Why stop at socialism. Why not just go full communist?

a reply to: deloprator20000

I am not sure what planet you live on if you think this is "unbridled" capitalism.

If it were unbridled, we would not have a massive regulatory bureaucracy and massive interventionalist laws and policies like Dodd Frank and Obamacare to name two. The problem is that we live in a heavily distorted crony state.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Nice. Good thing I'm not Christian.

Now what do you do?

When did you leave Christianty? Or are you now just Peter the denier?

a reply to: ketsuko

The existence of extensive government programs doesn't change the fact that at it's base our economy is fundamentally capitalist;

private ownership or property

ownership of businesses

the ability to gain wealth above those of your peers

Most importantly, if unbridled capitalism didn't guide economic policy for the last 25 years then exactly how did the 20% of Americans end up owning 85% of the country's wealth??

This couldn't occur in a Communist system nor in a purely Socialist system?

In fact some presidents have gone as far to say that the entire U.S. government is owned by banking and corporate interests!

consciouslifenews.com...

This invisible government has literally owned the U.S. since 1836. This implies that our government at it's core is capitalist, the wealthy own and run the U.S. like a business.

a reply to: ExNihiloRed

In college, I got hundreds of people to sign up to credit cards for a free t-shirt. Let's not underestimate how much our country loves free stuff.

All that shows is that college students in the US don't read the fine print - aint no free rides in life.

originally posted by: ketsuko

And they were all compelled to receive a mark in either the hand or the forehead and no one could buy or sell without it.

Cashless society.

It comes linked to the worship of the Beast, but hey, little things like bowing to the arbiter of the new system of exchange shouldn't bother you too much.

Um no.

That is the system the globalists are pushing us into and they're gonna succeed if we don't yank the carpet out from underneath them.

I'm in no way advocating a cashless society with a digital currency and chips in our hands... that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

a reply to: DBCowboy

When a government starts seeing to the healthcare needs of it's people, you have a nanny state. No matter how benign, it is a nanny state.

So why conveniently overlooked Protectionist Tariffs in your "Nanny State". oh thats right it was protecting the Corporations - who were the great employers of Labour - until they figured they could offshore their manufacturing and dump their US employees. Capitalism at its finest.

I really think you should study history critically before spouting off that socialism will destroy your "great" nation
All it takes is a few keystrokes.

en.wikipedia.org...

Congress, wanting a straightforward tax that was not too onerous and easy to collect, passed the Tariff Act of 1789.

.........................

1980s to present[edit]
The GOP under Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush abandoned the protectionist ideology, and came out against quotas and in favor of the GATT/WTO policy of minimal economic barriers to global trade. Free trade with Canada came about as a result of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement of 1987, which led in 1994 to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It was based on Reagan's plan to enlarge the scope of the market for American firms to include Canada and Mexico. President Bill Clinton, with strong Republican support in 1993, pushed NAFTA through Congress over the vehement objection of labor unions.[59][60]

Likewise, in 2000 Clinton worked with Republicans to give China entry into WTO and "most favored nation" trading status (i.e., the same low tariffs promised to any other WTO member). NAFTA and WTO advocates promoted an optimistic vision of the future, with prosperity to be based on intellectuals skills and managerial know-how more than on routine hand labor. They promised that free trade meant lower prices for consumers. Opposition to liberalized trade came increasingly from labor unions, who argued that this system also meant lower wages and fewer jobs for American workers who could not compete against wages of less than a dollar an hour. The shrinking size and diminished political clout of these unions repeatedly left them on the losing side.[61]

Despite overall decreases in international tariffs, some tariffs have been more resistant to change. For example, due partially to tariff pressure from the European Common Agricultural Policy, US agricultural subsidies have seen little decrease over the past few decades, even in the face of recent pressure from the WTO during the latest Doha talks.[62]

a reply to: ExNihiloRed

our public schools are pretty dumb right now and you could characterize that as one of our socialist, government run agencies.

No no and no. Both sides of your illusory republic democracy political parties whatever you want to call it play the same game. You cant have a good taxpaying consumerist society if they're too smart.

www.globalresearch.ca...

The Dumbing Down of America – By Design

By Joachim Hagopian
Global Research, August 14, 2014
Region: USA
Theme: Culture, Society & History, Media Disinformation
tv hypnotizes
This presentation focuses on the myriad ways in which the powers-that-be in the United States have been systematically dumbing down Americans as a society for a very long time – all by meticulously calculated design. Originally the term dumbing down was used as a slang expression in 1933 by film screenwriters to mean “revising [the script] so as to appeal to those of lower education or intelligence.”

The most obvious example of how Americans have been dumbed down is through this nation’s failed public education system. At one time not that long ago America reigned supreme as a leading model for the rest of the world providing the best quality free public K-12 education system on the planet. But over the last many decades while much of the rest of the world has been passing us by, it seems an insidious federal agenda has been implemented to condition and brainwash a population of mindless, robotic citizenry that simply does what it’s told, and of course the brainwashing commences early in America’s schools.

But prior to delving into the many ways we’ve been duped and dumbed down through the years, a cold hard look at the devastating result seems very much in order here. With doom and gloom warnings of impending collapse, the US economy is floundering still mired in recession, emaciated and cut off from life support, as a consequence of waging too many wars around the world (be they the longest running costly defeats in US history or the fast rising dirty little Special Ops wars secretly raging on every corner of the globe or Obama’s personal favorite, state sponsored terrorism from drone-filled skies). As a pawn to the military industrial complex, the US government has chosen permanent war over its own people. This treasonous decision has decimated the middle class and created a college educated indentured class struggling in heavy debt to find any means to stay afloat. With an outsourced, now vanished manufacturing base, upward mobility and the American dream have become tragic casualties of modern life, now a sad, nostalgic bygone reminder of the once greatness of America.

a reply to: ExNihiloRed

You're missing the sacrifice in liberties that I'm less willing to part with. Some people are willing to trade in their freedom, I'm not one of them

Well blow me down - while your'e arguing about the qualitative difference between socialism and communism and free rides (socialism in your eyes) - the big elephant in the room is ignored...

You have no freedom post 9/110

ie. Patriot Acts, TPP, NAFTA , various anti-terror legislation, freedom to fly,

a reply to: DBCowboy

I'd say most, would prefer to do things off the books and out of pocket instead of including government and insurance into the equation.

ha ha ha. So the black economy, undeclared income is your version of capitalism. Sound like you're a retired banker to me! Do you extend the same "off the books bribing" of your politician for favoured Cowboy status.

Also smells awfully like George Orwells piggies in Animal Farm

www.cliffsnotes.com...

Years pass and Animal Farm expands its boundaries after Napoleon purchases two fields from another neighboring farmer, Pilkington. Life for all the animals (except the pigs) is harsh. Eventually, the pigs begin walking on their hind legs and take on many other qualities of their former human oppressors. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single law: "All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others." The novel ends with Pilkington sharing drinks with the pigs in Jones' house. Napoleon changes the name of the farm back to Manor Farm and quarrels with Pilkington during a card game in which both of them try to play the ace of spades.

As other animals watch the scene from outside the window, they cannot tell the pigs from the humans.

a reply to: DBCowboy

But I'll be damned if I'll help anyone if I'm mandated by the government to help.

But you do - you support a system that invades other countries to help them "regain their freedom" so more of your Companies can go in and rebuild them. All done in the name of freedom paid for by your taxes.

That's socialized corporatism. Think Halliburton.

leaksource.info...

Contractors Reap $138 Billion from Iraq War, Cheney's ...
leaksource.info/.../contractors-reap-138-billion-from-iraq-war-cheneys-h...
Apr 8, 2013 - 03/18/2013 Eight days after the invasion of Iraq on March 19 2003, Paul ... Contractors Reap $138 Billion from Iraq War, Cheney's Halliburton #1 ..... RT @drones: US military wants to build a new drone base to launch more ..

a reply to: ExNihiloRed

Actually, why not take 100% of everyone's income

Well they already have, by taxation and printing of endless Trillions of $ in so called stimulus packages. Who do you think is gonna pay that back? (hint...the next 5-6 generations of your offspring.) Its called compounding interest

www.usdebtclock.org...

a reply to: DBCowboy

Here's the best system.

Basementism.

大躍進 The Great Leap Forward

a reply to: xuenchen

I see a great and glorious future for Basementism.

The People's Basement will rule supreme.

And have hot pockets, 'cause mom went to the store.

originally posted by: deloprator20000
a reply to: RomeByFire

Oh yea, the last 15 years of unbridled capitalism have been just great! Crashing Economy, Bank Bailouts, New world order, false flag attacks, massive spying, gangstalking, mass shootings, anthrax attacks, U.S. government torturing it's own citizens.

Oh yea I definitely want more of the last 15 years, don't you?

The type of Capitalism some of the people espouse has guided economic policy for the last 25 years with literally no competing economic systems. Hence, we can conclude that the current state of the economy and the world is a result of this philosophy and it's variants. So, this means that this philosophy, and its variants must take responsibility for the current state of the world and all the problems therein.

Confused how half the things you listed are due to capitalism and how they would be any better if we embraced socialism. Government doesn't go away.

The liberal one percent, including all the celebrities want to stay rich and powerful

They want us to be poor but they like the power and money

Why not stop at capitalism and go full anarchist? What a pointless thread.

originally posted by: DBCowboy

Why just go halfway?

"Halfway" can also be described as moderation, balance, equanimity, justice, reasonableness, rationality....

Excess and extremes all become destructive, no matter which end of the spectrum you're talking about.

The successful balance of moderation is difficult to achieve, necessitating awareness, attention, effort...

Though it is tempting to retreat to extremes because it is easier, sometimes it is worth it to work towards constructive balance.

a reply to: Bluesma

Halfway could also describe ennui. Stagnation.

But it's just a rant.

Not to be taken seriously.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Sounds great to me.

Oh don't forget the other thing that will be needed:

Mandatory sterilization - can't let the population get to big you know.
Mandatory death age - can't be wasting the resources on the non productive.
Mandatory death for any serious injury - see above.
Mandatory death for any major (minor?) birth defects -- See above.
Mandatory death for anyone that does not agree with the above - Can't have them causing problem with the sheep, Umm I mean people.
Communism has never really been friendly for any "alternative" life styles -- can cause issues in the sh..people.

All for the good of the community of course.

originally posted by: DrakeINFERNO
a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1 lets see how the European situation ends up before we declare it a success. Roman empire lasted over a thousand years. Socialist Europe has under 100 on its belt.

Less the 60 and dying fast.