Interesting question...

First of all- WAY TO GO PHILS!!!! Keep it up!

I saw an interesting advertisement (what for I don't know) that was sponsored by a think tank of scientist (never said what kind). It posed a question that was answered by a few scientists. Not surprising, each scientist came up with his own answer. The question was, "does the free market corrode moral character?"

After giving this a bit of a think, I would have to say the answer is no, because to answer yes would say that its the market that shapes us, and not the other way around. That's not to say that I think that the free market is beneficial to our moral character. I feel that any market, free or otherwise, at the end of the day reflects the moral character of the people that comprise it. Any market system, on paper, is good. It's how it is distorted by human character in action that keeps it good or makes it bad.

If you have a group of people who feel strongly that the needs of others are as important as their own, then the free market is a wonderful system for them that rewards initiatives without the negative effects of greed. If you have a group of people who are self-centered and who as a whole do not care about the needs of others unless it is shown to benefit them, then a free market system will only reinforce that selfishness by financially rewarding those who make profit at the expense of others. The system did nothing in and of itself, it only enhanced the characteristics that were present in the people who comprised it to begin with.

That is the danger of looking at any economic system in black and white- capitalism, socialism, communism- and applying the label of good or bad. What is perfect on paper may not bear any resemblance to what that system turns into in practice, and a system that works very well for one culture may be an absolute disaster for another. That's why there is no point in labeling systems and sticking to dogma. There is nothing wrong from picking and choosing what works in practice for a particular group of people from any combination of systems. Who cares if we, or any country, are capitalist, socialist, communist, or whatever? It's about what is beneficial and effective. We don't get any brownie points for adopting the whole of a system to the exclusion of others if it means we fall flat on our face. Bankrupt is bankrupt.

The best system is the one that works... so get over the labels and demand that our politicians enact practical strategies that do the greatest amount of good with the least amount of harm, no matter where they came from; maybe we need to give commusocicapitalism a try.