Quote from: teukon on June 09, 2014, 08:47:54 AM

Quote from: leezay on June 09, 2014, 07:22:58 AM

Quote from: Ron~Popeil on June 09, 2014, 06:49:08 AM

Quote from: cbeast on June 08, 2014, 06:18:51 PM

There are only so many resources to go around. If you are competing to deny people food and water to raise the market rates, then yes, people will die, just hopefully not enough people to cut into your profits too much. That is what capitalism is all about.

Wow I am not even sure how to respond so such an absurd statement. You are clearly an extremist so there is no point in trying to reason with you.

If he is talking about monopoly on essential resources, then yes, the point is valid.

Evolution and market based competition are not pretty. Some species/people need to die to make room for other, that is how the system improve itself. Otherwise, dinosaur sill still be ruling the world right now.

No, the point is not valid. cbeast is assuming that the competition in capitalism is between all parties, and that such competition is a life and death struggle. Such reasoning would lead to the conclusion, for example, that in a purely capitalistic system, McDonalds would not delay in mounting machine-gun turrets on its stores to gun down as many customers and employees as it can.

In a free-market system, the competition comes from rival businesses, not from suppliers, workers, or customers. If one party has complete or near complete control of one resource, and it works to distribute this resource to others in a fair and efficient manner, then it may be able to resist competition and maintain its advantage. If said party tries to push its advantage too far it will find competition working AGAINST it, and ferociously so.

There are many places in the world that are life and death struggles due to monopolistic cartels, government graft, and collusion. Some are not to that point yet and if they are lucky enough to have a McDonalds, then they do have armed guards. I know of no currently operating free market system that doesn't ultimately resort to violence.