I & I Editorial BoardThe political left seems to have unlimited funds to spread its poison. Meanwhile, promoting free markets and capitalism is almost always done on the cheap. It shouldn’t be this way. The individuals and businesses that have enjoyed the bountiful fruits of capitalism should generously support those who fight on the ground to keep government from choking the only arrangement that has produced widespread prosperity.
The Democrats and their big tent of progressives, socialists, Marxists, Leninists and Maoists not only have infinite in-kind contributions from a friendly press, they are well funded by the wealthy who have chosen to subsidize virulent anti-capitalists. Think of George Soros. Reid Hoffman. Neville Roy Singham. Michael Bloomberg. Walmart heir Christy Walton. There are hundreds of other rich Americans who became wealthy through the blessings of capitalism, yet give large sums to politicians and organizations that intensely oppose the system that made it possible for them to succeed.
There are some prominent financial supporters of capitalism — the Koch brothers, the Wilks brothers, the Mellons, Adelsons, Uihleins, as well as Elon Musk, Ken Griffin and Scott Banister, of whom we recently just became aware — who understand the importance of protecting capitalism from the vandals on the left. But there are too many capitalists who inexplicably don’t feel the need to fund the guardians of capitalism. Their donations could help offset the big money that finances politicians and groups whose goal is to kill the based-in-liberty system that allowed them to generate great wealth. They seem to not understand that if they don’t battle for what is theirs, it will be taken from them and their heirs.
Yes, Republicans are spending heavily on the midterm elections. This is necessary to keep the left from accruing more political power, which it will use to ruin the great American experiment of liberty and economic freedom. But Republicans have not been reliable defenders of capitalism.
From our experience, we’ve learned that defending capitalism through the intellectual and moral arguments made by nonprofits in Washington and elsewhere, and through media outlets, which know that without capitalism we are uncivilized louts, is a perpetual strain because there’s never enough money to fend off the left.
Ideally, there would be no reason to have think tanks and media that are dedicated to safeguarding capitalism. All voters would understand how, as legendary economist Milton Friedman observed, that “never in history has there been a more effective machine for eliminating poverty than the free-enterprise system and the free market.” But our country, in fact the developed West, is impaired by thoughtlessness, ignorance and incomplete public school educations that are exploited by the vicious plunderers and radicals on the political left who crave power.
There has never been a means by which millions have become so prosperous that they live better than the kings and queens of previous generations other than through capitalism, which is simply the financial interactions that take place when people are allowed to trade freely among themselves. It’s as natural to humanity as socialism, communism, central planning and forced wealth redistribution is unnatural. It is not based on greed, but on mutual cooperation.
Socialism, however, runs on greed, on the envy of another’s success, on covetousness and resentment. The organizing principle is to take, by force, if necessary, the property of producers and funnel it to the violent leaders who will hoard it for themselves. If allowed to run wild, it will crush all the great benefits capitalism has produced.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
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Large corporations can invest people’s savings to buy stock in other corporations they can control through their voting shares. They can use this control to install managers who align with the investment firm. For example, they can ensure climate deniers or people who question mRNA vaccines are not hired. The controlled companies may, in turn, be directed to support and fund certain policies and individuals running for political office or in our justice system.
I hope that is a rhetorical question. The capitalists milk the welfare and pharma/educational/military industrial complexes regardless of who is in charge. Both sides do the grift, its just easier when Dems are in charge. Everyone assumes they will be ok and that the excesses wont hurt them. When it blows up its going to be both fascinating and very tragic.
Because, we are paying bills to become debt free, or start a business.
And don’t even get me started on over taxation, to pay for little socialists to stay idle and write drivel like this turd. And the little leftists are supported by $billionaires, who treat them, lie the useful idiots they are.
Talk about passion-and also some of the lines were very funny. Take care.
Why don’t “defenders of capitalism have money”? In my opinion because they do not have the talents or gifts that God visited on the wealthy.
What they do have is opportunity and good sense. They know they are not the equal of the wealthy and the millionaires, but they want the opportunity to-if luck and God is willing-to become that millionaire.
Why do socialists, communists and DSA-ites have little or no money. Because they depend on the government to benefit them. That’s why our Government is $40 Trillion in debt.
There is a glaring difference between a capitalist and a “crony” capitalist.
The problem is that the Left has pillaged and plundered taxpayers for decades now, redirecting government finances into their pockets to fund all manner of propaganda. Trump took a few actions to curb this, but really only a tenth of what should have been done to curb the theft. Republicans held power in congress but almost completely failed to back him up and push forward legislatively to restore constitutional government. And now we are about to get a new congress that is not so much hard left as it is crazy left. The best I can hope for is that will cause a further counter-reaction down the road, and this time we’ll finally get some leaders that are serious about relentlessly cutting government down to legitimate constitutional functions, without stupid things like ego getting in the way.