"My suggestion is to unlearn the stupid ideas about capitalism that dominate our education system and our political discourse. Replace them with something approximating reality."
"Since the beginning of this country, the filthy rich have hated democracy, arguing that the masses would use the power of government to seize their wealth and reduce their power. The filthy rich of the day hated FDR, and worked to destroy his legacy."
"As part of that campaign, they linked capitalism to democracy, so that if you didn't support their views of capitalism, if you even asked questions about it, you were a commie, an enemy of democracy. They became vocal advocates of the simple-minded economics we were all taught in high school and/or college, and spent massive sums to eradicate all alternatives. My first econ course was taught out of Samuelson on Economics, editions of which are still standard in colleges."
The extremely wealthy have historically resisted democracy out of fear that majorities would use government to seize wealth and reduce elite power. Wealthy interests linked capitalism to democracy and stigmatized economic criticism as communism to protect their position. Powerful actors promoted simplified Econ101 models through funding and education to erase alternatives and shape public understanding. Foundational ideas like marginal utility have roots in utilitarian philosophy and merit reexamination. Unlearning simplistic capitalist myths and adopting more realistic economic frameworks can reduce elite political power, restore democratic accountability, and demand stronger justification than textbook assertions.
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