To those against socialism: Social programs are there to help people who cannot help themselves. This is a BASIC EMPATHY for others. If your religious or moral beliefs don’t include helping others as a basic tenet, you are a cruel person. Period. Cruel and inhumane. Social programs are NOT fascist, are NOT communist, and will NOT turn our government into Cuba, Russia, or whatever other government you want to point to as an example of Socialism turned Fascist.
Opponents of this idea claim that no government is needed for these services. That private corporations can do it better, and churches take care of the charity. How well do private corporations take care of our health care costs? How about our prisoners? Great profit, sure… but where’s the human element? And what about the poor and elderly that aren’t a member of any church? Are they not worth charity? Private giving can only go so far. People fell through the cracks in the past. That’s what a government program is designed to alleviate. Sure, it’s not perfect. No system is. But it is better than what we had in the past.
The worst example of any governmental philosophy has one thing in common – human greed. When the greedy get power and the checks in place to prevent it are eroded, NO government is safe from abuse. Not republics, not democracy, not socialism, not monarchy. History has proved this again and again.
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I find it interesting that some folks have NO problem with Police & Fire being paid for by society, but suggest that health care be handled in the same manner and they lose their fecal matter. Police & fire are there to protect humans, same as health care, so what’s the diff? Police and fire protect THINGS too. So these folks value things, more than human lives.
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Who pays for it? Socialism has NEVER worked… not once.
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It works – as long as human greed stays the F out of it. And you should hope it works. Fire, police, army, roads, schools – these are all paid by our taxes. They are socialist programs. There is no pure non-socialist society, as there is no pure communist, socialist, democratic, fascist, republican, or any other idealism. Every society works in a shade of gray.
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I tell you what, let’s let the capitalist manage water supplies too. Let’s see how that works out. Also, perhaps you’d like to explain why I can’t buy a demi full of bottled water in New York, drive it down south after a hurricane and sell it at a 600% markup? If capitalism is so pure and socialism is so foul … why will I be arrested if I do that?
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There’s a good reason that greed is mentioned in the 10 commandments.
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Fear is embedded in the Limbic System and it is used to override higher developed human functions such as Empathy; it is also not equally developed in all people and much easier to short circuit in some…much to be said on topic…good post.
I just read Jack London’s “The Iron Heel,” written in 1908. It was depressing how accurately it describes current life in the U.S…below clip by Chris Hedges is a short documentary called “American Psychosis” which pretty much summarizes contemporary America.
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