Please explain Socialism to an idiot.

reply to post by red 5


As far as Palin distributing the Oil prosperity dividends(for lack of a better term) to the people of her state. Yes, I suppose this would be considered socialism. Because it is redistribution of wealth, Is there anything wrong with people benefiting from the resources of their home state? I don't think so.

Why people aren't calling her a socialist for this?? I can not explain that. Maybe other policies she has instituted in her state, balance this one.

reply to post by boaby_phet


so how is your health care system?

reply to post by red_leader


Where I live is a major tourist destination in the country. During the summer you can see lots of Canadian license plates, and I use to sell cars and lots of Canadians use to come to our lot because cars are cheaper down here. So I have talked to a lot of them and they are all pretty much in agreement that the US health care system is not that crappy.

Also again the population of Canada is 33 million people the population of the US is 300 million so that is quite a few more people. Which means that the cost is considerably higher.

The problem with our system isn't the health care it is the insurance companies. More importantly it is the government regulation. More regulation makes the overhead go up. Also a lot of these insurance companies have lobbied to pass laws that benefit them.

Also we have lots of clinics here in the US that people can go too where the cost of a check up or to diagnose a problem is cheaper. You don't ever hear about those though.

Our health care laws need to be reformed to benefit US going to a complete Universal Heath Care system here in the US will be a disaster because of the runaway illegal immigrant problem.

Another thing is it that wrong to ask people to get a job where the company offers benefits and the cost of insurance is significantly lower?

Originally posted by Hastobemoretolife
reply to post by red_leader

 

Where I live is a major tourist destination in the country. During the summer you can see lots of Canadian license plates, and I use to sell cars and lots of Canadians use to come to our lot because cars are cheaper down here. So I have talked to a lot of them and they are all pretty much in agreement that the US health care system is not that crappy.

So you are saying that the Canadians are coming to the U.S.A. for health care?

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife


"Also we have lots of clinics here in the US that people can go too where the cost of a check up or to diagnose a problem is cheaper. You don't ever hear about those though. "

Yes we've heard about these clinics we refer to this as the "second tier" of your 2 tiered health care system.



[edit on 31-10-2008 by red_leader]

Originally posted by Buck Division
These are good definitions. Let me say what the MAIN PROBLEM with socialism is:

Most people are total slobs. They won't take care of things unless it directly benefits them. Take a look at public restrooms for example, or at the litterbugs of the world.

In socialist countries, things begin to deteriorate. Health care starts getting sloppy, money dries up, a lot of things go bad. So the government starts enforcing very strict and often cruel standards to keep people straight.

So this whole deterioration is also punctuated by less freedom.

It seems to be a problem with human nature. We were not made to be socialists. Humans lose their temper too easily, and are prone to laziness, hatred, and sloppiness.

Would that happen in the good old USA? Dunno -- maybe.

i was going to say this exact same thing! you bring up good points, and i think it very well could happen here. sad, but something we need to think about.

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife



"Another thing is it that wrong to ask people to get a job where the company offers benefits and the cost of insurance is significantly lower?"

Yes but, what if as in the current economic slump in your country, you can not find a job that offers such benefits, now you and your whole family face bankruptcy if one of you has a severe medical condition.


[edit on 31-10-2008 by red_leader]

reply to post by red 5


nobody I've ever heard of.

Originally posted by dooper
reply to post by Buck Division

 

Buck, if I came to your house and "took" your TV by force, would that not be theft?

Is your TV your property?
Is your home your property?
Is your computer your property?
How about your car?

Now. How about your money. You earned it. It's yours. Your property.

No one argues that taxes must be paid to contribute to roads, bridges, monetary system, government agencies, the military, and other things we all benefit from as a people.

But to force one damned dollar from one person to enrich another is called robbery. Theft.

No one should have their personal property, either in the form of real property, or any other assets, including cash, to be taken from you to benefit another.

Oh man please come on, SOCIAL SECURITY. How do you think we pay our teachers? or our cops? these are not privatised.
WOW I tend to get angry and rude this time of night but I will bite the old tounge.

We already live in a partially socialist nation:

Social Security
Welfare
Food Stamps
WIC (Women/Infant/Child nutrition/health care program)
Farming subsidies
Oil subsidies
Ethanol blending subsidies
Sugar subsidies
Medicaid
Medicare
Earned Income Credit
Child Tax credit
Additional Child Tax Credit
Housing subsidies

All of these are socialist programs. They all intercede where capitalism fails (or claim to). And let's face it, capitalism may be the best economic system in practice known to man, but it is not perfect. It can go awry on one of two directions: by a run of 'bad luck' a person may find themselves homeless and unable to find employment, or by a run of 'good luck' someone may become so wealthy that they effectively become a financial god, able to purchase not only goods and services, but political sway and control over entire segments of the economy. Neither is a good thing.

Socialism addresses the former problem by placing 'safety nets' (such as Welfare) in place to help those who have fallen so far down the financial ladder that they cannot recover without help. Socialism tries to slow the latter problem by increasing taxation on the most wealthy, making it harder to rise above a certain point on that financial ladder. These can both be good things.

But the devil is in the details. If that safety net becomes a safety hammock, it leads to a complete breakdown of the economy due to a lack of people available to actually perform the work, and higher taxes as too few producers try to pay for the lifestyles of too many government recipients (sound familiar?). Over-taxation of the wealthy can lead to a loss of reward for production, and thus a loss of interest in producing.

The point is that while a little socialism is necessary to combat the tendency of capitalism to run rampant across people's lives, a little dab will do ya. Too much socialism in a capitalistic society leads to disaster, as it will circumvent (by it's very intent!) the very things that make capitalism work in most cases: the greed and drive of the human animal. It instead allows another human trait to take over: human laziness.

I have stopped listening to the cries of "socialist!" coming from the right wing of politics. They advocate socialism as well, only they tend to aim it at those who do not need help, like large corporations reporting record profits (I have no problem with the profits reported by the oil companies of late; I simply think they are a little too well-off for government assistance). Like has always been the 'American Way', the government seems to have it backwards... again.

TheRedneck

Canada has a better health care system than the U.S?

If this is better, than you Canadians can have your health care system...

Thanks but no thanks...


[edit on 31-10-2008 by Gateway]

Well now we start to talk about insurance. My wife had a tooth pulled and a retainer made by a local dentist, three years ago. It cost us $500 because we had no insurance. She had another pulled and a new flapper made last month, Our insurance paid $1279.00 and we got a bill for $687.27. Go insurance. Oh yea don't forget I also pay a large monthley premium

[edit on 31-10-2008 by red 5]

reply to post by Gateway

So what do you think about Sarah Plain’s Support of the robbing of Oil companies?

reply to post by red 5


Robbing the Oil companies? I'm not aware of her plan. But since she is a politician I expect more of the same, more taxes, more subsidies, more corporate welfare.

I don't support either of the candidates, if that is what you are asking.

Originally posted by red_leader


Yes we've heard about these clinics we refer to this as the "second tier" of your 2 tiered health care system.

The thing is, our second-tier healthcare is better than your one-tier health care system.


Free (or cheap) stuff is usually low quality. Healthcare is no exception.

True, we have healthcare options that are very expensive, but they are also very good with very skilled doctors who won't mess up.

I would personally be very wary about going in for open heart surgery that is being paid for with free healthcare.

Originally posted by Gateway
Canada has a better health care system than the U.S?

[edit on 31-10-2008 by Gateway]

Did someone say that it was better?

Can somebody explain the difference between medicare and medicaid?? I don't get it.

reply to post by red 5


Certainly not better, clearly worse. So much for a socialist heath care system.

Originally posted by Gateway
reply to post by red 5

 

I don't support either of the candidates, if that is what you are asking.

No I don’t want to sound rude. I really would like to know what you would call taxing (very heavily) an oil company and giving that revenue to the citizens of a state?
seattletimes.nwsource.com...

reply to post by red_leader


Great question I would like to hear this too.