I’ve been in a long running debate with a free market loving cousin over what’s best America, Socialism or Capitalism? We agreed that the answer is neither.
Without the profits of capitalism there would be no tax base to pay for socialist programs to thrive. Without socialist programs there is no human base for capitalism to thrive. Together they are the Yin and Yang.
In Chinese philosophy, Yin and Yang describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. As is socialism and capitalism.
Symbiosis. They thrive together for mutual benefit. Left alone and they both wither.
Capitalism in America would have never have, could never have, achieved it’s massive achievements like the iPhone without Socialist programs like education, a national highway system, laws and enforcement.
Similarly….
Socialist programs in America like Education, transportation, social security, medicare or our very first socialist program, the US postal service, may have never existed, could have never thrived, without the revenue provided from the profits of capitalists.
The two serve different yet mutually beneficial purposes.
Capitalism is excellent at providing for our wants — more and better, yummy. Got the money Capitalism has the answer to meet your wants.
Socialism is excellent at providing for our needs — need an education to be productive, starving, cold or in need of a doctor and you don’t have the money? We have your back. We don’t abandon those in need.
What would happen to the Capitalists profits without the Socialists programs? How could they thrive with an ignorant workforce, with no public roads for their deliveries, if they had to pay for private police & firemen? Sure they could survive as they did in feudal days. Would they thrive as they do today? No way.
What would happen to the Socialists programs without the massive profits our capitalists have built to pay for them? Sure they could exist in some lesser form. Would they thrive to produce the American workforce we have today and protect the elderly as they do? No way.
America has never been Capitalist or Socialist. Those are economic systems not governmental systems. We have always been a mixed economy. We have always been a (flawed) democracy.
There is no right and wrong here. It is not Capitalism Vs Socialism. It is Capitalism united with Socialism. It is symbiosis. United we stand, divided we fall.
Yin and Yang.
Symbiosis or wilting.
Now that my cousin and I agreed it’s not one Vs the other, that it’s really just a matter of where we draw the lines, we can debate the issues logically and solve the world's problems.
He’s struggling to defend capitalist health insurance, a need Vs a want, in the face of all the socialist programs that do a better job for half the price we pay.
His cognitive dissonance is very loud. He is thinking about it. That’s a good thing.
On the other hand he’s asking if we should provide SNAP to the children of parents that waste their money on today's internet
Touche. Almost.
The internet today is the Socialist library our founding fathers desired for all Americans.
And the conversation continues...