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JimG8R help notwithstanding there are flaws in your reasoning.
I've often marvelled at the plasters here who cry at the "road to socialism" and proclaim that the American capitalistic ideal is being lost, all the while writing from their risk-free cubicle,
1) I have also never been shot in the head, been doused with gasoline and set ablaze or been injected with cleaning fluid. I remain – though not having personal experience – opposed to signing up for any of these events. Some things may be learned by observation.
I have never served in the military, therefore am not qualified to comment on some aspects of military practice. I remain, however, resolute in my belief that we need an army, need a good army and that we want our army to win every time.
2) By your criteria no one who has a job w/o owning the company can be a capitalist. That would make them . . . ? I am not sure exactly what. The customer service rep who sits in his cubicle every day is counting on his job being somewhat stable and on his pay being reliable enough every month to allow him to meet his financial obligations. He has said “yes” to the Acme Widget Corp and “no ” to the other 6 companies that offered him employment. He has “skin” in the game in terms of dozens of choices, commitments, liabilities and risks even though he has not borrowed money to build the company.
The church I serve is not one that had a life and history prior to my moving to this town and “planting” it. I bought a house, took on a number of risks and liabilities financial and otherwise before there was a actually a church. As we have grown we have bought land, hired builders and contractors, borrowed and paid off loans, hired many people in many capacities and contribute as much to the local economy as quite a few businesses. More than some. So there is even some entrepreneurship in view. If the church had failed there would have been consequences both financial and otherwise.
This church is a woven into the community through the lives, jobs and contributions of the entirety of its membership The failure of the concerns where our members are employed would create direct hardship on us. We have “skin” in the game through them also.
I realze your situation is unique, but owning a house, etc doesn't make you a practicing capitalist.
I believe that it does. I own property – at least partially because I have a few payments left to make. Because I own a house I pay property taxes, pay for utilities, hire painters, buy furniture, maintain the yard, get the roof repaired, re4place the HVAC system and any number of capitalistic type activities. I am taking the risk that my investment my house will gain value.
Investments certainly help but honestly, did you purchase funds to grow those myriad businesses or to save/make money for yourself.
Both. My principle concern in buying investments is self serving – a positive return on investment. But I hope that the business will prosper, because in this way I also prosper. It is a bit of a gamble because if the business fails (see Circuit City, Braniff airlines etc.) my investment is lost. So I want the company to thrive. By definition this is capitalism. I do not buy stock because I love the company so much that I cannot bear the thought of their failure or them being under funded. And they do not sell stock because they want friends. Capitalism is not altruism – it is enlightened self interest. All financial exposure is not equal but it is exposure none the less.
That is working within the capitalist construct. Individual investors are counting on the results of capitalism, but not taking the true risk.
Tell that to everyone who had most of their capital (choice of words intended) tied up in General Motors, Colonial Bank, Ranger Boats, etc.
Unless you've done something to create a job, expand or build a business you don't have any real skin in the game.
Have you ever taken an economics course? Everyone who buys good and services creates jobs. The old question “How many people does it take to place a pencil in the hands of a 5th grade student?” still in answered the same way – “An incalculable number.” Are electricians, lawyers, exterminators, mechanics, teachers and chefs not able to be capitalists? I think your definition is too cramped to fit the landscape.
