Capitalism!

Living in a society that fosters different opinions and encourages debates; many different angles apply to the complex idea that is capitalism. When this nation was founded, it was based on a largely market economy with a few regulations. Through different times and eras, these regulations have been added to, depleted, and revised. The balance of capitalism that has not yet been reached is a difficult one to find, and will not be solved overnight.
While capitalism cultivates ingenuity and drive, it can also harm an economy, as shown by corporations such as Wal-Mart, who abuse the capitalist system. Some of their workers are forced into situations that put them into poverty while working full time. Also, whole communities have been run dry because their whole economy has been sucked into a superstore such as Wal-Mart. The local convenience stores have lost to the corporations that have no higher authority who can prevent them from spreading and taking over the whole economy. Some may claim that corporations like Wal-Mart succeed because they are the best and say true to the ideal of the "survival of the fittest", but it is also at the expense of a nation’s people and citizens, which is not acceptable. Economic regulations are meant to prevent companies from abusing their power in such ways, but currently, they are not very effective in the situation faced today. These regulations need to evolve as the economy does, and are currently lagging behind.
One feasible solution to this issue has been put forth by Paul Hawken's interpretation of "Natural Capitalism". O ur industry is based on the productivity of workers. One way of doing this effectively is conserving resources; "reducing resource use creates jobs and lessens the impact we have on the environment" (Hawkin 5). To do this, the natural and environments need to be repaired. Once energy has been developed efficiently, the services that are essential in society would be provided at a lower cost; both financially and environmentally. The money that is spent towards dying industries should be funneled into things that are becoming more and more essential today. Some examples of these emerging issues are welfare and high labor taxation. The importance of welfare systems like health care in our society is becoming more and more apparent. By taxing people who work, the government encourages businesses to hire less people to do jobs that could be preformed by multiple people. Taxes need to be placed on an individual’s resource consumption rather than the work of individuals themselves. Natural capitalism will "ensure that economic systems more closely mimic biological systems, which have successfully adapted to dynamic changes over millennia" (Hawkin 8). If this system unfolds according to plan, it will begin to cure ailing societies as well as the planet. This transition will not be easy, nor will it be overnight. Major changes will have to be made to the way society functions as a whole and as people, we must adapt.

As a theory, capitalism can be highly beneficial to societies, but regulations must be created and enforced in order for it to work for the benefit of a nation’s people.