Lions and Economics
First Armando Galarraga gets screwed out of a perfect game, and now the Lions get screwed out of a victory. I swear, nobody likes Detroit and the reffing decisions show it. I haven't been this mad about a sporting event since MSU's football timekeeper cheated to beat Michigan. * * * * * * * On the economy: "Each day (and especially each employment report) affirms that it is not at all over; that hopes for a swift recovery are somewhere between optimistic and delusional; and that it may yet surpass the Great Depression, possibly bringing to an end the century-long global domination of the United States." Another Republican alarmist looking to discredit the president. Nope, the left-wing Nation. The piece isn't bad, even though it calls for the end of capitalism and a re-assessment of Marx (give violence and tyranny a chance!). * * * * * * * The article repeats an old anti-capitalism canard that many people hold. The author writes, "The evident irony is that greed–the self-interest of individuals, spread across the society–is exactly what's supposed to make capitalism work." Self-interest, not greed, is integral to capitalism. Self-interest isn't greed anymore than eating is gluttony. Self-interest is a fundamental fact of human existence: without it, there is no human existence because we would cease to work for food, clothing, and shelter. If we didn't have any self-interest, we'd die--slowly like someone on a hunger strike, or maybe suddenly, like those Indian monks who, having ostensibly extinguished every ounce of self-interest, wade into the crocodile-infested Ganges, perfectly willing to let a crocodile get them if that's how it plays out. Self-interest frequently morphs into greed and other manifestations of the lust for power, just as eating leads to gluttony and an obese America. But you can't get rid of self-interest any more than you can get rid of eating. Capitalism is merely the best system for channeling self-interest. Do some get powerful to the detriment of others? Yes, but the same happens in socialism, except in socialism, the power is locked in by the State, thereby leading to a tyranny of self-interest.
