To conservatives and moderates out there, what are the TEN ways YOU contend that

1. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 10 years ago

   To conservatives and moderates out there, what are the TEN ways YOU contend that the
   
   United States of America is leaning towards and/or evolving into a socialist way of life?
   
   

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2. 87

   My Esotericposted 10 years ago

   There are no ten ways because America is not, nor ever has been evolving toward socialism.  We toyed with the idea back in the dark days of the industrial revolution but quickly rejected it.  The irrational fear that we are simply indicates a complete lack of understanding of what a Socialist society and government actually consists of; and it isn't what "active state liberals" (Abraham Lincoln) have in mind.
   
   Your picture is interesting.  The one in the upper right could represent unregulated capitalism or unregulated communism.  Drop the money bags in the picture in the lower left, and you have theoretical communism (will never happen).  The picture in the upper left is actually idealized socialism, also unattainable.
   
   Change the picture in the upper left such that 40% of the bags are with the blue man and 60% with the red man, and you have regulated capitalism which approaches America in the 1970s.  Change it some more so that 20% of the bags are with the blue guy and 80% with the red, and you have America today..

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3. 88

   suzettenaplesposted 10 years ago

   Just because we have medical insurance for everyone does not mean we are a socialist society.  I am so weary of hearing the Republicans harp and harp on this.  We do not have one supplier medical insurance.  We have choices as to what we can sign up for.  I do believe everyone in this country should have medical insurance.  I am tired of paying through my premiums and hospital charges for all those that do not have medical insurance and use the ER room as their go-to doctors.
   
   We are a capitalistic society - look at our economy - it is NOT socialism by any sense of the word.  We have dog eat dog capitalism out there!  We have a stock market for heaven's sake - all this is not socialism. 
   
   Being compassionate and a caring society by providing medical insurance for everyone is not socialism.  We were the only nation in the world until Oct.1 that did not provide medical insurance for everyone in the nation.  I think it is wrong to be so cruel and heartless of a nation to not provide one of the essential needs to our population.

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   1. 71

      Don Fairchildposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Better look again. Capitalism is where free trade creates the market and the competitive pricing.  When was the last time you could get a significantly lower price for heath care?  How about car insurance for half price? Banks paying 7% on savings?

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      mbuggiehposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly. Smith theorized capitalism as a "theory of moral sentiments" which would function because of the compassion, caring, and morality of people in a free marketplace. That said, even regulation of capitalism is history in the US today.

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   LandmarkWealthposted 10 years ago

   It is impossible to say exactly where we are moving because the pendulum swings back and forth from a political perspective on a regular basis. However, at current I would describe it as a European style social democracy as the unfortunate direction we are headed in. That can be characterized as permanently high unemployment, unsustainable entitlement spending and an economic environment that produces less wealth per capita.   But we are a strange hybrid.  We live in a place where politicians scream about that lack of regulation, then pass a web of complex rules that make it impossible for small business owners to compete with large corporations.  They end up hurting the very people they claim they are protecting.  More than likely that is by design. From that perspective, we are less of a free market capitalist system, and more of a corporatist system, merged into a hybrid of a social democracy.  Which is an unhealthy mix.  The reality is it's not any of those you stated above.

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      mbuggiehposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed. Corporatism is anti-capitalism and anti-socialism. Corporatism worried the early American public and founders and caused Hamilton to defend what he called "the manufacturers" in an effort to ratify the Constitution.

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      LandmarkWealthposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What I find funny is those that bash big business in DC are actually the biggest corporatist backers you can find.  They have regulated the system to such an extreme, they actually help those they are supposedly  against.

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5. 71

   Don Fairchildposted 10 years ago

   Socialism controls trade, can you get any health care that is not price controlled?  Can you find insurance for your car that is half price of the competitors?  DId you know that our banks pay us a paltry three one-hundreths of a single percent on our banking accounts!  Doesn't sound like free markets to me.  You can get a full 5% interest in Australia, didn't know that did you.
   
   In a Democracy, all people must obey the laws as they were intended.  So far the last 30 years or so, all presidents and congressional leaders have broken a myriad of laws, and nobody wants to or can't stop them, That's Socialism.
   
   As for your question requiring "10 Ways", why don't you set the goal really high, let's say 300 ways to justify an argument.  You only need to see ONE bad apple in the barrel to know that the whole batch is probably bad as well.

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      mbuggiehposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      So socialism is low return on private investments? And socialism is the free market setting prices at an equilibrium point (or near equilibrium point) based on supply and demand with the supply side setting prices at the marginal dollar? Really?

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