How much of what you fear is bulls**t? Politically, socially, etc?

[OddBeMe]

There is no communism in America. There are “socialist” programs that are state run because it’d be stupid to hand off grandma’s retirement account to big banks who fail every other week.

Fun Fact: Neither Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot actually read Marx. All admitted skipping it.

Yes, but

Ehh maybe

Nah, I’m pretty sure my fears are real

[Sevenpointfive]

do you mean rational fear or irrational fear? everyone has both, but realizing the difference can be hard for some with psychosis. i wouldn't even break them down into separate fears until you've established a deep connection.

[Snakeyes7]

I dunno maybe you should ask the people who fled the USSR, Cuba, China or North Korea and I am sure they'd tell you everything you need to know how socialism doesn't work.

[OddBeMe]

100% either way doesn’t work. 50/50 works great. Or is Medicare secretly capitalist? Ask grandma if we should take it away.

[Snakeyes7]

My grandmother? She doesn't give a shit, she has engaged in a lost art called having a retirement fund.

It's a lost art now because we have retards in our government who think the rules of economics needs to be rewritten.

[Levin]

Most of what you see on the news is fear porn. Particularly the whole covid insanity.

[OddBeMe]

Million dead Americans on line 1.

[Levin]

40% of Americans are obese aren't they?

I consider myself lucky to get through the winter and I work out for 2.5 hours per time.

[Snakeyes7]

No I'd actually say it's more like 70% or more that are obese.

[Snakeyes7]

Maybe I am thinking of just being overweight

[Levin]

@Snakeyes7 Well yes, around 70% are overweight. Or as Americans would say, 'BMI is an inaccurate measure of health because of muscle mass'.

[Snakeyes7]

The BMI scale is weird.

[Levin]

@Snakeyes7 Possibly. But I just think most people who say it's inaccurate are overweight. Like, most people are in denial. I see girls are work who are apparently referred to as 'slim', and I think, no, you're overweight.

[RedInnocent68]

Yes. Don’t think that’s true of Stalin though. Doesn’t surprise me about Mao. Don’t know enough about Pol Pot.

[OddBeMe]

Pol pot is interesting because he got away with his mass killing and gave a lot of interviews before dying peacefully in bed.

[Anonymous]

Social security is not socialism. Its a state run pension system contributed by taxpayers throughout their life, it also gives government a pool of money to invest, use etc.

[Snakeyes7]

It is a textbook definition of a ponzi scheme.

[Opinion Owner]

@Snakeyes7 depends. Imagine the is government decided to use that pot of social security money to say fight wars in the middle east, bail out banks, give money to Ukraine, give money to Israel, support legal immigrants...

[Snakeyes7]

That is definitely what taxation is, the government using tax dollars for things the people wouldn't want to pay them for.

Even if they didn't do that with social security, that well will dry up now that the life expectancy has grown far past 65.

Social security was meant to be used for people who lived an exceptionally long time for the time now that people are outliving that by decades they are going to run out of other people's money.

[Opinion Owner]

@Snakeyes7 social security is basically a state pension plan. It's not other people's money, they won't run out of it unless they've mismanaged it. Private pension companies often go bust. It's basically the government in agreement with taxpayer guaranteeing a pension in return for holding taxpayer money. No such thing as free money.