Socialism doesn’t work
I got into a nice debate on Facebook tonight about Socialism, and thought I’d share an overview of my position here, for all to see (since Facebook doesn’t index its content on Google, and since I am starting to hate Facebook):
In theory, it works well. In a country where the masses are not equipped to serve their own needs (think Venezuela) it works well. But in a technologically and educationally superior nation as ours, socialism will destroy the standard of living we are all so well accustomed to.
Why would anybody strive to be anything but ordinary when no matter how hard you work you are rewarded with the same end results as the guy next to you who sits on his ass all day and does nothing?
Socialism is for the weak. Free markets are a tool of the strong. America would not be the great nation it is today had it not been for the capitalist economy we were built on. Every effort to “lessen the blow” of capitalism for the weakest of our nation has brought us that much closer to our demise as a global super power. Someday China will be the bright shining star we all look to for “handouts,” and we have only ourselves to thank for that.
Feb 5th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
so what the conclusion of your discuss,, damn i didn’t know about that discuss.
Feb 15th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I do agree that certain socialized systems generally fail in highly industrialized nations. However, the system of competition for all things is causing a great deal of harm.
Two examples are education and healthcare. While education has a number of subsidies, our system s quickly falling behind, well, everyone… The competition of price withing higher education either drives people away from it as an option or cripples a large number of graduates with debt that drags down economic development in the population segment.
Our inability to provide basic preventative health care also represents a huge problem. We lose more productivity from workers missing days, working at greatly reduced efficiency, and the extreme cost of covering emergency care later to uninsured or under-insured people (along with time lost with them removed from the workforce). The cost of providing or subsidizing more of this system should be outweighed by the overall increase in GDP.
At least that is my own view of a couple of problems.
Feb 26th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
To the webmaster: The striped backgrounds make yoru web page difficult to read — especially comments!
To Chris: Our health care system is heavily burdened with socialised methodologies. It is in itself a shining example of what is _wrong_ with socialism, not what is wrong with free markets.
You want free markets in health care? How about $50 glasses at Four Eyes or Wal-Mart?
How about the fact that I can go get Lasik (or Lasek, or RK, or…) for under a thousand dollars?
Those procedures are rarely covered by insurance or Medicaid, and thus are a much better illustration of how medicine _could_ work in a free economy. Government got involved and put us right where we are today — the answer is NOT _more_ government!
Feb 26th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Chris - I would have to add to this debate that you are correct in your assumption that there is a lot of damage done by our current economic structure. What I disagree with you on is that free markets have anything to do with it.
In terms of healthcare, we already have a socialistic medical system in place when you consider the way that insurance companies and Medicare engage in price fixing to control costs. Price fixing is not a free market principle. Setting prices causes quality to go down and costs to go up (price ad cost are not one in the same).
Feb 26th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Stephen - Thanks for the design tips. It has been a while since I have tweaked the look of this site. I will take your comments about my usage of striped backgrounds into serious consideration.
Apr 7th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Different countries and societies work with different forms of government. During the Great Depression the United States entered a “form” of Socialism, but at that time we really needed the government to step in and help us out. It seems like now we are going to the path of a type of Socialism again. With politicians like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama declaring that the there should be univeral healthcare, and welfare, etc. basically gives me the message that these politicians believe that while they keep rich, why not “help” out their fellow Americans.
Why, all of these ideas sound good on the outside, it just basically means more taxes to fund such programs. Even if you found a way to get around the taxes, and just consume without worrying about a profit, well you will just ultimately ruin the economy even more. Not only do you ruin the economy with such ideas (at least now), you will just basically create a more spoiled kid out of Americans. Too many of us are use to the government helping us out, that we believe it is our right to have someone tell us what to do, and to provide for us. Basically some Americans just want to give their rights away to live a “pampered” life, where they do not have to work, yet get to buy food and live in a house. Like that will work.
Now, I am against Socialism in the United States, government should always be there to help people find jobs, etc. and to get them on the right track so they can improve their lives. Now, some government programs are great idea, such as those that do provide jobs. On the other hand, if people are just lazy and just expect to be handed money to buy food, and a free house, and a guarantee that they will have money in the future, well that is just making everyone spoiled.
Americans need to learn how to live for themselves, to provide for themselves, to help themselves and the others around them. Community. But I believe to achieve such that the government does need to step in to help with jobs and education so people can gain jobs. Don’t just give everything away, let the people work for it, and sort of “pay” it off.
The above comments are also very good, and express excellent points.
Apr 8th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
“During the Great Depression the United States entered a “form” of Socialism, but at that time we really needed the government to step in and help us out.”
Some historians are now arguing that the “New Deal” policies actually prolonged the Great Depression. The idea being that we were starting to come out of it naturally when the new policies knocked the economy back down.
Note also the difference in attitude between then and now — the jobless didn’t want handouts, they wanted jobs. They had some pride and didn’t want to be beggars. Today, many think that they have a right to the handouts.
If i were president for a day and could pass one, and only one, law, I would add the word “Charity” to the official name of all government largesse programs (and require it for all future programs): Charity Welfare, Charity Unemployment Insurance, Charity Medicare, Charity Social Security, etc.
Apr 8th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Thus I said a form.
And it might of prolonged it, but it did work. There is really no point except just to go laugh at the past on how they could of done something better. They did what they knew and/or thought worked. And even though it might of made it longer that it should of been, in the end it did get us out.
I agree on that people wanted jobs, and just didn’t wait to be handed out, but that is why I say Socialism makes everyone spoiled. When the government mandates and requires everything, and hands out jobs and such, people see that they have a provider and don’t need to work that hard to get what they want.
But yea, I agree with what you said Stephen, and I have read about how there are arguments today saying that the New Deal and Second New Deal prolonged the Great Depression.
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Jun 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Socialism will be a major component of future great human civilizations; the capitalism is for our barbarian and almost beast societies of our centuries…we can not do more at this time of civilization