[ExI] Why is “cost of living” such a big problem?

[Ben Zaiboc]

On 04/11/2026 14:14, spike wrote:
> Capitalism is our friend.


You mean "unfettered capitalism is our friend", because that's what we're talking about here.

If it's our friend, it's the kind of friend who constantly lies, takes your stuff without your permission, and has no concern at all for your wellbeing. The kind of friend that stabs you in the back as soon as it's beneficial to them.

I'm afraid I can't condone your "do what you want and to hell with everybody else" style of libertarianism. Being concerned for everyone on the planet has to be a basic value, for me at least. Making money should be secondary to, and subservient to, that.

Capitalism is like fire. It can be extremely useful, but it needs to be controlled. You need to have fire brigades, and you need to punish people who deliberately set things on fire that shouldn't be on fire. And we should use it to keep people warm (all people, not just a tiny percentage), not torture and kill them.
-- 
Ben
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." - Pablo Casals, via Albert Einstein