corysub -> RE: Why is Socialist a 4-letter word in the US? (2/15/2009 1:31:25 PM)
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ORIGINAL: 4u2spoil I'm American, but currently live in a European country which is not entirely socialist, but has programs that could be described as socialist. While there are some abuses, and some people who oppose the programs, they are widely accepted. They haven't prevented the world economic problems from hitting this country, but they haven't exacerbated the problem either. Now, in fairness, this economy is the size of maybe two large US states combined, so no one knows for sure if these programs/policies would scale to support the size of the population of the US. But, I'd still like to know why so many Americans seem to use Socialism as a 4-letter word. If individual states could accept or reject programs deemed socialist, would it make a difference in your view? There are many Americans who love the idea of Big Government and socialism. This is particularly true among those left of center...but many of us are on certain topics. I mean REALLY extreme left of center elitist liberals who feel they know best what is good for all of us more than we know, and that government...BIG Government...is the only road for us to take towards salvation. We see that now in the Executive and Congressional Branch of the government. It's really economics 101 that the MOST stimulus would be to give permanent tax cuts to people to spend as they feel they should...not the $300 or $500 one time payoff for political support. Instead we are getting a law that is full of shovel ready waste and the possibility for corruption that could concievably be the high water mark for our economy. That is not entirely true. The stimulus package is predicated on the principle of the multiplier effect. In simple terms it grows money - or in theory anyways. And that is economics 101. I understand the theory of 1.4 to 1, or whatever...but the fact is that Government does not know how to create lasting jobs, only work! People will be busy rebuilding bridges...after months of planning, paving neglected roads, after months of planning and letting of contracts, digging ditches, fire paths in the forest, and whatever...but nothing that creates a profit as business would do if given the funds via significant tax rate reductions. Once the "shovel ready" projects are done...the work is done...and we are left with smooth roads, new bridges (hopefully to somewhere), a rail system between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and thousands of miles of windmills (with their backup generators that know one mentions). We also will be left with trillions of dollars of debt, super inflation...and a millions of unemployed. Of course the hundreds of thousands of municipal employees will not feel any of the economic depression affecting all of us working stiffs...since the Governors will be given pots of our money to keep their people employeed and not have to cut out the fat and redundancy. A fellow walked into a goverment office in Trenton and asked the woman at the reception desk..how many people work here? Her reply..an old joke I know, was 50%!! As even the liberal media reported, the CBO, who works for Pelosi, said that the country would be better off withhout this huge spending bill and social agenda driven projects. Obama is a disciple of John Maynard Keynes. He should read some of Keyens who said.."Burying bottles of dollars in the sand creates a job for someone"..it would be so much less expensive if we followed Keynes. quote:
The answer to your question probably is simply, MOST Americans prefer capitalism and the ability to make it their way not the governent highway. . Most of us are afraid that socialism could lead to abusive economics bringing "standardization" and totalitarion demands that will force us all to comply or be penalized. We see that in this joke of a stimulus package. As was discussed in another thread, there is now going to be a "health czar" (supposed to be Daschle) who will have money now to study medical treatment and come with cost-benefit treatments that YOUR doctor will be forced to utilize or face a letter with big black ink from the government threatening penalites. Americans don't believe in failed socialist economics which strive to control a person to a "standardized" leveling of the playing field not by pulling people up who have not achieved but by taking people down who have achieved. The best is yet to come on that nine letter word that really is a four letter word...as a verb being done to all of us this day. Excuse me, I have to go now.. my President wants me to bend over and hold my ankles. The irony is that the hospital industry as we know it in the United States (like the highways) was created by federal dollars after WWII. If I remember correctly it came under the Eisenhower administration. I didn't know that about Eisenhower. The only thing he seems to get credit for is the tremendous highway program and wonderful "Leave it to Beaver Years" despite the fear of Nuclear War with the Soviets. I do know that where I grew up in Brooklyn, Municipal Hospitals and many hospitals affiliated with Christians or Jews served the community. There was an explosion in hospital building commensurate with the baby boom years too! And "Americans don't believe in failed socialist economics"? As in what the right leaning Alabama of the 1960's contrasted to the left leaning Milwaukee of the 1960's? The latter had a society that would have made much of Europe envious and the former was riddled with levels of poverty that resembled third world South America. No not Alabama or Millwaukee but as in the economics of the United Kingdom and Europe with their high personal taxes, taxes on petrol, VAT taxes..and on and on....There is no such thing as a free lunch as Europeans have settled down and begin to understand. With respect to Alabama, George Wallace stood in the door to block children from going to school...that was racial segregation..not economics. Actually, it was the power of black economics that got the white business community to see the light of a new day. Milwaukee...like Berkley campus, is also a politically liberal town..but their economics seems to me to be as capitalistic as Birmingham...but I could be wrong.
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