During the second half of the 60s, I discovered and began reading Dr. Marx's extensive in-depth analysis of capitalist economy, as well as his critique of capitalist political economy. As such, I'm compelled to thank Newsweek for devoting valuable space to the June 22 essays because, once again, it's time to evaluate our capitalist economy. It's clearer today that capitalism can't, and won't, deliver what human beings must have to pursue life, liberty and happiness regardless of how many times it's reformed. Predictably and unfortunately, Dr. Zakaria repeats the same mistake as anti-Marxist critics before him when he writes, "What we are experiencing is not a crisis of capitalism. It is a crisis of...democracy...". Crisis or not, Dr. Zakaria, like most who have a stake in capitalism, is in denial. Dr. Marx's collected works demonstrate a democracy can be, and in American's case is, dominated by a capitalist political economy. To ignore the historical string of capitalist economic tragedies and write that our current crisis lies not with capitalism but with democracy is to fall into the trap described by Dr. Marx, "History always repeats itself twice: first time as tragedy, second time as farce." Our capitalist economy has run out of time, as did the slave economy before it. It's time we developed an economy which will allow us to live the dreams of our Founding Fathers.
The Capitalist Manifesto
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Fareed Zakaria reminds us that no economic system is perfect, so we cannot always expect a bump-free ride.
Katherine Mancuso, Incline Village, Nev.
The freeloading lemmings are marching toward the cliff and taking the rest of us with them. We need less government "taking care of us" and more support of private enterprise and capitalism to create wealth and jobs.
Lyle Halstead, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
The capitalist manifesto is quite simple. Make lots of money any way you can, from whomever you can, as fast as you can, while the getting is good.
David G. McGrady, Muskegon, Mich.
It always amazes me when writers purport to enlighten us on capitalism, then ignore the writings of Adam Smith, the author of the real capitalist manifesto, The Wealth of Nations. Smith made a very clear distinction between self-interest and greed. He thought greed to any degree was a threat to capitalism. His ideas are a far cry from what most writers argue, which is that greed is good, that taxes and regulations hurt capitalism and that free markets solve all problems.
Steven Telleen, Livermore, Calif.
The Perils of Punditry
It is regrettable that Evan Thomas felt he had to explain himself for appearing to compare Obama to God on Hardball With Chris Matthews. The other side of the aisle is so upset with Obama's popularity; they forget how they loved their dear Reagan who, despite raising taxes and failing to invest any real political capital in the issues of the right wing, was nonetheless considered the Second Coming. Hopefully, Thomas will continue to speak from the heart and stop worrying about bloggers.
John Burciaga, Newburyport, Mass.
The Accidental Slumlord
If you take on a rental property, you're supposed to meet your responsibilities to keep your property maintained. Yes, tenants can be rough on a property; they can be terrible. That's why you should be selective in your tenants. You bought a junkhole in an impoverished area, the repairs aren't made until your tenant does them at his own expense—and you have the nerve to complain? You're the one falling down on the deal, not the old guy who's fixing your slum. Get out of the landlord business. There are already enough slumlords in America.
Tove Ford, Katoomba, Australia
There is no such thing as an accidental slumlord. Ill-equipped, maybe. Ignorance, or hoping a bad situation will go away, does not eliminate the responsibility of keeping a home in good condition for the safety of tenants. I've lived in several places where landlords were overwhelmed by the burden, and I adopted a semi-ownership attitude to keep me comfortable. In each case, disrepair and safety issues compelled me to move on. In any new situation, the lawful and reasonable thing to do is to learn the ropes first.
Robin Burns, Moscow, Idaho
Back Story: Can You Cheat Death?
Oh, what can I do? I have a negative 20 score. Here I sit at 86, having survived 23 years in the military, three wars, two wives—and with the seven kids I claim, I guess I have already cheated death. Excuse me while I relight this stogie.
Arthur W. Ekins, Belton, Mo.
© 2009
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