Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Bingo. Every system comes down to how those in charge, rule the rest. At least in Capitalism its a little easier to wiggle your way up to the top if youre willing to make some sacrifices. People who knock on Capitalism obviously haven't studied up on the bygone days where you could NOT, no matter what, cross class barriers.
I don't think anyone's "knocking" capitalism, per se.
But many of us can't help but notice that a capitalist system devoid of limitations can not only go awry, but can potentially undermine an entire economy. Recent history tells us as much.
Total capitalist here. The reason medicine and education are so expensive is because the government was too involved in them. 2/3rds of medical expenses were paid by the government even before Obamacare.
So how do you explain the fact that medicine, prescription drugs, doctors, hospitals and education are so much cheaper in the countries where governments are involved, such as Europe?
So how do you explain the fact that medicine, prescription drugs, doctors, hospitals and education are so much cheaper in the countries where governments are involved, such as Europe?
And universal healthcare systems consistently have better health outcomes, overall.
I would definitely consider cell phones a luxury. Smart phones definitely without a doubt. Believe it or not, you don't need to have an iPhone. They still make inexpensive flip phones that can call and text.
How can you consider a cell phone a luxury when more people in the world own one than have electricity or running water in their homes? I guess you might as well call those luxuries too. Some jobs require you to be on call as well.
In a perfect world id like to have a free market competition where everything is fair, but that concept is naive at best and mostly imaginary. To think something like that could exist in reality, you'd have to look at the world completely devoid of racial bias, historical context, human dishonesty, social connections, nepotism, gender, stereotypes, etc.
The idea of of this free market where nobody has any advantages over anybody else and everybody gets what they earn based on their own skills and how hard they work could not exist in the real world.
And this is why I'm a socialist. Libertarians and conservatives assume that everyone is just as privileged as they are and that if only they worked as hard as they do, they would have the same things. So if they aren't as successful and need help, it's THEM who are lazy and self-centered and parasitic. It's a very sadistic mindset.
Count me as a red white and blue capitalist all the way. Capitalism made the US the greatest country in the world, and the pace of our decline as a nation only grows as we move further away from it, as does our mind boggling national debt.
Actually, the American boom came after 1935's passage of the Wagner act when unions flourished that created the largest middle class in modern society. Without consumers capitalism will fail. The current trend of less wages is better is a failed ideal.
That's not even socialist. Socialism is nationalizing the economy.
One can be for strongly regulated capitalism. I had to vote capitalism, even though I vote further left than all 1st world governments.
I see socialism as being a more broad concept than a nationally owned economy, which would actually include fascism too and wouldn't necessarily be truly socialist.
The modern state has nothing to do with socialism-- it's another byproduct of capitalism. You can't criticize a modern capitalist government as if its failures prove that socialism doesn't work.
I don't support a capitalist government takeover of society.
And I definitely don't support a libertarian capitalist (AKA neo-feudal) takeover of society.
I support a largely decentralized but organized socialist collective working to provide society with everything it needs to flourish.
BTW, the reason that government appears to function less smoothly than corporations in a capitalist society is because it is more likely held accountable for everything, including the actions of the private sector... and because in the private sector, corruption is more deeply institutionalized-- ie: price fixing, optimization, derivatives, etc. On top of this, private interests are given the plum production roles whereas government takes whatever is the least likely to turn a profit, and often basically gives it away.
Stop it, just stop. Youre making too much sense. You might just educate someone here with those words, and that's dangerous.
The modern state has nothing to do with socialism-- it's another byproduct of capitalism. You can't criticize a modern capitalist government as if its failures prove that socialism doesn't work.
I don't support a capitalist government takeover of society.
And I definitely don't support a libertarian capitalist (AKA neo-feudal) takeover of society.
I support a largely decentralized but organized socialist collective working to provide society with everything it needs to flourish.
BTW, the reason that government appears to function less smoothly than corporations in a capitalist society is because it is more likely held accountable for everything, including the actions of the private sector... and because in the private sector, corruption is more deeply institutionalized-- ie: price fixing, optimization, derivatives, etc. On top of this, private interests are given the plum production roles whereas government takes whatever is the least likely to turn a profit, and often basically gives it away.
Just a guess- A Sweden or Austrian bumper sticker? This is the mindset of a Eurocentric society.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.