Wednesday, August 29, 2001

Capitalism not a bad word
Taxes and a welfare system are signs of socialism
by Chris Diggs
skiff staff

Individuals have God-given inalienable rights to their life, to their liberty, to their property and to pursue their definition of happiness.

So what is capitalism? It is the ideal social system because it is based upon the principle of individual rights. The term capitalism is used in the broader philosophical political sense, and not just the narrower economic sense.

The moral justification for capitalism lies in the fact that it is the only system that allows the rich man to keep his wealth and allows the poor man the right and opportunity to create his own wealth without constraints and regulations of the government.

It is financial freedom, and in its purest form, and freedom from taxation. Capitalism defines taxation as the initiation of financial force. One example of financial force is the IRS demanding money from an individual, comparable to the mob taking money from a person.

The core principle of capitalism is justice. Capitalism does not serve the needs of the many, but it protects the rights of every individual, particularly protecting the individual from the majority.

In capitalism the essential role of government is to protect the individual’s rights and ban the initiation of force whether physically through violence, or financially. This is done by forcibly removing one’s earned wealth and giving it to another who has not created that wealth.

The government should be a defense from threats abroad, a civil police force, a legal/lawmaking system and nothing else. Anything more moves us toward socialism.
Capitalism is not egalitarian, nor compassionate; but capitalism is just and is the only cure for poverty.

Wealth is not the property of the state, nor the collective, but belongs to the individual that worked for it. The poor don’t need government handouts, they need the government off their backs and most importantly off the backs of those who could really help them; the rich.

Charity is capitalism’s way of redistributing wealth voluntarily. Taxes and welfare are socialism’s way of redistributing wealth forcibly.

However, what about those who cannot truly help themselves? The few individuals in a purely capitalist society who are incapable of taking care of themselves, such as the mentally challenged, crippled and orphans are provided for through voluntary means, such as private charity and religious institutions.

When I was younger I said I would rather be a bloodthirsty capitalist republican than a handout socialist democrat.

And I said that when I was poor (and now I’m a libertarian).

However, as I have gotten wiser, and also after hearing Congressman Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) speak, I have changed my opinion.

I see that the powers of evil that be would have the mass individuals of America and the world believe the war is between black and white (the races), rich and poor (the classes) and republicans and democrats (the political parties). However, the truth is the war is between capitalism and socialism. The United States of America just happen to be the biggest and most valuable battlefield.

Unfortunately, our country is a mixed economy/welfare state and whichever side wins America, will subsequently win the world.

Chris Diggs is a freshman e-business major from Dallas and he can be contacted at (c.e.diggs@student.tcu.edu).