Keep an eye on the Big Apple

easygerd - are you even real? The sentiment of a former East German resident can be summed up as follows when he made it to West Berlin "Now I can live". Just like you, who has not experienced communism, the 80 million who think capitalism sucks, have no idea what would come in its place. They are just an entitled, cynical, clueless bunch.

Dirk, how about I'm not going to explain Tulips and Gouda to you and you stop trying to explain Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD) vs Die Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) to me.

I just recently visited Weimar, Dresden and went to the Nikolai Kirche in Leipzig again. For all you know, I might be Eastern German.

BRD vs DDR wasn't a capitalist vs communist system, it was a marketing setup, or as Steven called it a "social experiment".

In fact, both systems did actually more "social stuff" for their own people than the USA is doing these days.

Or as TBot would say - "But we have the most Oligarchs - that must be worth something".

OK easygerd - if you are such a happy DDR system promotor, and this country is so bad per your listings, why are you still here and why are millions dying to come here and face the harsh realities of our poorly served population? I must say that you shine a different light on our country and you have every right to do that under our lousy and poorly thought out Constitution. Of course, if you had lived in the florid and progressive DDR, your article would have meant incarceration and possible execution by AK47 carrying Stasi goons. According to your position, that would have been preferable over getting screwed by insurance companies and bankers.

If the US hates "Communism" so much, why is the current president so eager to help Putin to resurrect the Soviet Union?

eGerd – TBot here. Following a cue from Mr. van Ulden’s comment, you don’t seem to understand the definition of capitalism or oligarchy. You’re still throwing anything you can think of at a non-stick pan. Nothing is sticking because your foundation is flawed. Your wayward statistics are not related to capitalism or oligarchy. In fact, I’d posit that your statistics are more related to disastrous Democrat concepts. For instance, compare your statistics to California vs. the nation at large. Again, if capitalism weren’t superior, then why have we, as a nation, survived almost 250 years of it?

TBot, I want to thank you for agreeing with me so often.

Whenever you run out of arguments - which is very often - you are always confirming my argument by adding "... at least my 'whatever' is not as bad as [enter bogeyman of the day here]".

But you can never really make the case that your 'whatever' is really better or even great.

80% if Trump voters identify with MAGA, which clearly disagrees with your outdated believe of "American Exceptionalism" - MAGA literally says Make America Great AGAIN. They don't really seem to like your version of "capitalism". Somehow it's not working for them.

eGerd – TBot here. If you provided valid arguments for your positions, I’d agree with you. However, it has become your habit that whenever you run out of valid arguments – almost all of the time – you change the narrative and toss out new unsupported and irrelevant assertions. (Reference your assertions applied to what you think is capitalism, but isn’t.) I’m not the only one who has noticed this trend. BTW, my version of “capitalism” is the definition everyone else uses. Somehow capitalism seems to be working for quite a number of folks since the USA has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires. And again, if capitalism weren’t really better or even great, why have we survived as a country under capitalism for almost 250 years?

TBot, my argument is that the US version of "capitalism" only works for the top 10%, has one of the worst GINI coefficients in the Western Hemisphere now, and has basically become an Oligarchy.

And your argument is "But look at all the Oligarchs we have now". Sweet.

eGerd – TBot here. Unfortunately, you're unable to support your argument. You falsely assert that the US has one of the worst GINI coefficients in the Western Hemisphere. In reality the US has a midrange, perhaps lower GINI in the Western Hemisphere and possibly around the world. You say capitalism works for the top 10% but how? You say the US has basically become an oligarchy but how? What is your definition? Does it jive with a recognized dictionary? Just because you say it doesn’t make it true. And tossing out false assertions about the US GINI coefficient being one of the worst doesn’t help your cause.

That being said, I’m always interested in hearing viewpoints supported by facts. Perhaps you can provide a definition of an oligarch and name a few of those you feel are oligarchs. Or are you implying anyone in the top 10%? And what metric are you using to define the top 10%? Net wealth? If so, anyone with net wealth over $2 million (likely many who own their homes in San Mateo) is an oligarch. And many of those with net wealth just under $2 million last year have joined your oligarchy. Perhaps yourself (which means you’re railing against yourself). Sweet.

The bottom 50% of Americans own only 2-2% of the wealth.

The top 1% own 40% the wealth (even more if you count the wealth hidden in offshore accounts)

If your 'Capitalism' was working, why are these rich guys and companies paying some 12,000 lobbyists to influence lawmakers in Congress? It's not your Disney version of "Free Market Capitalism" - these are people gaming the system to their advantage. And that is an oligarchy my friend.

Oligarchy is where the richest man in the world buys himself a politician, gets him elected, and then takes on a government job to help himself to more government money, more tax breaks, and more subsidies for his failing companies.

Oligarchy is when the head of a New York crime family with connections to the Mob and Atlantic City casinos runs against another New York politician running a major news syndicate.

Oligarchy is when rich people and politicians own the media and use it to take political sides: Bezos, Benioff, Zuckerberg, Musk, Bloomberg, Elison, Murdock, etc.

Basically the rich now own all four pillars of power:

- they own the Commander in Chief and the Executive branch

- they own the Supreme Court

- they own Congress (through corrupt models like lobbyists and "campaign financing")

- they own large part of Mainstream Media

And because they know this isn't sustainable, they are also building their bunkers away from America.

eGerd – TBot here. There you go tossing out another false assertion…the top 1% does not own 40% of the wealth. It’s almost to the point that the collective “we” can’t believe anything you write because you make up unsupported numbers and statements. In this case, you haven’t provided a definition for oligarch/y. You toss examples against the wall but nothing sticks because there is no common foundation. You allege the rich own all four pillars of power but where is evidence? Who owns the CIC? Isn’t it the people who voted him in? An oligarch’s vote for a candidate can be “nullified” by a person working for minimum wage who votes for the other candidate. Who owns the Supreme Court? Isn’t it the people via the CIC? Who owns Congress? Voters, including many folks in the bottom 99% of Americans, voted them in. These people aren’t oligarchs yet they have the same voice as any oligarch. Your house of cards is falling…

Capitalism is working – how did these rich guys and companies become rich so, according to you, they could own the four pillars of power? Through capitalism. And in case you’ve forgotten, the richest man in the world didn’t take any salary for being the head of DOGE. And his being the richest man in the world didn’t help him with continued EV subsidies. From your example, it appears the richest man in the world isn’t an oligarch. Your house of cards has fallen. BTW, are you an oligarch? Maybe not now but if you invest properly, you can become one. Sweet!