Originally Posted by
davflaws
Yup - but probably my memory of what that was and when we had it is different from yours. Who wouldn't want to live among "proud, resilient, self-reliant, innovative people who others wish to emulate".
But exactly what that might look like would probably depend on who you were and your personal circumstances as well as what you valued. And how we get back there (wherever it is) will also depend on who you are and what you value.
Over a particular level of material prosperity (which we exceeded a long time ago), in more equal societies everyone is healthier and happier. I believe that that is the direction we should go, and that that is most likely to produce a country that is "proud, resilient, self-reliant, innovative people who others wish to emulate"
Capitalism works brilliantly in producing goods and services, but is guaranteed to produce increasing inequality and misery unless it is regulated. It seems to me that the question of how and how much is an important one.
"Socialist" democracies seem to regulate capitalism pretty well, in that they top the happiness stakes every year, and they seem to have no problem with innovation.