Why is socialism so bad?

[JakeMartinez]

Why are the people who are all against socialism espousing the same fears "Black and White", militaristic communism have brought us?

Socialism is NOT communism.

In a socialist society, what you earn is yours.

In a communist society, what you earn is the property of the public.

That is one of the major differences between socialism and communism. People act as though paying an extra .25% of their money out to universal health care is abhorrent, but think about how much money you pay for insurance (or your employer).

If you have health insurance that you rarely use, you are paying for someone else's insurance, and to line the shareholders' pockets.

To truly pay for your own way in the health care department, don't buy insurance. Don't do it. I dare you. Maybe then we'll all see you on the AARP commercials telling your story of how you lost your life because you have cancer or some sudden, expensive disease.

Personally, I'd rather have government involved because they aren't motivated in making money, so it would be less expensive in the long run.

.....

Also, you guys act like Capitalism is the best thing we'll ever have in the world. Like it's a perfect system.

Two things.

The global economy is capitalistic, 28,000 children a day die from starvation and preventable illnesses. Many HARD-WORKING people live in poverty despite having a steady job and busting their asses. I know someone who is one of the best in his business at least in the state, yet he's busting his ass just to pay his mortgage each month.

Also, everything that nature or we create will, unless restricted, constantly change. It will be updated, fixed, streamlined, and (more often than not) eventually replaced. To say that free-market trading is the best thing we could ever hope to achieve is to restrict ourselves from living healthier, longer, and better lives.

[Reefer Rogue]

I'd much rather live in England where my health care is free, where the government actually cares about the people, rather then the profits. I'll gladly pay taxes to help people in need. The amount of money you're forced to pay for an American college is deplorable, these are 2 reasons i moved back to England from America. The people are great but the laws suck ass, too harsh, too republican, too reactionary. Not enough equality in society. All they wanna do is bleed you dry. This is why Obama will win, because these are the key issues which affect a majority of people in difficult economic circumstances. People aren't even aware of the differences between positive and negative liberty. Too many people want too much negative liberty, they want the government out of their lives, they see them as people who interfere in your business. Whereas positive liberty is where the government uses its tools and power to help people in need with social reform and welfare and health insurance and college costs. There's been so much negative liberty recently, the republicans thought the wealth would trickle down but the wealth must start from the bottom up. This is how the economy will really prosper, when people on main street have enough confidence and money to start buying and investing again.

[apocolips31]

There are a lot of reasons for this - first, realize that Americans don't actually know what they are talking about when they use the word "Socialist". Realize too that Americans have a very cartoonish and very black and white view of the world. Socialist and/or communist are the same thing in American speak - and what comes to mind immediately when you say the word "Socialist" to the average American is a grim militaristic society in which everyone is desperately poor, wears all gray, and stands in line all day for a loaf of bread while guards on every street corner hold machine guns and glare at people.

I wish I were exaggerating, but I'm not.

Damn must of been some feat to have met all 305 million Americans personally. That or that is one of the most ignorant statements in this thread.

[maladroit]

"im so glad my goverment doesnt take my very hard earned money and give it to the person who stays home all day and watches tv."

- if you are an american, your government does take your hard earned money and give it to the person who stays home all day and watches tv...ever hear of social security? medicaid? food stamps? police protection? fire protection? paved roads? now that 'socialist' john mccain is promising to give low income people another $300 billion of your money to help them keep homes they can't afford, while maintaining the rest of the so-called socialist programs that benefit people who don't work or pay a cent in income tax...how come you're not complaining about that?

[FlyGuyOU]

Obama has managed to turn 'Welfare' into 'tax credits'

fucking genius!

[maladroit]

then ronald reagan turned welfare in tax credits when he created earned income tax credits! OMG obama is a republican or reagan is a socialist - either way we're screwed!!


critique of ronald reagan's earned income tax credit:
Tax Credit or Income Transfer? by Laurence M. Vance

[GoldenBoy812]

I have been letting this topic marinate, until the urge could not be resistd anymore.

1.) Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

2.) A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

3.) Abolition of all right of inheritance.

4.) Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

5.) Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.

6.) Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.

7.) Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

8.) Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

9.) Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.

10.) Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc....

Most of that above list is unconstitutional. But look at how many exist today.

Planks #2, #5, #6, and # 10 are already present, or were present in the last 50 years. During the Kennedy administration, there was a 91% income tax on the highest earners at that time. This country has already given way to socialist policy during the great depression, when it was believed that government intervention would be the savior. Even to this day, many are taught in schools, it was FDR's policies that paved the way for recovery.

It is the abolishment of rights that allows socialist policy to function, more specifically privacy. One of the main reasons i oppose state provided health care is because it instantly blurs the line between your privacy and government. Socialized health care also has a serious question mark in regards to more prestigious medical school graduate's income vs less prestigious school graduate's. Does a doctor from Harvard have the right to charge more than the state is willing to pay for the average person, therefore excluding all those who cannot afford top notch health care resulting in class based hostility.

I love how people are now calling government intervention in the markets socialist, when the same scenario happened over 75 years ago. But do remember. A society that leans more towards more free markets will always be more productive than their left leaning counterparts. It is apparent in cyclical recovery as citizens of the US are far less impacted in terms of overall wealth, buying power, and access to goods and services. Believe it or not, there were always people who were able to pay for things in "cash". The people who have done well with their finances are actually being rewarded with higher purchasing power relative more specifically to imports.

There are 380 million gallons of gasoline used daily. This is giving a weekly saving of about $3.8 billion to consumers and producers. Farther left economic leaning countries will face more harsh realities...

[maladroit]

"A society that leans more towards more free markets will always be more productive than their left leaning counterparts."

- then why doesn't the free market approach work with US health care? despite paying twice as much per capita for health care compared to canada, americans see their doctors less often, and spend less time in hospital than canadians, and experience a 2.5 year shorter lifespan, along with higher infant mortality...that's not very productive

[JaySin]

It's more productive because that's what they've been telling us for a long time now so that's just the way it is. It doesn't matter that it is obviously not working and leaving people behind.

If you think about it, having a shorter life span helps us out. That just means that the poor people die off faster so we don't have to listen to them complain about how unfair they are being treated. How they don't even get the chance at good education or health care because of the rediculous costs. I know I don't like people complaining, do you? So lets just keep heading in the direction we've been heading. Eventually will be able to just kill them all off with some sort of disease or starvation. Who cares, as long as I don't have to hear the comlaining anymore. I mean, I have my money and well-being and that's all that matters.

[maladroit]

poor people are so noisy and smelly that i have to stuff $1000 bills in my ears and nostrils before i venture outside