of the Article V Convention, i.e. the U.S. Constitution, will save us now. the train--the 111th Congress--has left the station. we must cross the platform to the other train--the convention clause. to boot, it's currently mandated by the Constitution.
as to Voting, you may not be aware, but september 3rd ES&S bought Diebold. we now have one private corporation counting 50% or more of votes in federal elections. to those who think we can vote out corrupt politicians, i suggest that it's no longer true we get the government we elect, but the one foisted upon us.
Great work Byron. The FDR speech left me with chills. To think of
how far we came from true heroism of this nation to the lowest banks
of a generation of Brats whose only concern is how much they can
acquire, is beyond sad. What has been lost is the price we paid for
freedom and a massive population who doesn't have a clue. That is how we ended up with faux politicians who pulled the rug out under
us whilst the people slept.
Bless you my friend, keep up your great work.
No honest definition of capitalism would leave room for government bailouts of failing companies. To the contrary, capitalism requires that companies making bad decisions should fail and their assets and resources redistributed to more productive uses under more competent guidance. Neither the bailouts nor any of the policies made to serve particular companies who lobby Congress are consistent with free market capitalism.
Capitalism is basically sacrificing consumption today to create an asset of some kind that will improve productivity tomorrow beyond what might otherwise have been realized today. A man fasts for a day to gather plant fiber to fashion a fishing net. Sure, he goes hungry for a day because he forgoes fishing with his hands. Tomorrow, however, he will catch more fish that he would have had he continued with the less productive means. There's nothing morally wrong with this. Nor is there any moral justification for stealing his net for "public use".
That the money handlers establish policy should shock no one. In every society, since the concept of possession was established thousands of years ago, whoever controlled the resources controlled the fate of others. Abuse of this power is a cyclical event as inevitable as a volcano. It will reach an unacceptable level, the peasants will revolt, and the power brokers will go into hiding for a while. Rinse and repeat. In this modern time though a 'revolt' is potentially catastrophic to a large portion of the human race so hopefully we can avoid any such fallout when it happens.
Right now we are at a false peak in that cycle. Its bad, but not unbearable. We were conditioned to accept $2.50 gas as 'cheap' by suffering through $4 gas for a little while, as an example.
If you wish to fix this you need to vote in people with vision and proven leadership. This has not happened since the 60's. Until we make it happen again things will continue to worsen.
The problem isn't "Capitalism".
The problem is:
(1) These 10 abuses: One-Simple-Idea.com/Abuses.htm
(2) Resulting in these problems: One-Simple-Idea.com/NeverWorse.htm
(3) and perpetuated by the majority of voters who repeatedly reward failure and repeatedly reward Congress with 85%-to-90% re-election rates (source: One-Simple-Idea.com/CongressMakeUp_1855_2011.htm).
Perhaps when enough Americans are bankrupt, jobless, homeless, and hungry, they'll stop rewarding FOR-SALE, incompetent, and corrupt incumbent politicians with 85%-to-90% re-election rates (87% in the last NOV-2008 election)?
There's a paradox.
The majority of votes give Congress dismal 9%-to-28% approval ratings, but repeatedly reward Congress with 85%-to-90% re-election rates.
Why? Here's the main reason: One-Simple-Idea.com/ProblemAndSolution.htm#root
At any rate, the voters have the government that they elect, re-elect, re-elect, re-elect, . . . , at least, until that finally becomes too painful.
First of all I would venture to say Michael Moore is definitely a capitalist, I seriously doubt he choses to live in a rundown apartment in Queens, or east L.A. with all his poor oppressed fans. He obviously doesn't live on food bank food, Top Ramen, and mac and cheese. Seems somewhat akin to the pot calling the kettle black.
Capitalism is not the problem. The problem is that our people have abdicated any sense of any morality, responsibility, ethics, compassion, and in our governments case common sense, that our country was founded on.
This is a Constitutional republic, not a Democracy, true democracy is anarchy, you think thats a good idea? Socialism always fails , the problem is you run out of other peoples money, then the people, and businesses head for greener pastures, thus eliminating your tax base.
The founding fathers were very intelligent men and wrote the constitution and bill of rights the way they did for a reason, to prevent the tyranny that some people embrace.
The subprime mess was created by the progressive thought of everyone has a right to a home pushed by liberals along with ACORN and others. They were warned about the ramifications years if, if not decades ago. H1N1, global warming, all of these "crisis" we face are nonexistent, and purely profiteering moves by our current government of Frauds, Tax cheats, and rabble rousers, we don't need, nor do the majority want health care "reform". Yet another manafactured "crisis", if you want health insurance pay for it instead of flat screens, ipods, luxury cars, expensive nights out, or sign up for medicaid, or GOD forbid get a job!
Fire Congress, the Senate, the czars, we have more than imperial Russia ever did, and fire our current drunken sailor spending administration. Time to start over and get back to basics!!!
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