@bigheadtales @ProPublica

Cronyism. The word you're thinking of is "cronyism".

@bigheadtales @ProPublica

No, cronyism is in direct and obvious opposition to free market capitalism. Things like subsidies have no place in a free market.

@AlexanderKingsbury @ProPublica
I would argue that Capitalism is unable to maintain in modern society without cronyism and corruption.

Capitalism relies on offloading large portions of its expenses onto the general publish.

@bigheadtales @ProPublica

Capitalism can perform without cronyism...IF the people are principled enough to do our job.

Capitalism relies on nothing of the kind; offloading costs is in no way inherent to capitalism. It's POSSIBLE under capitalism, but then again it's also possible to gain benefits without paying for them.

@AlexanderKingsbury @ProPublica
It's possible in theory, but not practice. Capitalism always offloads costs. capitalism is only about the accumulation of wealth by a few.

It's only beneficial to a society when supported and restricted within a social framework.

Without that, capitalism devolves into some for of fascism to sustain itself.

@bigheadtales @ProPublica

These are very common misconceptions about capitalism. A lot of people look at, for example, what we have in the US and, thinking it's free market capitalism, attack it.

Yes, capitalism offloads costs...to those who are paid for accepting them. Capitalism has no such goal as accumulation of wealth by the few, or by anyone. That is a goal that SOME people can and do have under capitalism.

@AlexanderKingsbury @ProPublica
I'll wait to see an example of that actually happening.

Capitalism relies on public infrastructure and public services to offload costs of support services and labor in service of profit unless heavily controlled within a socialist framework.

But, yes, American capitalism is particularly predatory and thus why the US is on the brink of falling to fascism.

@bigheadtales @ProPublica

"I'll wait to see an example of that actually happening. "

Of what actually happening?

And that's another misconception. Capitalism CAN use public infrastructure, but that's hardly essential. Just common. But there are alternative; there are, for example, private railways.

What we have in the US is a far, far thing from free market capitalism. In many ways.

@theothersimo @bigheadtales @ProPublica

The obvious counterpoint to that is that corporations get exactly zero votes. You can literally outvote a corporation, by yourself. If you think your representative has sold out to corporations, vote them out. The corporation cannot stop you; only other voters can.

@AlexanderKingsbury @theothersimo @ProPublica
It is possible to vote crooked politicians out, in theory anyway, but more often, massive capital literally pays politicians to corrupt the democratic process to negate the ability of voters to do so or to mount a viable opposition.

In the US, for example, one of the two political parties (a terrible system) exists only to serve the billionaire class.

Again, the genesis of my comment to the post.

@bigheadtales @theothersimo @ProPublica

No amount of money can negate voters against their will. Votes can only be bought from those willing to sell them. It is only those who are willing to sell out, those too weak or cowardly or unprincipled to vote for who they think will do the best job, that draw us all further downwards.

@AlexanderKingsbury
Clearly you've never heard of partisan gerrymandering or voter suppression.

Entire social economic groups have had their votes negated. No matter how they vote, if they can vote at all, their vote is moot.

It's currently the platform of the US Republican Party.

@bigheadtales

Hey, make whatever assumptions you like about what I have and have not heard of.

Surely, if this is the platform of the republican party, I won't find any examples of democrats engaging in gerrymandering or any other form of unethical vote manipulation.