The Problem with Capitalism

As I see it the problem isn't really capitalism but human nature. Capitalism is a known quantity, it's all about greed and greed only. It always devolves to the lowest possible level and recognizes no rules whatsoever. Its structure is pure feudalism and the end result of every transaction is dog-eat-dog and every 'deal' is governed by how much power the parties each have.

Our problem is that we try to smear on morals and ethics to a system that doesn't have any idea what those are. You can have all the 'economic engineering' you want and your lovely scheme will always instantly rot at the seams.

The one and only thing you can do (if you're trying to control the beast) is to set out some ironclad rules for the crazy people - think of them as a bunch of Charles Mansons. Create bonecrushing punishments for transgressing those rules (be sure to make the punishments personal) rigorously enforce those cruel rules... and wait for the inevitable rot that will nibble away at and crumble said rules and enforcement... until you have to start over with new and even more onerous rules and enforcement.

That's the awful truth as the man said. The rest of economic theory is just a bunch of crap based on fairytales about how humans operate.