General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Capitalism is NOT a dirty word. [View all]malthaussen
(17,184 posts)... that of maximizing growth while ignoring the impact on limited resources and the environment.
Capitalism qua capitalism is not a dirty word, but as currently practiced it is a dirty system. As others have pointed out. Regulation would be fine and dandy if said regulations were adequate and enforced. They are neither.
The reason some want to make capitalism a "dirty word" is pushback due to making words like "liberal" and "socialist" dirty words. These ideas have been distorted by those who would seek to perpetuate the kind of unbridled capitalism that you yourself agree is poisonous.
You are mistaken in your definition of socialism. It is not "all property is owned by the state." Many, if not most, of the countries in the EU practice Democratic Socialism, which provides for private property and corporate ownership of businesses. It does, however, provide for state-run ("owned," if you like) services such as telecommunications, transportation, education, power, water, etc. The unbridled capitalist insists that privatization of such services is a more efficient way to provide them. This turns out not to be the case, and that points to the inherent flaw in capitalism, which is that it is about making money for the capitalists, and not serving the population as a whole.
-- Mal