Do you think it's a good idea to have socialism instead of Capitalism? Socialism is more for the good of people, I think. Everyone's equal-there all at the same level. But with Capitalism it's kind of an every man for themself kind of thing. What do you think? Do you think America would be better off being Socialist?
From where I'm sitting, America is becoming more and more socialistic all the time ...with the passing of each bill in congress, with each decision of the Supreme Court, the "American Way" is being slowly undermined in favor of the citizens getting something for nothing! Socialism. Or worse, taking from some to give to others! Another form of socialism ...liberalism! Baron Max
Isn' it the other way around Max? When was the last time the government tried to do something socialist? National healthcare by Bill Clinton? How many years was that ago? and it was torpedoed.
The last time? Why, Spurious, it was giving all that money to the people who had a little storm and wrecked their town .....you must remember that ...New Orleans, I believe was the name of the town. But, Spurious, any controls on free enterprise is "socialistic" and the USA is loaded-down with such controls. Welfare is "socialistic". Federal funding of school systems is "socialistic". ...... Need I go on? Baron Max
WARNING: Some ridiculous and silly statements are following now: Free enterprise? Why is there a trade embargo with cuba? Surely communist economics can't outcompete a pure capitalist one? Any control on free enterprise is socialistic you say. A scenario: A man has been working for the same company for years. But infortunately he has an accident with one of the machines at work. He loses one of his arms and dirties the machine with blood and flesh. In fact he is still stuck in the machine. The worker is now a nuisance to free enterprise. Can the owner of the factory or machineshop now, get out his chainsaw and cut away the now useless worker? Would that improve American society?
Cuba is a whole can of worms for me, because I don't understand why we hate them and yet stilll buy from China. I guess because China has more trinkets that we want. At any rate, Amewrica reached it's socialistic peak during the 1940's and has been sliding down into a morase of capitalism ever since. People suffer under communism and under capitalism in the same manner, corrporate owners and dictators are equally the bane of a free society. When you recognize that only moderation allows for maximal freedom, you realize why every free country necesarily has a certain degree of socialism.
True. But then there's the question of "...to what degree of socialism"? "...a certain degree of socialism" doesn't exactly say much, does it? Well, thank you ...at least we have THAT out in the open! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! No. He should call the paramedics to remove the guy, then hire another worker to take his place and get the shop up and running as soon as possible. The injured worker's insurance should take care of him adequately ...if he was smart enough to buy insurance. If not, then his family and friends should take care of him. If they don't, ...? ...well, it seems that no one wants him or loves him, huh? ...including all of his friends! Baron Max
The idea of Socialism had its big day in America in the early part of the 20th Century, about 1910-20--read Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle" about the Chicargo stockyards and the work conditions there. It's a novel (I read it about 40 years ago) yet it tells more truth about the conditions than a lot of true books. I believe it was written about 1920ish.
Do you think you should live at home all your life and be financially supported by your parents, or do you think you should get your own place, get a job and actually support your own sorry ass? Are you up for going out on the Savannah to hunt game at some risk to your person, or up only to stay safe back at the cave with the other women?
No, and that's the problem. Who is to decide how much restraint is necessary on free enterprise in order to preserve the rights of the individual? Asking the government to preserve those rights is self-contradictory. The citizen simply becomes beholden to an authority that can rescind those rights at any time. Restraint on extremist behavior, whether capitalism, religious fundamentalism, lawlessness or environmentalism, can only be properly exerted by individual citizens. I think this is why the Wild West has such a popular hold on the imagination of Americans. The rugged individualist protecting his own and living on his own terms is a good metaphor for liberty. Individuals need to take action - waiting for government or the justice system to do it is a fool's hope.
Hear ye! Hear ye! Excellent comment ...and straight to the heart of the matter of government. Baron Max
Does that thinking apply to your local electric company? True you could buy your own generator to back up your investment in wind and direct solar systems, so the local power company could only charge you 6 or 7 times the current rate. I assume you think it "good value" to avoid "US loaded down by socialistic controls" even if you must pay much more for your electricity. Is this assumption correct or false? I also assume you opposed the REA - which brought power to the country dwellers by making city folks pay for these uneconomic long power lines. We should make every one live in dense urban areas, if they want power at less than a 10 fold increase in the electric bill and we must do away with public service commissions if we want to escape the evil of government's controls. BTW - where do you want to live - inter city of in the country? I am sure you do not expect others to help pay cost of providing your electric service if you chose the country side, do you?
rant on: It's kind of ironic that people use the anology 'parasite' most often in conjunction with socialism, while they should be doing it with capitalism. For instance, people abusing the system of social welfare. In Socialism everybody is part of this big society where everybody does it's thing and everybody has it's role. Everybody is the same. And everybody is taken care of by society. In capitalism everybody is part of this big society where everybody does it's thing andeverybody has it's role. However there is a small subset of parasites who will suck everybody dry and make them work for them. They are big fat monsters sucking up all the substance of the majority. Only they are taken care of by society. The rest is free game. Conclusion: A few people 'abusing' (or using) the system of social wellfare will use much less resources of the society than the capitalist upper layer of rich and powerful people. People tend to forget this. Therefore on average the average guy is better off in a socialist system. If you are part of the happy few you better off in a capitalist system. If we regard society as a whole then we cannot conclude simply that capitalism is better for the people. I've heard many times people saying the US has the highest GDP and such. How can that be, because I see so many poor and very poor people every day? The standard answer: these people are lazy, stupid, black, etc. Or could it be that there are so many poor in the US because there is hardly any socialism? And capitalism is unchecked? rant off
Let me give an example: 1. Bill Gates fucks over a few people and becomes the master of DOS and Windows. He becomes the richest man on earth by selling these Operating Systems to us. He doesn't know what to do with all his money (huge big ass profits made over the backs of you) so he starts giving to charity. Apparently that makes him a social man Reality check: Lower the price on your OS and other products. Give back the money you stole from the average guy. 2. Linus Torvald develops Linux with other people. They make it open source and give it to the world. He tries to stay out of the lime light. Now let us be honest. Is capitalism really better in this case? Who is the fat parasite in this case?
Microsoft is an Antenna of NSA (''National'' Security Agency) in my oppinion. every device connected to xp will give information(serial numbers, etc) to Microsoft for marketing. what is the next step? ''uploading'' personal data from camera's?
Spurious, if you don't have any statistical data to back up that statement, then ...well, it's nothing more than you claimed it is ....just a "rant". And it would seem, in the reality of it, that people are FORCED to do their thing in order to pay for all of those services. Socialism would fold in a minute if people just quit working ...if they were permitted, of course! The reality of socialism is much different from the idealism of it. In the other post, you gave Bill Gates as an example of the excessiveness evident in capitalism. However, just as an exercise, ask yourself ......did Bill Gates force anyone to buy his product(s)? If no one had bought the products, we would never have ever heard of Bill Gates. And that's true, by the way, of millions of people just like Gates in a capitalist system ...they try and fail by the millions. In a socialist system, they have no incentive to even try. Baron Max
Look at Scandinavia and weep because you do not yet have socialism ..... Free education even in universities, free hospitals,doctors, social welfare that USA can only dream of, hardly any corruption, not only equality but even equal opportunities ..... Freedom, democracy and very strong economy .......... Just start weeping ..........
