What are your feelings on socialism?

[MrShaun]

I want to know what everyone's understanding is. Where do you live and what are your experiences with socialism?

Updates

+1 y

Enjoyed reading the comments.

For those who believe socialism is bad, consider:

When you traveled today, did you do so on a public road?
Have you ever replied upon the police or fire department?
Did you attend a public school?
For those in the U. S., do you intend on receiving social security?

Socialism is not bad. Any society that lacks any form of socialism, would find it difficult to exist.

[Qdbrown]

Socialism is bad. You're confusing socialism with community investments. Any community, state or government can opt to build public infrastructure for the public.

Te crucial difference is who has control of that government. Socialist boast the idea that everyone has equality by being apart of the collective. When with enough time the central planning committee will eventually take control of production, and eventually the ability the people.

Often government owns a lot of the too big to be owned business and services than by citizens. Any large corporation will at least have government officials apart of their boards, if not the senior management.

The hallmark is taxing for services. The government provides all the services, many goods and resources, and citizens pay exborent tax bills to maintain these services. In theory, everyone gets a proverbial piece of the pie. This is crucial selling point to get mostly poor and lower middle-class people to get excited about everyone having stuff. Everyone gets a home, everyone gets an education, everyone gets healthcare. It's great, because all you have to do is work and enjoy the free services.

Here is when reality hits. Regardless the economy, there is always limited goods and services. Socialism doesn't change that equation. If often mucks it up, because as the planning committee makes demand and supply decisions, there comes a point that things will be rationed. Not everyone will get the same size home, or upgrades. Not all people will be able to get into college due the number of available seats to keep a fairly manageable student-to-teacher ratio, and there are only so many doctors, medical equipment and time to utilize all of that, and it's then when equality takes a dump. That's when poor people are poor again, and middle-class just middle class again, and moreover the people are successful in a market economy are the same sort of people who will win in a socialist model. They will be the ones who will gain connections, and get better accomodations. They will get seats at college. They will always be the first ones who get the specials medical procedures. Every single time...

This is when it gets interesting, and when human nature kicks in. Most socialist assume all humans if given a socialist economy, will all take great care not to get greedy, not to get jealous, not get envious, not get hungry, not get paranoid everyone else gets their stuff first. It's just a matter of time. There is no breaking that hardwired operation of humans in a complex economy.

With enough time there will be protests and riots. The power heads are not going to want to release their power and status, and will often send in the police and military to take out the troublemakers first, and then the crowds later if they don't just weld them into their homes. Because in a workforce that is controlled by a few, the many become like domestic animals that make the economy that the power figures get to enjoy. And like livestock, they are treated as such. Hence the old saying, you can vote yourself into socialism, but your're shooting your way out of it.

You as a community can have local governments purchase police departments and parks without going socialist. You get together, vote on it, often bonds are started, and things get built, and a smaller amount of taxes keeps these maintained. Sadly, soft people will opt to keep the community going socialist, so they can be lazy and not have to do anything. They want the free stuff.

And that's where America finds itself. People wanting free stuff until they realize they have to give up their freedoms one day to maintain the power base of the socialist government. If you get them mad, they turn you into fertilizer.

[Friendlybro79]

You seem to think you know what will happen when it has never happened here. Are you a fortune teller? What qualifies you to know that so many Americans are lazy? Avg worker productivity is higher now than it was in the 50s and we make less with inflation adjusted. How are we lazy? Just recently has worker productivity started to drop. Probably because people are finally saying no we will not work 3 jobs for the price of the one we got hired to do. I'm saying that if capitalism wants to continue, because it's not working for most people anymore, corporate profits better start trickling down like all the Republicans promised it would. I'm not holding my breathe on that. I'll just get a second and third job to get by because I'm college educated and lazy right?

[Qdbrown]

@Friendlybro79 So you're one of those who say, we just have never implemented correctly, but this time it will be different. All of these models have tried many times. There is no secret how it will end.

First off, all modern federal and national governments have a lack of transparency. And even if you found a way to make it better, most people are not going to care, until it hits their pocketbooks. Most people are not idealogical or have profound reasons to exist beyond getting a family and home, meeting the one, enjoying them and their friends, and a lot of sex, and maybe drugs and alcohol. That's what most people want, and are willing to work for.

What I am getting at is, the people who mess up capitalism, is the same people who will mess up any economy. That's the real problem. There is not contolling that, because these people will find the loopholes, that will analysis ways to get around barriers and road blocks.

The big difference between a market economy and planned economy like socialism is that market economies send more vibrant price signals. Wants and needs are taken care of by themselves. When you have a planned economy, a group of people have to determine how many different products will be made and made available as they create waste and shortages. This only flames the fires that will lead to the troubles. It also impeeds new ideas and pushes the status quo.

A market economy rewards new and better ideas. Of course with great power, there should be great responsibility, and most see these abuses where the people in power disregard others around them. Or corporations that reward the senior management over the workers.

This can be fixed by encouraging unions in large industries. Lots of competetion in not only products, but labor, where companies want to invest heavily in employees and give them real reasons to invest their energy, time and inspiration to keep things going.

[Friendlybro79]

I do agree with you that the people that have ruined capitalism for most of Americans, aka the middle class, would do the same in any economy. 100%. I'm actually not bought into socialism as a whole but whatever Norway is doing is working and I'm not buying into any negativity people say about their economy (as a whole) because I have met and lived with families there. They're living better than and are healthier than Americans. Venezuela... Well that's what you're talking about and that's not good.

[Friendlybro79]

As per unions... I think you're making sense. As per capitalism or market economies taking car of needs by themselves. Very textbook but not very real anymore because of deregulation and monopolies are seemingly allowed to exist now. So unions representing workers is fine but the government needs more regulations because corporations are way too powerful.

I do not agree with you that there are mostly lazy people wanting socialism to keep them lazy. They are turning that way because our stupid politicians are pushing them that way. Capitalism is not working for most people anymore. Wages are down since the 70s, prices are sky high, but yet worker productivity as a whole is way higher than the "hard working days" of he 1950s.

Corporations run the politicians hence why corporate tax rates are lower than ever here and none of it trickled down. They did more corporate buy backs of stocks, let pharmaceutical companies charge us more for drugs and they will not stop until all programs like social security and Medicare are eliminated. Our corporations don't want to pay into these programs, don't care about living wages for people or wage increases matched to their profitability. Since they don't care about those things they line the pockets of politicians to do their bidding.

The big issue with advancing and doing the right thing for most is the greed of humanity. The sad reality is most people like you said don't care to be the CEO rich because most people aren't that terrible. The few that are should not be allowed to control everything. Regulations are needed to prevent greed from ruining society.

[Friendlybro79]

That's why I sadly believe AI will be our president one day. I mean this figuratively but AI will have to write laws so that corporations can still profit well and everyone else can not be homeless and without healthcare etc. AI will fix fake inflation (just raise prices and blame COVID and supply chain forever) Greed is human. Greed does not have to turn capitalism into zombie capitalism but it will because of too little regulation. I do believe unions play a part as well as the good people in this world that have to put aside greed eventually or it will ruin us all.

[ChefPapiChulo]

I think most people don’t have a clue of what they’re saying when it comes to anything.

[Echosoul]

Their idea is socialist = communist = bad

[Agape93]

Not my cup of tea. I don't like the government having any say in what I can worship, what I can do with my own life and body, or what I can do with my own property.

I'd rather anarchy than any flavor of government controls.

[SoIcyGang]

Socialism has no answer to the calculation problem.

Meaning they have no means by which to distribute goods and services.

But some day they will have computers which can be more effective than a free market.

But I doubt it. Because you cannot compute individual preferences.

Also I think it is bad to move away from liberty towards forced homogenization. I believe that people should be as free as possible. The more free, the more good as a fundamental moral standard.

And even if freedom isn't possible today, maybe some day in the future it will be. And we should not throw freedom away forever in favor of a world run by government computer.

[Alexandrubaschet08]

It also depends on what you mean by socialism.
There are people who do not differentiate between socialism and communism, so I will only refer to socialism. Otherwise, I need to know if you mean communism.
Socialism is a political idea through which the development of society is attempted through collective work, and the state ensures the minimum necessary for people both in the field of work and outside it:
- minimum wage
- social aid
- free education
- health (hospitals, clinics, prescriptions and treatments, etc.)
- minimum pension
- tax exemption for people employed in state institutions (teachers, doctors, artists, etc.)

I believe that Socialism can only work for limited periods of time and it must be correctly alternated with Capitalism and vice versa for a healthy and harmonious development of a society. (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark) are the best examples.

[Echosoul]

Contributes a lot of good things though not sure which are socialist.

• National healthcare
• Support for those in bad financial or medical/physical circumstances
• Trade unions and worker rights
• Nationalised essential services so we don't get skyrocketing bills like we do here (electricity etc) hopefully

Victorian Britain was pure capitalist and it wasn't great. Poverty on mass scale, unfit housing for many, workers in dangerous conditions working for pittance. No or poor healthcare for most. Disease.

[NewtoTheSouth]

"For those who believe socialism is bad, consider:

When you traveled today, did you do so on a public road?
Have you ever replied upon the police or fire department?
Did you attend a public school?
For those in the U. S., do you intend on receiving social security?" That isn't logical because having some socialist measures doesn't make you a socialist society. You have to look at the totality, not just parts. If that made a society socialist, then all countries would be currently defined as socialist. And we know they aren't. I agree with small measures of socialism, but not a lot.

[RolandCuthbert]

Well, let's see. . .

Solar Panels is socialism.

Uhm, BLM is socialism.

Indigenous culture is socialism.

Corn Flakes. . . isn't socialism. . . but Rice Krispies is!!!

Joe Biden is socialism.

Science is socialism.

Vaccines is socialism.

And uhm. . . the media is socialism.

Youtube is socialism.

GaG is socialism. . .

I don't know. It just seems a lot of stuff is socialist nowadays.

Scrambled eggs is socialism.

[Echosoul]

Surely YouTube is capitalism as it's a for-profit?

[John_Doesnt]

Socialism is evil and Biden is a socialist who wants to destroy America because socialism is in the bible and it's evil and we need prayer in schools,
amen

[OddBeMe]

In my view, “socialism” is anything the government does. So regardless of classical labels, todays economies in every country is a balancing act between socialist programs like defense…. and private business.

[Paul_in_Indy]

Systems of oppression are not RomCom movies. I don’t have “feelings” about socialism.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

I support centrist socialism that actually lets us practise our human rights and the non-human animals as well. I don’t support Kommunism, Nazism, or Fascism.

[exitseven]

You vote your way in but shoot your way out.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

I believe in social programs but not socialism as in the owner and employee have the same amount of power and influence.

I 100% believe in capitalism.

[Sabretooth]

Many voters have no idea what it is and most politicians know exactly what it is. Most of those same politicians don't want us plebs to have it... Yet, they wanna take full advantage of it.

[gorydetails]

Socialism is a philosophy of government that is advocated by losers.

[AngryCarl2]

I think it's a great idea, but who's paying for it?

[Sargentcaptain]

Literal fascism.

[Dargil]

It is equal distribution of poverty.

[Dargil]

If you prefer Socialism, I suggest you relocate to the EU. Thinking Americans prefer representative democracy (Republic) working in concert with a Capitalist economic system. It remains the best in the history of the world.

[genericname85]

good in theory, horrible in practice.

[genericname85]

i live in germany. so we had one of the very bad attempts at socialism here.

[Alexandrubaschet08]

That not true.
In RDG whas the easyest communist sistem in the all East Block.
You didn't have problem eating sosiges.
Romania whas the whorst from all.
No nothing, all food whas profided by friend and relationship whit the sellers.
You whas free to travel around the communist nations, Romania whasn't allow to travel anywhere.
You whas neighbor whit RFG and had even RFG in half of Berlin.
The URSS whasn't right in your back like Poland and Romania.
Olso you guys had been allow to unificate.
Will Romania event today live by the the consequences of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
Poland received no war reparations after 1945 even though they were invaded by both nations.
You had a large part of capitalist and prosperous Germany, while the entire eastern bloc demanded your complete communalization in order to suffer the true terror of communism.

[genericname85]

@Alexandrubaschet08 that's exactly why socialism is bad

[Alexandrubaschet08]

That was communism, I just realized what you meant.
But you can see socialism in the Nordic countries, not in the Eastern ones.

[Alexandrubaschet08]

Even today in all European countries and socialism by the fact that you have free education and access to the health system, pension and other benefits depends on the country you are in

[Pterodon]

Doesn’t work and never has

[jimmy2]

They are an go to Russia