[andrekandre]

  > The kind of capitalism we have now is a short-sighted parasitical money-grab.

it would seem so, at least in the west perhaps... but i wonder what the cause is; is it culture? or just organic growth is becoming harder and harder?

[tstrimple]

It's the nature of a capitalist society. Perverse incentives are everywhere and our primary measurement of success is wealth. We richly reward grifters and cheaters and folks with integrity often fall behind. The decades of perverse incentives have created a perverse society that no amount of "golden rule" theory taught in kindergarten can stand up against.

[notepad0x90]

I commented elsewhere in more detail, but it is in my opinion caused by a lack of national pride. If I was a billionaire, how would I feel about other Americans living the way they do? Would i be apathetic or would I feel ashamed as an American? Even paying taxes used to be considered a patriotic act a few decades ago.