A practical application of socialist ideas (Read 1171 times)

    "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." --Guess who.

     

    I don't need your war machines
    I don't need your ghetto scenes
    Colored lights can hypnotize
    Sparkle someone else's eyes
    -The Guess Who

    Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
    We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes

      Yeah, but that's a socialist terrorist message in line with that terrorist Palestinian rabble rouser from two millenia ago.

      Come on now, AP, everyone knows that the Palestinians are an invented people.

      "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

      DoppleBock


        I think you can find great examples of what ever the hell you need to support your view.  Yes there are people that are plain lazy and should not get help, there are people that expoit the system and should not get help.  But there are also many people that are down on their luck, are doing all that they can and still falling short and need help.

         

        Medicare, social security, welfare, unemployment .... Free or reduced school lunches, food banks

         

        I know millions legitamitely are trying hard and need help, I know millions are free loading.

         

        Socialism is considered an advanced culture to both Capitalism and Communism.  Those of us that have should take joy in helping out and making a difference to those who do not.  Love your brother as yourself ... or in some of our cases - Love your brother more than you love yourself.

         

        Not redistribution of wealth, but help to those in need. 

        Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

         

         

          I think you can find great examples of what ever the hell you need to support your view.  Yes there are people that are plain lazy and should not get help, there are people that expoit the system and should not get help.  But there are also many people that are down on their luck, are doing all that they can and still falling short and need help.

           

          Medicare, social security, welfare, unemployment .... Free or reduced school lunches, food banks

           

          I know millions legitamitely are trying hard and need help, I know millions are free loading.

           

          Socialism is considered an advanced culture to both Capitalism and Communism.  Those of us that have should take joy in helping out and making a difference to those who do not.  Love your brother as yourself ... or in some of our cases - Love your brother more than you love yourself.

           

          Not redistribution of wealth, but help to those in need. 

           

          Agreed! My only issue is when the government is deciding for all of us who we're suppose to help and by how much and then deciding to do it in the least efficient manner possible. 

            Are the test points in limited supply? Could the professor give everyone an A or an F, at his pleasure?  Do all the students have equal access to tutors or other supplemental materials?  Did each of the students have supportive, educated and education-oriented parents? Any of the students with poor grades have a parent who came home drunk every night or so and beat the crap out of her? 

             

            You seem to be pointing out both the shortcomings of the analogy as well as the problems in society that are not addressed by the point of view being put forward by the analogy. At least that is what I get from your post.

             

            The title of this thread is about socialist ideas.  Do you think that the analogy's attack on socialist ideas is an attack on ideas (whether they are truly socialist or not) that provide real solutions to the issues you point out?

             

            I ask this as a serious question, and not to be argumentative. The issues you raise hit home with me for a variety of reasons.

             

            If I was looking for a fight, I'd take issue with the MLK and JC comparison in this thread. Wink

              God knows, I'm not looking for a fight. 

               

              I'm taking issue with facile analogies that are click-click circulated in an election cycle to mis-characterize a sitting president. I remember reading ad nausem that it was unpatriotic to malign the president. Of course that was years ago.  All public figures should be subject to scrutiny, but this one is just strange.  

               

              I guess I was kind of pissed, from the get-go, that some's MLK-day status managed  -- coincidentally I'm sure --to find a tenuous connection to our first black president.   

               

              Speaking of "JC", DB's post blows mine out of the water because he wrote from a loving heart, whereas I wrote from an pissed-off one.  

              "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus


              Feeling the growl again

                Agreed! My only issue is when the government is deciding for all of us who we're suppose to help and by how much and then deciding to do it in the least efficient manner possible. 

                 

                Nice post.

                 

                I know some people who worked for the Gates Foundation in India.  The efficiency and shrewdness with which they spent Bill's money to make the world a better place was heartwarming.  I think Buffett could help society more through such a mechanism than by paying higher taxes.

                "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                 

                I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                 


                Prince of Fatness

                  It could not be any simpler than that.

                   

                  Heh.

                  Not at it at all. 

                  Trent


                  Good Bad & The Monkey

                    All I have to say is this: WTF?

                     

                    And yeah, Pauly, I love you.  But on MLK day?  Dude.

                     


                    Feeling the growl again

                      All I have to say is this: WTF?

                       

                      And yeah, Pauly, I love you.  But on MLK day?  Dude.

                       

                       

                       

                      What does the OP have to do with MLK?

                      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                       

                      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                       


                      Hawt and sexy

                        Shut up and run.

                        I'm touching your pants.

                          How about that Giants/Packers game yesterday, huh?

                          Runners run

                          stadjak


                          Interval Junkie --Nobby

                            Shall we have a bit of fun and set up the Economic's class to reflect the American 'capitalist' system?

                             

                            1) out of the class of 100, 5 people whose parents had the the best GPAs from in college are selected (let's make it 5 to be more interesting than 1) to represent the rich.  They are given the text book, access to the teacher's office hours, personal tutoring by grad students and last year's test exam.  They are also able to lobby the teacher to include certain subjects and exclude others.

                            2) the group of people with above mean GPAs get the text book and access to the lectures -- the middle class.

                            3) The bottom half get nothing and are not even told when the class is meeting or when the test will be scheduled.

                             

                            The test is scored by completely objective criteria and is therefore completely fair.  The grade on this exam, determines which category you are in for the next exam -- total social mobility.  If students work hard enough, obviously anyone can get an 'A' in this class.

                             

                            And yes, this example is about as true to the practical implementation of capitalism as the OP is of socialism -- though, perhaps a bit more, since the OP is actually referring to communism.  But I thought it might be fun to set up a parallel bad example.

                            2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do


                            Beware, batbear...

                              I think you can find great examples of what ever the hell you need to support your view.  Yes there are people that are plain lazy and should not get help, there are people that expoit the system and should not get help.  But there are also many people that are down on their luck, are doing all that they can and still falling short and need help.

                               

                               

                              Not to mention the cost of caring for disabled children, spouses, grandchildren, etc.  A family may be firmly in the middle class (pulling down $50-60K/yr.) and then get hit with cancer, alzheimer's, or a child with autism...any number of traumatic, chronic illnesses, the cost of which can literally bankrupt that family - even if they HAVE health insurance.  

                               

                              I recently took out some more insurance in case of cancer, but I can't afford enough supplemental so if I were truly disabled, long-term, I know that my family would be looking at bankruptcy or worse - and I work 50+ hours a week at one full time job (teacher) and several part time, free-lance gigs.  

                               

                              Running is a preventative insurance for me, but if my partner and I decided to have a child and that child ended up with a severe disability, I wonder if there is enough support in my state that we wouldn't end up having to move closer to other family just to get help...  

                               

                              The idea that everyone using governmental programs is a free-loader is complete crap.  It reminds me of the tea-baggers who were against the federal government "intervening" with health care while taking medicare and social security benefits.  The cognitive dissonance of the far right is pathetic and vile.

                              2014 Goal -- Run 5X per week, pain-free (relatively) by end of summer.


                              Feeling the growl again

                                How about that Giants/Packers game yesterday, huh?

                                 

                                C'mon, that will only piss half the people off.  Perhaps less, as the Giants have a bigger fan base than the Packers.

                                 

                                Set your aspirations higher man.

                                 

                                Personally I sent the OP to relevant people days ago via PM.  A thread based on it could only go one direction.

                                "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                                 

                                I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills