Michael Moore and "Capitalism" Need a Lesson in Self Responsibility

Michael Moore has a new film being released, "Capitalism: A Love Story", in New York and Los Angeles on September 23^rd and October 2^nd for the rest of us little people. Michael, why the limited opening? Doesn't that take away the rights of people in rural areas and smaller cities? Shouldn't everyone be equal in absolutely everything? Does this sound ridiculous? Yes it does, and so does Michael Moore and his latest slanted offering of "Capitalism: A Love Story".

Michael Moore has produced many progressive movies that preached to the movie-going masses his opinions, and these offerings included "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Sicko". These two movies attacked the military/political moral questions and the healthcare crisis respectively.

Now we have "Capitalism: A Love Story" that explores the corruption behind the mass global financial meltdown that has occurred over the past months. But according to Michael Moore it is more than simple corruption, it is pure evil that drives the capitalistic market. "Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy."

Really? The answer to evil is social equality? I thought it was corporate accountability and individual self-responsibility. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Mr. Moore goes beyond just defining evil for his audience, he also states that there was illegal gambling, persuasive behavior that bordered on a type of financial mind control, collusion on the part of banks and US Treasury officials and he also claims that capitalism is anti-Christian.

Michael Moore goes on to explain how the capitalism investment banks and hedge funds literally gambled the money that they were responsible for. Michael Moore told an audience in Venice this weekend at the film debut, "Essentially we have a law which says gambling is illegal but we've allowed Wall Street to do this and they've played with people's money and taken it into these crazy areas of derivatives."

Michael Moore's capitalism message includes the evil corporations that are letting people lose their jobs while they make record profits, Michael Moore decries the closeness between US Treasury officials and the capitalism banks and politicians. His message includes that way that capitalism banks have persuaded buyers to purchase more home than they can afford.

Michael Moore tells us that big business capitalism created this financial crisis and that they are responsible for the resulting homelessness, rising unemployment and lack of consumer confidence. And yes, Michael Moore even has religious leaders in his film that send the message that capitalism is anti-Christian because it fails to protect the poor.

Now Michael Moore is not wrong in all of this and the conclusions that he draws. Financial institutions were playing with our money and investing in highly risky derivatives. Michael Moore may also be correct that there is a sense of complicity between business and government entities, that is not really news to anyone. Michael Moore is right also in that people have been hurt by what has occurred and some of them through no real fault of their own.

But to say that capitalism is evil and the answer to the evil is social equality is where I believe Michael Moore's message is incorrect. The answer rests with proper regulation and accountability for the world financial institutions. The answer to the financial crisis also rests with self-responsibility of the people.

A couple making $60,000 a year with two children and two car payments cannot afford a $400,000 house no matter how attractive the banks make it sound. Is it wrong for the capitalism bank to do this? Yes of course it is. But Michael Moore, it is just as wrong to place no responsibility for the capitalism transaction on the individual.

Michael Moore needs to broaden his thinking, our capitalism solution does not rest with a world based on social equality, the solution rests with more personal self-responsibility and corporate accountability.

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2009/09/director-michael-moore-now-wants-nothing-less-than-the-complete-overthrow-of-the-modern-capitalist-system--from-reuters-in.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5850F320090906