“An additional option is to create just two definitions of the word “good” and the word “bad” that all people no matter what religion or belief system they use, can agree to. ”

Language doesn’t work like that. The meaning of words is not fixed or fixable – or rather the act of fixing meaning is a political one. Language is not separable from the social world, it is constitutive of the social world in which we live. We can’t define meaning then step back and admire our handiwork. It’s not science. Confucius wrote about this 2500 years ago – ?? – language and power are basically the same thing. So “creat[ing] just two definitions of good and bad” is another way of calling for some form of political reform of revolution. Something that everyone could agree on? That would need global institutions with more power than the ones that already exist.

Except there is a global institution that almost everyone agrees with, and that it capitalism, the most revolutionary system of all, but one for which language and power are limitlessly malleable.

“The system works great in the US … as long as you are the person with the capital. ” That pretty much sums it up!

Do you have the twitter conversation? I’d be interested to read on that.

If Allison is actively trying to help someone’s quality of life in any way other than blogging about it when in the mood, I haven’t heard about it — which isn’t to say that she hasn’t just that she doesn’t publicize her good works if she does. The complaints I type about are to make people who seem to think the world is great as is (because it is working well for them) more aware so that they might decide to work towards reform too. You can’t fix something if you can’t see where it’s broken. As for me, I try to lead a decent law abiding life and speak up or step in when people are being mistreated. When I was working, I donated more than it was financially reasonable for me to food banks. I risked my job and financial security by standing up to my employers to make sure the products they produced were the safest and best quality that they could be. Now that I am not working, I share what comes my way or do without when I’m barely getting by to make sure someone else in the same or worse situations than me gets fed. I taxi people around all hours of the day or night when they need to get somewhere. I have 2 families living in 2 homes I own for no rent even though the families each have more income than I do. I gave away an RV I owned so a man I barely knew didn’t have to sleep outside last winter even though I had someone ready to buy the RV from me for $3000.00. I do what I can despite having 2 social workers trying to train me to be more self motivated and less empathetic. I’m just a normal guy doing what I can with what I have.

Fair words, but like Tabby said, and you have stated, (“Except there is a global institution that almost everyone agrees with” Strong underlining o the word ALMOST.)
Capitalism only works for those whose wish to make as much money as they can… It destroys a person willingness to work for the joy of it and replaces it with a willingness to work for money. Personally, I dont want to work for money, I want to work for love and life, but because that cost money I have to work for it. So my joys and love of life are placed in the “hobby” side of Capitalism; instead of being my main goal in life.

First off, everything we are talking about can not be placed in the true or false column of conversation. When speaking about Capitolism it will always boil down to opinion. Everything you have said so far on the subject is not true, it is only your opinion, but in my view, if prices are lowered, its because the proprietor can make more money from the lower prices becuase he can sell to more people. I agree, the Capitol market can find an equilibrium and it might benifit the little guy in some way, but I feel that it is a system set up for people who want to make money… they hold that idea up higher than any other standard. It is set up by the greedy, for the greedy.
I’ll agree some non profit centers are in place because of peoples passions, but that doesnt mean that the orginazation doesnt make money. Nonprofit, for a business, simply means whatever money in surplus is generated, it is funneled back into the org. Most NPO have to rely on goverment grants and donations from others. Basically, if I want to give to an organization that I feel is a good business for the US, (Say the Keep the homeless children of America safe from kipnappers Org.) I would have to work at something I hate (ex. Cleaning Libaries as a janitor. Acually, I might like that. Assume I would hate it.) to make money so that I could donate to a passion of keeping children safe. And how well can I rely and have faith in a goverment that has an org. like KTHCOASFK losing money and unable to stay a float because all the would-be workers have to earn a living, when I feel it should do more to protect its citizens by other means that simply throwing money at an org. in the form of a grant.
In Conclusion, Capitolism does make it to where peole can donate thier money for a good cause, I just feel that we could be better people if we didnt have to, but instead gave our time to keeping children safe, because I’m sorry Mr. Hall, it is really hard for a noble person to make it in Capitolist World.

I can see you make a more reasonable case for capitolism here, but I only agree with it on the point of when it was first set up… We overthrew our King and established a free market where capitolism roamed free, which was a good system for a country thats barely beginning out of the tyranny of a newly overthrown king, but as time moves on, i believe a new system is needed to stablize our economy- because, in not placing new rules, we have allowed ourselfs to be run by “3000 kings one mile away, rather than one king 3000 miles away.”
I believe the freedom fighters of our country would be greatly disappointed to see all the kings that our running our so-called “free market” right now… I also believe that when the demand for workers decrease and thier pay decreases with it, that suppy and demand no longer works. I liken the low wages a man gets for a full honest days work closer to slavery than the laws of supply and demand.
Thinking about it now, we can trace the evolution of a king to mean both in the form of a ruler over an empire. Wal-Mart, Mc Donalds, Sony… all considered empires.
Define the word slavery and see if it matches the defination of a man who can barely feed his family on a full weeks work.
Capitolism has lead the rich to be able to higher and pay people just enough to keep them barely feed and housed, unable to support a family.
In doing so, they have the ability to control what he buys and where he stays, and in doing so, they have the ability of contoling which school their kids will go… if thier kids have to leave school early to work for food to eat… its all about control. With it, the rich can always control the poor…

I have no idea what point you are trying to make. Are you saying control is an illusion? That, because of Capitolism, the rich dont get to decide where the poor live, what they eat, where thier kids go to school, or how much money per hour they will recieve for work/labor?
“The goal then is to arrive at freedom of consciousness” -James Hall
My goal is for everyone in the US, to be able to support thier family. For them to live a healthy life.For them to live a safe life, from all of the terrors of the world. (Foreign and Domestic) I also believe some people’s goals are for them to be kings among us and control every aspect of a free market to their own advantage. Capitolism allows them to do that.
I’m am against any system, (imaginary, illusional, or real) that makes someone a king above me… Not in my country. I wont stand for anyone wanting to use our free market as a tool to control the less fortunate it degrades America and the beliefs we were built on.
Don’t you believe, if there was something better for America than Capitolism, should we not at the least explore it? I mean thats the purest form of the American spirit… there is always something better.

“This almost forgotten global spiritual goal is available to ALL Americans; so that kingly influence of the materially advantaged has been nullified in the good ole U. S. of A.!”
This is interesting… How is the negitive influence of the would be controllers of the want-be Kings nullifed because of words printed on the back of a piece of paper when the actions are killing innocents in the streets?
In God We Trust. These people arent Gods Hall… they are men who abuse the system of Capitolism and all the ideas they stand for. You speak so highly of this system but you have no idea how peole use it to turns themselves into kings by turning others into legalized slaves. Capitolism is an embarressment at times.

“And sorry, but you don’t really know what you speak of when you try and use the word ‘slave’.” -James Hall
World English Dictionaryslave (sle?v) — n 1. a person legally owned by another and having no freedom of action or right to property 2. a person who is forced to work for another against his will 3. a person under the domination of another person or some habit or influence: a slave to television 4. a person who works in harsh conditions for low pay 5. a.a device that is controlled by or that duplicates the action of another similar device (the master device) b. ( as modifier ): slave cylinder
Take a look at definition number four, Mr Hall, because one of us doesnt know the definition and its not me. Capitolism makes a SLAVE out of weak-willed people who are not strong enough to make it by themselves and need more help than the normal person and you support it and you hide behind the “it’s-fair” arguement to perhaps ease your conscience or maybe you really are that ignorant. Whatever the case, dont ever tell me I dont know what Im talking about. You follow the principals of money and worship it by not caring who gets hurt as long as you make a buck. I follow the princeapals of our forefathers by asking for freedom from the chains of an obbpressing Capitolisic market. When people suffer while others flourish that is a disgrace for America. A true American would never want people to suffer to gain a dollar.
“Plus, once again you are ignoring that this is not a pure capitalist economy, but mixed capitalism and socialism,” -James Hall
You dont speak of socialism, you speak and praise Capitolism in all its glory. That is what we are aruging here, and I haven’t forgotten. I still stand behind my original thesis and have backed it up with serval points. Capitolism only works for those who sih to make as much money as they can… It doesnt work for the poor man who doesnt want to be rich, he only wishes to feed his family, or he only wishes to get and raise a family and has no interest in making money.
Thats what it boils down too, Money… you want it… I dont want it, but I need it. You cant seem to comprehend that.

“Thus, the poor man who doesn’t want to be rich, but just wants to feed his family benefits by lower prices provided by the actions of those well compensated Capitalists. QED” -James Hall
That benefit is considered negated when his wages are driven down by the same “well compensated Capitalists.” He gets less money but pays less for food… But the cost of living raises every year. I see that as a problem.
I can see we are only going to go around in circles with this discussion. I’ll give you the last word. Im done.

“You [don't] speak of socialism, you speak and praise [Capitalism] in all its glory.”
Get real, as I said before– we don’t live in a pure Capitalist economy, and I speak of the economy we live in, which is fueled by Capitalism. And I happen to admire some of the people in the entertainment business, where people can be very well compensated indeed!

my reply is above

“This works if and ONLY if everyone in the world would want to be treated in a loving and kind way. But that’s not the case, right? We’ve got people who like to be hurt and they like to hurt.” -Tabby… (something I forgot the last name)
Actually, Ive been thinking and have come up with a theory. Your assumption of the golden rule is very different from the one my theory puts forward.
First, let us assume that your statement above would be true. That would mean no one in the world would want to be treated unfairly and unjustice. The world would be perfect… in the eyes of the people who dont want to be hurt.
Now let us assume that the entire population of the people in our minds consisted of people who do want to be hurt and treated unfairly and unjust. Although we can not concieve of such a place because of our upbringing, (Acutally its easy for me to see it.) We can assume that the golden rule would also be followed here, but I believe it would be just as hard for them. Imagine that they only want the hurt and suffering to be on them, just like here we only want the kindness brought to us through love and harmony. In the second world we would see that it is just as hard to hurt people then it is to help them in ours. Admittedly, it does come easier for some than others in both worlds, but the majority of the mirror worlds would be the same, just backwards in nature.
Now, pretend of a world where everyone is indifferent to one another. Any and all actions are not looked on as good or bad, but merely a medium of our first two worlds. The golden rule, in my opinion, would work the best here. Everyone doesn’t care and they dont hurt one. another. They have no motivation to hurt or suffer and if the do, in our eyes, suffer… they dont care they just accept it and keep on going as nothing had happened.
In conclusion, I believe your quote can be changed to state that the golden rule works if and ONLY if everyone in the world wanted to be treat the “same”. With that in mind, we can understand that not everyone in our world wants to be treated the same; thereby making the golden rule ineffectual. My theory is to propose a new quote into the world that can inspire more balance to our world than that of the golden rule.

Sadly the best I can come up with is… The A. Mack Rule: (Named after my future exwife.) “Treat others as they wish to be treated; without sacrificing your own morals and/or health; unless you so desire.”

my reply is above