Reply #27: It was late and I didn't take the time to expound the idea [View All]

(and I don't assume people here are really interested in conversation), but to use your scenario, the market didn't solve your problem, the HVAC guy solved it, the market merely facilitated the transaction between you (circulation of currency). We have come to confuse 'capitalism' with 'the marketplace' but they are independent of each other as a star system and space are independent. The star system is in space but does not constitute space itself and other start systems can and do exist in space, none of which alter space (OK science-type geeks, I realize this can be argued but it isn't germane to the issue at hand).

The marketplace is and will always be. Capitalism though, like a giant star going supernova (to continue the analogy), seeks to consume/overcome/replace space. The single driving force of capitalism is profit and in seeking that profit the capitalist enterprise must seek to overcome the marketplace by eliminating all other enterprises as we have seen many, many times in the past and present.

So let's say you paid HVAC guy $100 to fix your AC. Now in the mythical marketplace HVAC guy exists because he is competent and available and if either of these criteria are no longer met, you go to HVAC gal because she can do the same job for the same money and everybody is happy and this scenario plays out forever with more and more, better and better HVAC guys and gals being available until there are simply too few AC's to keep them all busy and supply begins to shrink to sufficient, but not excessive, capacity. In the real marketplace however, the one we have that is dedicated to American Capitalism, you have only one or two HVAC corporations that employ all the HVAC guys and gals and they do mediocre work because they are given too many AC's to fix and are paid only $50 to do it, while you are billed $300 for the same job. When if HVAC gal decides she can do better than HVACInc. and starts her own HVAC repair business, HVACInc. and it's partner HVACLtd. have the means to prevent her success, making the the slap-dash $300 job the only alternative available to you.

Have you read The Wealth of Nations? If not, you should.