A Talk About Pure Free Market Capitalism

One of the biggest things we constantly hear about is Pure Free Market Capitalism. I thought I would take some time and talk about it. It is believed by mostly conservatives in every country that if Capitalists were free and not weighed down by taxes or regulations or even fees that eventually the world would be a far better place. Resources being used through the direction of the Capitalists would be developed to their fullest potential in the pursuit of maximizing profits. Capitalists would be able through seeking return on investments to improve the overall quality of life. As Capitalists move to fill various niches in order to earn a profit there will be those who answer the various environmental issues as well. In the end the nation will be prosperous and all will benefit greatly enjoying the effects of trickledown.

It does sound nice and very inviting but is it true? Is this what Pure Free Market Capitalism truly means? I mean it does sound so simple that our nation, in theory, frees those who have truly demonstrated that they have the ability. They are unhindered to develop their ideas into businesses which create numerous jobs and opportunities. We the people benefit from those jobs and opportunities created along with the actual production of the Capitalist’s business. It just sounds so great—why would anyone possibly be against such a system? Then there was the whole idea that a nation would be dependent on so few. In fact as I had mentioned I was attracted to economics at the young age of 15 and have been studying it as well as related subjects ever since. One of the biggest reasons was in one of my classes was a huge world map which was actually a political map which had vast areas in red of communism and many pinks of socialism. It was intimidating to many young minds. I wanted to prove to myself that our system was the best so I studied and learned. To get a good idea of Pure Free Market Capitalism let’s go to the beginning of it in our nation.

Most probably believe that our nation started out that way—a Capitalist Nation. In reality it was quite different. In the same year as our Declaration of Independence a Professor of Philosophy, Adam Smith, published his work, “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” It was a serious work which would lead to modern economic thought. Many have called Adam Smith the Father of Capitalism. I don’t think anyone who actually read his books would agree. For example: as a member of the Whig Party Abraham Lincoln believed in the party’s main idea that the Federal Government should be strong so that it could protect and assist the development and growth of businesses. This goes along with what was mentioned above. Adam Smith believed that the government’s role in the economy was more of a Laissez-Faire or hands off; a business should be exposed to a natural selection—either they have the ability to do it or not. Smith thought if the government was involved in the economy it was to set standards in measurements and money and should do all it could to promote competition between businesses to help keep quality high and prices low; a true consumer’s paradise.

I feel if anyone should be named the Father of Capitalism it should be Alexander Hamilton. He believed that the resources of the nation should be controlled by private wealthy interests. He believed that the rich would do everything they could to protect their investment and develop these resources for their best interests. He believe that the government should do all it could to help and protect these wealthy investors and in return they will do what is best for the nation. He believed that the new nation should have new nobility—he saw George Washington as the first King and himself as one of the King’s loyal Barons. He would help to found the Federalist Party which was a forerunner of Lincoln’s Whigs who would eventually evolve into the Republicans over a dispute about the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

However, under the leadership of President George Washington the nation leaned more to a Free Market Economy as described by Smith. Remember, our Founding Parents were avid readers—Thomas Jefferson’s private library alone would be used to start the beginning of the Library of Congress. Instead of supporting this business or that our early government did what it could to promote competition and trade. This new nation was a vast territory filled with many resources of which most was held by the Federal and State Governments. Both entities would raise money to pay for their operations through the sell or lease of these resources. Our Federal Government made a good portion of its money from the leasing of ports and port operations as well as a mild tariff to promote trade. Yes, this was a form of Socialism but it was a great tool in helping to promote a Free Market by keeping the resources out of private hands. No one business was able to control or dominate the market. It was a very good attempt at promoting an even playing field.

There is something else about a Free Market Economy. People are free to make deals without interference. This requires a lot on the individual’s part on both sides of the deal if they are to do well. First they must be knowledgeable of the deal they are making which could require far more skill sets and information than what is obvious. It is a system where there is an emphasis on personal growth and development. People are also free to enter and leave the Market at will. Without coddling by the government much of the onus is placed on the individual whether the seller or buyer. Of course if someone is harmed government and society can take action to address this and there are civil courts but this is not really that necessary as word of mouth or individual testimonials can either help or destroy a producer—make an inferior product and it will be capitalize on by others who will bury you. Actually the sky is the limit as far as possibilities of how Consumers, Employees, and Producers are able to protect their interests. At the same time this helps to create a populace which is more than likely to voice its opinion to its representatives in government. It is a life which really requires active participation. It also is a very dynamic experience. These people weren’t being led they were leading their country. Policy could be influenced by those in government but it was public demand which guided the nation. Since we are talking of about four million people at the time of Washington’s Administration we are talking about a lot of varied viewpoints coming together. This represents a lot of possibilities and potential. But as I mentioned these were a special type of people. They had lived their lives well from under the thumbs of the elite of Europe. These were people who had to carve communities, towns, cities and the supporting infrastructure out of a wilderness. These were people who had to deal with much on their own or working together in order to survive. They had very little guidance or assistance from the motherland. These were a people who had learned to come together with all their differences and learn to workout solutions for all involved. They were dependent on one another not government or politicians. These were Americans.

They didn’t need symbols, they knew who they were. Sure they had a flag but that was more out of necessity than anything else back then. A flag is more than a symbol of a nation it was in many ways a sign of who was in power and therefore our Founding Parents weren’t so warm to having a flag but it was still an important instrument of the time. You see, we were fighting a war and in the noise of guns spewing death, the explosions, the screams and clouds of gun smoke all known as the ‘Din of Battle’ or the ‘Fog of War’ things can become very confusing. Soldiers are unable to see or hear their commanders especially on the battlefields of the 18th and 19th Centuries. In battle there can be quick changes from the plan as the battle develops and things need to be communicated. In a time before individual headsets or radios flags were used to communicate commands as well as to identify which element was where. In fact they were called guidon which comes from the old French, ‘to guide.’ To know what unit was who or who was giving the command and who needed to respond the guidons each had their own unique design. You had the individual companies, battalion, brigades or regimental flags or guidons and then you had divisional and army flags. Washington was the supreme commander of the armies, first of three six star generals this nation has had, and his flag was our nation’s flag which also an ensign was made to identify our ships. And yes, of course there were individuals who really thought as a new nation we should have our own flag. I guess it is in the nature of most people to worry about what everyone else was doing.

People were given a taste of what Alexander Hamilton desired with the election of John Adams. After four years and even after a major smear campaign where Thomas Jefferson was basically gagged from criticizing Adams and his Administration but Adams’ Campaign was allowed to say whatever it wanted to about Jefferson there was still a demand for change. At the same time the Adams Campaign tried to use the powers it had given to itself under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to restrict who could vote in an attempt to reduce those who supported Jefferson. Even though it was reported that Jefferson had died the majority of the people voted for Jefferson. The people of America had spoken—they wanted to lead instead of being led.

Even though Jefferson’s running mate and Vice President, Aaron Burr silenced Alexander Hamilton the remnants of the Federalist Party would fall apart but still be able to enact on their dreams of how America should be with the formation and rise of the Republican Party. And, I think this makes a huge difference between to two ideologies. Under Jefferson he would give direction on a national level such as the Barbary Wars or the Louisiana Purchase but these were guided by the needs and desire of the people as well instead of just the government telling the people what was going to occur. American ships were being plundered by the Barbary Pirates out of North Africa and besides the cost of life it represented a major interference with lucrative trade. Louisiana Purchase was highly logical in that Napoleon had offered a sweet deal and America was expanding westward. Under the Republicans things would change but the people had already voted that they wanted to lead instead of being led but something had changed greatly since the election of 1800.

Various factions who had coalesced to form the Republican Party desired a strong central government to not only lead the nation but to be able to assist the development of businesses. This was very much what most other developed nations had. As mentioned most Americans had voted to not be led but to lead in the time of Jefferson. Thing is, between 1815 and 1860 there was a huge influx of immigrants who all knew only a life of being led. Most had settled in the North greatly increasing those states’ populations while at the same time greatly increasing their Electoral College Votes. These votes would turn out to be critical to help the Republicans gain domination of Congress and take the Oval Office. They would use this opportunity to create what would become known as Capitalism or more specifically American Capitalism because Capitalism did exist in other nations it’s just that the term hadn’t been coined yet in the language. It would be in use in its present meaning starting in the 1870s.

Capitalism is not the same as a Free Market System and differs in many ways. A Free Market Baker does his job to earn his living. He will strive to do the best he can to maintain that living which he is more than free to change if so desired. But his entire living is based on his ability to produce a product which attracts a clientele while in direct competition with many other bakers. Any employees he has are retained competitively as well or other bakers could benefit from these extra hands. His image and product are very important to the consumer and maintains his clientele in this competitive market.

A Capitalist’s chief concern is a return on his investment. Now you can argue that this is what the baker is doing as well—his work, his products, his knowledge, and his shop are all his investment while the money he earns is the return and that would be very true. However, the difference is the baker doesn’t control the market or the resources of the market. His only way of increasing market share is to be the best baker there is but it is still limited by all the other bakers trying to be the best at producing the right product at the right time, right price, and having it available in the right places. However, with a sizeable investment the baker can hire staff and expand operations giving him a severe edge over other bakers. In order to attract more investors this baker needs to create a Return on Investment which will be higher than all other bakers. He could cut cost to the point of cutting corners but the competition from the other bakers’ competition demands that he doesn’t. He could also take on his competition with the right investments.

Through being able to upgrade and increase capacity he can produce a product with a better margin which could allow him to undersell his competition driving them out of business which helps to increase the demand for his products as the other bakers no longer exist to fulfill those needs. With the increase demand and better margin the baker can attract more investors creating the ability to expand his operations even further reaching other markets. With more capital he could invest in the transportation of his product and in the production or even ownership of the raw materials needed. He could buy out competitors or even champion politicians who will sponsor reforms in the industry which could crush competition. Before you know it you have investors deciding the path of the market not the consumer. Remember the original investors in this story didn’t necessarily choose the best baker—they were attracted to the baker who could give them the best return and in return gave this baker all the advantages he needed to grow his bakery and the investors’ returns.

Capitalists do love competition only when it serves them such as the competition among prospective employees. However, to help attract investors stability is a major factor such as proven track records. This means to a certain extent you will need a stable and highly predictable market share which does not necessarily happen in the dynamic world of the Free Market System. You will need protection for your production, transportation of product to the market, and your marketing—this does not necessarily exist in a Free Market System. Jefferson didn’t create a protection for American Merchantmen from the pirates—he ended the pirates.

Capitalists do rely on a close relationship with the government to help maintain this stability it craves. This cannot exist in a dynamic setting of a Free Market. In 1860 a Federal Government was assembled that planned to do just that. With the final approval of the 1861 Morrill Tariff Act which had been placed on hiatus until after the 1860 election which would greatly benefit businesses. Its whole idea was to enact huge tariffs on foreign made products to get the American Public to buy American made products. It was thoroughly designed to help American Businesses grow. Republicans also went into overdrive to create other protectionist laws.

For all of this to work they needed a workforce with an employee mindset and they found this in many of the immigrants who had known nothing but having a boss all of their lives. Native born Americans who hadn’t been the first or second generation to have been born here but whose families had deeper roots had been far more use to leading or having far more control over their lives. There was a need to transform them into the vision and needs of the new Capitalist class. Many had been against the takeover by the Republicans and their desire to develop a strong centralized government interfering in and deciding the fate or direction of the economy to champion businesses of their vision. Lincoln had only won with just under 40% of the vote but he had won the states with the most electoral votes. Even in his home state of Illinois he had defeated Stephen Douglas by a small margin of just 3%. Fact was at least 60% of all eligible voters had not voted for what was about to be the new America with a Strong Central Government working closely with Capitalists and deciding the direction of the Nation. Change was brought about quickly and violently.

First with several states deciding to secede since they had lost their voice in the federal government Lincoln was able to take full advantage of a clause in the Constitution which gave him the power to Suspend Writs of Habeas Corpus. He called the secession of these states a rebellion and perhaps it is but I think it is kind of in the gray area because they were leaving the Union not trying to overthrow it. Interestingly the Republicans wanted to make major changes in the government and economy but that was not seen as a rebellion. Anyway, with this suspension Lincoln was able to silence his biggest critics by having them detained and held indefinitely without charges filed or the benefit of a trial. It was a strong message sent out to all that Lincoln was going to have his way.

To me this was a major betrayal. America had been a nation where ideas were brought together. Not to compete with one another but to work together to find. It was a chance to really look at a situation and find a resolution. It is what made America different from other nations. It was a place where the people could express themselves and find out why they were wrong or right and learn from it as well as grow. The people were the government and the government was nothing more than an agency or even opportunity to work things out. But now Lincoln was going to say what was to be with the backing of his Congress. It is strange that when Stalin, Charles I of England, Hitler, Amin, and many others did this they were considered monsters especially when what they did resulted in the imprisonment and deaths of many. In Lincoln’s case over 2,000 were detained by him and over 14,000 would be arbitrarily arrested while almost a million would die and far more would suffer in the Civil War.

But the war had many benefits for Lincoln and his entourage in spurring up patriotism against an enemy just as it has for many would be dictators—but the enemy were other Americans. There was the use of the idea of unity, togetherness as well as the use of numerous symbols. One of these symbols was a group of thugs known as the Wide Awakes who used demonstrations and violence to encourage people to vote for Lincoln and the Republicans. They were distinguishable by their short capes, caps, and lanterns on poles. They were basically the Brown Shirts of the Republican Party. Patriotism was another major symbol in use with flag waving, oaths, ceremonies, but it was to the nation government instead of to one another. On my university gate which was constructed during the war was engrave the phrase: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” I personally can’t think of a sicker brainwash.

One major benefit of the war was that in the effort to supply what was necessary to wage war many companies generated huge profits. Republicans who had wanted to promote the growth of American Businesses now had a reason to directly fund the growth of these businesses with public money. Many of America’s greatest fortunes can trace their origin to the war. Profiteering was the name of the game. Lincoln’s Administration was even issuing licenses or permits for Northern businesses to continue their relationship with Southern Entities. This was stopped when two of Lincoln’s main generals, Sherman and Grant, found out about it and threatened to go to the press. Lincoln was actually supporting both sides of the war with these permits.

In order to pay for his war Lincoln used foreign loans and levied taxes. In order to reduce the amount of foreign loans his administration decided to issue a fiat currency known as Greenbacks. Not only was it a fiat currency for his war expenses but it was an attempt to standardize the currency. During the earliest parts of the nation’s history Alexander Hamilton talked George Washington into approving the Charter for the Bank of the United States. This was a highly influential financial institution which could rule over the economy. Andrew Jackson would not renew the Charter for various reasons including the influence of foreign investors over Congress and the U.S. economy as well as supporting Northern Interests at the expense of the South—you just really keep seeing this theme, the whole supporting Northern Interests at the expense of the South, when studying the first half of the 19th Century in America. One major feature of these Greenbacks was the images of Alexander Hamilton and Liberty. There was also one other feature. On the $10 Greenback was an image of Abraham Lincoln—the only president to be on money while in office. He was definitely telling people to whom they owed their loyalty as well as who was in charge. Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln’s Treasury Secretary, also included his image on a couple of bills—he wanted to get his name out there as well as his image because he had desired to make a run for the presidency as well. Instead Salmon would end his political career as a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Even with the use of the suspension of the Writs of Habeas Corpus silencing critics and a Congress dominated with his party severely handicapping the entire process of debate and formulating ideas, thugs like the Wide Awakes and the Union Army to enforce his will and silencing the vast majority of objections to his agenda forever, use of patriotic brainwashing and gas lighting, huge amounts of money pouring into helping the development of businesses gaining huge profits from the war, protectionist laws, Morrill Tariff Act which became the standard for the rest of the Century and well into the 20th Century, and just the amazing wonders of the ability to declare martial law there were still far too many Americans objecting to the changes in the nation. Remember that even for example Lincoln had only won Illinois in his bid for the presidency by just over 50% while the rest of the voters had voted for Douglas, Breckinridge, or Bell. In the 1864 election Lincoln only secured a second term by just over 55%. Sure you can say that was a landslide by most standards but the reality of it was that almost 45% of the nation disagreed with Lincoln. In his own state of Illinois Lincoln had garnered just over 54% of the vote while McClellan had gained just over 45%.

I can’t stress enough just as the Feudal Lord needed an entire realm which served the Lord’s needs the modern version of a Capitalist needs a stable market with very predictable trends in order to attract the investors they need to keep their operation flowing and maintaining their lifestyle. Part of these predictable trends is to have a solid consumer as well as labor base. For many of the immigrants this was perfect but now that Washington was dictating policy and businesses controlling labor Americans acted out for their piece of the pie in the form of Unions.

In the latter part of the 1860s Unions started to rise in popularity as well as in power. This was the people’s will rising from the bottom up in a direct confrontation with the imposition being forced down from the top. Our new style of governance developed a plan to take care of this issue—they focused on the principles of private property. Since the property we are talking about which had been public which was now private they needed to complete the transformation that the war, the symbols, the patriotism, and so much more was unable to do. They would use the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and what would be known as the Conspiracy Doctrine.

To better understand the Conspiracy Doctrine which is far hazier than the Alien and Sedition Acts lets look at an example. You work for a company but you have a problem with some of the conditions as do other employees. You opt for change by uniting to bring these conditions to the attention of your bosses. You have united because under the new situation you could be fired, threatened physically, have your family threatened, or be blacklisted which meant that all the other employers would be alerted that you are a trouble maker. This is all considered fine in a situation where an owner is trying to protect his private property. And what about being blacklisted, well, that is freedom of speech. But if you approach the bosses in a large group it is hard to fire all and get the replacements they need. But it can be argued that by forming a union and stop working as on strike that you are holding the company ransom and in actuality you are damaging the ability of the owner and the bosses to make their living. Since it was a least two people it is a conspiracy. Thing is you don’t even have to follow through with it. If you and another have discussed it then you have conspired and are guilty of conspiracy. Yet it is perfectly okay for your bosses to conspire to cause you income damage.

With this whole emphasis on private property and the use of the Conspiracy Doctrine business owners were given a lot of leeway in protecting themselves and their property. Private security forces were hired. There was even the use of federal or state troops to protect property. In numerous cases they were able to use deadly force. Hundreds of people had been killed either striking or in some cases when a strike turned violent. There was the use of agents to assassinate workers who were trying to form unions or just have meetings. Family members and families of strikers or union leaders were targeted as well. Thugs were used to intimidate union members as well as employees. Thugs would often be used to spy on or break up meetings. In some cases they were used to incite a reason to bring in armed agents or police. One example was the Haymarket Riot of 4 May 1886 in Chicago which started as a union meeting to fight for an eight hour work day. Of course with fear of losing jobs and intimidation by agents of the company there was a lot of tension in the atmosphere when someone threw a bomb and all hell broke loose. Whether the bomb was thrown by a striker or audience member or a hire goon was never determined. What was determined was that the leaders would be held responsible. Business leaders went the extra mile to ensure these union leaders were executed.

It was a constant battle for decades as business leaders held all the power and workers attempted to face their bosses on an even field. Tensions rose and there was a very real possibility of a revolution in some areas. Theodore Roosevelt would enforce the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 to create more competition among businesses and end the stranglehold many owners had on labor. However labor disputes continued.

There was another major issue as well. An investor is looking for a major return on their capital and will go with the producer which can offer the biggest bang for their buck. Food industry was growing as the nation especially cities grew. Thousands, even millions of people living in areas with very little agriculture needed to be fed. To increase margins business owners were not beneath cutting corners. Chances are if you were buying processed meat it was a complete mystery what you were getting. Hygiene was definitely not observed—did someone with clean hands pack your meat or was it Typhoid Mary, who knows? Spoiled milk was usually watered down and fortified with Plaster of Paris and Formaldehyde and topped off with blended calf brains for the foamy effect. Even Theodore Roosevelt sat before Congress to talk about the condition of the rations his troops received during the Spanish American War.

Adding to all of this was the Publication of Upton Sinclair’s book, “The Jungle” exposing the horrors of the meat packing industry. A doctor by the name of Harvey C. Wiley started an investigation into the safeness of the food. He wasn’t out to interfere with businesses or even stop what they were doing. He was interested in just finding out if these practices were safe or what was their effect on the human body. He had organized a group of young men who became known as the Poison Squad to eat this food. And of course he and his group were attacked by business owners. Even Theodore Roosevelt would be treated as a traitor to his class. Dr. Wiley would go on to be the first head of the newly formed Food and Drug Administration which would be under attack by the business world not because the FDA wasn’t doing its job but for doing their job and eating into the Capitalists’ profit margins.

Woodrow Wilson would use another war to spur patriotism as well as symbols. Patriots could be told that they needed to do their jobs for the good of the nation during this military emergency. He would also use parts of the Alien and Sedition Act to silence anyone who criticized the war or his administration or even interfered with production. People were arrested and sentenced to stiff terms in prison for just criticizing the profiteering which was occurring.

Another area was maintaining competition within the ranks of labor to help keep labor costs down. Racism and Sexist practices were used to divide and conquer. Segregation was used in several states along with what were known as Jim Crow Laws used to keep Black America at a disadvantage to White Males. Even the military was segregated until the end of World War II and for some reason Black Military Members were barred from wearing their rank or being award the Medal of Honor even after amazing acts of bravery during World War II.

In 1917 an event occurred which shook the very foundation of Capitalism which caused many to take notice and create change. Bolshevik Forces stormed the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg or Petrograd what had been Imperial Russia. At the time the Winter Palace was where Alexander Kerensky was attempting to piece together a new government. One of my teachers was lucky enough to have met him as a child and actually spent time talking with the man. Suddenly there was change such as the vote being given to women in 1919. Consumer and labor advocates started to pop up in various parts of the government. Suddenly the big government which had been used to promote and help businesses grow was now being used to protect the people’s rights.

It should be mentioned that with the Poison Squad and the founding of the FDA and also the continuing violence in labor’s struggle to improve its position several new business owners did take note. Henry Ford and Milton Hershey would create their factories while taking care of their employees avoiding painful shutdowns, lockouts, strikes, and lawsuits. Other manufacturers taking advantage of the FDA and the exposé completed by Sinclair’s book used quality of the product as a marketing standard to steal market share from those who didn’t.

But let’s take a look at the Soviet Union Versus the United States at the time. Thing most people don’t realize is there has been times when people were just as free or even had more freedom in the Soviet Union than the people in the United States. In both various groups were persecuted. In a very short time the Soviet Union had gone from an illiterate nation to a strong industrial competitor for the United States. In both when Lincoln or Stalin came to power there was a need to silence or subdue all those who didn’t agree while rewarding those who supported. This is a wonderful way to lead—have a nation where everyone agrees with you. But yet, we have two extremely different nations. In the United States we have a situation where the nation is being controlled and directed by politicians working with business leaders. In the Soviet Union we have a nation being controlled and directed by politicians who are also the business leaders. Just for fun in a Feudal System you have a nation being controlled and directed by a Lord who owns the business leaders. In all three systems mentioned here we have groups of people attempting to dominate and direct the economy instead of allowing it to follow a natural course as in the Free Market System Adam Smith wanted. This of course has led to a lot of downturns as the economy tries to respond to individual members who make up the total economy while those trying to control it force it to maintain the path they desire it to follow.

However after seventy years the Soviet Union sputtered and burned out while the United States continued. I think most of this was because while both nations did do much to get their people to conform to the visions of those who basically owned the nations the Soviet Union was missing a pressure relief valve which the United States had. Even though they would go to liberal leaders such as Lenin, Khrushchev, Andropov, and Gorbachev it was never enough to create the change which was needed to continue to move forward. Instead they would have hardcore Soviet leaders who would try to force everyone back to the old. Finally it just snapped ending the Soviet Union.

As mentioned the United States had a relief valve in the form of liberals and whistle blowers such as Dr. Wiley and Upton Sinclair and they were protected by the U.S. Constitution. There was also Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, Malcolm X, C.C. Patterson, John Steinbeck, Ralph Nader, and many, many others in the public, business, and government who exposed injustices which are actually weaknesses in the system which could have caused it all to collapse but instead helped to make it better. All of whom could not be just simply silenced but were protected by the U.S. Constitution and ended up having to be faced and dealt with by those trying to lead the nation. This was all to the disappointment of the Republicans and business leaders who wish to run this nation to maintain their machine which keeps them in their positions because it eats into their profit margins and reduces their control over the situation. I honestly believe that had it not been for the U.S. Constitution not only protecting these individuals but also providing them with a platform to be heard we probably would have crashed and burned before the Soviet Union only because we had a head start on them by about sixty years. Our government has even made many regulations which have done more to reduce the need for unions than any action by businesses and this is because of people being able to be heard.

As I have said all of this was eating into profit margins. Sure, what Theodore Roosevelt did had saved many in his class a lot of money and potential aggravation they still did not like being forced to bend to someone else’s demands. An excellent example in many cases strikes could have been avoided by just coming to the table and working things out; companies spend far more money to crush unions and the union spirit than what the raise would probably cost them. In fact as Henry Ford pointed out that by paying his employees an unheard of $25 a week salary helped to stimulate the economy enough for the sales of his cars at a meaningful price. So why would you go with the fuss and violence? It was to show who was in charge—don’t tell me what to do, I’m telling you what to do. And as mentioned before if money is not controlled carefully it could lead to more of a Free Market System which could lead to the end of Capitalism as we know it. But how do you stop these troublemakers and produce far conformity you so desperately desire? You look for ways to get around the rule of the land—the U.S. Constitution which provides that the government protects these people and allows them to voice their opinions.

Like Charles Manson getting his followers high and telling them of how things could be if they did as he commanded. Like Rashīd Ad-dīn As-sinān, The Old Man In The Mountain of Assassin fame, getting young men high on hashish and allowing them to have a night with many young women as a way to show them what paradise could be like if they martyr themselves while following his commands. Capitalists give you a vision of what could be if they were allowed to be free from the constraints of our system and were allowed to do as they will. Capitalists don’t care if you pay taxes or not but they will rile as many people up as they can to demand that the law is changed. They do this because our Constitution doesn’t allow business leaders to conspire with one another and take over the country.

I have heard numerous times that our Constitution needs to be changed or totally rewritten. Why does it need to be changed or totally rewritten? What is the Threat of our Constitution? Sure our nation was founded by rich white men who owned slaves but we have shown that we can grow and adapt as needed because the vote has been extended to so many others. Women, Men, of different Races all have the ability to express their concern in our government which can also cause problems for the Capitalists. Thing is the Capitalists need the Constitution gone so they can do as they please which is not necessarily for the benefit of the nation but for their bottom line. Being able to do as they please without interference is what they desire when they talk about Pure Free Market Capitalism.

“A Republic if you can keep it.” Benjamin Franklin