Tesla Capitalism

[Bill Price]

A man who just purchased a new Model S had just washed it and was polishing it when a man approached and told him that the money used to buy this car could've fed thousands of less fortunate people.
The guy looked at my Tesla and said,
"I wonder how many people could have been fed for the money that car cost?"
I replied, "I'm not sure........
It fed a lot of families in Freemont, California, where it was built,
It fed the people who make the tires,
It fed the people who made the components that went into it,
It fed the people in the copper mine who mined the copper for the wires,
It fed the people in the lithium mines who mined the lithium for the batteries,
It fed people at Caterpillar who make the trucks that haul the copper ore and lithium."
"It fed the trucking people who hauled it from the plant to the dealer
and fed the people working at the dealership and their families.
BUT,... I have to admit, I guess I really don’t know how many people it fed."
That is the difference between capitalism and the welfare mentality.
When you buy something, you put money in people’s pockets and give them dignity for their skills.
When you give someone something for nothing, you rob them of their dignity and self-worth.
Capitalism is freely giving your money in exchange for something of value.
Socialism is having the government take your money against your will and giving it to someone else for doing nothing.

 

[T.R.T.e.s.l.a.]

Bravo!

 

[house9]

Socialism is having the government take your money against your will and giving it to someone else for doing nothing.

Socialism gives us plenty of great things: Public School, Fire departments, Police, paved roads and oh yeah the Military.

You have painted a really nice black and white picture for yourself, but everything has trade-offs; Socialism and Capitalism are both far from perfect; Capitalism rewards greed above all else.

 

[Cheburashka]

Ban OP for being a Trump supporter

 

[lowtek]

Ban OP for being a Trump supporter

Ban me too then, Trump 2020!

 

[tj1772]

Socialism gives us plenty of great things: Public School, Fire departments, Police, paved roads and oh yeah the Military.

You have painted a really nice black and white picture for yourself, but everything has trade-offs; Socialism and Capitalism are both far from perfect; Capitalism rewards greed above all else.

Service is provided by Public School, Fire departments, Police, paved roads and oh yeah the Military as mentioned. So it is not Socialism. Is not different than you are paying for a mechanic to fix your car. Socialism is money/property taken against your will and nothing in return. Force must be used in Socialism.

 

[lowtek]

Socialism gives us plenty of great things: Public School, Fire departments, Police, paved roads and oh yeah the Military.

Pretty sure you're confusing socialism with taxpayers ...

Capitalism rewards greed above all else.

Capitalism rewards effort .. gotta do the work to reap the spoils ..

 

[DukeofURL]

Ban OP for being a Trump supporter

Personally I think OP's post transcends politics of the upcoming election. I'm sure all of us have encountered others who, likely due to their own insecurities, try to make us feel bad for spending our own money on what we enjoy - whether it be cars, homes, or anything else.

Yes, you could work all your day to make money, then donate all of that money to charitable causes, living in the most modest accommodations, spending nothing on yourself, and saving nothing for your future, but this isn't reality. The OP's post gives another intelligent viewpoint, which I always welcome.

 

[Cheburashka]

 

[house9]

Capitalism rewards effort .. gotta do the work to reap the spoils ..

Or you can be a lazy bastard who happened to inherit a lot of money. Likewise you could be working multiple jobs that are paying minimum wage and have no spoils to speak of.

 

[iqless]

what the hell is this propaganda doing in this forum? Like, I understand political discussions off-topic but this is literally a propaganda thread..?

 

[iqless]

OP's post is just more proof that Tesla owners are condescending pricks who think highly of themselves. That's why I can't take it seriously.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[SilverGS]

OP's post is just more proof that Tesla owners are condescending pricks who think highly of themselves. That's why I can't take it seriously.

Can you be more general?

 

[Tiger]

Capitalism is freely giving your money in exchange for something of value.

The trick is that (capital)ism itself does not guarantee that the employees get a living wage in the process you described, it only guarantees that the companies involved get paid and can maximize owners profits.

Socialism is having the government take your money against your will and giving it to someone else for doing nothing.

Same goes for (social)ism, the ism itself does not guarantee anything.

Like Elon says, idea is nothing, execution is hard. It's hard to make socialism work. It's hard to make capitalism work. It's hard to make 100% automation work. Instead, it's like making batteries, you will need an optimal mix for each purpose.

Anyways, the most effective voting is with your feet, simply move to a better place/job/whatever you like more, if you can.

 

[zecar]

Unfortunately sentry mode reveals Bill talking only to himself

 

[SSedan]

Socialism gives us plenty of great things: Public School, Fire departments, Police, paved roads and oh yeah the Military.

You have painted a really nice black and white picture for yourself, but everything has trade-offs; Socialism and Capitalism are both far from perfect; Capitalism rewards greed above all else.

"so·cial·ism

noun
a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole."

This has nothing to do with the government providing essential services.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Socialism is having the government take your money against your will and giving it to someone else for doing nothing.

Far too many people confuse Socialism with Communism and welfare, including whoever wrote the above.

 

[nwdiver]

Capitalism is freely giving your money in exchange for something of value.
Socialism is having the government take your money against your will and giving it to someone else for doing nothing.

A lot of companies start by government 'taking peoples money against their will' then they manufacture products to offer people freely in exchange for their money. Which category does that fall into? The world isn't black and white spelled out in bold text.

Here's a real world example; URENCO. Started with government money. Still 100% government owned. They have a private board of directors. They sell enrichment services into the marketplace at market value. 100% of their profits go back to the governments that own them. Is that socialism or capitalism?

 

[HankLloydRight]

"so·cial·ism

noun
a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole."

This has nothing to do with the government providing essential services.

It's sad that the overwhelming majority of Americans do not understand this.

Far too many people confuse Socialism with Communism and welfare, including whoever wrote the above.

yup.

 

[zecar]

The only ethical option for Bill is for him to burn is his Model S. Sad.