It is a sad day, I think, when capitalism must be defended from the likes of a snotty NPR reporter whose job is subsidized entirely by the fruits of capitalism. Normally, I’d say such scoffing wouldn’t require more than the cursory “How do you think you got your paycheck, sunshine?”, but I see that Jonah Goldberg went to the trouble of slicing and dicing the insipid argument with his customary élan. Any excuse to link up Jonah is a good one, so here you go.
An excerpt, you say? Can’t hurt.
Consider NPR. As a brand, it claims to be standing athwart capitalism because it’s “public.” What that means exactly is a bit unclear, since it still allows corporations to fund its programming in exchange for audio endorsements none dare call commercials and relies on the kindness of listeners to keep it afloat — listeners who, one way or another, make their money from you-know-what.
Indeed, speaking of the decade in capitalism, National Public Radio failed to mention that Joan Kroc, widow of Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, left more than $200 million to NPR in 2003. Mrs. Kroc’s generosity of spirit was her own, but the wampum is all capitalism’s, baby.
In a similar vein, the decade of capitalism saw one of the world’s richest men, Warren Buffett, pledge more than $30 billion to a foundation created by another offspring of capitalism, Bill Gates, for the purpose of aiding the world’s poor. Surely capitalism should get some of the credit, since the book on philanthropy in non-capitalist systems is shorter than the guide to cities without Starbucks.
There’s much more. Goldberg doesn’t miss a single target on the way to his conclusion, which is that capitalism rocks, so read the whole thing.
Tags: Capitalism, Jonah Goldberg
