Quote Originally Posted by daihashi
Question.. if Other countries who have socialist practices are so much better.. why are we #1 in GDP? Socialism directly impacts your ability to control the direction in which your life takes.

Case in point and I hope someone here can chime in to acknowledge as what i'm saying is true, because I'm sure everyone here who hasn't lived in the netherlands will call me a liar.. but here we go.

In the netherlands the government for the most part tells you where to live. If you have a 4 person household then you are told where to live. If your household downsizes to 2 people then you are moved right away to a smaller home.

Recently a friend of mine's grandmother lost her husband. Within 1 day she was notified that she would be being relocated to a smaller home.

When someone has rule over where you live then where is your motivation to aspire for more in life. A person could say that all their aspirations in life revolve around a person's home. To change it to their liking.. to update it.. to make it a comfortable environment for themselves. What aspiration do you have to make the money to do this when the government tells you where to live (taxes are also way high there too).

I love Europe.. I love visiting; but I wouldn't want to live there primarily for the number of social programs and fairly socialist governments there. I don't like being told what I can and can't do... which is the same problem I have with the direction the American Government is going. Our government is starting to get so bloated it's ridiculous.

Less government now please!
Were #1 in GDP because we have a lot of capital, a lot of resources and a ton of land. It has little to do with the social services that could be provided or how much the government controls.

If you look at GDP per capita, already two "socialist" countries beats the USA, Norway and Ireland. Both countries have mixed economies, welfare systems, and free education to everyone. Look at the countries slightly behind. Switzerland is one of the most capitalistic countries in the world, home to a gluton of multinational corporations and bankers, yet they offer a ton of social programs. The Netherlands, despite being told where they are housed have about $5000 less than Amerca per capita.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat.../2004rank.html

I believe a capitalistic with elements of socialism can help American continue to prosper, plus re-focus on education and health and in the long-run it'll continue long-run prosperity. I believe the American government should pay for students that deserve it. Not only would it raise academic standards for institutions, but would inspire a population to focus on education knowing they have the opportunity to get an education for free without incurring a rack of debt.

And lack of choice? Most those school systems allow you to attend private schools like anyone else. No one is telling anywhere where to go to school or where they should be hospitalized. If you don't have the money, you really don't have an option have you? But it's better than nothing at all. So much for being told what to do. There are some restrictions when it comes to some social programs but they aren't so hampering as everyone makes it out to be. You have the choice to pay your own way.