Riz Khan - Naomi Klein Disaster Capitalism - 19 Sep 07

Riz speaks with Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Riz
• Khan
• aljazeera
• Naomi
• Klein
• Disaster
• Capitalism

[crazycatfguy]

Where have you been over the last 40 years? Since the capitalist started buying our legislators we are going down hill at breakneck speed.

[photopicker]

we've been living with unregulated junk economics for years

[qwertypoiu4321]

She is an extreme idiot, ahh (facepalm)...

[rickbar123]

Don't read her books, study them.

[gnoam9]

@airbreather123 I think we can agree on disagreeing. Thank-you for the polite argument, though.

[airbreather123]

@gnoam9 I'm also at a loss. There is no nirvana to be had, a government has a role, but not in the economy. It has a role in making sure law is followed. If a company breaks a rule it should be held accountable. However the market imbalances that cause huge downturns are government created.

Somehow pursuing political self interest is more noble than pursuing self interest in the free market, i find that to be a fallacy.

[gnoam9]

@airbreather123 Well, I simply don't know what to tell you. I wish you luck in finding the is nirvana where government doesn't play a role in the up keep of society. Are govenments a neccessary evil? I believe so. Are they held accountable? Indeed, and so they should be. If Bay street could be more Friedmanite, who would hold its feet to the fire when it all went pear shaped?

[airbreather123]

@gnoam9 I'm sorry but what you are saying is simply not true. Fanny Mae is a government created entity to help people get affordable housing, hence sub-prime loans and interest only loans. In canada unlike USA government does not guarantee other peoples mortgages, thus creating a moral hazard. free market wanted those companies to fail and they should have.

Government created federal reserve sets interest rates, thus creating the bubbles. if you want real economic analysis look up peter schiff

[gnoam9]

@airbreather123 We all enjoy the free market, it does 'make the world go 'round'. Yet if it is left unchecked, it creates more human misery to more people by the rich. Fanny Mae, RBS, Morgan Stanley either failed outright or needed the US tax payers to bail them out.

Since Canada has regulation to its banking system, it's hard to argue that regulation doesn't work.

The comment doesn't mention anything about capitalism being bad, only that it needs to be held accountable.

[airbreather123]

@gnoam9 the capitalism that is imposed by a government is not capitalism. the free market provided you with internet and this website, yet you spit on it so quickly.

If the government had stayed out of economic planning the situations that naomi describes would not exist

[airbreather123]

If only we had more government involvement everything would be fantastic....Ohh how I wish for more regulations. All those factories in 3rd world need to be shut down so that they can live free from work, go back to farming and living in the dirt.

If only I was taxed more to improve our schools, pay more to teachers regardless if they are good or not, and will never get fired. that would be awesome

[randyguitarman13]

Naomi Klein is a tool of the State.