Capitalism is very popular now but it is collapsing. The wealth gap only grows and the "middle class" is fading. I believe men like Trump are the swan song of the 1%. More and more people grow tired of it. We the proletariat are going to turn on them. Democratic Socialism has already come to Europe but in America it's a dirty word. It automatically means the USSR and poverty for all. But in 50 years it's going to the opposite. People will fear capitalism and it's poverty. Any person who rises too high will be feared and taxed highly. There will still be an upper class of rich people but there will be so many laws and eyes on them it will not be like current times at all. Some would say there will not even be an incentive to be that wealthy. My prediction is that all "politicians" will actuly be computer software written by men because men are biases and software can only follow it's code. All your needs will be taken care of. You will not really need a job because machines do most things but you will need health care for example. The down side of this is I see a lot of the free choice one has with careers now being taken away. You must do what is best for the group not yourself which probably means that computer will give you an assessment and tell you what you will do with your life.
It's interesting to look at the dystopian visions presented in film and literature and the reality of what has come to be in the World today and where we are going in the future. I don't necessarily see Socialism as a bad thing if it ensures supply of essential necessities to people as long as civil liberties are not curtailed. Marx designed Socialism for a fully industrialized country like England, not feudal peasant Russia, and the World is at that optimum position now.
Socialism is enslavement. Capitalism and socialism are two sides to the same coin, kind of like Democrat and Republican. Proponents of socialism never talk about the fact that the financial system and everything to do with money is a RUSE by the few to control the many.
I don't understand the beef against capitalism. I've never had any problem living in a capitalist country and it's not like I was born wealthy either. I just did some fact checking and I'm solidly middle-class, as I expected, but I didn't start out that way. I left home at 19, penniless, and joined the army then went to college and partied most of the time; my grades were horrid and I eventually quit. I didn't apply myself at all but somehow ended up in the middle class. Could it have been the values I was raised with? After my dad died I went through his belonging and discovered old pay stubs and bills and such; he was a packrat. In 1974 he was making less than $3,000 a year, and that was at the largest employer in the county; there were plenty of people living on less. That would be between $14,000 and $15,000 today. My mother didn't work and they had three kids which they sent to a private school. Now I understand why my mom sewed clothes for us all, all the hand-me-downs and such that we kids got, the huge garden, my dad hunting for some of our meat, us kids picking polk, blackberries and persimmons, and why we couldn't afford anything 'fun'. One of my dad's many regrets was that he never got to take us all on a vacation. I think part of the problem today is that people are kind of lazy, feel entitled to things they didn't earn, don't understand how to budget, and see things their friends have and gotta have it too. Everybody today has to have the latest iphone, big screen TV, $40,000 truck, Playstation, a boat, house in the suburbs, $150 Air Jordans and on and on. This shit either didn't exist when I was a kid or only the upper crust could afford it. This shit also isn't necessary. I'd rather be in a capitalist country, it's worked for me so far.
what we need is to develop replicators like in Star Trek, then their would be no need for any fucked economic/political system. You want a burrito or a new sofa, just ask the computer to materialize one.
Americans seem unwilling to look Venezuela in the eye and it is telling when media coverage, in absence of anything else, is driven by Pro baseball players lamenting the situation back home in Venezuela.
If you were alive in 1974 you were benefiting from the kind of socialism I am talking about. Your middle class lifestyle was possible because of expectations on the rich. Expectations which were removed by Regan and have since become a staple of Republicanism.
I don't think you can take off your red tinted glasses long enough to really get this. You see too much as your enemy.
What are you talking about specifically? Middle Class? We were poor. There was no 'wealth redistribution' going on in our house. We didn't get food stamps or welfare or ObamaCare. My dad was bringing home about $5,000 less than the median income for 1974. That's around $25,000 in today's money. He was also paying between between 18%-19% in federal taxes. Today, adjusted for inflation, he would have paid about 15%. Why do people who want socialism ignore families like mine who were resilient and resourceful and counted their blessings? There were a lot of us. I say were; I'm far from old, but I've noticed a general decline in personal motivation, responsibility, frugality, and citizenship in general.
Most political and economic models start to generate problems when taken to an extreme....my main issue with socialism from a UK person's perspective is that it's not properly means tested (+ means testing in-itself can generate problems in relation how you means test & also whether or not it even makes economic sense to mt) which leads to 10% of people on benefits etc get way too much & 10% don't get enough + whenever you closely invite the government into your life you are effectively giving them permission to fuck with you. Private businesses & charities often do a much better job of helping people than the government do.
I just did a little calculating with the help of Google, and in Sweden (socialists love to mention Sweden as a success story) I would have to pay half my earnings in taxes. And then I would have to trust Donald Trump and a Republican congress to spend my money wisely. No thanks, I'll just keep as much of my money as I can.
Socialist programs in the U.S. Social Security Supplemental Security Income Temporary Assistance for the Needy Medicaid Medicare TRICARE CHIP Veteran's Health Administration Vetern's Benefits ADMS block Grants (substance abuse) Public Education SNAP Public Housing The CCC The WPA The military Police Firefighters Public libraries College grants, loans, and scholarships Public roads and infrastructure (except tolls) The FDA The EPA The FCC FEMA Public parks Head Start The G.I. Bill Unemployment Insurance Mortgage deductions U.S. Mail Public landfills Farm subsidies The CIA The FBI Public Museums Public jails and prisons Business subsidies Elected officials' pay and benefits Public sewer and water systems The court system Hoover dam Public zoos The IRS Public transportation Snow removal The CDC Public street lighting Amtrak OSHA USDA The Energy Department Border protection Peace Corp The DOJ NOAA I probably missed a few.
The taxes on the wealthy were much higher. That made your middle class life style possible. As poor as you think you were you would be poorer by current standards. I bet "poor" meant dad worked but mom took care of the house right? You could still afford to have a home maker.
You would also not pay for many of the things you pay for now. It sounds like a lot but it's cheaper overall. And I have never heard 50% more like 35 or 40.
So, it's to be pretty intense and heavy-handed fascism. I shouldn't wonder if we aren't going to bring back laws against witchcraft and sorcery in this future utopia. Why not opt for a low key mixed economy (which the US already has the edge of and which Canada has a lot of. The great thing about Canada is that it's not sinister - you don't get that dark, broody feeling you get in many areas of the states - and it has enough socialism to keep most people alive though not totally support them in their individual idiocies
You get a lot more deductions in Sweden - you used to be able to deduct ALL interest. In the UK deductions are called stoppages (as though they block your colon) or 'excess' in the case of car insurance (e.g.). A lot of things are topsy turvy in the UK You wha' well, thisisit innit
Man I just told you we weren't middle class, and I still don't understand what benefits you are talking about. It's not like the rich were tilling our garden or sewing our clothes or anything. So taxes on the wealthy were higher, so what? Taxes on everybody were higher, what did we get out of it? Be specific please.
Household income 1974. A $3,000 a year income in 1974 is equal to a $14,896.76 income in 2017. Median income in 1974 was $9,900; in 2014 it was $53,013. Poverty in 2014 was calculated at $11,670. Poverty for 2017 for a four person household is $24,600. Keep in mind that the value of income varies depending on the state and area one lives in. So a $3,000 a year income in New York City is worth much less than a $3,000 income in the hills of West Virginia. Also the definition of poverty has changed over the years.
I agree. Besides, a specific economic or political model serves a particular kind of situation. It's not like the political and economic situation in a society/nation is stagnant. So holding on to an extreme form of one model would be plain stupid. Also... it still has to be run by people. And people can be corrupt. Every system can and will be abused by some. Most populations all over the planet would benefit from a mixture of capitalism and socialism. Democracy doesn't hurt either (except decision making lol ) so i would say a socialist democracy with capitalist tendencies. I disagree. It seems obvious and most common but it doesn't have to be so necessarily. Government needs to be properly checked and controlled by the people. The 'close invitation' should be made consciously by the individual/household of course, and not come from the gubberment or be mandatory