Siggy does a two-fer

Hier are za zwei related questions for Siggy:

Siggy, what do liberals have against capitalism?

Dave

                            and

Siggy, why do rightwingnuts that claim to adore "competition" adore cartel corporatism?

Tommy

Zese are za flip zides of each other. And both of zem, boys, Siggy is sorry to zay, have za Ven did you quit beating za wife? quality to zem. It's as zo the questioners ver trying to influence Siggy! It vill not come as za great surprise zat Siggy has more sympathy for Tommy's question. But Siggy vill spend zome time on za each one.

Dave, za liberals zat Siggy knows - including za Siggy - don't dislike za capitalism, per ze. It is just zat, as Herr Kevin Phillips - an influential personage to za Spot and Siggy both - zays, Bad capitalism drives out Good capitalism, answering za question from Bill Moyers:

Well, because you have to compete with sleaze. Get a little more sleaze in your own operations. And you look at all these lies, these deceptions, these frauds that have been going on. But, I mean, there aren't too many people that would say back two or three years ago that the way to prosper more was to do less of the cheating. You had to do what the others were doing. And that's the way these things — it was true in the Twenties. It's been true in plenty of other bubbles. You have to do it. So just the question of what's been bubbling here and the hugeness of the problem hasn't been revealed to people.

You zee, zat's the ting. Unless zere is zomeone around to make sure za boys and girls play za fair, ze may not, and zen everybody has to cut za corners to compete.

Heedless zelf interest, zat's what liberals and Siggy don't like. And nobody has been around much to make it heed much lately.

Tommy's question is more troubling to Siggy, ja. Za laissez faire capitalism rarely stays zat way for wery long. Zomebody always figures out za way to game za system, like Enron, or World Comm, or all za unregulated subprime mortgage lenders. Boy, zat Ken Lay: he really figured out how to game za system, didn't he boys and girls? He died before he could be zentenced!

But zereiously, when you put za serial plunderers in charges of za government, no good can come of zis. Ach, no good at all! Zen za government just becomes za game of handing out za goodies to za corporate buddies. Just like Herr Thomas Frank zes in his new book, Za Wrecking Crew. Siggy recommends zis book.

Zanks to both of you for za questions.

Post number 2000.

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