Populism is the only Thing That Will Save Capitalism

I am a old dissolutioned conservative. I am having my doubts.

As we head towards the second great collapse and the slow steep decline that will follow, it stands to reason that any rational person would ask the question, "Why?".

You can argue with me about my economic outlook, but you are wrong. The bubble.. 2nd bubble ... will burst. the people will suffer, and given the debt and interest on that debt, the old ways of stimulating an economy will no longer be tenable.

So what grade do we give the system? And to what standards do we hold it?

Just a generation ago, when the Soviet Union fell, it was supposed to be the final proof of the superiority of capitalism.

But now, could it be there is no winner?

By what standard do we measure our system? I propose that we measure it by the American Dream. What percentage of our people are able to achieve any semblance of the American dream under the current system?

The Answer is, not may. A minority. Even by the most modest of definitions, the American Dream is in reach of modest minority.

Most can't achieve everyone of the following:

Shelter in a safe neighborhood.

Healthy diet

A Modest nest egg for times of unemployment or distress.

Health insurance to avoid calamity due to illness

Ownership of Personal transportation and the means to pay for it.

Adequate savings to allow for retirement with no deterioration of living standard.

A very modest, reasonable definition of "The American Dream" And achievable by perhaps 1/3 of the population.

I'm going to stop here and wrap it it because everything I have said to this point is undeniable.

Populism concerns itself with the bottom line effectiveness of the system and the condition of the people. Conservatism finds the above facts irrelevant. To the conservative, capitalism = freedom and no other discussion is necessary.

If conservatism did concern itself with outcomes, maybe it would come up with many great and viable solutions. I won't question that. But does it?

So my question is, should we even judge our system on the basis of how well it's people are doing?

Or is that simply not relevant?

If life is a race, it's a race with a staggard start.
We have no say over where we start or the advantages we enjoy or disadvantages we face. Of course, certain prodigies start at the back and win the race. And some weaklings start in front and fall behind.

The question is what about the average ones. The human ones? From a societal standpoint, should we judge our system based on how it works for them? And if we find that there is no moral basis on which it should be judged, then as a practical matter, can we all survive if the system doesn't work for most people?