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Socialism is favored by individuals who have a perverse concept of mathematics (vis-a-vis redistribution of wealth), akin to the cook who believes if it takes 400deg for 2 hrs to properly roast a chicken, it will take just 1 hour at 800deg and taste just as yummy.
Have you ever worked for the gov't?
I think Ronald Reagan said it best over 40 years ago:
Ronald Reagan-A Time for Choosing (http://www.reaganlibrary.com/reagan/speeches/rendezvous.asp - broken link)
We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. So they are going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning.
No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this Earth. Federal employees number 2.5 million, and federal, state, and local, one out of six of the nation's work force is employed by the government. These proliferating bureaus with their thousands of regulations have cost us many of our constitutional safeguards.
I think this says it all:
They also knew, those Founding Fathers, that outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector of the economy.
Obama gave GM 2 months to fix themselves. I'm giving him the same timeline.
p.s. It is astounding that the info in this speech is still true today. And you wonder why I am afraid of more gov't spending.
Old Ronnie started it alright...he made government sound big and bad and that sounded good to the simple minded. That helped take away all those naughty bad regulations on industries like BANKING and FINANCE....see how well that worked for the country!
Originally posted by ViewFromThePeak
Socialism is favored by individuals who have a perverse concept of mathematics (vis-a-vis redistribution of wealth), akin to the cook who believes if it takes 400deg for 2 hrs to properly roast a chicken, it will take just 1 hour at 800deg and taste just as yummy.
But didn't GM ask for some government control when they begged for a bailout? Loans never ever come without strings attached. I'm really not getting this "government seizure" idea. If GM didn't want the government to have a say in the company then they shouldn't have asked for money.
The point is the Gov't should not be available to loan money to private business period. They are not a bank & theres no way that the loans dont have political influence.
If/when GM pays the money back who gets the interest? I doubt I'll see a check.
If we arent over taxed then how does the gov't even have the money to lend. Its not in the money accumulating business.
Well, there are many forms of socialism. I don't consider myself socialist, although I do believe there are some forms of it (that have never been given a chance) that would actually work. Most notable being Democratic Socialism. They've taken the ideas of people like Karl Marx and updated them so they are compatible with modern economics. They are in favor of a market though, like we have now, but production (depending on what it is) would be owned by either communities (shoe/clothing manufacturers, agricultural produce, furniture, etc), labor unions (automobiles, homes, airplanes, etc), or government (federally run stuff like the post office). Not only that, but an individual would be able to use the means of production for his own profit. Think about those people who sell clothes/shoes on the streets. Some of them actually make decent money.
I find myself listening to warped logic against socialist systems from lunatic fringe and it's having the effect of convincing me there's nothing wrong with socialism at all.
Anyone else out there getting talked into socialism and abandoning free market forever?
That's all we need, a nation of bureaucrats and paper shufflers who dont do a damn thing all day and but always seem to find new ways to take more of your hard earned money everyday. Minnesota is a great example of how screwed up this system is. For the bureaucrats, enough is NEVER enough, so they have no shame in raising your taxes every year if they have to. At the same time, the infra structure is suffering like our 35 W bridge that collapsed a couple years go but they are always talking about budget shortages and how our schools lack funding, How is this freaking possible? I filed my state tax return after working my ass off in 2008 and they claim I owe them money. This system is tyrannical!
the gov't just seized control of the biggest auto maker in the U.S. How much more proof do you need?
Nonsense. You won't get it, but government's interest is in improving the economic condition of the country, not corporate welfare, to give them money as and when they demand and see everything go down the toilet.
I will try to find a post of mine from about 7-8 years ago (in Car and Driver forum), asking GM to do then what is being expected of them now. They never did, instead made a mockery of everything that would have helped them be in a much better shape today. As a matter of fact, Ford took similar steps although only over last 2-3 years, and as a result is in a better position to erode GM's business further.
When you're asking for help, be sure to be held accountable and produce plans that bode well with investments. Only an idiot would hand over money, no questions asked. Much of this was done with the financial institutions, however, and most of it by Paulson. That was ridiculous.
So, unless you're into Paulson ways, quit complaining.
Quote:
They also knew, those Founding Fathers, that outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector of the economy.
More BS from Reagan. The founding fathers controlled the private sector like one couldn't imagine today. They would be benchmarked by the neocons as being socialists for their ways. Remember, they fought, for independence, against the private sector who had acquired the power to govern the populace without accountability.
Quote:
Obama gave GM 2 months to fix themselves. I'm giving him the same timeline.
Comprehension and analyzing situations must not be a strong suit. GM had years to fix itself, all Obama expects them is to answer how do they plan to spend the money he is being asked for, and how does that define their future.
But, then, I can also question your judgment, given the people you're supporting. I could see this coming several years ago. Did you? Did the people running GM?
The reason there is disparity amongst the population is because some are more fit and some work harder...and some just don't.
Socialism will fail b/c some people are inherently more lazy - which is why they think capitalism is not for them. These are the people who will undermine the system, contribute less (b/c they already do) and the country will go the way of the USSR.
Have you been to Russia? Did you go while they were still communist/socialist? That place was awful.
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