05-07-2019, 09:56 PM
(05-07-2019, 05:41 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: You support socialism and you view socialism as being the best hope for humanity today. I don't see why you're upset about him supporting the same economic system as you do back then.
The best solution for an advanced economy is a social market economy which fosters a strong free-market sector that makes a generous welfare state (the welfare state existing largely to give people a chance to be highly-productive workers capable of paying taxes. Cheap labor is not an objective.
Government ownership and operation of productive businesses usually results in bad government bringing about bad business practices. Central planning has consistently shown itself a failure. Need I explain?
Business managing the political system, which is nearly what we have, implies concentration of opportunities in few places, monopolization of business with vertical integration which together promote further concentration of wealth and income, and a lust for cheap labor. When the Republicans have both Houses of Congress we effectively have government by lobbyist, which is not a democracy.
For all our unparallelled productivity most Americans endure hard times either for living in cities that have few opportunities or in places where one can get the job but pay exorbitant rent. Rural areas? The manufacturing jobs are vanishing. This is a wonderful country now for a loan-shark, landlord, or lobbyist.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.