Thread: An explanation for the failure of capitalism

KP, first off, good thread. Don't really agree with you, but good thread. This is why I like SRP!

Some thoughts:
1. you seem to think that the producer is, to some degree, screwing the consumer by getting more benefit from the trade. well, the consumer is BUYING it, so at some point he earned the money by being a producer of his own. so, even if the cobbler is screwing me when I buy shoes, I'm going to screw him right back when he buys something from my store, because I'm getting more benefit that him by selling him one of the countless widgets I produce that he needs. in essence, I am trying to say that all consumers are producers, at some level. no one is only a consumer, and no one is only a producer, so I would view your pebble game as oversimplifying the problem.
2. you say capitalism has failed; I say it never got a chance. true lassez faire capitalism, afaik, has NEVER been implemented in the modern world. the current system we have here (I am American) is a sad, socialist mockery of real capitalism, and furthermore, (boy, the other rabid libertarians are gonna love me for this) that the government's constant interference with free trade is what's ruining it, not the idea itself. I still believe true free trade would be far superior. we aren't likely to find out, though, the gov't seems to enjoy riding around snug and secure in the pockets of anti-competitive lobbyists.
3. assuming you are correct, and capitalism is doomed to failure, what would you propose as an alternative? (not being antagonistic, just curious)