“Capitalism Is Nothing More Than Stealing”……………

As some of you may have noticed…I have not been writing much in recent days. (and for those of you who didn’t notice…I can only ask…”Why not?”) It’s not so much that I didn’t have anything to say, as it was that I had so much to say….that every time I sat down to write, all of my thoughts crashed onto the keyboard in a flood of anger and frustration…..causing me to think….”Why bother?”…along with “When I do write, people get all pissy….and it probably isn’t going to make a difference anyway…so why put up with the aggravation?”. So after much consideration….I have decided to write anyway. If what I say makes no difference….so be it. At least I tried. If what I say pisses you off….then so be it. While I wasn’t trying to do that (ok…maybe just a little)….if that happens to be the outcome….all I can say is “Oh well”.


With that said….let me tell you a little story……Please read this story all the way to the end….even if you get mad at me in the middle….


Recently I was having a political conversation with a man who is around the same age as me. (For those of you who don’t know me…that’s around 37 years old….for those of you who DO know me…that would be 51 years old). This man was very clear in his stance against capitalism. He said that capitalism (or making a profit) was nothing more than stealing from the consumer. Of course being the evil, profit-making capitalist that I am….I disagreed. I did however ask him to explain. Here is the jest of his explanation. He used me for an example. (I was flattered) He said that people should only be paid when they actually do physical work….He explained to me that what I do....isn't really work. This is because all I do is buy an item (in my case those items would be cars)….mark it up…and sell it to someone else for a profit. In his opinion….that isn’t work….it is stealing. He went on to say that I shouldn’t be allowed to make a profit on those cars……because it isn’t fair to those people who must work a manual labor job in order to pay for that car. He believes that “work” is only performed when you are producing an item….not when you are selling that item. (Hold on….I’ll get to my side of it in just a minute). He also believes that the government should provide shelter, food, education and transportation for everyone who works….and that no one should be allowed to become “rich” at the expense of others.


My rebuttal…….


First of all….let me tell you that I have worked very hard for almost 30 years in the “car business” in order to be able to do what I do today. (and that would be continuing to work hard) During that time, it required that I work a lot of 70-80 hour weeks…that I worked when I didn’t feel like it….and that I worked when I didn’t even like my job. But I did all of that so that I could succeed....and eventually that hard work paid off. I went from selling cars…to being in management within the first 5 years that I was in the business….and then finally to a place of owning my own company. I assure you that none of that came about by NOT working. (all of the people in the ‘car business’ say ‘Amen’ ”) I might also add that over the course of those 30 years of “stealing” (as my friend so aptly put it)…..I have paid a LOT of income taxes…..I have spent a LOT of money in my community….and most importantly….I have given a LOT of that money away to charitable organizations….and to people who have not been as blessed as I have been. All in all….I can say that much of the money that I made by “stealing”, has benefited those around me almost as much as it has benefited my family and me. So if that makes me evil……so be it. For all my liberal friends……let me throw this in as well; “When the percentage of your income that you give to others, meets or exceeds mine…..then I might listen to you whine about the evils of capitalism…until then….shut your pie hole”. What many liberals….and hardly any politicians realize….is that making a “profit” is necessary. Call it evil if you like….but unlike the federal government, businesses cannot operate on deficit spending. When a business ceases to make a profit…..they cease to exist. That means that the evil capitalist business owner…..who is (or was) making a profit (or “stealing”…by some people’s account)…..will no longer be able to hire people to do manual labor….skilled labor…or any other kind of labor. But I guess that would be best….right? At least no one is being taken advantage of….and we can all stand in line together at the unemployment office.


Here’s the best part of the story……..(Some of you will find this harsh, but it is important to the story….so please read on…..especially if you agree with my friend’s side of the argument)…….


The person with whom I had this conversation…..isn’t even a citizen of the United States. Oh, he’s lived here for over 20 years….but he’s not a citizen. He's from a small European country that is (of course) a socialist country. Did I also mention that until recently….he was homeless? I say “until recently”…. because now he lives in a tent on a piece of my property….He has electricity and cable TV (that I provide)….and if it gets too cold or wet...I provide him a place indoors…..All of this at NO charge to him. He also receives food stamps….(not directly from me….those actually come from the government...probably via some evil capitalist person's tax dollars)….which is very handy for him….because it frees up what little money he makes, so that he can buy large quantities of alcohol. I don’t say those things to degrade this man….I say these things to make a harsh, but valid point….If I wasn’t “stealing” from people by making a profit (i.e. capitalism)…..this guy wouldn’t have a place to live….If I wasn’t “stealing” from people...so that I could pay taxes….he wouldn’t have food stamps.

If you happen to be among those who agree with this man...(which means you disagree with me)....then you will probably get your knickers in a swivet over what I am going to say next. If you are living in the United States...in a situation that is similar to this man's....the next time you feel compelled to complain about the evils of capitalism, here are a few suggestions: First of all, maybe you should consider returning to your home country, where socialism is the preferred form of government (because it sounds like it was a pretty sweet place to live....although that wouldn't explain why you left there in the first place)...Secondly, before you complain about our system of commerce here in the United States...maybe you should wait until you have gotten out of earshot of that evil guy who believes in capitalism…(you know….that same one who is helping you survive)….and lastly...at the very least, as you are bashing capitalism and the evil capitalists....try not to talk with your mouth full of food that you bought with food stamps, that were provided to you by the tax dollars of those of us who work. Then Again….That’s Just Me