The following was posted by someone who has such strong beliefs that they remained anonymous. They seem to think that Democracy and Capitalism are the same thing. They aren't. Democracy is rule by the people, while capitalism is rule by the rich. This is called a Plutocracy. The dictionary definitions say that, and yet the writer can't believe it. There is a saying that anyone can be rich. Bull. If we could all be rich, we would all be rich. Gaining wealth and influence has a great deal to do with luck and influence. These days corruption has more to do with it than skills. That's why our leaders aren't very talented. Talent has nothing to do with it. Royalty is back. Throughout most of human history, every city was composed of peasants surrounding a castle. The royalty could do what it wanted. Royalty only respected other royalty. Peasants couldn't arrest royals, and peasants couldn't become royals.Peasants worked for the royals, and could only advance by kissing ass. Law enforcement worked to protect the rich. Look at any modern city. High rises in the center, surrounded by slums, with gentry farther out. Cops are not allowed to arrest the rich. The rich use tax payer funds and aren't punished. Peasants are punished much more harshly than the rich. Companies advance ass kissers. Royalty is back. Endless dictatorship is coming. Can't happen in your country? Bull. Most capitalist countries use the Roman model of society. Roman buildings, with roman writing, and roman numerals. And yet Rome was a dictatorship. It started out as a democracy, and for about two hundred years it was. But then it slowly changed, until one day the people lost the right to govern. Who decided that, the rich or the poor? Poor people choose Democracy. The rich choose Capitalism. The rich will always be an elite, sitting at the top of the pyramid, with thousands of poor being crushed underneath. It is impossible for everyone to be at the top. You can thin out the stack, but then it gets tippy and falls over. In the States, there are over a million Millionaires. Less than 5 percent of the people control 95 percent of the money. That leaves 5 percent for everyone else to get rich off of. There's not much opportunity there. Democracy and Capitalism are like Nice and Good. They sound the same, but they're not. A Democracy has citizens, while Capitalism has employees. Be careful, or you might get fired. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and the rest, knew it would happen. They gave the right of freedom of speech to expose it, and the right to shoot evil as a way of doing something about it, separate from the guarddogs of the rich. So what has happened? The press would rather talk about how marvelous hollywood royalty is, and we are all afraid of guns. These things aren't for children like us. It might make the Boss mad. All Hail Pluto!! Terry Roles HERE IS THE ORIGINAL POSTING (with some comments at the end) Essay on Democracy and Capitalism, The Opinion of an American Citizen. Definitions of Capitalism and Democracy, according to Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (tenth edition): "Capitalism: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capitol goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market." "Democracy: (a): government by the people; esp: rule of the majority (b): a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. (c) the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority (d): the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Democracy and Capitalism is inevitable. When people are given information and are no longer Ignorant of the truth, the majority of those people will choose Democracy and Capitalism. The small minority who still cling to non democratic forms of government, tend to be the elite, and the power hungry masters of the old orders, for they have much to lose. They could never hope to stay in control; when the people realize the power that is given to the common man, under Democracy and Capitalism. A government that seeks to stop the free flow of information and ideas among it's citizens, does so with the sole intention of oppressing it's citizens, there is no other reason. The leaders of such governments know very well, the consequences of allowing people to see truth, these governments are like criminals and do not want their crimes exposed to the authorities, the true authority of the people: "A government Of the people, For the people, By the people". Every nation that fully embraces Democracy and Capitalism, raises it's standard of living, increases it's Gross National Product, and sees more contentment among it's citizen than ever before. There is no stagnation in Democracy and Capitalism. In Democracy, if a leader's ideas become stagnant, un effective and go against the interests of the people; the people vote for another leader. In a Democracy (simply explained) each adult gets one vote in each election, they are free to vote for any candidate they wish, or none of them. There may be several parties to choose from, but the candidate that gets the most votes wins the election, and is allowed to lead the government for a predetermined amount of time. (usually 2 to 4 years). To ensure that there are no discrepancies, ballots are counted publicly, with members of each political party present and participating. Uninformed people may argue that: under capitalism, the rich exploit the poor. Or that: "The machinery of capitalism is oiled with the blood of the workers". These things are not true, these lies are propagated in ignorance. Under Democracy and Capitalism, people work as hard as they themselves determine. The workers who work most Efficiently and Productively are rewarded with money and by advancing within the corporation. Furthermore, workers are free to work for other corporations, or to even form and own their own corporations. This is the driving force behind Capitalism. The government does not tell you where, when, or how hard to work, people work for their own gain and profit, not for the party, not for the glory of the state, or some faceless bureaucracy. There is no free ride in Capitalism, Capitalism is about Money and Efficiency. In order to succeed in Capitalism, you must efficiently produce goods, or services, or labor that others are willing to pay enough for; so you can at least cover your expenses , or make a profit. People who are able to do this better, or influence others to do it (by paying them) exceed in capitalism and become wealthy. In Capitalism every worker has the genuine opportunity to advance and become wealthy based on their talents and desires. Fresh ideas, and greater efficiency are handsomely rewarded by the free market. That is what makes capitalism thrive. Only those who are unwilling to work to support themselves, despise capitalism, those people will always complain when forced to work, no form of government will please them. Under capitalism, those who are unwilling to work are not allowed to hold back the people who are willing to work, the government does not influence this, the free market does. To be compassionate and more successful: Capitalism is moderated with social programs. In The United States of America, people who are too old or sick to work, and people who can not earn enough money to support themselves to a basic level, receive money, food, medical care, and sometimes housing; from the government. The government distributes this assistance based on strict guidelines designed to ensure that only people who genuinely need the assistance, receive it. There are strict penalties, including jail and fines; for people who are caught defrauding social programs. The money for these programs comes from government taxes levied on all workers and corporations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In one of the historic founding documents of The United States of America; The Constitution's Amendments (The Bill of Rights): the founding fathers of the United States listed the most important rights that the people should have, in order to keep them free from an oppressive or tyrannical government. These rights form the basis for all the laws in the United States. No laws can be enacted if they infringe on rights granted in the Constitution. * The first amendment to the constitution Says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The first and most important right needed to preserve Democracy is freedom of speech; and with it, the free flow of information and ideas. In Democracy, the spread of ideas is part of the democratic process, and is encouraged. Indeed; democracy flourishes with the spread of information. Democracy is inevitable because it is far easier to spread information than to contain it. Governments that rely on controlling the spread of information to oppress the people and remain in power; will be swept from the face of the earth with the coming of the information revolution. With computers and the Internet it is now faster and easier than ever before, for anyone to spread any information, anywhere in the world, to ever increasing numbers of people. With Democracy, naturally comes Capitalism. When the majority rules through democracy; the people's natural choice is Capitalism. Capitalism enables the majority of the people to become prosperous, and to control their own destinies. * The second amendment to the constitution says: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." A population that remains armed, remains free. Any potential tyrant or dictator would be forced to reconsider the idea of trying to oppress an armed populace. History shows that the enactment of every oppressive regime is preceded by the confiscation of privately owned firearms. Nearly all able adults should consider owning the following: at least one semi-automatic Rifle and 1000 rounds of Rifle Ammunition; at least two pistols and 500 rounds of ammunition for each pistol. However, in a democracy there should be no laws stating the minimum or maximum numbers of arms or ammunition a person should own. * The fourth amendment to the constitution says: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." This amendment establishes control over Law Enforcement Agencies. The police may not summarily or arbitrarily search or arrest people for no reason. In the United States; if police violate a citizen's rights under this amendment, the judge will dismiss the case; even if the police find evidence that conclusively proves the suspect's guilt. In addition to preserving the rights of citizens; this amendment punishes overly aggressive police agencies, and discourages the formation of a "police state". The founders of the United States were not anti-police, but they did not want citizens to be abused and oppressed by the police. One founder of the United States said: "it is better that ten criminals go free, than for one innocent man to be punished." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Another important condition that is required for the preservation of democracy is: Civilian Control of the military. Although a strong military is vital to any nation's security, it must be kept in check by the absolute authority of the people. The military culture relies on strict obedience to orders, lack of open discussion, and prohibitions against questioning authority; to maintain an effective, well disciplined fighting force. While this structure is completely necessary to command the military; it is wholly incompatible with democracy, when applied to governing the populace of a nation that intends to remain free. The duly elected civilian leaders need to keep closely involved in all significant military affairs. Especially in the training and selection of military officers. Military officers should be carefully selected based upon their allegiance to, and understanding of Democracy and civilian authority. All phases of officer training should be designed to include fostering the concept of submitting to civilian authority, and to weed out those who deviate from this concept. Article 2: Section 2. of the Constitution says: "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- There are many other things that help form and preserve a Democracy and Capitalism. If you are interested in learning more; here is a list of some documents to read, and some people to read about: (this is by no means a complete list) Documents: "The Declaration of Independence" "The Constitution of the United States of America" (and amendments) "The Federalist Papers" Writings of founders of the United States: Thomas Jefferson -spoke on freedom, but owned 80 slaves George Washington -a natural born killer from his teenage years on. Benjamin Franklin -popular inventor-can't think of anything bad about him Writings of prominent capitalists: Henry Ford (Ford Automobiles) -A Nazi Sympathizer. Donald Trump (Real Estate Developer) -What is his talent, exactly? Bill Gates (Microsoft Software) -Wasn't he in court for running a monopoly? Thomas Edison (Inventor) -His hired help did most of the inventing. Andrew Carnegie (Steel industry) -Had goons kill his striking workers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------