Im a little confused. Is America actually capitalist, or is it crony capitalist? Would TRUE capitalism have any problems? On the surface, it makes sense: make good product, get money. Someone makes better product, you need to improve yours or you go out of business. The issue is when we get monopolies and regulations that then restrict actual good products from being able to exist. But thats not a thing in true capitalism (so they say)
Is the best thing a mix of socialism and capitalism? I dont think we could abolish government, as someone has to lead. Certainly government needs to have actual checks and balances in place.
the big question. is capitalism without crony capitalism possible and sustainable? given that rich people always will have more power to affect policies than poor people
Short answer…no. Capitalism is never sustainable. It’s the equivalent of economic cancer.
As wealth is accumulated into fewer and fewer hands, monopolies will always emerge, effectively undermining anything resembling a “free market”. And once all that capital is concentrated into the hands of a few ultra wealthy oligarchs, they will have all the power they need to effectively capture the state…and all the rest of us with it.
The only way to prevent that system from inevitably emerging, is to prevent the accumulation of wealth in the first place. It’s fine to make money. It’s even fine to make a lot of money. But no one needs so much money, that they can effectively buy the entire government.