Capital Idea

Fargo just ended its third season.  It had its problems, but it was still entertaining.

An important part of the plot was the villain, Varga, taking over a parking lot business as a front to borrow many millions of dollars, leaving it in ruins.

In an interview with the show's creator, Noah Hawley, The Hollywood Reporter asks about "the seasons' general dark tone about truth and unfettered Capitalism."

Here's a line from the A.V. Club's review of the finale: "I love [IRS agent] Larue Dollard's explanation to Gloria about how Varga's scheme was largely legal, apart from the fact that he didn't pay taxes."

Seems to me some people don't quite understand capitalism, unfettered or otherwise.

Capitalism does allow private parties to make contracts regarding what they do with their own property, and it's possible these contracts will advantage one party and disadvantage another.

However, this system doesn't work unless there is a neutral party to determine who is right when disputes arise. This is where a government, and its court system, enters the picture.

And within these systems, some contracts are no good from the start--those that were entered into due to fraud, intimidation and outright violence, for instance.  These are some of the methods Varga uses.  Maybe an IRS agent would be blind to this because he cares so much about the tax consequences, but Varga very openly broke numerous laws.

Some people love to compare capitalists and gangsters, but there is a difference, and it's not that hard to tell.