Government can't help, it can only hurt

[Bob Butler 54]

(02-03-2018, 11:25 PM)Galen Wrote:

(02-03-2018, 06:48 AM)Eric the Obtuse Wrote:

(02-01-2018, 08:24 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: I've never called you a commie. I've associated you with having a similar belief system and a similar mindset. Whether you be fascist, communist, socialist or imperialist is unknown at this time.

I'm similar to a socialist in some ways, and in some ways not.

You are flat out a socialist.  You just don't want to admit it.

Socialism is one of those movements which are ill defined.

wiki Wrote:Socialism is a range of economic and social systems characterised by social ownership and democratic control of the means of production, as well as the political theories and movements associated with them. Social ownership may refer to forms of public, collective or cooperative ownership, or to citizen ownership of equity. There are many varieties of socialism and there is no single definition encapsulating all of them, though social ownership is the common element shared by its various forms.

I favor nodding respect to the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which acknowledges that certain minimum economic rights should be met, such as housing, food and health care.  You might say governments owe the People a certain minimum.  Some associate socialism with communism, with a planned economy, which failed in direct competition with capitalism.  Socialism is many things to many people.  For that reason, it makes a poor label to throw on somebody else.  Because you believe in one idea, does that mean you have to defend another idea which you reject?

Fascism is another label which I consider grossly overused.  Because one uses certain ideas which Hitler used, you have to carry all his baggage?  Some folks spend an awful amount of effort trying to make a label stick, thus associate a person with ideas which are not embraced.  That is not my favorite practice.