Comment by adventured | Hacker News Reader

Comment by adventured | Hacker News Reader

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No, the quality of life that America still enjoys is the legacy of an extraordinary free market system, one of the first and still most powerful that has ever existed. That market system developed the most advanced and successful capital market in history (that no longer exists), which is why America even still has the dollar global reserve currency, because the 'ol green back was "good as gold" for 150 years. Even today in its deteriorated form, the US monetary system is considered radically safer than all but a few in the world. That market system hinged in part on what was at the time the strongest private property rights in history, and a great judicial system to protect them.

China to this day is struggling just to emulate the kind of innovative success in free market economy that America pioneered centuries ago.

To the extent China is enjoying any success today, it's largely due to free market style reforms of their economy, attempting to abandon the destructive policies of Communism. There's no little irony in the fact that as China has moved more Capitalist, America has shifted far more Socialist (with predictable results).

Which countries did America extort from 1800 to 1965 in order to build its formerly tremendous wealth and resources exactly?

Are you talking oil? America discovered oil, and invented most of its processes. It also discovered oil in the Middle East using said technology, and that oil was then nationalized across the region and countless contracts were violated in the process.

Are you talking industrial technology? America was one of the few countries (eg along with Britain and France) leading the industrial revolution.

Are you talking computer technology? No comment even necessary.

Are you talking biotech? Again, no comment even necessary. Who did America steal its biotech from? Cambodia? Afghanistan? Vietnam? China? Panama?

Pick an industry, pick a technology, you'll find America's entrepreneurial fingerprint all over it.

Yes, you are right, the USA has used it's superior technology and industry to gain advantage of other countries.

I was merely pointing out that america, too, causes great destruction (outside their borders), and takes advantage of underdeveloped countries, selling their technologically manufactured goods for cheap raw goods.

I am not saying that it is more destructive than China (which is highly subjective), nor that america must stop or any such nonsense, which you seem to believe I'm heading to. I just want you to acknowledge that america is not morally immaculate, quite the contrary.

What is 'subjective' about 38,702,000 people murdered?

There is something deeply, profoundly morally wrong with you that you have attempted to equivocate that number away for the sake of your ideology.

Polite debate fails here. This is unforgivable. You must become a different person to the one you are now, the one who can put these weasel words on a web forum to try to blur distinctions that must be made.

"Murdered"... No, there was no intent. They starved, because of a number of counter productive measures. Mao would not instigate the great leap forward had he known the consequences in advance.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki was murder

Rape of Nanjing was murder

The holocaust was murder

Great Leap forward was a very big unintentional mistake.

Absolute numbers are deceptive (and depressing) when talking about China, but it is often better to look at percentages.

Your Attack on the GP's morality is uncalled for. I think you need to check your own ideology and emotion at the door, and discuss things rationally.

English is not my first language, yet I am sure I expressed myself clearly. I said it is subjective to say the USA are more destructive than China, not the other way 'round like you seem to have understood, or wanted to understand.

Just off the top of my head, the cotton industry and banana industry are notable counterexamples to your argument.

And yet the banana industry was financed in great part by american companies which established banana republics throughout the world. To be honest, there's not a whole lot of innovation in the banana industry as far as I've seen it or heard from people who worked in it here in Costa Rica. Also, never mind that most US territory is not well suited for banana plantation.

> attempting to abandon the destructive policies of Communism. There's no little irony in the fact that as China has moved more Capitalist

I think you need to read more Marx. Capitalism is the way you generate the capital to fund Socialism. Marx was aware that even if your own country was Communist, others wouldn't be, so their would be a "Opening up" phase where you move your country through Capitalism, until internal capital is enough to keep your entire population 'comfortable'.

>America has shifted far more Socialist (with predictable results).

Good lord, wtf are you talking about? Please keep your glaring demonstrations of ignorance in politics off this site. There are plenty of other sites for that.

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