The #1 reason Americans cannot afford health care:

[DissidentVoice]

70. But IS "capitalism" salvageable?

That is the question.

Really, what resemblance does modern American "capitalism" have to the "classical" ideal of "capitalism;" i.e., Adam Smith?

Even the "capitalist" Tories in the UK do not try to dismantle their NHS. Margaret Thatcher did a lot of damage, but she did not destroy it, or completely blockade it as the Republicans in this country do.

The Progressive Conservatives (a bit of an oxymoron) in Canada or the Liberal/Nationals in Australia have not done that either, despite their professions of "capitalism."

What exists in America, as championed by Republicans and (it must be said) aided/abetted by Third Way Democrats, is plutocracy - a society dominated and ruled by the wealthiest, at the expense of everyone else. What the Republicans are pushing even harder for is a corporate republic, where all formerly-government services have been privatised and made into for-profit corporations. Look at private prisons. A lot of things in the military that used to be handled by troops have been contracted out, like food services. Some Air National Guard installations have private security on their gates, except for during drill weekends. I know. I have seen them. That goes along with the vaunted philosophy of "trimming government."

"Capitalism" is not salvageable because what exists in America is plutocracy, and plutocracy is responsible for most of our societal problems - lambasting of social welfare programmes, demonising the poor and, of course, the fact that we are the only industrialised nation in the Western world to not have universal health care. Note I did not say "civilised;" because I do not believe the United States as it currently stands to be a civilised nation.

A good example of what I am pointing at is the Weyland-Yutani conglomerate in the Alien movies - corporation as government, employer, law enforcement and military. Get on the outs with "The Company," as the character of Ellen Ripley did, and you are persona non grata.

If we are not there already, we are certainly very, very close.

I cannot imagine why anyone would want to "save" something so inherently evil.