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I reside in Brazil where the major left-wing party has publicly demonstrated support to Maduro. How come people still think that communism and socialism works?
Poster does not have a clue what the difference between socialism is and what communism is.
As people keep repeating, no one wants 100% socialism. No, 100% doesn't work. A bit of it does if it's combined with capitalism.
Let's see, in the early days, every New England town had a town common/town green. ALL the people used it to graze their sheep. Made more sense than everyone having their own separate areas for grazing their sheep. I guess that's socialism--but they also farmed independently. The combination works just fine and goes back to the very early days of this nation.
Capitalism works the same now as it always has. What has changed is that technology has empowered elites more than it has empowered everyone else. Also the global population of unskilled labor swelled because of the population boom in the developing world. This has reduced the wealth of the working class in the developed world.
The pendulum may swing or the working class of the world may become enslaved in serfdom again, as it has been for most of human history.
It does not work the same at all, capitalism in the 1800's was at a micro mom and pop level it was based on the economy of small towns and the producers in those towns, trade with the native Americans, etc. It would simply be 3 dairy farmers with 10 cows each competing against each other.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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What I don't like about "pure" capitalism, is that you get zero sum situations where one person has to lose for another to gain.
Housing is the biggest one. If a couple rich people decide they want to move into a poorer neighborhood, within about a year, the incumbent poorer residents have to move.
Another is the oil industry, where they purposely try to reduce supply when the price drops, just to get the price to go back up again. And since currently, demand for petroleum is inelastic, the public at large has to take it.
Socialism is based on the idea that competition is not necessary. The "people" own all the businesses. The "people" are the state, the rulers. The rulers are "elected," but there might only be one party (no competition, remember).
In a true socialist society competition and incentive would be necessary. And someone who went to school for 10 years to be a doctor would in some way be compensated more than someone who never went to school and picks up city trash (that compensation could be a better house and food or more vacations, ex.ex.)
And in a socialist society there would be more political parties. Different parties that wanted to use resources on education, or improved medicine, or improved power grids, or improved housing, ex.ex.
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In socialism, you cannot start your own business.
In a true socialist society people would be able to do anything they wanted, whether that's be a peach farmer, make clothes, build cars, or raise goats.
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Both socialism and capitalism can become corrupt. But corruption is more likely in socialism, because there is no competition. The state owns and controls everything.
There are different definitions of socialism. In some the state controls everything and in some the people control everything. And in a socialist system where the people controlled everything, and government started in neighborhoods there would be less corruption than our current system where the wealthy control everything.
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Socialism has never been shown to work, not ever. It is an idea, not a reality.
True socialism has never existed, rather dictators or wealthy government officials controlled every state that has ever called themselves socialists.
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The Scandinavian countries are wealthy and can afford generous social programs. They became wealthy because of capitalism, probably because of colonialism. When their money starts running out, they cut back the social programs and let capitalism generate wealth.
Those countries can afford social programs because they place fair and non-hurtful higher tax rates on wealthy citizens, they pay workers higher wages so there is more economic activity, they are actually concerned about deficits and debt, and they have things like free college so all citizens have the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.
When most people speak of socialism they are speaking about a political system where (everyone) owns a equal part of everything, and everyone is 100% equal (or close to it.)
But in every socialist state that has ever existed it was not real socialism, rather those states had dictators, ex.ex.
And does capitalism work? No.
In capitalism we have huge numbers of people living in unthinkable poverty, people dying from not having health insurance, people unable to afford things like automobiles, crime and violence, huge numbers of people in prison, people who are depressed and unhappy, and a world that does not meet its true technological potential (example, we could have humans living on Mars at this moment and we could have better medicines, but we as capitalist societies don't have the money to do those things.)
And if neither socialism or capitalism works what is the best option? (a combination of both.)
Countries like Switzerland are "Social-capitalists" and these countries have better economies, higher wages, a higher standard of living, cleaner environments, and happier people.
As people keep repeating, no one wants 100% socialism. No, 100% doesn't work. A bit of it does if it's combined with capitalism.
Let's see, in the early days, every New England town had a town common/town green. ALL the people used it to graze their sheep. Made more sense than everyone having their own separate areas for grazing their sheep. I guess that's socialism--but they also farmed independently. The combination works just fine and goes back to the very early days of this nation.
Socialism is when everybody graze on the "public land" confiscated from others. Pretty soon, no grass for the sheep as nobody cares, and all the sheep die and people starve to death.
Capitalism is everybody graze on their own lands and trade with each other voluntarily. Some people sell their own lands; others buy more lands. More sheep than ever.
When most people speak of socialism they are speaking about a political system where (everyone) owns a equal part of everything, and everyone is 100% equal (or close to it.)
But in every socialist state that has ever existed it was not real socialism, rather those states had dictators, ex.ex.
And does capitalism work? No.
In capitalism we have huge numbers of people living in unthinkable poverty, people dying from not having health insurance, people unable to afford things like automobiles, crime and violence, huge numbers of people in prison, people who are depressed and unhappy, and a world that does not meet its true technological potential (example, we could have humans living on Mars at this moment and we could have better medicines, but we as capitalist societies don't have the money to do those things.)
And if neither socialism or capitalism works what is the best option? (a combination of both.)
Countries like Switzerland are "Social-capitalists" and these countries have better economies, higher wages, a higher standard of living, cleaner environments, and happier people.
What a complete non-sense. What's the point to have a huge number of people living in poverty? It benefits nobody. You are NOT going to find that in any capitalist country, not even one.
Socialism would force everybody except for a few elites to live in unthinkable poverty - USSR, China, NK, Vietnam, Venezuela, Cuba ....
Trump is the road block in the path of the road to socialism we were on. If he does nothing for the next 3.5 years he is a success just by being in the W.H. He really can't play to much golf when the congress is so dysfunctional it sends little of anything his way to sign.
Trump wants to add $20.7 trillion dollars to our national debt in the next 20 years, from giving billionaires like himself and their families trillions of dollars in tax cuts.
Yes Trump will stop socialism, but he will replace it with a future where our children's government has no money to borrow, with huge numbers of people living in worse poverty, while the richest 1% own all the wealth and control everything.
Last edited by chad3; 08-05-2017 at 04:15 PM..
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