Go back to swabbing the decks, furling sails and tying knots, deckhand.
Originally Posted by Cypress
In this country, my favorite forms of socialism are:
the non-profit, community-owned Green Bay Packers
and the public library system.
Moving overseas, my favorite socialism is the state-owned Norwegian oil company Statoil (may have changed name recently).
Norway's decision to make their national petroleum resources public property and held as a public trust while still open to some private investment was a very wise and far-sighted decision for that country.
For other countries who have done the same, like Nigeria and Venezuela it’s been a catastrophic disaster as the ruling political classes in those countries have used the vast sums of nationalized petroleum dollars to turn their countries into kleptocracies.
More than 4 in 10 respondents in a new Gallup poll now say that socialism would be a good thing for the U.S.
The survey results, released Monday, found that 43 percent of respondents said “some form of socialism” would be a good thing for the nation as a whole.
A little more than half — 51 percent — said that socialism would be a bad thing for the country. And 6 percent said they did not have an opinion.
The results show an increase of 15 points in the number of respondents who said socialism would be a good thing compared to a 1942 Roper/Fortune survey, in which just 25 percent of respondents said socialism would be a good thing and 40 percent said it would be bad.
The results contrast with a Monmouth University poll from earlier this month which found that 57 percent of voters believe that socialism is incompatible with American values.
The Gallup poll, which collected data between April 17-30, comes as more high-profile politicians label themselves socialist. Most notably, self-avowed democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has continued to poll in the top tier of the pool of 2020 Democratic candidates for president, though most of his competitors have distanced themselves from the label.
As the 2020 battle gets underway, Republicans have widely targeted Democrats for allegedly “embracing” socialism.
Gallup also found that Americans are more likely to favor free market over government control on a number of issues, including technological innovation, wealth distribution, the economy, wages, higher education and health care. Respondents favored government control in just two categories: environmental protection and consumers’ online privacy protection.
Respondents were split on their description of the U.S. economy, with 40 percent saying it leans more toward government control, 34 percent saying it leans toward free market control and 25 percent describing it as an equal mix of the two.
The poll of 1,024 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brie...0-now-say-socialism-would-be-good-for-us-poll
It sounds as though at least 40% of us realize that we already have modified socialism and have for a long time. Sucks to be a Fox viewer and out of that loop.
More than 4 in 10 respondents in a new Gallup poll now say that socialism would be a good thing for the U.S.
The survey results, released Monday, found that 43 percent of respondents said “some form of socialism” would be a good thing for the nation as a whole.
A little more than half — 51 percent — said that socialism would be a bad thing for the country. And 6 percent said they did not have an opinion.
The results show an increase of 15 points in the number of respondents who said socialism would be a good thing compared to a 1942 Roper/Fortune survey, in which just 25 percent of respondents said socialism would be a good thing and 40 percent said it would be bad.
The results contrast with a Monmouth University poll from earlier this month which found that 57 percent of voters believe that socialism is incompatible with American values.
The Gallup poll, which collected data between April 17-30, comes as more high-profile politicians label themselves socialist. Most notably, self-avowed democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has continued to poll in the top tier of the pool of 2020 Democratic candidates for president, though most of his competitors have distanced themselves from the label.
As the 2020 battle gets underway, Republicans have widely targeted Democrats for allegedly “embracing” socialism.
Gallup also found that Americans are more likely to favor free market over government control on a number of issues, including technological innovation, wealth distribution, the economy, wages, higher education and health care. Respondents favored government control in just two categories: environmental protection and consumers’ online privacy protection.
Respondents were split on their description of the U.S. economy, with 40 percent saying it leans more toward government control, 34 percent saying it leans toward free market control and 25 percent describing it as an equal mix of the two.
The poll of 1,024 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brie...0-now-say-socialism-would-be-good-for-us-poll
note the discussion of the American government being a Hybrid shuts them the fuck up?
Wow Mott. Nothing like being wrong. Who the hell do you think hires those individuals to pay those taxes? That would be private, capitalist enterprise. Not the fucking government. And they do not "control" the means of production. They cannot pay for it without tax dollars.
I think where state-owned StatOil is a success, and where state-owned PDVSA is currently deemed a failure can be attributed basically to this:
Norway is a liberal democracy, with strong traditions of democratic, legal, and constitutional institutions, equitable and fair elections, and governments that tend to be responsive to a reasonably well-informed electorate.
Venezuela has basically always been an oligarchy, with some window dressing posing as democracy, characterized by extreme class distinctions in wealth, education, and access to information. Oligarchies are fertile breeding grounds for corruption and theft of public resources, more so than functioning liberal democracies in my opinion.
That doesn't change the definition of socialism. It doesn't matter where the dollars come from. What matters is who controls the means to production in the examples I provided the Government does. Thus it is socialism. This argument is a perfect example of what I mean by most people not knowing what Socialism is.
I couldn't agree more and that's what scares the hell out of me about this country. Peoples United was probably the worst SCOTUS decision in US history next to Dred Scott, in setting the precedent that corporations are persons and thus have the rights of persons. This has resulted in our nation now being an oligarchy in which we are currently witnessing the events you just described. It scares the hell out of me.
Indeed, Mariner...indeed.Of course it does. Government does not produce, manufacture, sell or self sustain itself in anyway. It relies of private enterprise tax dollars to fund any of this. No money, no social programs. They do not control the means of production. They rely on other doing that and then stealing it from them.
Boo, Snowflake.
Safe room.
"We will never be a Socialist nation." President Trump.
Those four who favor Socialism should head on down to Venezuela...bring food.
That is related to my point that the poll question and the poll responses stated that 40% of Americans favor "some form" of socialism.
Obviously, the pollsters and most American realize that there are more than just two choices: unfettered capitalism, or Soviet-style totalitarian communism.
And that takes us down to the very obvious reason that teabaggers relentlessly try to conflate the word "socialism" with Joseph Stain, Fidel Castro, Cuba, and the USSR.
Because they are smart enough to be acutely aware that the hybrid economies of the social welfare states of northern Europe - which apply both elements of socialism and free markets - are arguably the most admired socio-economic systems in the history of humankind.