Xarker Manifesto: Economics and Politics

Straight talk about economics and politics (HA!):

1. Marx was correct in his basic critique of 19th century capitalism, but he WILDLY underestimated the adaptive and corrective power of democratic political systems.
2. The natural tendency of unfettered capitalism is to concentrate wealth in an increasingly small group of elites, thereby destabilizing society. Yet to maximize its longterm profitability, capitalism requires a stable society.
3. While America is formally a political republic, the evolved ideal of America is better understood as a capitalist democracy. In such a system, the government succeeds by finding a balance between the needs of the people and the dynamics of the market. Without market freedoms, the nation is soon diminished to poverty; without fair regulation, inequity destabilizes society and wealth is destroyed, sometimes violently.
4. The  ideal government in such a system keeps competition fair, protects the credibility of its institutions and prevents the natural anti-democratic tendencies of each segment of society from gaining advantages on each other. It counterbalances capitalism's tendency toward fascism and democracy's tendency toward socialism.
5. The guiding principle of that counterbalance should be this: Less is more. Government should neither seek to control the economy nor to limit the rights of its citizens. Government sustains capitalist democracy.
6. In 2005, the United States operates by the rhetoric of capitalist democracy, but in reality the people have lost control of the government and the wealthy are actively rewriting the rules in favor of increased centralization of wealth and power. The ultimate result of  such a program is instability and conflict.
7. The success of this destabilizing power grab by the political right is made possible by modern mass-market consumerism, an economic and cultural development that emerged as a distinct economic strategy in the mid-20th century. Consumerism gives meaning to people's lives, encourages indebtedness, ensures predictable participation in the economy and distracts the public from unpleasant realities, all while earning profits for its proliferators. Unchecked consumerism, however, fuels destabilization by encouraging alienation, affluenza and a profound brand of personal and cultural cynicism.
   
8. Power in America is based on money, and any political group that claims otherwise is not to be trusted.

Editor's Note: The original Xarker Manifesto was published on this site on June 29, 2005. Subsequent changes and additions appear with a date attached.

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