Dear Editor:
As children, many of us played “king of the castle” (or raft, hill, etc.). With effort and overcoming the competition we can climb on the raft. The next job is to prevent others from getting on.
Laisser-faire is free and open trade; capitalism includes preventing others from climbing on the raft and becoming significant competition.
Fratelli Tutti, by Pope Francis makes it very clear that unrestricted capitalism results in poverty and also, “Ultimately, persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, ‘not yet useful’ – like the unborn, or ‘no longer needed’ -like the elderly.”
Karl Marks in Das Kapital sees capitalism as ultimately destructive to itself and society. The great American dream that anyone can make it to the top, apart from being false, feeds the idea of me first and others can fight their own way up.
The song “Fie on Goodness” from Camelot states that the meek do not inherit the earth, they inherit the dirt.
Premier Doug Ford does not seem to believe that democracy is government by the people, for the people. He and his 81 accomplices appear to believe in unfettered capitalism.
Chris Woode,
Fergus