So the house you purchased and the van you upgraded to are not yours, disposing of your body costs more than a car, visiting family means you have to stay in a hotel, the basic survival needs of your wife and four children are not guaranteed and you want to visit Disneyland and meet celebrities before you die?
Capitalism is beautiful. It's the reason someone built the home that his family lives in. It's the reason why the resources and technologies to build that home were used for that purpose instead of another. It's the reason why people loaned him money to buy that home. It's the reason people built his van instead of something else. It's the reason a stranger is willing to dispose of his body. It's the reason cremation is so affordable if they choose that option.
Capitalism is the reason there will be a hotel with a room available when he goes to visit family. It's the reason there will be gas at the gas stations along the way. It's the reason Disneyworld will still be operating when he gets there.
Most important of all, Capitalism is the reason why so many of his peers are wealthy enough to afford the basic survival needs of themselves and their own families that they are able to donate some of their surplus to help this family in need.
That said, I agree that consumerism and living beyond one's means and not saving for a rainy day and distorted markets are problems.
What Capitalism? America is the largest welfare state in history. Total government expenditures are nearly the size of China's GDP. What we have is corporatism, plunder by a combination of bureaucrats + government protected corporations (see: Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Exxon, Pfizer, etc).
I wish we had Capitalism. All we have is an extraordinarily misdirected, poorly run welfare state.
Nordic countries only implanted welfare after they developed economy. Welfare State means the goverment can take your money and spent it in what they they think is best for you.
A poorly run welfare state is a bad word, to so speak, and that's exactly what America has.
Some of the worst functioning countries on earth are also very poorly run welfare states. Feel free to point out several poorly functioning, free market Capitalism countries though.
Socialism is what gives rise to Corporatism. The intrusion of government into the economy - rather than the proper separation of the two - through regulation and bribes, opening up a flood gate of protectionism, lobbying and special favors.
I'm well aware of the arguments on the nordic model. Most of them had to reform their poorly functioning welfare models over the last few decades (see: Sweden).
If you acknowledge that "welfare state" is not a bad word, then why not just say "a poorly run state is bad"? Adding the word welfare serves only to confuse and misdirect the reader.
That's not the amount that trickles down to those needing the social programs. Most of it is lost in the skimming off the top done at each of the many layers along the way.
Whenever I hear the word "capitalism", I interpret it as "private ownership" by default. I have to remind myself they probably mean the "Laissez Faire" flavor of capitalism. It screws with me sometimes.
The difference being, to achieve full Communism you have to kill everyone or enslave them completely such that they have no rights. Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Pol Pot, Fidel, Kim il-Sung - they all gave it their best try.
And your comparison isn't accurate at all. There are obvious and often massive differences between America's economic models of 1825, 1910, 1960, and 2014. 2014 isn't in any respect similar to the 1825 or 1910 versions. To argue that America in 2014 is highly Capitalistic, is to argue that Capitalism is compatible with a government system taking 40% of the economy through taxation, massive wealth redistribution, government interference in essentially every sector, nationalization (quasi or total) of core economic segments, welfare programs sprawling to hundreds of billions in cost, tens of thousands of regulations covering every field, and on and on - basically it's like saying that Capitalism can be anything. It can't, it's a specific type of model.
Then you haven't lived in enough places. I can look up and down my entire street and tell you that maybe 1 house could a married couple + 6 extra people, 4 of them being kids.
Not really pointless... guy is dying and worried about the financial security of his family, which I completely understand, but then outlines some financially irresponsible expenses?
How about posting on facebook "I'm dying, here's a fund we started to help support my wife and children in my absence" and leave it at that. This comes across as entitled and unrealistic.
That being said, his situation is extremely shitty and it is probably worthwhile for anyone with the means to help him out for that reason alone.
No, I think it's more we are so selfish. Which has always been the case in history. But now we are better educated and more informed so should be pushing for a more compassionate, logical and less racist society over the current owning stuff society.
It is a philosophy that might be possible for at least part of the population.
Bill Gates is doing it. He's helping the worlds real poor. We need part of the population to start to realise people in the 3rd world are as human as the people down the road even if they seem different.
And for a lot less cost than a fancy funeral one could actually save lives. A family could get to keep their father or mother or child.
Capitalism is beautiful.