Equality & Freedom

The ideals of equality are more than an equity of political representation, but an equality of opportunity, possessions, freedom and accordant feelings of respect and integrity. However if the ideals of equity are based upon the amount of money and possessions one has, then it can be said that in a capitalistic economic system, the ideal of social equality is a complete and total travesty. And there is nothing democratic in terms of social equity in capitalist free enterprise democracy. What the individual is capable of in a material sense, as what one possesses, how one lives, where one can go and what one can do is all determined by money in capitalist societies.

Money determines the rank of the individual which equates to what private organizations and clubs they can belong to, access to social, political and business connections, access to privileged social functions, organizations and institutions. Money determines one's relationship with the justice system in terms of the ability to pay bail, the quality of lawyers one can afford, the ability to afford graft, the kind of jail or mental institution one will go to. And as a general rule the rich have a greater propensity to get fined, probation, or some kind of release compensation, whereas the poor go to jail. When the rich do go to jail they are often called country clubs. Money delineates the kind of health care one has access to and the medicine one can afford. It may determine the quality of food one can obtain, delimit the quality of education one can obtain or specify the amount of traveling one can do. It determines the number and kind of friends and relationships one can afford to have. It may decide how one may be treated in the many various relationships with others in the ordinary affairs of one's life and determine the kind and location of housing one can afford. The price of commodities as products and services is poor quality for the poor and good quality for the rich who can afford better things. It is in interest of capitalists to promote an inequality of products and services so that more money can be charged for more expensive items, wherein a difference must be apparent otherwise why would one pay more. Taxes used as prohibitions and discouragement, of course have a greater prohibitive affect on the poor and absolutely none on the rich. Sales taxes are disproportionate to the poor.

The question might be asked, as to how many people in any given instance would really be interested in true social equality. For the Democratic Capitalists the emphasis is on freedom and not on equality. The argument is that social and political systems which require the cooperation of all to promote equality of the whole are not free. This may be true in fascist socialist systems. But then the meaning of freedom can be construed to be the avoidance of onerous work, which may be designated in capitalist systems by educational or class level and the work or starve incentive. Social responsibility which requires the conformance of the individual to societal norms and responsibilities which involves the consideration of others may not necessarily be as free as Capitalistic Democracies, but the individual enjoys certain degrees of self-esteem, integrity, pride and integrity.

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