Does Socialism equal Destructionism?

Destructionism, refers to policies that consume capital but do not accumulate it. It is the title of Part V of the seminal work Socialism. Since accumulation of capital is the basis for economic progress (as the capital stock of society increases, the productivity of labor rises, as well as wages and standards of living), Von Mises warned that pursuing socialist and etatist policies will eventually lead to the consumption and reliance on old capital, borrowed capital, or printed "capital" as these policies cannot create any new capital, instead only consuming the old

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

NerdyPotato · M

as the capital stock of society increases, the productivity of labor rises, as well as wages and standards of living

🤣🤣🤣

And also:

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

NerdyPotato · M

@DogMan correct. I have no desire to take profit from other people's work, nor to contribute to the consumerism that kills our only home.

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

NerdyPotato · M

@DogMan I'd be happy to create jobs if I could, but if you pay people what they're worth and take care of the environment, there is no way to keep growing. And without growth, it's not capitalism.

And your COVID story is a convenient framing. If you had paid your workers more before then, they could have survived without your employment for those two years. And if the pandemic hadn't hit, they could have spend that on other things than food during a period without income, but then you wouldn't have shared what you didn't need to keep them employed.

DogMan · 61-69, M

@NerdyPotato It doesn't work that way. It sounds like you are a Liberal, you are right
you could not have a business. Do you have a savings account? Or do you give all
your extra money to the homeless? Like I said before, my employees are well paid,
and they love their job. It sounds like you think I should give them every extra cent
I have, instead of keeping my business strong. That's very immature.
My employees didn't have to suffer during the bad times, because I saved for a
rainy day. They were able to keep a normal life, and pay all their bills.

NerdyPotato · M

@DogMan I'm a socialist, not a liberal. And I understand you're not a real capitalist, so you can disregard my previous comment towards your business and interpret it towards the average business instead.

No, I don't think every business should give their workers every cent they have. Yes, I do have a savings account and give my extra money to charities. I save enough to live comfortably and deal with setbacks, and the rest goes to people who need it more than I. It sounds like you do the same with your business and that's how it should be. That's not what capitalism drives companies to do though and not what most companies do.

DogMan · 61-69, M

@NerdyPotato Socialism does not work. I never has, and never will.

You are just pissing in the wind.

NerdyPotato · M

@DogMan pure socialism (aka communism) doesn't work, pure capitalism doesn't work either. It sounds like you found a good mix of them and I wish all businesses followed your suit.

GeniUs · 56-60, M

@DogMan

Socialism does not work. I never has, and never will.

You are just pissing in the wind

You have not provided an argument here just made an incorrect statement and tried to reinforce it with a mildly aggressive analogy.