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In reply to the discussion: Capitalism Kills Nearly 1 Million Americans Per Year [View all]Bernardo de La Paz
(50,288 posts)52. Capitalism prevents more than 1 million deaths per year
Because our society is organized along capitalism rather than communism, things like sewers and sanitation are efficiently enabled by pipe manufacturers, digging equipment manufacturers and so forth.
Mind you, it is regulated capitalism, so cars have to have seatbelts and airbags and three brake lights, etc. Capitalism did provide those. Volvo introduced seatbelts and only later did they become required.
Never forget that in societies without capitalism (Soviet Russia, North Korea) life expectancy is significantly lower (hence deaths) than in capitalistic societies, especially socialistic-capitalistic societies. When food is efficiently available, people live longer. When well-regulated capitalism is functioning, industries are more efficient and less polluting so people live longer and more happily (happiness also increases longevity). Cuba is an exception to the communism rule because their society has focused heavily on healthcare, to the extent that they export it as services.
The problem is not capitalism or socialism or communism (though the last is not on the table). Nor do you require authoritarianism to get trains to run on time. They can make them run on time, but so inefficiently there ends up being fewer trains.
The problem is that the benefits of capitalism are not well distributed.
The society is rich enough to provide a basic income to everybody, a room with a locking door, and health care insurance. Everywhere those three things are provided, social costs go down and on balance governments (taxpayers) have to spend less while more people are able to get and keep jobs. Win-win.
The problem is that there is unsustainable wealth and income inequality. Sorry to have to say this (not really): the solution is to tax the rich like they were taxed in the Fifties when the groundwork for modern society was being laid down so successfully (interstates, public education, scientific research). That lead to groundbreaking social changes then and in the Sixties (integration, end to racial laws, emancipation of women) and beyond.
We are so close as a society to breaking through to a much better more harmonious world.
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The Nordic model, regulated capitalism with robust benefits for citizens such as universal...
brush
Jan 2023
#15
It's not facts, it's taking one raw number, out of thousands of comparative measures, and falsely
Celerity
Jan 2023
#123
The darkness related suicide rate has been vastly reduced via vitamin supplements & sunlamps/tanning
Celerity
Jan 2023
#142
Very glad to hear that the Vits & sunlamps etc have helped! And TY for these beautiful🧡photos!
electric_blue68
Jan 2023
#210
US capitalism, on balance, is vastly under-regulated and more rapacious than Nordic capitalism
Celerity
Jan 2023
#193
Police killings are not statistically very large in a country of 320 million
EX500rider
Jan 2023
#131
You forget the basic fact that the older the demographic skew, the higher the death rate. . . . nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2023
#201
I became impressed w the Nordic model as I found out more about it around 35 yrs ago
electric_blue68
Jan 2023
#140
This rebranding of liberal Democratic policies as democratic socialism, but that democratic
betsuni
Jan 2023
#199
Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance are not examples of "socialism"
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#38
When ideologies on the extremes have no real accomplishments of their own--aside from
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#188
No, that's just traditional markets that have been around for thousands of years
Farmer-Rick
Jan 2023
#181
Not so simple & NOT binary / either-or. Socialistic-capitalism is better distribution of wealth
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2023
#57
Socialism isn't about better distribution of resources. That is wholly inaccurate.
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#67
State-ownership of production is premised on better distribution of resources, but rarely efficient
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2023
#70
That's my point: that it never works out that way. Modern liberalism is socialistic-capitalism
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2023
#75
You are dead wrong. All these countries have advanced capitalist economies.
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#41
What facts do you need to be convinced that the Nordic countries all have advanced capitalist
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#51
Norway and Finland are socio-capitalist. Blended capitalism. Venezuela is command-and-control
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2023
#59
The US has a far higher population and people in those US areas live better than the poor in
JI7
Jan 2023
#159
lol, if poor people lived better in Venezuela than in the US you would have people going to
JI7
Jan 2023
#161
There is not too much capitalism; there is not enough socialism: basic income, healthcare, shelter.
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2023
#54
As extreme poverty declines worldwide with the spread of capitalism I'd say it does not
EX500rider
Jan 2023
#133
Manley's PNP government did take over a large chunk of the means of production.
Celerity
Jan 2023
#37
The utility companies were run by the government as was JOS (the urban bus company)
malaise
Jan 2023
#97
You are entirely correct to push back on the false conflation of Social Democracy
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#43
The policies and programmes they advocate for are not socialist, and those policies and
Celerity
Jan 2023
#78
Correct. Social Democracies have liberal political and economic values.
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#64
Move beyond the isms. Return to small, laterally-construct community groups who have real
Magoo48
Jan 2023
#86
The previous poster is not incorrect, and your meme does nothing to make a point to the contrary.
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#53
capitalist economic systems definitely kill fewer people in the developed world than
anarch
Jan 2023
#103
Yep. We need to start calling the problems associated with this system "POLICY FAILURES"
ck4829
Jan 2023
#32
Agreed, if not THE worst problems, definitely near the top. We have so many problems today,
Ziggysmom
Jan 2023
#209
Somebody (The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma) made lots and lots of money though
ck4829
Jan 2023
#46
I can see this is a pointless conversation, but isn't Vietnam a communist country?
anarch
Jan 2023
#139
Yes, I'm sure corporations will figure out a way to capitalize off of people's misery.
jalan48
Jan 2023
#100
Sorry, not sorry, it's SOCIALISM and corporations have been using it for years
RANDYWILDMAN
Jan 2023
#93
In the words of George Santos, Invisible People has "embellished" the conclusions of the study.
mahatmakanejeeves
Jan 2023
#137
This is Both Sides Corrupt Myth: "Many politicians who could directly influence change are getting
betsuni
Jan 2023
#148
The official US poverty rate in 2021 was 11.6 percent, with 37.9 million people in poverty.
Celerity
Jan 2023
#215
Your calling 40 plus million Americans living in poverty 'little select numbers' says a lot.
Celerity
Jan 2023
#218
Strawman? I'm one who's consistently posited since I joined DU that the Nordics are NOT socialist
Celerity
Jan 2023
#220
Claiming that those who self-describe as socialists and/or democratic socialists are confused about
Just A Box Of Rain
Jan 2023
#221
False frame of what I said AND also ignores the evidence I have presented a multitude of times
Celerity
Jan 2023
#222
Yeah I get the feeling many American's really don't know what poverty is like in the 3erd World
EX500rider
Jan 2023
#230