It really isn't all that bad and some countries have pulled it off fairly well though, and I think you'll agree with me here, a completely socialistic America simply wouldn't be America. I mean literally everything America stands for would no longer mean anything.
I don't have it because it's cheaper for me to pay as I go(I still have youth). That congressional model is problematic when applies to 330+million people. It is supposed to be one of the inducements to public service as those members can earn more than enough in the private sector(lawyers).
True. But too much capitalism would also have the same affect. I still believe the health care reform is a great thing which will help many people out, whether they realize it or not.
My point is find an impartial source. Those are not. Clearly we have room for disagreement. You have made up your mind. That great, but you have not convinced me. Shiz, it's not that socialism is bad, but it is still governed by humans. It calls for concentration of power( to distribute everything) that becomes susceptable to abuse by whoever is in power. Remember the school thread? This is why I said history is important. This boils down to a philosophy debate that has gone on for thousands of yrs.
Yep. That's why communism has failed. Think about it. If an unbiased, impartial, wise, and thoughtful government had control in a communistic government then it would an ideal situation. The tough decisions that need to be made are made ASAP, no debate. But no one can accomplish this without the use of extreme force and censorship.
Agreed. I know of no one who fits that criteria. As distasteful as capitalism can be it doesn't deny basic human instinct. It is in fact a system that rewards it. I long ago gave up on the idea of the perfect human(I have ex-wives). A system with a pragmatic approach is the most sensible to me.
I am of the belief of personal responsibility. For every "victim" there is someone out there with similar circumstances, that against the odds, accomplished their goals, and to "give" the same reward, to someone who has not even tried, is a perversion of the formers triumph. If someone doesn't have kids, why should they pay for public schools? If someone "never" gets sick, or injured, why should they have to pay for others, who potentially engage in less than healthy activities? It's not about "helping your fellow man" I'm always up for charity. I just don't need the government telling where/when/who/and what it goes to.
Sounds incredibly unhelpful and uncaring to me Almost every country has it's taxes... so regardless of what they go to you're gonna be paying out anyway. It might as well go towards eduction and health.
It's not uncaring...I just want the "same" effort from everyone else. I don't want to float the bill for some fat slob, living off the government, eating himself to the grave. I smoke cigs, and that's my choice. I in no way would expect michael phelps, or lance armstrong to pay for my healthcare, when I'm the one making the poor decision.
Unfortunately, no matter what we pay it never helps. We spend more on education and test scores drop. We spend more on health than any country in the world and.....well you have read about it in this thread. There is a tax point in every society that when reached that society will cease to exist. The US is one of the most generous countries in the world yet we still get painted as heartless. Go figure.
Then you have a problem! I would gladly donate a tiny percentage of my paycheck to help you overcome (or at least live through) it.
Sure that's not a bad idea....but what your talking about would actually be economically beneficial. Helping smoker's quit, is different than allowing them to continue with the behavior, and still pay for their medical costs.
me too. Imagine if everyone did this? If everyone pitched in to help everyone else out. Alternate Reality.
It's their behaviour. Who are we to tell them what to do with their life? If we stopped judging people so much, and helped them instead in whatever way they need we'd be a much better society. Example, last night I was on the bus and there was this old bum who wreaked like beer. He tried to get my attention and I let him, he asked me for my first name and started talking his talk. I'm not going to go into what exactly he said, but needless to say, giving the guy some compassion, treating him like a ****ing human being instead of ignoring him because he smelled bad, or was a bum, got everyone on the bus laughing at what he was saying, not because he was a fool, but because it was the truth! Compassion is corruptive. So is judgements and complaining. What do you want to corrupt your fellow man and woman with? Compassion or the negativity?
Compassion obviously, but there is a way of being compassionate without diminishing the power of an individual. My point is not, "**** the poor, or helpless", it's "let me assess the situation and choose who I give my charity too". Give the people the tools they need to make it on their own.
