The Art Of Thinking In Systems: Improve Your Logic, Think More Critically, And Use Proven Systems To Solve Your Problems Strategic Planning For Everyday Life pdfdrive com

A warning from the “other side”
Karl Marx, a German economist and philosopher who developed the idea of
communism in response to problems he witnessed in capitalism, believed that
competition in the marketplace actually eliminates competition in the

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marketplace, if left unchecked. He was very critical of capitalism as he pointed
out that when there are two competing businesses, one will invariably gain an
advantage over the other by being more efficient, having better technology, or
making wise investment choices. That advantage would generate more money,
which could then be reinvested in the company and its facilities and technology.
This reinforcing feedback loop, if it goes on without government protections,
will make the dominant business rapidly able to corner the market and eliminate
all competition.
We have seen Marx’s prediction at work in the United States. Automobile
manufacturers have been reduced to three (antitrust laws have kept it from
dropping to one), many big cities have only one newspaper, and so on.
Television, internet, and telecommunications providers continue to merge with
the government, keeping a watchful eye to prevent any one company from
becoming so big and powerful that it drives all of its competitors out of business.
The other side is true as well; the poor also get poorer. Poor kids usually have
access to the worst education, and thus the worst jobs and income levels. Their
poverty is reinforced at each stage of life. People who do not have a lot of
money are either unable to qualify for loans, or must pay a disproportionately
high interest rate to the well-off — who collect the money. This keeps the poor
from being able to make investments and improve their futures like the wealthy
can. People with low incomes often are unable to own their own homes. They
pay rent to those who can afford to own property. Tenants supply landlords,
whether with a stable income source or enough to buy a new flat for more people
to rent. Real life Monopoly, folks.
The poor tend to pay a greater percentage of their income to taxes and
healthcare. Wealthy individuals and corporations have access to attorneys who
can help them find loopholes in the tax code and avoid paying a comparable

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amount of their income in taxes. They are also able to lobby government more to
have their interests represented and to receive tax breaks.
Often people are able to receive discounts when they purchase items in bulk.
Because the poor are unable to afford these large purchases, they often have to
pay higher, per piece prices. As the poor often suffer from pollution and disease
before the rest of the population, and often have no other choice than to take a
dangerous, low-paying job or live in an area with a high crime rate, the
reinforcing feedback loop grows ever stronger, and the cycle remains entrenched
in society generation after generation.