tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post375795841150719043..comments2024-03-25T15:17:04.488-07:00Comments on Captain Capitalism: Understanding OwnershipCaptain Capitalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620212946121617985noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-5583385182082213902015-07-09T23:17:34.187-07:002015-07-09T23:17:34.187-07:00Socialism has been sold to Americans based on the ...Socialism has been sold to Americans based on the lie that the US is a capitalist country and capitalism is the root of all evil. I'm always very careful to define my terms when talking to people. It can even be amusing. Ask a liberal who is advocating for more taxation and more government control to define capitalism, a term they've been railing over in spit flecked invective, and they'll sputter and start making up nonsense. "It's when greedy people profit by exploiting others." Are public schools teaching Mein Kampf, The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital? I tell them that capitalism is the voluntary exchange of goods and/or services that can only occur when both parties benefit. I try to disabuse them of the notion that the US is anything close to a capitalist country. It's now much more socialist than capitalist.<br /><br />The ownership by the United States government is far worse than depicted in this excellent article. In addition to the 40% ownership of American companies through taxes, taken right off the top, there are numerous other takings. Consider the employees. When a company pays employees, the employees pay employment taxes. The employer matches many of those taxes. I'm self employed, and it's a gut punch to pay both shares. Then an employee spends those wages. Other than prostitution and illicit drugs, any purchase requires more taxes paid to the government. There are taxes on cars, gasoline, food, insurance, hotels... you name it, and it's taxed. You probably don't even see many of them. There are excise taxes on tires, for example. All of your utilities, cable TV, internet, cell phones... all are heavily taxed by federal, state and local government.<br /><br />But even that doesn't tell the entire story of how our government owns us. We need to consider the total cumulative taxes in the goods and services we purchase. State sales taxes are small, by comparison. While it's true that items purchased for manufacturing are exempt from state sales tax, as that tax is only collected at the final retail transaction, there are numerous embedded taxes throughout the supply chain, and the end consumer ultimately pays them all... with her AFTER TAX income that's effectively taxed yet again! Every company throughout the supply chain pays taxes, generally to local, state and federal governments. Those taxes are an unavoidable business expense that is passed on in the cost of the materials being sold to the next company in the supply chain. Most people would be shocked to learn how many of these transactions are required to supply even the simplest product. Read the essay I, Pencil by Leonard Read to gain an understanding and appreciation of the complexities of trade, then consider that each of these sequential transactions includes a 32% corporate tax. Just as persistent pesticides concentrate upward through the food chain, taxes concentrate upward through the supply chain. When the end consumer buys anything, 45% to 55% of the cost paid by the consumer is embedded taxes. And once again, the consumer already paid income taxes on their wages, so 50% of the after tax income they spend on goods and services goes to pay more taxes. The taxes embedded in each item far exceed any pre-tax corporate profits that the socialists loudly decry as evil.<br />Liberty4Everhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10991932345322858593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-32086974881362966112015-07-09T23:16:08.729-07:002015-07-09T23:16:08.729-07:00Splendid analysis and may I suggest that the notio...Splendid analysis and may I suggest that the notions of slavery are tested here because ultimately there is zero individual protection for personal assets assured by the government combine in DC.<br /><br />I would also suggest that the tax rate in America is effectively beyond 100% now.<br /><br />http://zerogov.com/?p=3943<br /><br />Per GDP, that is a deceptive figure to use. <br /><br />Higgs: <br /><br />Until World War II and the postwar years, when the federal bureaucracy institutionalized the government’s preferred method for calculating national income, economists offered sound arguments for excluding government spending from estimates of gross domestic product. Using their general approach reveals that the private economy’s performance for the past thirteen years has been only somewhat better than complete stagnation.<br /><br />https://mises.org/library/how-measuring-gdp-encourages-government-meddlingBill Bupperthttp://zerogov.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-57218170164907204972015-07-09T19:52:13.739-07:002015-07-09T19:52:13.739-07:00Operationally property ownership bestows the right...Operationally property ownership bestows the right of exclusion. If you can't keep the state off your property then you don't really own it. Same thing goes for free association. Traditionally people who couldn't exercise free association were called slaves. Most human resources today are little more than comfortable slaves. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-17581407711578639882015-07-09T18:37:38.985-07:002015-07-09T18:37:38.985-07:00It's ironic that the Left loves to talk about ...It's ironic that the Left loves to talk about how the states and the federal government should tax this and that in order to discourage it (alcohol, tobacco, guns, etc.) but then think an income tax won't have any negative effect on productivity.The Questionhttp://anarchistnotebook.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-44864597561495854142015-07-09T18:07:17.959-07:002015-07-09T18:07:17.959-07:00Isn't what you're describing (asset in pri...Isn't what you're describing (asset in private name, but profits and directing are Gooberment) known as "fascism"? As in, the form of dictatorship during WWII Italy under Mussolini?<br /><br />B Woodman<br />III-perAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-48786353473267194642015-07-09T17:58:02.795-07:002015-07-09T17:58:02.795-07:00Actually, a small business owner IS taxed the same...Actually, a small business owner IS taxed the same (or higher) than the large corporation, because his earnings are ordinary income, instead of corporate tax+dividends. (One guy told me that the point is around $5M/year, where it pays to switch from an S-corp to a C-corp.)<br /><br />And the large corporate gets a partial rebate on tax paid. Many large corporations get laws making it harder for the little guy to compete. For example, all the anti-Monsanto-GMOs-must-be-tested laws are great for Monsanto! Why? Monstanto has the deep pockets to comply with the regulations, but the little agritech startup doesn't have the budget.<br /><br />Also, large corporations get easier access to capital via the bond market, subsidized by the Federal Reserve.FSKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903396202330950362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-59234226867332039092015-07-09T16:40:03.177-07:002015-07-09T16:40:03.177-07:00The issue with this analysis is that Communism was...The issue with this analysis is that Communism was enemy #1 in Hitler's mind, something he made very clear on many occasions in Mein Kampf and in his infamous Commissar Order, which demanded that any Soviet political commissar who was captured on the Eastern front be summarily executed.<br /><br />In addition, I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in the name. I know, I know, "National Socialist." By that standard, North Korea (the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea") is currently a democracy.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-20713114301054864102015-07-09T15:53:26.531-07:002015-07-09T15:53:26.531-07:00Excellent article, sir.
To further prove your poi...Excellent article, sir.<br /><br />To further prove your point, Hugo Junkers died under house arrest, after the Nazis seized his patents and factories. All we remember about him in general was the Stuka.Heath Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16176723284131320506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-83182635089468360982015-07-09T15:50:39.722-07:002015-07-09T15:50:39.722-07:00It was quite common for the Nazi government to dec...It was quite common for the Nazi government to declare that ownership of a random business (or an entire industry) was restricted to Nazi Party members only. Since party members were willy-nilly part of the government, the Nazi government did in fact own "the means of production".Will Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13454533450309633627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-20652857950651905412015-07-09T11:01:14.541-07:002015-07-09T11:01:14.541-07:00I've tried to explain to idiot leftist or do I...I've tried to explain to idiot leftist or do I repeat myself that most Americans pay more in taxes than they do to have a place to live whether that is an apartment or a mortgage.<br /><br />If you add up the tax burden before and after your check, it is quiet substantial even for those making $40k. And when I say add up, count SS, medicare, federal, state and then go home and pay gas tax, car registration, sales tax on water and electricity, fees/taxes on phone bill, sales taxes on food in some states, and too many others to list.<br /><br />In fairness, those on the right are just as stupid. I have yet see any Republican majority actually cut taxes or abolish a law in any meaningful way. sth_txsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-38808651605733029142015-07-09T10:23:22.702-07:002015-07-09T10:23:22.702-07:00Good article, Cap. According to this Mises article...Good article, Cap. According to this Mises article government spending in Germany during the Nazi years averaged 35%:<br />http://mises.org/library/starvation-and-military-keynesianism-lessons-nazi-germany. <br /><br />Another measure I think is individual liberty, particularly economic liberty: the more Socialist, the less the individual liberty. By those counts, both Nazi Germany and the US count as Socialist wet dreams.Robert What?https://www.blogger.com/profile/03863449539859132763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-66230608605032351722015-07-09T09:24:00.480-07:002015-07-09T09:24:00.480-07:00Brilliant !
Never looked at it that way. So, if y...Brilliant !<br /><br />Never looked at it that way. So, if you're a company or person and the govt gets 40% of whatever you make you don't really own it imo. what married couple or business willingly gives up 40% to a third party who tells them what to do in many cases and doesnt call them at least a part owner, only the stupid imo.<br /><br />the govt is a part owner in your business, career, house and now health.leeholsennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-48566104752763032922015-07-09T08:12:46.144-07:002015-07-09T08:12:46.144-07:00the gut punch of the reality I got from reading th...the gut punch of the reality I got from reading this has made me feel ill. I fully sympathize with the cash only transactions in my area.EGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13307781308428653724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-60985709819606429242015-07-09T07:41:32.018-07:002015-07-09T07:41:32.018-07:00If you can't defend it, you don't own itIf you can't defend it, you don't own itRas al Ghulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-50836568687730663512015-07-09T07:11:03.960-07:002015-07-09T07:11:03.960-07:00A-ha!!! I see that a certain capitalist swine has ...A-ha!!! I see that a certain capitalist swine has not been reading the correct politically revised history books Captain! (I am partially to blame, I kept a few in the out house during the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of '06). Take him to The Cooler!!!!<br /><br />I also see you are breaking one of your own rules by arguing with idiots. You and I disagree on religion and I regard this issue as a point in my favour. The point of religion used to be gubbermint. As democratic nations rose the churches became the conscience of the western world and basically served to keep stupid people (like our modern day leftists) in line. When you and your evil capitalist ilk allowed the left to do away with the church, they threw out the morals, ethics and common sense that went along with it. Hence, here we are today with sexually disturbed idiots swarming out of the closets and into the washrooms, classrooms and courtrooms - and legions of low IQ/low skill immigrants flooding across the border to reinforce the idiots of the left. Science and political ideologies don't do a thing to moderate and control stupid people...and a few actually thrive on them. The church, at least, will ask about the ethics of abortion, the ramifications of gay marriage, genetic engineering and stem cell research etc. Those are questions we all need to think about - or they are for anyone with a triple digit IQ.<br /><br />Hitler was nothing unusual. The capacity to do what the Germans did is in all of us and the moslems will be the next to have a go at genocide - and they will be enabled and assisted in that enterprise by the political left just as Adolph Hitler was 70 years ago. One only needs to look at the rising tides of anti-Semitism across the left of the political spectrum for proof. Growing numbers of us are seeing that 'Lest We Forget' has been forgotten by people with the attention span of a gnat! <br /><br />To misquote Bradbury: Brace yourselves, for something stupid this way comes.Glen Filthiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256741311142364722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-39036858545171417872015-07-09T05:31:35.035-07:002015-07-09T05:31:35.035-07:00Good article dog!Good article dog!Bernard Chapinhttp://www.maledefender.comnoreply@blogger.com