The rise of Socialism and it's appeal to young people is troubling

Since the 1970s, wages have barely risen, while cost of living has skyrocketed across the U.S. Meanwhile, the top 1% of earners in America–CEOs, have captured 85% of income growth that’s occurred since 2009.

Those stupid young people!!!!
How dare they wish to change this wonderful system!!
/sarcasm off.

The numbers above display everything that is wrong with current predatory capitalism. You can't blame people for wanting change can you? Calling it socialism is just fear mongering

Ehhh. Socialism is a disgusting thing but it's not the real problem. Just a symptom. The underlying drive for all government is absolute power. No matter what they say or how many feel good tokens to individual rights they put in there to get their foot in the door. The tone of things will always darken gradually over time and they will use anything to justify it (when it was their end goal all along).

It's not really just a socialist thing. It's a big government thing and they're all going to do it regardless of what they call themselves. Government exists to expand and propagate and secure the certainty of it's own continued survival and existence. It's a typical parasite. Any resistance whatsoever to it's end goals will always be met with maneuvering for eventual elimination of the resistance one way or another.

The end goal of a government is already implicit in the fact that it even exists in the first place.

It's inevitable. Can't live without it and living with it entails deluding yourself into accepting tyranny (whether it be overt or obfuscated).

I Kind of mean to say that collectivism is the real problem. But what's more disturbing about that is that there's no way around it.

originally posted by: mamabeth
Because they have no clue about reality and the reality is...
socialism is communism.

Well, they're very similar.

Socialism: a social system advocating State ownership and control of the means of production that communists view as an intermediate stage between capitalism and communism; Communism: a social system advocating the absence of classes, the common ownership of the means of production and subsistence, and the equitable distribution of economic goods.

Greek mythology tells of a Greek deity named Cronus, during whose reign Greece enjoyed a golden age. “All shared equally in the common lot, private property was unknown, and peace and harmony reigned undisturbed,” explains the Dictionary of the History of Ideas. The same source adds: “The first traces of socialism appear in the lament for a lost ‘Golden Age.’”

Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato wrote about it. Later, during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, Thomas Müntzer, a radical German Catholic priest, demanded a classless society. But his views were controversial, especially his call for revolution, if necessary, in order to achieve this goal. In the 19th century, Welshman Robert Owen, Frenchmen Étienne Cabet and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and a number of other social reformers, among them prominent clergymen, taught that socialism was simply Christianity by another name.

But “none of these spokesmen for socialism,” says the above-mentioned reference work, “had an impact comparable to that exerted by Karl Marx, whose writings became the touchstone of socialist thinking and action.” Marx taught that by means of class struggle, history progresses step-by-step; once the ideal political system has been found, history in that sense will end. This ideal system will resolve the problems of previous societies. Everyone will live in peace, freedom, and prosperity, with no need for governments or military forces.

This sounds remarkably similar to what British statesman Sir Thomas More in 1516 described in his book Utopia. The word, a Greek name of More’s coining, means “no place” (ou-topos), and was possibly meant as a pun on the similar expression eu-topos, meaning “good place.” The Utopia about which More wrote was an imaginary country (no place) that was, nonetheless, an ideal country (good place). Thus, “Utopia” has come to mean “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” More’s book was a clear indictment of the less than ideal economic and social conditions that prevailed during his time in Europe, especially in England, and that contributed later to the development of socialism.

Communist leaders have admitted the need for a more humane and compassionate system and have called for a “rebirth of socialism in a different, more enlightened and efficient form,” as one Polish economist put it.

Chief among these leaders has been Gorbachev, who, shortly after coming to power in 1985, introduced the idea of perestroika (restructuring). During a visit to Italy, he defended perestroika as being necessary to meet the challenges of the 1990’s. He said: “Having embarked upon the road of radical reform, the socialist countries are crossing the line beyond which there is no return to the past. Nevertheless, it is wrong to insist, as many in the West do, that this is the collapse of socialism. On the contrary, it means that the socialist process in the world will pursue its further development in a multiplicity of forms.”

Communist leaders are therefore not ready to agree with the assessment made in 1989 by columnist Charles Krauthammer, who wrote: “The perennial question that has preoccupied every political philosopher since Plato​—what is the best form of governance?​—has been answered. After a few millennia of trying every form of political system, we close this millennium with the sure knowledge that in liberal, pluralist capitalist democracy we have found what we have been looking for.”

However, the German newspaper Die Zeit candidly admits the sad picture Western-style democracy presents, calling attention to its “unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, prostitution, curtailment of social programs, tax reduction and budget deficits,” and then asks: “Is this really the perfect society that has forever triumphed over socialism?”

A familiar proverb says that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. What form of imperfect human government can afford to criticize the weaknesses of another? The facts show that the perfect human government​—a Utopia—​does not exist. Politicians are still looking for the “good place.” It is still “no place” to be found.

Who Can Change Our World? Awake!—2012

...
What the Bible Teaches

1. Man was not made to rule himself. The Bible says: “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) History verifies the truthfulness of that statement. Government by man has not brought a better world, even when rulers have had high ideals and the best of intentions. Instead, “man has dominated man to his injury.”​—Ecclesiastes 8:9.
...

God’s Kingdom​—Superior in Every Way

originally posted by: ThirdEyeofHorus




Also YDSA has set up clubs in the Universities, as I just stated. And yes they DO want to replace capitalism with socialism/communism even while using capitalism for their ends. I listened to people in the Occupy movement directly call for the end to capitalism. I read their list of things they wanted, including such things as “participatory democracy”, which is really a lead up to direct democracy which is not what we have in the US, we have a Republic. I’ve heard them demand student loans forgiven, among other things now being proposed by newly elected people in Congress pushing a socialist agenda. Comm
McCarthy was right then, and still right today.

What other people say you cherry pick from on wanting socialism has no bearing on the reality of our current system.

We have been drifting more towards corporate fascism or socialism for them and less socialism for everyone else.

Look at the qualifications for various welfare programs in the 80s and compare those to today. Now you would be correct to say that the budget has grown, but that means people have been getting poorer in order to reach the higher qualification requirements thanks to the policies we have in place.

Clinton along with many others made major changes to the welfare system in order to cut back its use since they are in the pockets of the corporations and banks also.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) is a United States federal law considered to be a major welfare reform. The bill was a cornerstone of the Republican Contract with America and was authored by Rep. E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL-22). President Bill Clinton signed PRWORA into law on August 22, 1996, fulfilling his 1992 campaign promise to "end welfare as we have come to know it".[1][2]

Everytime food stamps are cut, the subsidies to corporate farms is increased in order to make up for the loss they may feel.

People can scream socialism all they want but they are not in charge and the policies are being written in favor of the corporations and banks with deep pockets, not the ones hiding in their mothers basement screaming socialism.

I think the true narrative being spun is, if you speak out against the corporate fascism in this country, lets attack them as socialists and show how big a danger their mouth is rather than address the reality that they are attacking the corruption in the system.

originally posted by: acparker7
a reply to: [post=24220032]


To me it starts with politicians actually giving a crap about our laws - - they swear an oath to uphold those laws yet they have no interest in doing so b/c of the money involved. How do you get money out of politics...I don't know. But I do know that we can vote politicians out of politics. That's why I refuse to vote for any incumbent until I see real progress.

Excellent Post.
It is all about attacking the corruption in our system.

The danger involved with those speaking out is that we may end socialism for the top elite so they change the narrative that this is all coming from socialists rather than people that want an end to the corruption.

a reply to: jacobe001

incorrect

if young people stopped buying iPhones and Starbucks everything would be great, trust me Starbucks ruined the market, I know

www.nasdaq.com...

see.. Starbucks sucked up all the income from the Millennial's that's why they can't buy houses

originally posted by: Barcs
a reply to: neoholographic

LOL! Socialism, the big boogey again. Sorry this is as fake as the national emergency that was declared. Capitalism isn't going anywhere. The word socialism is dishonestly used to describe liberals, when they aren't even socialists. If you are against socialism, then disband the military. It's a socialist program.

Why stop there? Disband the entire government and we can let corporations have autonomous control of everything. That would be a much better system, RIGHT? Unregulated capitalism, which is the equivalent of far rightists goals to make the rich richer because they are in the pockets of billionaires. No public schools, just corporate controlled knowledge would be great, right? Get rid of medicare, social security, federal prisons and the justice system, all government funded science, welfare and all programs to help the needy. Everything needs to be 100% about profit!!! Let the poor die and be exploited for profit, as Jesus would have wanted.

Helping the poor by assisting with healthcare and lowering the cost of education is considered socialism by idiots on the right because they want to exploit the fear based simple mind of the conservative. These people are insane, it makes sense now why there are so many Trumpers on here now. They all live in fear and paranoia.

There was an executive busted recently for selling organs from aborted babies.
Under total free market capitalism, he would have been allowed.
There is a legitimate buyer and seller involved.

originally posted by: toysforadults
www.nasdaq.com...

see.. Starbucks sucked up all the income from the Millennial's that's why they can't buy houses

Know you are being slightly facetious but certainly in UK it has been theocracy increase in house prices v salary that is the issue.

Not how people are spending their disposable income.

a reply to: ScepticScot

look, it's really simple, coffee has bankrupt Millennial's

originally posted by: IlluminatiTechnician
They prey on the ignorance of teens today. Teens in the older days have always been stupid, but these days its off the charts. They simply don't know history or anything about economics and they're easily set off by emotional stimuli.

How are the stupid teens living in their mothers basement a threat to a system where deep pocket corporations and banks write most policies to pass off to their puppet politicians???????

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: ScepticScot

look, it's really simple, coffee has bankrupt Millennial's

At one point I was spending almost twenty quid a day on coffee so not just millennials.

a reply to: ScepticScot

that's ridiculous

originally posted by: toysforadults

originally posted by: ClovenSky
a reply to: toysforadults

Oh god, I hear you loud and clear on that one brother.

But if we don't change ourselves first and get rid of the central banks, the fed will be recreated under some other pretense/new name that would again serve the oligarchs.

Do you think it is time for a new system?

oh yeah, ditch the Fed and eliminate all government social and corporate welfare programs. back to real asset values including housing and BAM all a sudden people are getting real wages and the value of your dollar means something

No more money printing or getting into wars to protect the petro dollar.
It would not be the poor and homeless that would suffer the most from a policy change like this.

a reply to: jacobe001

no they stand to benefit the most because the rich will get killed in riots and the wealth distribution will actually make sense

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: ScepticScot

that's ridiculous

Yes it is. It's also sadly true. (And I am definitely no millennial)

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: jacobe001

incorrect

if young people stopped buying iPhones and Starbucks everything would be great, trust me Starbucks ruined the market, I know

Yep
The money used to buy that Iphone could have been used instead to buy a average priced American home of 200,000 dollars or needed medical operation of 30,000 dollars.

a reply to: jacobe001

seriously that $25 a month is at least a mortgage

just think, $30 of coffe a week will bankrupt this country if these little #s don't take personal responsibility

a reply to: VoiceOfTheEmperor

The reason why they earn more money is because they earned it. I have worked with little brat millennials who go into a job and think they can get away with leaving work early and think they are going to make the big bucks. It don't work that way. Then they complain because they didn't get paid what they think they should get paid. The manager then pulls out their timesheet and points out how many days they left early or called out or showed up late. Then they throw their fit claiming it's not fair and quit.

This is the truth and how it works in the real world. The rich are rich because they work and they work their asses off. The poor are poor because they want to blame someone for their lazy asses. They refuse to change their ways, ie getting a college education, or learn a new job skill. Hell most of them won't even attempt to look for a job because rich people suck. Wahhh! Poor me! So, there is no such thing as pay inequality, it's just the libtards complaining that life isn't fair and they have their sugar daddy giving them money. If anything we need to get rid of the Welfare system and see how long it takes for them to survive with their mentality.