The End of Capitalism?

[Greyblades]

Would it be the end of capitalism? No, will it be claimed by the media run by those same directors? Yes. will people believe it and resist this tooth and nail without really understanding it? Considering some of the people out there who make such decisions think capitalism and socialism are mutually exclusive, I would not be surprised.

Oh, look at that, I'm getting opinionated again, probably should stop caring for the sake of my sanity.

[Fisherking]

So, he wants government regulators to decide who is good and who is bad?

Oh yes, that should solve the problem.

This is just a continuation of the phony too big to fail.

Can’t we criminalize government functionaries proposing stupid laws?

[Greyblades]

So, he wants government regulators to decide who is good and who is bad?

Oh yes, that should solve the problem.

This is just a continuation of the phony too big to fail.

Can’t we criminalize government functionaries proposing stupid laws?

So what's the alternative? Self regulation has a habit of not working and is open for exploitation (more so at least), and no regulation leaves us with the problems that needed regulation in the first place.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

So, he wants government regulators to decide who is good and who is bad?

Oh yes, that should solve the problem.

This is just a continuation of the phony too big to fail.

Can’t we criminalize government functionaries proposing stupid laws?

No - it's the opposite of "too big to fail" - if you fail - it's your fault.

Not a terrible idea - but they should be held criminally responsible for the collapse of their companies, not financially responsible.

[Beskar]

Upper Management is a case of "Meant to get paid tons of money for more responsibility. Doesn't have any responsibility as there is always an intern at fault."

[Lemur]

It's no secret that the relationship between C-level executives and their boards of directors is (often) broken beyond repair, leading to insane distortions in pay and benefits.

For decades people have been saying that the answer is shareholder activism.

Personally, I have no idea. The mechanisms of self-regulation at the top of the corporate org structure are not working. Shareholders, for whatever reason, aren't doing the activism thing.

How we apply a fix without making things worse ... I have no idea. I think this is the sort of thing where you would want to talk to some people who've been studying economics and corporate structure for their entire lives, and get their suggestions.

[Fisherking]

I think Lemur is right.

Just more government regulation will not stop abuse. In the S&L scandal people were prosecuted. In the Too Big to Fail they could have been and should have been except government made a decision not to.

It was all a smoke and mirrors sham, so far as I am concerned. We guaranteed their debts and pay interest to them on our money. What a great deal we got! It is just fraud to me.

[HoreTore]

No - it's the opposite of "too big to fail" - if you fail - it's your fault.

Not a terrible idea - but they should be held criminally responsible for the collapse of their companies, not financially responsible.

I disagree - incompetence should hurt your wallet, not your freedom. Unless you also commit fraud or whatever in addition, of course.

Anyway, I thought a key concept in capitalism is the direct relation between property and person, arguing that a person will only take proper care of their own personal property, as they will be motivated not to destroy it(and thus hurting themselves).

How can this proposal then be the "end of capitalism"...? Unless you subscribe to the idea that capitalism simply means "let the rich rule the world unopposed, and everyone else an bugger off", this should be right up capitalisms alley.

[Rhyfelwyr]

State/judicial involvement in the the leadership of large companies? Sounds more like an extension of the current corporatist trends than anything else.

[Lemur]

State/judicial involvement in the the leadership of large companies?

The corporation (and the partial-to-complete severing of liability from ownership) is itself a construct of "state/judicial involvement." It's just been around a long time. Four hundred years or so.

The legal structure has been tweaked many, many times.

The failure of shareholders and boards to restrain executive compensation is a relatively new phenomenon.

[a completely inoffensive name]

As long as there is money to be made, capitalism will exist. Only when the concept of money itself becomes obsolete will capitalism cease to exist. I personally cannot wait until our Star Trek economy arrives.