Why is socialism bad?

[renie408]

I keep hearing a lot of people saying that this program or that program is HORRIBLE because it amounts to..dum dum dum...SOCIALISM.

What's so bad about a little bit of socialism? Sweden seems to be ticking along pretty well. And Canada and the UK and lots of European countries have largely socialist aspects and they seem to be pretty livable places. Yeah, there are some pretty icky socialist countries, but there are some seriously icky capitalist countries, too.

Can't a country socialize things like health care and education and still be successfully capitalist?

[Warren Stupidity]

1. It isn't.

Was that like a rhetorical question? Socialism, the democratic mixed economy version, seems to be working quite well for most of europe and parts of latin america.

[renie408]

8. Not precisely rhetorical ...

GOPers act like socialism is only a half step up from...I dunno...cannibalism or something. They spit out the word 'socialism' like it's the worst thing they can think of. They also say it as if it were an indisputable, universally held truth. I have never thought that socialism was all that bad, I just thought maybe I had missed something.

[shireen]

2. it's not.

My favorite senator in the whole universe, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), considers himself a socialist.

Socialism has gotten a bad rap because some repressive communist or other totalitarian countries consider themselves socialist. That makes the right wing neocons hysterical.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

3. A Little Bit Of Socialism Is Fine. It Only Becomes Dumb When Everything Becomes Socialized

I agree with certain things being socialized though.

[RadiationTherapy]

25. Oh. It becomes 'dumb'. You should write a book; or a pamphlet. nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

28. A 100% Socialized Society?

Hell yeah that's dumb. Socialism when brought to its entirety is always a stupid way to run things. It's probably the quickest way to crush the human spirit.

[RadiationTherapy]

35. See? There's chapter 2! What WILL you think of next? nt

[begin_within]

4. Because it means people have to act like adults and share - it doesn't work with

selfish, childish pigs, which 50% of America consists of.

[renie408]

10. I think it's more like 30%. The other ones are single issue voters. n/t

[leftofcool]

12. Uh, no. Only about 2% control the nation's wealth

Most of us are in the middle class and pay most of the taxes. It isn't a matter of sharing. Most middle class people do indeed share in the form of various charities.

[begin_within]

15. There is no middle class any more.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

5. To answer your second question...

...we, too, are a mixed-economy, regardless of how many Rs or freemarketers try to convince others otherwise.

Police, Fire, public schools, infrastructure, postal service, hospitals, waste management and sanitation, EPA, FEMA, etc.. :)

[renie408]

9. This is what I am thinking. That we already ARE partially socializedn and it is

all the good parts. Why not add a few more things to that list?

[anarch]

23. well dammit we'd better do something to privatize all these things!

that's probably what caused the stock market to go nuts and all the credit markets to freeze up in the first place...too much socialism! I say if your house is burning down, you need to pony up the cash to pay the firemen, or you can just put that thing out yourself! Enough of this communist claptrap!


Seriously though, I could not believe the McKlan ad I heard this morning, actually positing that the troubles with the economy were on account of those foolhardy congressional liberals and their passion for de-regulating the markets...or wait, was it the poor minorities and their ignorant desire to have houses they don't deserve? I think it was both. I mean, do they really expect people to not just laugh at that?

[LWolf]

6. It's not.

:shrug:

[RadicalTexan]

7. Because it's bad for greedy hoarders.

Who, by definition, control our institutions, including the media.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

13. LOL!!! That can't be right. Sure sounds like communism to me.

;)

:rofl:

[RadicalTexan]

16. if by "communism" you mean Stalinism, then, yes

Stalinism = fascism = Bushism

[tjwash]

11. Because the MSM programs us from birth that it is?

:shrug:

[earth mom]

14. Because the media has brainwashed the masses to believe it's bad when it's not. nt

[raccoon]

37. Yep. Just like in a right-to-work state, a lot of people whom a union could help,

are vehemently anti-union.

[Forkboy]

17. I'm almost 41 and I still don't know the answer to that.

:shrug:

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

21. I've got you beat by a year. I took the easy way out here and...

...answered the second question: isn't a little OK? ;)

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

18. Socialism can be as bad as capitalism when,...

,...no rules apply.

Neither capitalism or socialism contribute to democracy, a state where interests of 'the people' weigh greater than a governing body.

A democracy requires participation by all able-bodied, and it requires compassion for those who are unable to actively contribute.

A democracy is more flexible than either capitalism or socialism. In a democracy both individual/social improvement and EQUAL justice is embraced. Excesses are NEVER appeased (ideally).

Democracy advances the best of individual capacity while placing limits (the rule of law) on self-serving actions (whether physical or emotional or economic).

Those who blindly fear this nation becoming "socialist" or "communist" are clueless about the notions associated with "DEMOCRACY", the basis of this nation. If they studied the ideals associated with democracy, neither socialism or communism would be threatening. But, there are people who NEED to be scared of losing what they do not even possess, I guess.

:shrug:

[HughBeaumont]

19. Rich men want to make useful idiots believe they'll be rich someday.

But they know that's the LAST thing they want to happen.

Therefore, they can't exactly go championin' a system that gives the proles any kind of equality or hope. Single Payer Health Care? Not on your life. Social Safety Net? This ain't Sweden yer livin' in, son. Subsidized education? Sorry, we need bodies for our wars, and we ain't exactly getting them if there's no draft, the workforce is educated and the economy is plentiful. Public Transportation? America is mostly Podunks. WHERE'S THE PROFIT???

Privatizing everything that's not bolted down is far better for the Oligarchs, who market this hare-brained scam piece of Laissez-FAIL Capitalism to the useful idiots as "Personal Responsibility", "Empowerment" and "Freedom". What it REALLY boils down to is rich people with every advantage mankind has to offer have been shifting all risk and loss on to US.

A socialist/democracy mix would be the best way to expansion, strength and dignity. Instead, we're owned by communist nations or the House of Saud, each of whom has human rights abuse records a mile long.

But hey, this money funnel to the wealthy can't flow by HELPING people other than rich white guys, can it?

[KG]

20. it's not.

and its day is coming. the only way for mankind to survive.

[mrcheerful]

22. Because Ronnie I lost my mind Reagan said socialism was bad

Reagan told the brain dead masses that socialist programs like welfare was ruining the country because it was easier to sit on your sofa then it was to go out and get a job. Hell, no jobs in your home town or state, you got 2 feet just pack all your belongings on your back and hitch hike to the town or state that had jobs. It was the same when he started taking health care out of the hands of doctors and putting health care into the hands of insurance companies.

Privatization was Reagans battle cry, anything else was socialism. And the brain dead took up the cry. When your dealing with true believers reality doesn't matter, they have the perfect world within their grasp the only thing stopping them from their Utopia is Democrats and other socialists.

[elleng]

24. Some people

never learned to share! and they think its 'bad' 'cause they still don't want to share with their brothers and sisters!

I'd move to scandinavia if I could.

[pork medley]

26. an island of 'socialism' in a capitalist sea will be quickly drowned

we know that capitalism is nothing if not adaptable

welfare-state nostalgia is a little self-defeating, since its understood that any attempt at nationalizing particular sectors of the economy will inevitably be undone for the sake of 'efficiency' or 'incentivization' or what ever

[Kansas Wyatt]

27. Why do you hate America?

For Christ's sake, stop with the communism rhetoric! I suppose you're one of those commuterrists too? That's freeper talk, when they try to merge communist with terrist. Thank God that Putin is trying to bring back the Soviet Union, so we can get back to business, instead of trying to get everyone to believe that it takes a Superpower and never ending World War to go after a bunch of terrorists.

Don't you know that all you have to do is go to work and you'll become a millionaire in this country? Sure you'll hear stories about so many people on hard times, but they are just lazy and don't want to work for anything. They just want someone else to give it to them for free. Oh no, you don't want the government to give you anything, because they'll screw everything up, except when it provides funding for Corporate America. Besides, Corporate America doing well, makes everyone in America do well. More money for them, means more money for you... You just might have to go back to school to learn how to flip hamburgers for an interim period, but you will have that American Dream. Keep dreaming... Dreams are always better than actually getting what you deserve anyway, because you can have as much as you want when you dream about it. Now isn't that much better than actually having a government who gave a damn about you?

:sarcasm:

[leftofthedial]

29. it isn't

it is feared and hated by the ignorant and by the greedy (that is, by the republican base).

[Better Believe It]

30. If You Want To Find Out What Socialists Really Believe Ask Socialists!

There are numerous socialist organizations around. Some are a bit kooky and seem more like bizarre political sects far removed from political reality and the real lives of working class people.

Others are more down to earth and seem to have their heads screwed on right.

Here's a few links to three of the saner groups that can answer questions people have about socialism.

I think these may be the largest and most significant socialist organizations in the United States.

I'm sorry if I've left out some .... I'm sure I have. Please post and link any others that you think belong here.

International Socialist Organization which publishes the Socialist Worker newspaper.
http://socialistworker.org/

Socialist Party USA
http://sp-usa.org/

Democratic Socialists of America
http://sp-usa.org/

[democrat2thecore]

32. Actually the DSA link is here...

http://www.dsausa.org

[Better Believe It]

38. Thanks for correcting that link

[JonLP24]

31. You answered your own question

100% socialism is bad just like 100% capitalism is bad but a little bit of both is good. :thumbsup:

[democrat2thecore]

33. What Is Democratic Socialism? (A Must Read)

http://www.dsausa.org/pdf/widemsoc.pdf

[LooseWilly]

34. Socialism is bad if I have a company that used to make money doing what the government now does.

Repubs hate it when they lose their jobs. They love it when they can get rid of unions, and other predominantly Dem jobs... but if they lose government contracts to do stuff, because the government decides to do that stuff themselves, then they become rabid.

Ohh yeah, and privatize it all is actually, technically, the Libertarian platform. Republicans are... shit, who knows. They are pro-Bigots (anti-Great Society/Civil Rights), pro Jesus Freaks (anti-not forcing kids to pray in school), and... pro-Financial Implosion (anti-regulation of financial shenanigans). Ohh yeah, and Republicans are pro-War (anti- Anti-War movement/hippies). They're trying to make everything in terms of WWII and Vietnam. They can't get over either. They are the Military Industrial Complex... and they don't want to do anything for anyone who... shit, I don't know... anyone who could just join the military if they wanted health insurance or retirement or... I don't know.

It's really a fascist-like hatred based ideology... blame the commies, socialists, and the hippies... play paranoid, under-siege, head games... and use Jeebus to justify anything oppressive that will maintain control/solidify the bond between the military and the corporations...

Or maybe I'm just being paranoid myself.

[AngryAmish]

36. It is an information problem

There is no way that a government, with all the checks and balances necessary to have a just government, can "know" enough about the needs and wants of people to bring the goods and services to them that they want and desire.

To be clear the free market does not "know" either. They just have the ability to hire/fire easier so more wants and desires are met.

It is not a moral problem, it is an informational problem.

[pnutbutr]

39. Socialism has great potential for success and abuse

to be abused if it becomes widespread. Most who oppose social programs and their expansion will use the slippery slope argument. Pure socialism is dangerous for the people as it hands over every aspect of their lives to the government and makes then reliant on government. This provides the government if it becomes corrupt the ability to rid itself of objectors easily and without repercussion.

With a good balance of socialist policies and regulations that do not give complete control of any one market to the government it can be a very good thing. The US is trying to do it right but we need to tip the scales a bit more toward socialism to get the proper balance for it to be healthy and safe.

[noonwitch]

40. It negates individual responsibility

the government/people are allegedly in charge, and an individual is not held to the same level of responsibility for his or her actions.