this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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Move the Overton Window (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/microblogmemes@lemmy.world
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https://bsky.app/profile/mauraquint.bsky.social/post/3lloeqxbpf22l

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[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 72 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I'm not just a centrist, I'm a conservative! I agree with Adam Smith, the father of Capitalism.

For instance, I agree with him that monopolies must be regulated or they will corrupt the government:

It is to sell the one as dear, and to buy the other as cheap as possible, and consequently to exclude, as much as possible, all rivals from the particular market where they keep their shop. The genius of the administration, therefore, so far as concerns the trade of the company, is the same as that of the direc- tion. It tends to make government subservient to the interest of monopoly, and consequently to stunt the natural growth of some parts, at least, of the surplus produce of the country, to what is barely sufficient for answering the demand of the company

...

They will employ the whole authority of government, and pervert the administration of Justice, in order to harass and ruin those who interfere with them in any branch of commerce, which by means of agents, either concealed, or at least not pub- licly avowed, they may choose to carry on.

--

I also agree with him that landlords are parasites and need to be heavily taxed:

As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed and demand a rent even for its natural produce.

A tax upon ground-rents would not raise the rents of houses. It would fall altogether upon the owner of the ground-rent, who acts always as a monopolist, and exacts the greatest rent which can be got for the use of his ground.

If you call yourself a captalist but don't even believe in what Adam Smith said, are you really even a capitalist?

[–] taxiiiii@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Nooooo, you're supposed to quote something about "the invisible hand of the market" without context!

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That didn't stop the Christians

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Sure, but people are a lot more fervent in their support of capitalism than christianity.

[–] KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If you call yourself a captalist but don’t even believe in what Adam Smith said, are you really even a capitalist?

i'm a capitalist, but only to the extent that capitalism is the most effective mechanism of meeting the needs of a market. I think it's fundamentally impossible to run an economic system in any way that is more optimized to the needs of it's consumers than you can under capitalism, and that's what i like about it.

It's also true that there are some self regulating effects on the market. But that's more complicated.

Though, just because i believe the market handles itself in most cases, doesn't mean i believe it requires no regulation. That would be preposterous. I don't want pure unregulated capitalism, but i don't want socialism/communism either, i want both. Both is good.