DE-DEVELOPING AMERICA

Well, to de-develop America* sounds like a very Christian goal but unrealistic. Capitalism requires ever more consumption. You can either do this through population growth, though the increased population has to have the money to consume (a problem right now), or through getting the existing population to want always more (the purpose of advertising) or both. Of course there are places in the world that could well use more consumption, but we haven't figured out a way to get them the money to buy things. Capitalism also requires an ever increasing population of low wage workers (thus outsourcing). One would think that automation would decrease the need for low wage workers, and may to some degree, but recent history has shown that the low wage workers abroad can operate such equipment so the need for low wage workers still exists.


Communism as practiced always seems to end up with a dictator and a not benevolent dictator at that. Communism as practiced also does not invoke common ownership of goods and property. The trend has been for Communistic nations to adopt Capitalism (China, Russia) which seems to be raising the standard of living for many, but with very serious pollution problems.


Socialism seems to work in some countries like Sweden (which curiously has a high suicide rate, perhaps as a result of lack of sunshine in the winter) and other Scandinavian states. Socialism is not working so well in the U.S. because we insist on getting government services without paying for them. It is all very nice to cut out the services, but, as soon as some disaster occurs, even people who say they want small government, suddenly want a LOT of government aid and fast (see BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill)!** Canada seems to be able to invoke Socialism and still balance their budget, but they don't have open-ended government services as we in the U.S. do.


So, frankly, I don't know of a solution to this problem. I wish I did.


*White House Science Czar Says He Would Use ‘Free Market’ to ‘De-Develop the United States’ In a video interview this week, White House Office of Science and Technology Director John P. Holdren told CNSNews.com that he would use the “free market economy” to implement the “massive campaign” he advocated along with Paul Ehrlich to “de-develop the United States.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/51702 September 16, 2010


** http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/06/if-it-wasnt-so-tragic-it-would-be-funny.html