Hi Platt, Marco, Roger, Elephant, Clarke and all,
PLATT
I'm amazed and somewhat amused by the vehemence of [Marco's] your defense
of European-style socialism. And, you seem to take personal offense
at any interpretation of the MOQ that violates your conception of social
morality. . .
Beyond declaring myself for the European side of this argument, I've sat back
and left it to Marco and Elephant. Now it's time to help.
Platt, your amusement at Marco's spirited defense of socialism is rather
hypocritical. Your vehement defense of capitalism is no less laughable. For a
while, I thought that the MoQ could be directed either way with equal force, but
your mention of Quality and Value alerted me to a fatal flaw in the basic
capitalist position. . .
PLATT
I always thought money is a fair measure of quality in the
marketplace. If I value this product over that, or this school over that, I'm
willing to put my money where my mouth is.
The fatal flaw is the equating of money with quality.
Why does someone drive a Ferrari and someone else go by bus? It isn't that they
have differing ideas about the quality of a Ferrari. On the contrary, where they
differ is in their appreciation of the value of money, because they HAVE vastly
different amounts of money. For a multimillionaire, the money he spends on a
Ferrari is small change - it is not a very significant sum for him. For someone
else, the Ferrari would come at the expense of shelter, sustenance and health.
Platt's argument would hold water if money had equal value for all people, but
this just isn't true. The value of the dollar depends on whose pocket it is in!
The irony is that the free market works best and is most dynamic when purchasing
power is spread around fairly evenly. I think that's where Milton Keynes comes
in . . .
Jonathan
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