What is the relationship between our economic and political system? (week 1)

4/9/2014

Guiding Questions
How do you think our economic system (capitalism) is connected to our governing system (representative democracy)? Describe, in as much detail as possible, at least two ways you believe our practice of capitalism and democracy are or are not connected. Use the media links below to help answer the guiding questions for this weeks blog post. Blog requirements are listed under the articles and other resources for

Outside of your textbook - review these articles to help support you in completing your first blog.
Story of Stuff
Does Capitalism Exploit Workers
Capitalism v. Democracy
Democracy or Capitalism

Requirements for BLOG POSTS

You must write 250 words each post (due Friday @ Midnight), Responses to another student 50 words each (due Monday @ midnight)
Students must post during the week the blog is assigned or it will not be graded.

27 Comments

Imani Sanders

4/9/2014 03:23:36 pm

As told in the provided sources, capitalism and democracy, or at least the idea of it, is intertwined and manipulated to the point of which the pure meanings are distorted. Capitalism is usual granted power through whoever owns the most capital which grants them more power and respect within the eyes of the government. The reason I say this is because in the Youtube video ‘Story of Stuff’ (time 10:46) the speaker says “ the primary way that our value is measured and demonstrated is by how much we can reach into this arrow, how much we consume.” Yet in contrary to the capitalism democracy is considered and valued because everyone, in theory, gets an equal chance and opportunity to have a fair vote. Yet as explained in the beginning of the Youtube video ‘Story of Stuff’ there was a section that spoke on the power of money and corporations influence in relation to the government. To elaborate, the speaker mentioned that the job of the government was to protect its citizens yet when large corporations are brought into the conversation, the government’s goals become distracted. In short, when answering the question “how is capitalism connected to democracy?”, my answer is through greed. The wanting of money so much to the point manipulation and greed equals the result of an endangerment of lives. An example of this being through the lives told throughout the Youtube video of ‘Story of Stuff’ highlights the affects that capitalism has on workers of factories, and in particular third world areas. Toxic chemicals affects the workers of factory workers are received from stripping of land (from large corporations) and then are encouraged to move into more condensed city-like areas where the toxics are absorbed. Now this relates to the lack of democracy for these workers and capitalism due to the fact that capitalism enforced this situation by stripping away land yet building large factories in their backyard as a way to make money, all without consent. Another way in which capitalism and democracy are connected is highlighted in the Youtube video “Does Capitalism Exploit Workers?” In the clip (time 4:43), the speaker reiterates what has been mentioned in the last video except with more detail. The speaker talks about the government’s ability to wield its power of citizens, without consent, to achieve their own desired goal which is driven by money. The government and politicians alike receive contributions from corporations, and those politicians alike return the ‘favor’. The favors can range from assistance in new bill propositions or even tax breaks. Yet, the video especially acknowledges the people whom have to reap that consequence of the politicians are third parties. In other words us. This plays into the theme of capitalism and democracy, through the lack thereof democracy, and the overbearing presence of capitalism.

Armando Arzate

4/14/2014 03:16:33 am

Hi Imani,
Your post is very well written and I would agree with what you had to say however, I question if they have greed for the something? I would agree that private owners and parties primary interest is to make as much capitol possible however, I would differ that when it comes to the government. I do believe that government often makes decisions that would seem like their main interest is to make capitol however, I believe they are trying to do what is best for the government and country even if that means that the lower class must suffer the consequences. The governments greed would be to ultimately stay on top and be strong, which in some sense the private owners are too. The sad reality is that money does make people very influential which allows them to not only have an affect but also be part of the government.

Tony Zhidong Li link

4/14/2014 04:50:07 pm

Hi Imani, I totally agree with your blog poster, such as the relationships among corporations, the U.S. government, and customers (as well as workers). Frankly, the situation of the relationships could not be changed. This is only because of the nature of the capitalism. Yes, it is sad. In the reality, Americans have to face the truth.

Travis Himebaugh

4/10/2014 02:35:07 am

I believe that capitalism is a natural complement to democracy- or at least, American democracy. The mindset of Americans is very much geared towards one's right for personal property (even John Locke stressed property as much as freedom in one's life pursuits), and a system that advocates personal property is not worth much in the modern world unless accompanied by a free market where goods are available for purchase.
Sadly, I believe that the flaws of this system have become all too apparent. Capitalism has become, at heart, a competition where not only do people aim to win, they have to ensure everyone else loses.
Capitalist enterprises will (and, by the rules of this enterprise, should) exploit any means of increasing profit that they are legally capable of. And this is where democracy and capitalism tend to chafe- one is concerned with the rights of all people, while many would argue that a good capitalist simply cares for personal gain.
And if an industry is especially necessary (an example that popped into my head for some reason- banking), then the government has an interest in protecting that industry- sometimes over the other constituents. In a way, the government needs to keep the economy going even if that comes at the expense of other people's needs.The Great Depression was partially caused when all the highly-wealthy made poor judgment calls and the money that usually worked its way down simply no longer existed. In a way, high- money producing ventures have become the democratic "aristocracy"- despite having little experience with the actual work, their decisions do result in consequences that affect workers.
So, in other words, while capitalism stands for ideals that should serve well in democracy, capitalists (just like anyone else with power over others) need to be firmly regulated in order to maintain democratic rule.

Eduardo Ruiz

4/14/2014 01:55:04 pm

I would absolutely agree with everything that you have posted, especially about Americans mindset towards personal property because you see countless commercials of more products that are just a little different then the last. People are willing to buy the new model just because it’s available in a different color or has a little bit more power or even has a phone jack in a slightly different position. The need for more personal property in America will never end.

Nico Passalacqua

4/14/2014 02:48:02 pm

I do support the ideas that capitalism represents, the desire to win and make sure everyone else loses. But I believe that it does beyond this in that people are very selfish and determined to be better than their neighbors, with no room for error or sympathy. It is not only the exploitation of markets and businesses but people as well, and as a result, their families.

Christian Ramirez

4/25/2014 10:49:22 am

I agree as well. I believe capitalism is way bigger with our generation. We consume every product and want the latest and greatest of what ever is posted on the web. We are so bent up on personal gain that we compete in college to become the best by screwing everyone so we can make more money and have it all.

Jennifer Hernandez

4/10/2014 06:48:10 am

Our economic system and governing system of course is interconnected fiercely since majority of things in our government is run through money. Looking at it from a political view, the way we make compromise with other countries such as with produce based industries to make many things such as clothing, hardware, cars, and even weaponry. We the consumers being the democracy that we are: give in to this and give capitalism more power to work its course in America. Things that involve money such as with taxes and money income are all ruled through the governing system. The work force built through the economic system we have is also of course governed as well. The society we came to make is governed along with capitalism to keep things intact even though at times it is not the perfect system the government seems to find this as the way to keep the people going. If either capitalism or the government where to be taken out the way we build or societies system will in a way fall apart unless they otherwise find another method to keep the state organized. We also notice that our government also aids many things in our state and outside with the economy we compromise of to get things done. We got war, financial aid, school systems, global organizations, etc. We as the people along with the government always cross paths with capitalism and it consumes us to keep this world going. Capitalism and the government run through power as such to rule our union.

Jagandeep Dyal

4/10/2014 07:28:15 am

I feel that both capitalism and democracy are both intertwined with one another. This is true because if the government was ruled by a single monarch, people would oppose the items that had high set taxes because they would feel that they are paying taxes and getting very little to nothing in return. Also they are connected because as citizens in a democracy we know that we give up certain items in hope that we will be properly represented. They are also connected in the sense that when we purchase anything in a capitalist economy, we know that a part of the money we spend will go to the government so that that money can help improve the quality of living in the US. The YouTube video “Story of Stuff” connects the facts that even though were have a “stable” system, we are going to run out of the supplies that we need. This shows that although we have a working capitalism-based democracy, it is lacking the proper rules and regulations that are required to make the outstanding government that is capable of being made in this situation. These rules should be made and enforced by the capitalist citizens in order to keep a well-balanced democracy. Also discussed in this video is that fact that the wants of the few seem to outweigh the needs of the many. However, this problem does not exist in the US, but reaches out to other “third-world” countries. This problem can also be solved in the way mentioned previously. Overall, even though the government ideas differ in many ways, if put together, they can create a better government type.

Jennifer Hernandez

4/11/2014 02:01:14 pm

I agree with the first example you gave referring to if the government ruled under a single monarch that the people or citizens would find a way to even change anything economically if it played out that way because it affects us under that form of capital rule. It is also true that the people should find a way to divert from the materialism and enforce or do something of the unorganized way the government is being with the resources. If not regulated right then it could lead to turmoil for us in the long run.

Kaylie Otsuka

4/11/2014 03:11:34 am

Capitalism and our representative democracy are connected in the sense of contradiction and forceful battle between the two. Capitalism originally was created with aid of Adam Smith’s invisible hand theory, which would create a market unregulated by governmental interference, allowing individuals to be their own bosses and collect their own profits. However, over time we see the evolution of capitalism, fostering inequality, exploitation and American hyper-consumption. Piketty mentions that, “in the long run, “when pay setters set their own pay, there’s no limit,” unless “confiscatory tax rates” are imposed.”” In other words, whenever an increase in capital is found, there is also an increase in exploitation (Edsall, Thomas). Thus, capitalism is directly reliant on consumption, supply those with money the power to have a voice in society. Others that work under these business owners are devastated of their say and are further taken advantage of for a further increase of production and capital for the elite. For example, during industrialization, many political bosses were worshiped as elites, allowing the rich to become richer and the poor to stay or become poorer and less powerful. This eliminated the middle class, separating society into two diverse groups, the elite dominating the poor as they pleased through controlling and raising prices causing depressions and market failures.Contradictory, democracy stands for equal representation of persons despite their financial class, gender, sexual orientation, race, or any other disqualifying sector of discriminatory criterion. In democracy, all have the same privileges as their neighbors and do not count on the elite to make critical decisions for them.
Because money is so powerful, I believe that capitalism is more controlling and may sabotage the rights of the people for the destruction of those who should not be making political choices for everyone in the first place. To me, I believe that capitalism has a negative influence on democracy and will soon consume democracy all together. As is began the industrial revolution and depression, I believe if it remains uncontrolled, future outbreaks of disapproval and factory uprisings will occur, repeating past history.
Edsall, Thomas B.. "Capitalism vs. Democracy." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/opinion/capitalism-vs-democracy.html?_r=0>.

Farkhanda

4/13/2014 02:50:27 pm

Hi Kaylie, i think you are on point with this blog because you are right on how democracy and capitalism are not compatible because democracy is made for the whole whilst capitalism is more individualistic, and its fueled by consumption. One can already examine the depressions through US history that have risen from capitalism dominating the country till it broke down because of its exploited ideas. We can see where in the world where the nation is poor and is controlled by companies, no matter how brutal, to become richer. Money indeed talks and it never shuts up.

Christopher

4/14/2014 05:19:05 pm

Hey Kaylie, I really appreciate your post. I also believe that inevitably capitalism creates a society at odds with democratic ideals of fair and equal representation. Something to note: capitalism has a long history before Adam Smith. Merchant capitalism has its roots all the way back to the middle ages, where as industrial capitalism (pioneered by the economic theories of folks like Adam Smith) began in the later half of the 18th century and is characterized by a strong division of labor. This division of labor, according to theorists like Marx, lead workers to become alienated from their work.

Christopher

4/11/2014 07:49:32 am

Although I believe that capitalism, or rather our current iteration of capitalism, a laissez-faire capitalism fueled by consumerist culture, is fundamentally at odds with the notion of direct-democracy; it has none-the-less become synonymous with it. This has not always been the case. Following the stock market crash of 1929, a citizenry whom had been gripped by consumerist ideals turned their backs on frivolous spending and looked to the government to help stabilize the economy. Democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted multiple domestic programs to help rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure and put people back to work. This is an example of a Democratic capitalism. Keynesian theory took root in American political institutions during FDR’s presidency, leading to greater regulation of the economy and a focus on redistributing wealth from the minority who historically controlled capital to the majority. This meant a focus on collective bargaining rights, progressive taxation, and nationalized industry. If one believes in this sort of thing (which I don’t, personally) that time-period could be seen as the golden age of the union between capitalism and democracy in the United States: Keynesian capitalism. Milton Friedman, a conservative economist and advisor under President Reagan, argued that Keynes’ conclusions were naïve, and ultimately became the most prominent and respected advocate of free market (laissez-faire) capitalism. His philosophies are still praised by conservatives today and his influence on the American economy can be seen everywhere. There are two examples of the influence that unregulated capitalism has on Democracy that I would like to focus on: the 2010 Supreme Court cases of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and, just recently, the McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.
Prior to 2010, several laws stood in place that barred corporations and unions from using their finances to create and air advertisements “mentioning a candidate,” 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election. After the 2010 Citizen United case, in which Citizen United won, it was found that the ban on corporations and unions spending money on independent communications was a violation of first amendment rights, and therefor unconstitutional. This, I believe, opened the door for corporations to throw as much money at political campaigns as they want. The court claimed it did not violate acts which limited campaign donations, which is true, in a strictly legal sense, but what it does do is allow corporations and other special interests to spend as much money as they want on producing political propaganda. How can we expect voting to be a fair and equal process if corporations can spend as much money as they want in order to influence the vote? Because there is so much misinformation circulating candidates, and what exactly we are voting for, incendiary political propaganda in the form of “independent communications,” end up being all the average American has to go on when it comes down to deciding. Just days ago, during the McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission case, another cap on spending was removed, further enhancing the power that money has over politics. The Supreme Court ruled that it violated first amendment rights to place aggregate limits on campaign contributions. This creates certain loopholes in the country’s existing campaign finance laws that will allow an individual to donate at their discretion and with little to no limit. Taken together with the Citizen’s United case it sets a precedent for the further corruption of the Democratic system by means of financial influence on politics. Political corruption, in other words, now has a legal precedent and backing. I believe that capitalism, which leads to economic disparity, will always inevitably lead to political corruption, and is directly in opposition with the concept of Democracy.

Roxana Chavez

4/11/2014 08:38:52 am

The relationship between the two has created a huge connection towards the political aspect of today’s democracy. As of today, we are run by a representative democracy. Other countries, however, are following a capitalism political environment. And even though we are a representative democracy, I can say that there is still somewhat capitalism invading our democracy, which is what is creating a relationship to exist between the two systems.
One way a relationship between the two systems is being connected is the way workers are easily exploited by higher hierarchy. As explained in the YouTube video, Does Capitalism Exploit Workers?, the government holds a certain power that society may not know about. For example, our taxes. We, as a representative democracy, have a say as to what our taxes should be used for and if we should be charged for them. However, it is easy for our government to take away that right from us because they want our money. It is in their interest for them to easily raise our taxes whenever they’d like to because they would like it for their certain needs. Could we possibly know everything as to where our taxes are exactly being used? As discussed in class, I found it beneficiary to pay those taxes because that money is to be contributed in something that is worthwhile. But what if something comes up in the government and they decide to start to secretly take our money for something else? It is in our power to ask if our money is disappearing to some other contribution that we may not know about, but is it in the government’s right to tell us when they are about to start taking our money for something else? As also said in the video, politicians earn a great contribution from businesses and businesses earn favors from the government in return. However, it may cost money or politicians may try to make an agreement as long as a certain amount of money is given back to them. And where is that money going to come from exactly? Society, of course. And that is where capitalism can take away our representative democracy.
Another way in which a relationship is being shown is the true amount of power that the people hold versus the amount of power that corporation and the government hold. According to the YouTube video, Story of Stuff, we don’t hold the power that we are supposed to be given. At the rate of how much natural resources are being used to product stuff, we have no control over limiting the amount of natural resources to use in order to make productions. According to the video, it only matters if you have a lot of money and power. Does this mean that the government is not necessarily keeping their promise of being a government that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people?” Unfortunately, we are not being held up to their promise as making sure that the power is being spread among equally. Corporations are, in fact, in power. They even have more power than the government because they can as easily manipulate the control of the production of the natural resources. And in this case, capitalism is not shown by the government, but rather by the healthy class of society. These ways of capitalism interfere with the representative government that we are supposed to have today.

Kaylie Otsuka

4/11/2014 03:47:38 pm

Roxana,
I like that you compared the U.S. capitalism and democracy globally. The example about taxation was a great illustration of how the government takes advantage of our capital, turning the system from democratic involvement to capitalistic. I think you did a great job explaining the similarities and differences and citing your sources. Overall, I believe you did a great job. Keep up the great work!

Alvin Luna

4/11/2014 01:47:56 pm

I think that capitalism and democracy are connected in a way. Capitalism is all about making money and a democracy is all about giving people what they want. People want different things at different stages, we live in a materialistic society and capitalism provides them with those things, of course, while trying to make revenue. According to the Youtube video "Story of Stuff" it was said that as corporations get bigger, the government does what it can to pander to these big corporations so that they remain as big as they possibly can be. Due to this capitalism, workers are being taken advantage of and so are resources. If the resources, such as trees, aren;t owned by anybody, they are ripe for the picking. Referencing the "Story of Stuff" video, it was explained that in this day and age, if you don't own anything, you don;t have value. This ties in with exploiting workers because they just want to use them. According to the "Does Capitalism Exploit Workers?" video, capitalists want to exploit workers by getting as much as they can out of them with as little pay as possible. However, all of these capitalists have the same mindset, so it gets difficult for them to hire these workers. It's due to competition that these workers will get treated fairly because they are being payed their worth. But this is forced and not done because they actually want to. I think that with a mindset like this, no wonder people complain about the economy and the state that it's currently in. Capitalism is tied with our democracy due to our materialistic lifestyles and maybe if that were to change and if workers got treated fairly, then our economy would turn around for the better.

Farkhanda Omar

4/11/2014 02:17:40 pm

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution America has been connected to capitalism, changing and transforming society drastically. Looking through history, we can examine the events capitalism influenced politicians and the social consequences it brought right after. The deep, unsatisfactory relationship between the economy and the political institution resulted failures from unregulated corporate power. In the Story of Stuff video we learn that industries and corporations have more money than our actually government, resulting in their power to literally buy themselves into anything they desire. It can evidently be seen if it means exploiting the people in the country our other nations, or the government, ruining the environment, or destroying mother earth for their own personal growth and revenue. In the article written by Bueventura de Santos called Democracy or Capitalism, he concludes that capitalism has won over democracy because democracy can be corrupted and manipulated till its dysfunctional. Common citizens are being are being controlled and exploited because of their vulnerability, for their own personnel gain. Our political institutions make policies, for example to bail out car industries, which only benefit the economically, and politically powerful connected. Politicians are driven by money and they will protect those who harm the common people no matter what. I believe the issue is not capitalism but the weak people who let them have the power, and we can change that to change our surroundings.

Travis Himebaugh

4/12/2014 08:40:08 am

Yes, democracy and capitalism are supposed to provide and optimize our freedoms respectively, but sadly it's become more of a contest between the successful capitalists (rich folk) and... well, everyone else. Capitalists have to win big and make sure everyone else loses, because they think that it's just a game of "take all you can, give what you absolutely must". I agree with everything you say.

Eduardo Ruiz

4/11/2014 03:17:03 pm

I think that capitalism and the government are heavily connected. I believe that there is some give and take between the two but from what I have seen it seems like the relationship favors corporations and capitalism. One way they are connected is when a certain person wants to run for a political office corporations will fund their political campaign if the like that persons views or will help their company by adding or removing laws that will benefit them, for example tax breaks. Another way they are connected is by bringing up the massive bailout. These companies failed and told the government that they were “to big to fall” and needed help. This is where I believe a flaw lies within this relationship. I would compare this to a parent giving money to their child having to live back at home because they were fired and spent all their money, but for the companies, instead of the government controlling them they just handed over billions of dollars and let them do with it as they pleased. Now I don’t know what some of these rich politicians invest their money in but I have to assume that they may have received a portion of this bailout money. I believe that even if the government wanted to break off this bad relationship with the capitalist corporations it would be almost impossible because everything needs funding for politics now and sometimes it’s the only way.

Brenda Rangel

4/11/2014 05:09:43 pm

In regards to the United States, capitalism and the government share a great connection to one another. There is a great understanding between the two, which has lead to the government siding with corporations with the justification that it is in the benefit of capitalism. Through this understanding we have seen time and time again banks receiving bailouts, while an individual facing bankruptcy would not receive a bailout. While, we heavily rely on the bank systems today, the government is reinforcing the notion that if you fail we will be here to bail you out; yet fail to provide proper or sufficient funding to higher education. These actions are an extension of the two-party system in place; we tend to vote for the lesser of two evils; through providing a party with the proper funding we are consenting to their decisions and their viewpoints. Those in favor of seeing big businesses receiving tax breaks will find themselves supporting these individuals. Americans are aware of these issues within our government in relations to capitalism, yet we find contentment in knowing we are in certain areas profiting. The government has its hands in everything, which includes the from in which capitalism is used or played out; from its positive components to its negatives.

Tony Zhidong Li link

4/13/2014 06:42:48 pm

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Armando Arzate

4/14/2014 02:32:03 am

Week1- What is the relationship between our economic and political system?
When both our economic and political systems were formed they were rather distinctive however, now they have become obscure to some degree. We cannot get a complete grasp of what one system is without mentioning the other because they more or less intertwine with one another. In Capitalism, private owners or parties are able to control many factors such as profit, pricing, employee wages, etc. because of there being a free-market. Being able to generate large amounts of income allows for people/private parties to become influential or “powerful” if you will; which then allows them to have not only have a key role in our economical system but also influence our political system. In democracy, not only those who generate large amounts of money matter, rather everyone that makes up the state, country, etc. has an equal vote or say of what should take place.
In the United States, the people vote for representatives that will represent and make decisions which are best for not only the country but the people. The only factor that we see now is that most if not all representatives are wealthy; they are part of the upper-elite social class of the United States. These representatives are voted because they have the funding to run campaigns for people to vote for them and in the end we do. Now that wealthy people are in office or represent all of the classes they can make decisions that will not only “help” the lower class but generally also benefit the upper class as well. The reason why this has become acceptable to the lower class people is because the government “helps” the people through programs such as “WIC”, “Welfare”, and much more but in reality the government could be helping the people more by increasing wages however that does not benefit the wealthy private owners/parties. As a result of this we have both systems present in this country today that are similar in the sense that they want the wealthy to stay wealthy and the poor to stay ignorant or at least conformed.

Nico Passalacqua

4/14/2014 01:54:16 pm

Capitalism is most effective when it is ruled by whoever owns capital or identifies with its needs, whereas democracy, is the rule of the majorities who have neither capital nor reasons to identify with the needs of capitalism. Capitalism worsens inequality due to the free market system and further deteriorates democratic societies. The relations between accumulation and concentration versus demand is similar to that of capitalism and democracy. The desire to accumulate and concentrate wealth contradicts the demand for the redistribution of wealth. Just as the people of democracy fight for equality against political leaders who user their power to prevent such from occurring.

Victor Lebow said, “Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.” Dwight Eisenhower said that democracy’s central focus is to produce consumer goods. When the rate of return on capital remains above the rate of growth of the economy, inequality will always exist. If capital incomes are more concentrated than incomes from labor, personal income distributions will continue to become more unequal. This is the driving force behind the consumption idea.

Christian Ramirez

4/25/2014 10:42:38 am

Although Democracy and Capitalism contradict each other in the sense of their main goals, they are very much involved with each other. One big way they are not connected is in the concept of supply and demand. We the consumers demand more of something so the corporations go and acquire the materials needed to produce that much product to meet our supply and demand. We need more books so they go and chop down more trees. It's that simple and the government does little to nothing about it because the corporations are bigger than them. Heck they answer to the corporations. They are using up to much of everything. That is not good because we're going to have little supplies in the future and it's going to harm OUR planet. Another issue that branches off from this is the corporations harming the environment like with the Oil Companies. Yes I understand the world runs on oil but we are destroying the planet with all these oil spills. In 2010, BP oil company spilled more than 200 million gallons of oil during an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. This severely damaged the marine life and water supply. There needs to be more government regulation to stop future events from occurring. To be frank, there are plenty of safer and cost effective alternatives to oil such as solar and wind. Both systems are connected but lack much communication with one another in many important aspects.

Augustus Castro

5/25/2014 11:33:43 am

The economic system and the political system of the united states are both directly connected. Illustrated in the Story of Stuff is the idea of resources being exploited, producers and manufacturers pay bare minimum in production costs and wages to employees in order to continue producing, but keep costs down to consumers. Constantly we are encouraged to buy whether it is the advertisements or the idea our life is incomplete without necessary new purchases. The economy is also structured on how much people are buying and selling products in the United States. If people stop buying on a massive scale and prices fluctuate either up or down it is important to see that the amount Americans choose to purchase directly effects the financial status of our country. More over citizens continue to base peoples economic worth on their spending patterns to see visually if they are contributing to the consumer economy. In fact the answer to fix our declining economy is to spend more, stimulation through purchases. Government organizations are funded heavily through corporations though these transactions predominately prefer the freedoms of big business over the general population they do promote the buying of their products sold and for consumer activity to flourish in order to help their government. The problem with the continuance of a system like this is that corporations are put first over the citizens based on how much they contributed to the economy, yet we are strongly encouraged to buy unnecessary items in order to better our personal lives, deliver satisfaction matching the life span of the product and visually show the rest of the public we are either spending money, or have capacity to; sadly given such ideology the worth of a person could be argued based on their possessions of their character versus the character they possess.

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7/14/2014 05:56:58 pm

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What is the relationship between our economic and political system? (week 1)

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