Capitalism

02/15/10

Blizzard recovery showcases benefits of capitalism

Chris W. Bell

Tens of thousands of businesses in the Snow Belt have parking lots that must be cleared of snow immediately after a snowstorm in order for them to sell their wares. They do not rely on the government; there is no "snow czar", and there is no "department of snow removal" for businesses. They are on their own in terms of clearing their parking lots.

In our pop culture capitalism is portrayed as a failed and unfair system that is the cause of many of our economic problems. Pundits claim that it is a biased system that transfers wealth from the working class to the rich. There are few defenses of this system of commerce in our education system or our press. But the proof of the pudding is in the taste, and the ongoing cleanup of recent record snowfalls is a living testimonial of the supremacy of capitalism.

The challenge of clearing all of these lots seems insurmountable; various and sundry parking lot sizes and locations spread across many states- all needing to have the way cleared in time for the first customer of the morning. Customers will not pull into snowbound parking lots. Within hours of the end of the snowstorm the lots must be cleared.

And to the rescue are thousands of small businesses that clear lots for a fee. They wake up in the wee hours to hit the road, or they may work well into the night because many also have regular 9 to 5 jobs too. They buy pickup trucks and spend thousands for salt and plows so that they can earn money pushing snow. They don't do it because they care about whether or not you can get to the grocery store; they are working in their own best interest, they are doing it for the money. And as is the rule with capitalism they can only make money if they provide a valuable service to the community.

There is no central planning, nobody has to tell them when, how, or what to do, and thank goodness there is no thick book of regulations and procedures. Real people who are looking for a way to put food on the table take it upon themselves to invest their time and capital in a manner that people are willing to compensate them for. Think for a moment about the monumental task that these "working stiffs" take on every time it snows.

I salute the American snow removal industry. They do a fantastic job that allows us to have a quick return to normalcy after huge snowfalls. Who would say that they profit unfairly, who would say that they are greedy, who would say that their profits should be redistributed to those who didn't get out there and plow?

The snow removal industry is a perfect example of how capitalism improves the lives of the American people. (And can improve the lives of people in every country.) If we apply this model to other industries it is obvious that people working in their own interests, providing the services we need, and keeping the money they earn, facilitate our comfortable lifestyle. I say "more power to them".

Contrast this system with a government run system; what would snow removal be like if the snow plowers were employed by the government, couldn't be fired for slow service, and made the same money whether their customer's lots were plowed at 8 am or 8 pm? What would it be like if the DMV ran all of the plows?

The next time you hear someone bash capitalism, think about how well the system works for you. Think about how you can leisurely pull into the plowed parking lot of your favorite business after a blizzard. Take time to recognize that it is capitalism that has allowed you to go about your business with minimal inconvenience, and make sure to defend and protect this most fair and most productive system of commerce known to humanity.

* * * * *

This is the most plain and simple, lucid explanation of Capitalism that I have ever seen. In the free market, each individual strives to produce something of value at a price that other people are willing to pay for it. He does this not because he's forced to or wishes to be totally altruistic, but because he wishes to make money for himself. The fact that his customers obtain something that they value at a price they find reasonable is the beauty of Capitalism and what makes it superior to other systems.

The snow example brings back old childhood memories. My mother's poor Irish parents immigrated early in the 20th century, bought 2 houses on a lot in a working class neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and somehow held onto them through the great depression. Family lived in one or more flats at one time or another over the years, while other flats were rented out. I was the eldest and only grandson, and thus became the "designated snow shoveler" in the winter. There was a long, concrete path to the house in back, a shorter path to the one in front, and a shovel-resistant unevenly paved old brick sidewalk along the street out front. Light, aluminum snow shovels wouldn't stand up to constantly crashing against the raised edges of the uneven bricks and soon developed curly leading edges. Fortunately, we hadn't yet converted from coal to gas furnaces for heat, so we had several long and short flat-nosed coal shovels. Heavy steel coal shovels scooping up loads of heavy wet snow and heaving it aside.

If I had any energy left after completing my family obligatory shoveling, I was free to pursue every greedy capitalist's dream: to go sell my labor and productivity to someone who felt that my services were worth the price I asked. I didn't do that because I had to; there would be food on the table that night whether or not I shoveled for someone. I was a low maintenance kid - a few dollars a week kept me going. We didn't have iPods and stuff back then, if we had clothing fads, I guess I wasn't aware of it. It just felt kind of satisfying to be part of the national economy, exchanging my labor for negotiable currency. Although I probably wouldn't have had a clue if it was explained that way at the time.

Enough reminiscing. Capitalism is good socialism sucks. Chris W. Bell is an excellent writer and I'm not. The End.