Every time I read the standard arguments in support of capitalism (and usually against socialism), I think of the plethora of examples where capitalists behave badly - such as in this article here:
Former Minnesota grain elevator manager sentenced to 8 years in prison for bilking small farmers
I would wager that, at some point during this man's life, he very likely has had discussions about the merits of capitalism, and no doubt he would argue that capitalism is the superior system because it "rewards hard work." Yet this guy is a thief, an embezzler, a swindler, and a tax cheat. Not to mention the fact that he's a big game hunter - someone who hunts endangered species just for trophies.
This guy had been doing this since 2003, well over a decade before he finally got caught.
The article also mentioned that he had paid big bucks for big game safaris in Africa, New Zealand, and Alaska.
If the truth of his dirty dealings had not come out, then other capitalists would look at this guy and say "Yes, he is wealthy solely due to his hard work, and he is undoubtedly worth every penny he has received."
But...he's a crook - and the fact that he was able to get away with it for as long as he did would indicate that there are probably many other crooks out there who fly under the radar and haven't been caught yet.
Of course, someone out there may chime in and say "But, not all capitalists are crooks!" Yes, there are some honest and ethical ones out there. Yet still, ideologically, they'll still protect and run interference for those who are dishonest and crooked. There is minimal, lax enforcement, along with ridiculously light sentences for white collar crime and other crimes involving fraud, misrepresentation, cheating, along with various other forms of flim-flammery. This is why it happens.
This is just a typical example, and such things seem to happen quite a bit.
My beef with capitalism is not so much on a theoretical level (which is how most capitalists argue their position), but it's that they're far too quick to turn the blind eye to this sort of thing - or treat it with a nod and a wink. All this crooked BS goes on because capitalists resist enforcement and/or any real punishment for these kinds of crimes.
I also take issue with the general pattern of dishonesty when capitalists say some highly-paid executive is "worth it," yet they refuse to show the math which leads them to that conclusion.
Former Minnesota grain elevator manager sentenced to 8 years in prison for bilking small farmers
The former manager of a western Minnesota grain elevator whose longtime embezzlement bankrupted the business and cheated its 200 member-farmers out of millions of dollars to pay for his exotic big-game hunting trips was sentenced Friday in Fergus Falls to eight years in federal prison.
I would wager that, at some point during this man's life, he very likely has had discussions about the merits of capitalism, and no doubt he would argue that capitalism is the superior system because it "rewards hard work." Yet this guy is a thief, an embezzler, a swindler, and a tax cheat. Not to mention the fact that he's a big game hunter - someone who hunts endangered species just for trophies.
This guy had been doing this since 2003, well over a decade before he finally got caught.
Since 2003, Hennessey had been writing checks from the business to cover his personal expenses for big-game hunting, jewelry, furniture, clothing, entertainment, travel, real estate and improvements to his home and hunting cabin. He also used the co-op's money to buy all-terrain vehicles and to pay property taxes and large balances on his credit cards.
Hennessey concealed the payments as legitimate expenses for the co-op, figuring he could cover them from his trading activities, his lawyers said. He couldn't. He eventually obtained a line of credit of about $7 million for the co-op by misrepresenting the amount of grain it had in storage and used that account to cover $5,338,922.21 that federal prosecutors say he stole from his employer before last August, when the bank called the co-op's line of credit due, exposing the fraud.
Hennessey disappeared for two months before turning himself in to federal authorities in December. He admitted the embezzlement and his failure to report $3.5 million in income between 2011 and 2017, resulting in a loss of $1.2 million in revenue to the IRS and $400,000 to the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
The article also mentioned that he had paid big bucks for big game safaris in Africa, New Zealand, and Alaska.
If the truth of his dirty dealings had not come out, then other capitalists would look at this guy and say "Yes, he is wealthy solely due to his hard work, and he is undoubtedly worth every penny he has received."
But...he's a crook - and the fact that he was able to get away with it for as long as he did would indicate that there are probably many other crooks out there who fly under the radar and haven't been caught yet.
Of course, someone out there may chime in and say "But, not all capitalists are crooks!" Yes, there are some honest and ethical ones out there. Yet still, ideologically, they'll still protect and run interference for those who are dishonest and crooked. There is minimal, lax enforcement, along with ridiculously light sentences for white collar crime and other crimes involving fraud, misrepresentation, cheating, along with various other forms of flim-flammery. This is why it happens.
This is just a typical example, and such things seem to happen quite a bit.
My beef with capitalism is not so much on a theoretical level (which is how most capitalists argue their position), but it's that they're far too quick to turn the blind eye to this sort of thing - or treat it with a nod and a wink. All this crooked BS goes on because capitalists resist enforcement and/or any real punishment for these kinds of crimes.
I also take issue with the general pattern of dishonesty when capitalists say some highly-paid executive is "worth it," yet they refuse to show the math which leads them to that conclusion.