On Balance, Capitalism Is Superior to Communism

I thank subutai for this opportunity to debate. I should also note that while these are all communistic ideas, some are more mine, heavily influenced by Marx, rather than completely Marx"s. 1. The economy Private property, and the property owning classes, are inherently oppressive. They allow the few (bourgeoisie) to oppress the many. They take the produce of those beneath them whom they hold captive with debt, banks and the political establishment. Communism proposes a system in which the economy is used to produce what the people need. Such an economy is based on a democratic hierarchy of elected councils which allows those at the bottom to control the top. Historically, communist economies have suffered mainly from an over centralization of power (not necessarily the same as organization) in the economy. When things went wrong, the higher ups tried to deflect it rather than admit their mistakes and directly fix them. The system MUST have accountability at the heart of it and term limits, power of recall, and transparency are vitally important, but went by the wayside in the 20th century Stalinist systems. As comrade Roy Medvedev states in "Let History Judge", "[socialists] must overcome one of the most dangerous consequences of Stalinism-fear of speaking the truth." Supply and demand for most commodities will be calculated by averaging demand over a certain number of years (probably around five) and then producing at a rate slightly above this. Years where production exceeds demand will produce a surplus which can be used in years where demand exceeds production. The rate at which production exceeds demand for a given commodity will vary depending on the volatility of demand for a commodity. Luxury commodities will be produced in such a way that everybody can receive certain amounts of them, though not in such excess that they either become worthless or it begins to interfere with more vital aspects of the economy. Computers and the digital age will allow us to track demand, compute supply and organize distribution with relative ease, when compared with earlier communist attempts. Governments and corporations already do this, and things like censuses, credit cards and smart phones could be adapted for a communist society. Factories and farms would be balanced between productive efficiency and employment, ensuring everyone can work, and for a reasonable amount of time. Most work would fall into one of three categories, assigned, optional and semi-recreational. Assigned work would be similar in concept to jury duty. Some work is unpleasant, but must be done, like garbage collection. To ensure that it is done, everyone would be assigned a certain time when they must do one of these jobs. Exemptions would be rare, especially for political figures. Optional work may be a misleading way to categorize this section, as the option is not to whether or not to work, but rather what work one does specifically. This category includes factory jobs, farming, teaching and such, jobs which will be how most people contribute to society most of the time, and without which society could not function. Finally there is semi-recreational. This title to could be misleading, as recreational does not mean strictly that they are "fun". Rather, they are not necessarily essential to the day to day functioning of society. A coach, painter or philosopher could fall into this category. They are jobs which an individual decides to put some of his or her time into for the sake of the art, and although the state will gladly aid them in this endeavor with support and materials, they cannot expect more than perhaps a day off for a big game or art exhibition. There is one possible exception to this, which is that people who are considered true masters in an art or sport might make it their profession to aid the state in selecting people whose efforts are worthy of support. 2. Motivation A common accusation against the communist system is that it fails to properly motivate people. Capitalism, for example, claims to offer the ability to move up and offers wealth to those who want it enough. But communism seeks a society of complete equality and no money. So what motivates a man to get up each morning and trudge to work? Well firstly, communist work and capitalist work should be distinguished between. Communism offers a sense of purpose and accomplishment to everybody who will work. It offers to give the people the control over their economy, and work for themselves and their comrades, rather than some fat cat. "In 1990, a collection of research papers edited by Princeton economist Alan Blinder extends the data set much further and reached the same conclusion: worker participation usually enhances productivity in the short run, sometimes in the long run, and rarely has a negative effect. Moreover, participation is most conducive to enhancing productivity when combined with profit sharing, guaranteed long-range employment, relatively narrow wage differentials , and guaranteed worker rights (such as protection from dismissal except for just cause)- precisely the conditions that will prevail under Economic Democracy." [2] This quote is about research related to cooperatives and businesses with worker participation in the US. There are some differences between communism and the cooperative system, but the lesson is clear, worker control and rights, plus economic distribution equals greater productivity. 3. Innovation A communist system can provide innovation and technological advancement, without the pitfalls of capitalist motivation. In capitalism, there are of course the rewards. If you've got a good idea and questionable morals, you might be able to be incredibly rich. The problem is, innovation is not a guarantee from the profit incentive. When people create, or do anything, with the sole goal of profit, they are likely to cut corners and not account for anything which will not directly impede profit in the short term, as our most recent recession shows. There are other purer reasons for why we innovate though. Fame certainly plays into it, everyone likes to be a drum major, as Dr. King would say. But creation for its own sake is very human. If you have a good idea, you want to try and make it happen. Belief in the communist ideal is also a good way to foster innovation and motivation in general. Look at Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, "... because his invention was never patented, Kalashnikov didn't get rich off royalties. "We worked for socialist society, for the good of the people, which I never regret,"".[3] Communist innovation would be more like kick starter than Microsoft (although kick starter is NOT a communist group). A sort of online petition system would allow people to present their ideas to the public and if an idea was well liked than it would be classed as either a luxury or necessity item, and put into probationary production in a limited number to see if it was popular enough to be mass produced. People who had successful ideas would be able to get a new job organizing production and further improving their creation. Capitalism damages people, it chains them to mediocrity with poverty, makes people cold and self absorbed, and rewards those people who display the worst human qualities with the most money. Communism is the only way we can end such self destructive tendencies in our species. [1]http://www.nytimes.com...... [2]http://trustcurrency.blogspot...... [3]http://america.aljazeera.com...... [4]http://usatoday30.usatoday.com......