Eliminate the credit card today and tomorrow rolls in Great Depression II. The bread line of the 30s was a result of blanket layoffs owing to the crash of capital, which is the facade of wealth. In reality what is the stock market but a gigantic credit card by which surplus capital is lent out to those who wish to partake in the growth of an economy. A child of wealth [capital in trust] not unlike royalty is crowned the billionaire of tomorrow by the simple process of investing in those that get things done. In a sense, then, even the entrepreneur is beholden to capital until one is able to accumulate one’s own wealth. Whether a Ford or a Gates the process is the same: come up with an inventive idea and you join the club with honors and by so doing insure a family dynasty.as fellow Blogger Larry Kuperman, pointed out in reference to the WalMart family. 

What is missing from this scenario is just how does one become wealthy? The process is far from noble when one considers that it cannot be done alone. Ford did not invent the automobile; Gates did not invent the software other than a variation of what was already there for the taking, let alone the computer. Even “intellectual property” is not exclusively the work of an individual. Edison did not invent electricity; the songwriter did not invent music; the novelist did not invent the concept of plot, character, and theme; the athlete did not invent the game. The “entrepreneur” or extraordinary doer is a result of the gift of human history and should be seen in that light before the mantle of royalty is nauseously presented. Just as the home run king has to rely on the shortcomings of the pitcher, so, too, does the capitalist rely on the vulnerability of the worker. 

Granted the worker is pleased to have employment; but what is forgotten is that by definition one is a laboring being from human time immemorial in order to survive. It is but an accident that one’s individual labor is destined by the tiers of society. Barring misfortune, everyone is capable of survival without the societal alienation of labor. However, it is also the destiny of human nature to be societal and share in the labor of others, not for itself, but for a more perfect civilization. Obviously something has gone wrong here. 

Society in itself is a process of alienation in virtue of its stratification and hierarchic structure. Ideally this comes about by degrees of intelligence; unfortunately, its dawning came out of Hobbesian power — a vestige still very much with the world, though great strides have been made to reduce its influence. In the transformation — however resistant — from power to intelligence, society has not shed power, but simply reshaped it as knowledge. The person on the assembly line with a bit more intuition than a co-worker may well be on his way to a better position. The software engineer with greater insight than others may well form his own company. Even the simple laborer who works harder than the rest is usually recognized as smarter. Knowledge as power reaps reward. 

Given other variables, intuition, nevertheless, is a gift; the programmer’s insight also is a gift of innate intelligence; the laborer’s incentive is a blessing that may spring from a family of ambition. Arguably this entitles one to be better than others and may very well take one to the hierarchy of lenders in virtue of surplus rewards. Can one justify reward when gifted with splendid genes, propitious background and circumstances? Is the starving, poorly educated child in Appalachia entitled to no reward or is the point still the survival of the fittest, such as a Dolly Parton? — simply, what is, is. Symbolically the president pardons a turkey, but we continue to consume millions because we are not obligated to extend empathy to the most of the animal world if we are to survive. Still, somehow humanity does nobly work in behalf of elephants, whales, dolphins and baby seals. The fashions of the 20s, 30's and 40s where furs were grotesquely paraded have ended. Sometimes humanity does put its best foot forward to make a better, kinder world — sadly, reluctantly. 

Kindness, however, is not as noble as one would like to think; for much of it is shown toward hardship that never should have existed in the first place. For instance, philanthropy, however laudable, generates from the meanness of capital surplus exhibited at the outset. Benevolent foundations starting from the original grant invest to accumulate greater wealth and therefore more endowments. It seems reasonable except the investments are in the business of exploitation and therefore from the skin of another. This is not to say we should not have benevolence from the hierarchy; it is just that the phrase “society has been so good to me that I felt I should give back some of my good fortune” is not that pure. Even the Mafia gives to the poor and needy. The point is why is there need at all? Would not true commonwealth end it and how extensively? — what in modern countries is need of a new TV is need of bread in the Third World. 

In reality even the need of modest luxury is not instantly satisfied unless there exists the credit card at a cost, or one waits till the lay-away is satisfied. Only the hierarchy of the money-lenders create supply and demand — controlling the purse controls the socio-political world. There is never a depletion of capital — capital begets capital by the continual reinvestment into labor. Now more than ever is this true by investment in the cheaper labor of poorer nations. 

Those who are in defense of seals and yet hate welfare are willing to love a species not of their own because of the systemic alienation built into society. Welfare unfortunately does include the shiftless along with the truly needy. Yet even some of the shiftless are simply helpless beings in need of re-education. Reform as a rule takes care of those afflicted by sloth. By definition the truly needy exist through no fault of their own and in some cases have not the gift of knowledge to know how to survive on their own. In these cases, let there be the benefit of doubt — perhaps at least their progeny will fare better. Keep in mind that a welfare state exists primarily, not unlike charity, because the state or its people of good fortune are not by fiat truly giving their share to the commonwealth. 

Thus, before looking down at others, count your blessings and remember that you are a proud owner of an HD Widescreen because you were willing to pay out exploitive usury to those who look down at you.