As per the title.
Why does the word socialism in the US cause frothing at the mouth? Not comming from the US I don't understand this, I can see socialism and capitalism both have positive points as well as negative ones, but it seems crazy to me that when Obama talked of changing the healthcare system there were all these people protesting saying "Government hands off my health" and such.
After watching "Sicko" on TV the other night I think the average US person has little knowledge on socialism. I live in Australia with what would be called a "socialist" healthcare system and I think its great but we are not a socialist country.
So, without getting political, why is the culture of the United States of America so fixated on capitalism?
I knew this thread would turn to anarchy.
Who is going to build roads then? Educate children? Police the streets?
I'm pretty sure some places in Africa are as you desire, Government free, and people are running from rather than running to these places.
And here is where I make you look like an idiot; where did I say that I wanted a government free world?
Second; no place is not government free, no matter a losely it looks there is a government. In a tribe there is a tribe leader isn't there; there are holymen and/or consels people turn to are their not. This things can be viewed as part of thier loose government.
Putting all of the silly BS political and ideaological crap heretofore presented aside, to truly find the answer to the original question one must consider the nature of the U.S. and how it was formed and grew to understand the American viewpoint on socialism and government in general.
The U.S. resulted from a revolution against colonialism and what was viewed as an oppressive and unfair government. It's only natural that it's citizens would have a somewhat sceptical view of government in general. As a Republic it was formed with the idea of minimal federal governmant and maximum control on a local level.
While in this day many people do not truly understand the original government system and it's intent, that ingrained desire for personal freedom and minimal government still exists in the root personality of the majority of citizens. Anything that suggests more government control or involvement is resisted on an instinctive level.
The whole point of our system of government was maximum personal control and minimum government control. We simply do not want or like more government. We are, in the majority, an extremely independent people.
You make me look like an idiot? I directed my comment to Leuthesius. As far as Africa is concerned, I was using it as an example of a place with significantly less government. I guess at its heart we each "govern" ourselves, or we would all be stealing and acting like apes, screeching and throwing poo....
No offence mate but I don't need you to make me look like an idiot, I can do a perfectly fine job myself thankyou
So its pretty much the culture? Thats what I would say too.
I'm not even going to ask why was I quoted then.....
It is not a double standard, it is simply defining the role.
And so what if I want to do something that is harmful to myself? SO WHAT!!!??? So long as what I do is not harming others, it is my personal choice and none of the governments business. It may be a stupid choice on my part, but I have the right to treat myself in any way I choose.
Just as, the government has no right to require me to buy health insurance, or any other product, either from them or some insurance company. (Auto insurance is a whole 'nother ball of wax, so don't even go in that direction because they are totally unrelated)
It is called freedom, and it is included as one of my unalienable rights under our Declaration of Independence - those being the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The Constitution is being shredded as well. What's your point?
It won't take much more before another 'drastic solution' is brought about, I think.
So the the whole freedom crap will eventually only be a state of mind really. Well you can more or less say it already is, but hey who cares.
Freedom is more than a state of mind. It is also a way of life.
I understand that you may not approve of our way of life, but that's OK.
You stay in your country and enjoy your way of life, and I'll do the same. And we can both fight to preserve our way of life - but I personally draw the line at forcing another country to follow suit.
If you have the state of mind that you are free, but don't have the way of life as well - you are free, only in your dreams.
But hey, who cares about dreams?
Idiot I am a American, and U.S. citizen.
Kinda late to the party on this one. The healthcare systems we have already guarantee that now. Medicaid, medicare, Schip, they're all underfunded by trillions in the long term. Those assfuckers in congress did what they always do, lied their asses off about how much it would cost, while not even being able to grasp the long term cost curves to begin with. They like bitching about the military, or pretending the tax cuts reduced revenue, but the simple truth of the matter is that public expenditures on health care have more than doubled in ten years, surpassing the growth rate of the private sector by about a hundred billion dollars.
Food for thought.
Blaming the deficit on the war the last several years looks really stupid after seeing those numbers, huh?
Wow.
Sure couldn't tell by your attitudes - or your spelling, punctuation and grammar. My 13 year old daughter does better in every respect.
That's good for her now when she gets a job and go to college at that age I'd be impressed, but until then I don't really care. My attitude; wtf does that have to do with someones damn nationality? Oh I get it you are one of the idiotic percent that think America is the greatest place on other, and is the only place that has some sort of freedom. You know what I am not going to cross this bridge with because there isn't a thing to gain from it. Have fun in your dillusion of the world.
You know what I take that back I wouldn't be impressed, why? Simple I don't give a damn about you, I don't give a damn about your daughter, and I don't give a damn what you think about my typing. Simple and plain; all you are is another faceless post 1 of millions over the net really.
Clueless.
More like pointless.
What's "the greatest place on other", by the way? Or, does that simply show your general level of education and aptitude?
You really should pay more attention - to many things - if you are to have a clue.
This country is truly lost, if this is the best that is being produced these days.
Like I said pointless.
You mean, "Like I said, pointless."
Actually it is healthy to have such a debate where we can actually use nazi and hitler without evoking Godwin's law.
But I disagree with you somewhat. First, he was socialistic, but like all things human, nothing is a perfect anything. So he was not a pure socialist. he just believed that the state could do it better (and proceeded to try that method). Yes, he hated unions - because he thought they were run by communnists. Of which he did hate more than anything except Jews.
When you say his similarities were "superficial", what you are actually saying is you do not like the total package. very few people do. It is hard to separate the man from all his policies, and yes, many had nothing to do with the form of governance (The final Solution and all). So if we analyze everything he did, we see that many things had nothing to do with socialism.
But just because he was not a socialist in everything he did, does not mean he was not a socialist in his philosophy of how a society should function (Capitalism, Socialism, Monarchism Communism).
The bad parts of Nazism, from a strictly academic viewpoint, had nothing to do with socialism. And yes, the horrors of Nazism should not be used to taint socialism (there are enough valid reasons to do so). But as a governing type, they did have socialism as their method. I do not recall who stated it, but the state did provide - as in socialism.
What we should not do is say that Nazism = Socialism. Socialism was a part of Nazism, but not equal to it. It was much more and almost all of it bad.
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