I got hooked on Mark Twain in the third grade, and had worked my way through just about everything he wrote by the 8th grade. I suspect it was the prevailing influence on my early life, and the reason I was an atheist, libertarian, and vegetarian by the time I finished school (Twain was not a vegetarian, but independent thought was the over-arching lesson I took away, not any specific activity or belief).

Anyway, almost every profound and contrary thing anyone says today has been said before, and better, by Mark Twain. (I know the same could be said of others...but as an American, it is my God-given right to ignore everything that happened before 1776 as irrelevant and distasteful.)

Though I'm surprised pg is a fan, given Twain's colorful, though playful, comments about Jane Austen (pg is apparently a bit worshipful of Austen). My girlfriend, also a big Austen fan, scowls whenever I mention Twain in conversation, but maybe that's just because she's already heard all of my blowhard opinions on the subject.

it is depressing how slowly we are learning the full implications of natural selection. political parties gain power not by being right, but by being more effective at spreading themselves. It is the same for feudalism as it is for democracy. "bringing democracy" to "less fortunate nations" is no different than the warring of the feudal lords for more land. All social systems must expand or be squeezed out of existence by those movements that do expand. We don't have our current system because it was more justified and more right than others. it was simply good at spreading itself. Capitalism started in the late 1600's and only faced serious opposition during the 20th century, but even that opposition was a trifle. Communism was never a threat because communism isn't competitive.

Now this isn't to say that capitalism and democracy suck and we should abolish them. Humans need competition to bring out the best in them. Capitalism is responsible for the increases in the standard of living over subsistence agriculture that much of the world still lives in. But they both have flaws that are potentially crippling if left undressed. Corn-pone opinions is a perfect example. Capitalism does concentrate power in the hands of the few and left unregulated has the potential for monopolies. These powerful few can then dictate the values that are advantageous to them to society. some would argue this has already happened.

bleh, enough ranting.

> Capitalism does concentrate power in the hands of the few and left unregulated has the potential for monopolies.

Except that monopolies tend to be created and maintained by regulation.

In what universe does govt constrain the politically powerful more than it constrains others?

this is very true. government creates the legal environment within which corporations operate. most monopolies have required government participation to work well. Mussolini famously said fascism should be called corporatism because it was the ultimate union between industry and state.

My favorite Mark Twain line (commenting on a Henry James novel): "Once I put it down I couldn't pick it up."