Capitalism for the privileged few

Does Mr Baldeosingh not see that the reason hardly anyone buys his books is not that he lacks literary talent, but that he is just another victim of capitalism? The book-buying public, such as it is, is only able to buy products that the mighty publishing industry has foisted upon them through the media of bestseller lists and chain bookstores.

Independent book stores who might stock a great variety of books simply cannot compete with those successful capitalists Mr Baldeosingh inexplicably admires in the publishing world.

The few who might wish to buy his novels cannot do so.

That’s capitalism. I guess we’ll just have to settle for self help bestsellers because those are the books that will line somebody’s pocket.

Does our economic guru really fail to realise that it is capitalism, in place of a sound public transport system, that has half of Trinidad and most of Tobago in and around-the-clock traffic jam? The quality of life declines while the capitalist motor dealers write deposit slips. Mr Baldeosingh admires this?

Core samples of Antarctic ice have demonstrated that the climate change catastrophe now confronting all of us began with the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago.

The Industrial Revolution is the sine qua non of capitalism, just as a healthy environment (clean air, water and space) is for a healthy productive society. We know large companies do not observe environmental regulations unless compelled to do so.

Who will do the compelling in this world of political patronage and corruption?

Several years ago an American journalist, Barbara Ehrenreich, took a job for six months as a minimum wage employee of Wal Mart, the world’s biggest employer. She quickly learned that she could not afford to pay rent, buy food and pay for transport on her salary.

She, like very many Americans, took a second job and meanwhile hoped she would not fall ill because in the land of capitalism there is no socialised medicine such as obtains in Canada, the UK and Trinidad and Tobago.

Even a minor illness can put Americans on the street.

Capitalism is a great system for the privileged few as long as they don’t care about the polluted, congested world their children will inherit.

For most people, that is people who earn the minimum wage or less, who will never own a home of any description, who unlike farmers in Europe and North America are not guaranteed gross subsidies, that pure market economy is very harsh, indeed.

Christmas as we know it, the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are all capitalist triumphs.

What could Mr Baldeosingh have been thinking of when he wrote his essay?

Had he suffered an unhappy encounter with a rag and bone merchant?