4 ms·

Corruption is mostly tied to poverty, not economic systems. I currently live in the Middle East, and I don't see the connection you are claiming. I see poor In

by JDDunn9 11y ago

Corruption is mostly tied to poverty, not economic systems. I currently live in the Middle East, and I don't see the connection you are claiming. I see poor Indians being brought in to build skyscrapers in Dubai (one of the most capitalist areas of the world) and Qatar, living in shipping containers, having their passports taken by their employers (trapping them in the country); religious laws that protect rapists over their victims. The major sources of corruption here are not linked to the economic systems, but to greed and religion.

marincounty 11y ago
It's greed. Capitalism only works if you have a strong set of checks and balances. You need everyone watching everyone else. The United States kinda works. It only kinda works because crooks, blatant they be, in the end, get caught. The corrupt politican will eventually get caught. The corrupt building inspector will eventually get caught. The Doctor who performs unnessary surgeries eventually gets caught. I don't believe we have the best system, but I do believe we are the best at squashing corruption. All the wanna be capitalistic countries need to cure corruption before being capitalists. You can't have both. I have always found corruption despicipable. Even thinking about it now infuriates me. I live among very rich individuals. So many of them stepped on others in order to get their wad. All are in denial. And they wonder why their kids look at them with such contempt. Yes--America has its share of wormy, corrupt, in denial, weasels. We just seem to have less than other countries? I don't know what the future will bring. I have seen some people do some despicipable things in order to get ahead. I didn't find The Social Network cool. I saw a vile, little man, do anything in order to get ahead. Yes--my generation had Wallstreet. Most of us didn't find it cool. I'm not saying my generation were saints, but we didn't do it all for the paper. (I got off track with that last paragraph, and expect a lashing from Millenials.)
simonh 11y ago
I agree poverty is a big factor, but to what extent is Qatar truly capitalist? What proportion of it's businesses, by value, are owned privately by people not members of the ruling family? What proportion of it's residents are employed by private businesses? The country's economy only has a private sector at all at the discretion and whim of it's rulers. It is ever thus. Even North Korea has small private businesses and a black market, but does that make it's economic system capitalist? If capitalism is to mean anything, I think it must be that the primary method of gaining wealth is through investing private capital and that there is equal access to opportunities to invest. Otherwise I'm not sure what it means.

by JDDunn9 11y ago

marincounty 11y ago

It's greed. Capitalism only works if you have a strong set of checks and balances. You need everyone watching everyone else. The United States kinda works. It only kinda works because crooks, blatant they be, in the end, get caught. The corrupt politican will eventually get caught. The corrupt building inspector will eventually get caught. The Doctor who performs unnessary surgeries eventually gets caught. I don't believe we have the best system, but I do believe we are the best at squashing corruption. All the wanna be capitalistic countries need to cure corruption before being capitalists. You can't have both. I have always found corruption despicipable. Even thinking about it now infuriates me. I live among very rich individuals. So many of them stepped on others in order to get their wad. All are in denial. And they wonder why their kids look at them with such contempt. Yes--America has its share of wormy, corrupt, in denial, weasels. We just seem to have less than other countries? I don't know what the future will bring. I have seen some people do some despicipable things in order to get ahead. I didn't find The Social Network cool. I saw a vile, little man, do anything in order to get ahead. Yes--my generation had Wallstreet. Most of us didn't find it cool. I'm not saying my generation were saints, but we didn't do it all for the paper. (I got off track with that last paragraph, and expect a lashing from Millenials.)

simonh 11y ago

I agree poverty is a big factor, but to what extent is Qatar truly capitalist? What proportion of it's businesses, by value, are owned privately by people not members of the ruling family? What proportion of it's residents are employed by private businesses? The country's economy only has a private sector at all at the discretion and whim of it's rulers. It is ever thus. Even North Korea has small private businesses and a black market, but does that make it's economic system capitalist? If capitalism is to mean anything, I think it must be that the primary method of gaining wealth is through investing private capital and that there is equal access to opportunities to invest. Otherwise I'm not sure what it means.