Is all socialism bad?

[Jason]

oh, and this is some pretty weak-ass fuel if you're trying to start an ideological fire. i'm having trouble connecting the dots here.

[Jason]

+1 to this comment on the article:


Hey USAToday, thanks for leaving out the part where the Homeowner went to the Fire Dept and cold cocked the Fire Chief and was arrested for felony aggravated assault.

You were too cheap to pay $75. Your gamble lost your home. Do you cancel your car insurance and then call them up when you have a wreck and then offer to pay? Didn't think so.

[Cojafoji]

right... anyway. most of these public services are based on wage taxes from people who work in the town, and income taxes from people that live there.

if it's something like a sleeper community, or just a generally sparse population, then the best way to margin money would be to: charge a fee.

not that hard to get.

[Supreme]

dudes, i know I said lol america but dont be so defensive. I know a lot of my wealth is based on america's expansion and I realize America is hardly the worst country on this planet.

But I can think that and still say this is a hella funny example of how capitalism might go to far. (hey its a funnier example then the credit crisis?)

So feel free not to feel so fuckin defensive and think America is the know-all end-all country of the world that does nothing wrong (jerome/coja/kthx).

Shit..trolled myself

[Cojafoji]

in other news, be on the lookout for the chinese boondock saints

i would like to see a XXX version of this.

[Jerome Scuggs]

example of a perceived benefit of capitalism: incredible technological development that has saved countless lives and improved the wellbeing of countless more, completely unique to this particular system

example of a perceived disadvantage of capitalism: some dick acts like a dick in a singular moment of dickishness which is not unique to any system but common amongst more unscrupulous humans

...

the votes are in, let's throw that system away, who needs progress anyways.

also, i like how s. authority links to an old-ass news article and conveniently forgets the recent hubbub in "communist china" (if you call america 'capitalist' then china is 'communist') where that poor girl lay dying in the streets and noone helped her. in other news, be on the lookout for the chinese boondock saints

[Ephemeral]

I believe in a mix to be honest.

Using your school example: i believe everyone should have an equal cance to go to that school, not solely to the kids who's parents own more money.

As Summa stated; equality of oppertunity: yes equality of outcome:no.

In this case it appears to me that there were plenty of ‘opportunity’. The firefighters in this case had no obligation to put out this fire, it was well outside the city limits and area they cover. As a paid service, the city did offer fire protection to those outside the city limits as a subscription service. So anyone living outside the city limits understood that they had to pay for the service, and the guy who owned this house had paid the service fees for several years. He said he simply “forgot to pay”. Additionally, in cases like this the firemen don’t leave the station, their primary responsibility is to those in the city limits and those that have paid. What would the media had said if the firemen had responded this guys vacation home but then missed a school bus crash and fire within city limits?
So I think there was plenty of opportunity and freedom of choice here. The home owner could have not bought a second house outside city limits. He could step up and be responsible for being a dumbass and forgetting to pay for the fire protection. But I guess that stuff doesn’t make headlines and certainly doesn’t support making this out to be a ‘United States sucks’ topic.
The whole reason that USA has the level of immigration it does is exactly because it provides opportunity and freedom of choice. There are plenty of things to be criticized about USA, but my opinion is that this isn’t one of them. Instead, try starting with that we have more people in the Dept. Of Agriculture than we have farmers. Or the fact that the Dept. of Energy (people trying to convince us to conserve and be green) has an average of 2.3 vehicles per employee.
eph

[kthx]

Isn't affirmative action a socialistic approach trying to force equality?

[Supreme]

I believe in a mix to be honest.

Using your school example: i believe everyone should have an equal cance to go to that school, not solely to the kids who's parents own more money.

As Summa stated; equality of oppertunity: yes equality of outcome:no.

[Ephemeral]

I don’t think that Socialism, as a system, works any better or worse than Democracy. The ‘system’ isn’t the problem, the problem is humans and humans are common to all political systems. ‘Haves’ and ‘Have nots’, who decided where this line sits? So let’s say they bring socialism to your school. You have worked hard to earn a decent grade but can now contribute some of your grade to another student who didn’t get as good a grade as you. What if the system forced you to donate your grades to those who don’t have the same good grades?
Or closer to home, how about donating a TW ring to another player? You played the season out, contributed to your team but now can donate the ring you earned to another player who has never won one. Makes you feel better about yourself, does the other player also feel good about it? How does the rest of TW look at the player with the donated ring? Do rings gain or lose perceived value?

My opinion is that humans are the problem. Humans, not systems, are greedy and vain. Humans, not systems, make stupid sweeping generalizations about countries or religions (proving that no country or religion has a monopoly on assholes).
eph

[Supreme]

Ah, finally some reasoning I can get behind. Though I agree with that being a just system.

However that is not what the difference between socialism & capitalism is. You personally believing it does not make it so.

[Summa]

Yes socialism is bad.

While I personally believe that the idea of a welfare state/western liberal democracy should be extended to what I consider basic rights (which would include health care and a revision of our shit education system in America), it does so out of one profoundly different notion than socialism. Socialism promotes equality of outcome, and the liberal democracy promotes equality of opportunity. Equality of outcome discourages hard work and innovation and does not reward the individual for being just that. Equality of opportunity sets everyone at roughly the same playing field and lets them reach wherever they want/have to drive to reach. Over time inheritance becomes a large issue in equality of opp societies, but I would rather have that than a stagnant equality of outcome society.

[Epinephrine]

You guys should research how firefighting became a profession, makes sense with this thread.

Gooo Crassus

[TagMor]

It's funny that America hates socialism but has no problem with their government giving billions of tax dollars to private industry.

[kthx]

[sarcasm]Yeah lets do socialism cause doctors in america let people die and firefighters just let shit burn mother fuckers.[/sarcasm]