Do you really understand what Socialism is?

Question

I see a lot of rhetoric regarding this issue. Despite the fact that our daily lives DEPEND on socialism to function.

Do you have ANY insurance? Insurance IS socialism. Everyone puts their money into the pool, and only those who need to use it (Their house burns down, car gets wrecked, etc.) do so.

National Health cre system. America is the ONLY industrialized nation that doesn't have a viable healthcare system. That is why we rank in the LOW 30s. We are no where near the top in even Infant Mortality. republicans don't want you to abort the baby, but they don't care if it is born alive and healthy? Damn, what hypocracy!

Democrats don't want to destroy Capitalism, it does that all by itself without social programs to ensure it continues to function. Capitalism concentrates ALL the wealth into the hands of a few. In order to preserve Capitalism, you HAVE to redistribute SOME of the money back to the bottom. If no one has money at the bottom, no one will buy anything!

1) Insurance IS SOCIALISM! Shane, you are confusing Socialism and Communism. They are NOT the same thing!

2) America does NOT have the best health care system. More then 40,000,000 Americans do not have ANY insurance. If America had the best system, wouldn't that mean we would have the loswedt Infant mortality rate? Or longest Lifespan? we trail other nations, INCLUDING CANADA, in those categories. In fact, Canadians NEVER give up their citizenship, BECAUSE OF THE HEALTHCARE! Ask a Canadian! I have, many many times, I use to live in the Pacific NW.

Bigred, obviously you have given it a lot of thought, and I credit you for that. Canada is struggling, not because the system is a failure, but because it is sparsely populated. Japan HAS a national healthcare system! You don'[t pay for healthcare there! America spends the most on healthcare of ANY nation, but get the least amount of return for that dollar.

http://home.earthlink.net/~acisney2/id30.html

And, for the record, Economists agree on very little Economics is an Ideology, not a science. I have a degree in Economics, it is one of three (History & Government). An I can tell you that it is very rare to even get an 80% majority amongst Economists. It has to be a simple question for agreement.

Answer 1

Dont have a long answer but a good question with a good,well-thought out explanation.Thank you.

Answer 2

If you look at the countries with the least amount of socialism such as Japan as the least poverty rates are lower than anywhere else, unemployment rates are lowest of anywhere. All these so called advanced countries with socialized medicine have failing systems. Canada is a perfect example. My wife is Canadian and also a nurse. We just got back from there after the birth of her grandchild. She was appaled at all the cutbacks that have occured there. When she moved here she told me things where not so great there but now she is amazed how far they have fallen. Most small towns in the US have hospitals only the big cities have them in Canada. Edmonton a city of over a million has only one hospital still open all the rest have closed and only urgent care centers remain. In the US cities of a million people usually have several hospitals. My daughter in law had extremely high blood pressure near the end of term. My wife says in the US it would have been an emergency and she would have been brought in immediately monitored and labor would have been induced. It was two days before a doctor could even see her and that was only after my wife threatened to bring her to the US. While I was there another lady lost here baby in the womb prior to term in the US they would induced labor so as to get the dead fetus out asap. They would not induce in Canada as it is to costly she had to carry that dead baby to term. When the Government pays for health care bureaucrats get to decide who gets what and how money is spent. Canada's solution to some of it's problem's is to finally allow people to by private health insurance. Gee sounds familiar. Insurance is socialism to a point but by it's nature it is much more fair everyone must pull there own weight or be ejected. Government socialism inevitably fails as sooner or later people figure out the do not have to pull there own weight. Your idea that forced income redistribution has to happen is also false. Income is distributed based on your worth to society as a whole. This is as it should be Capitalism is based on a level playing field everyone has a shot government regulation most often interfers with the little guys chances of competing. Look at how many big corporation actually support government regulations and complex tax structures. The act like it is a burden in public but behind closed doors the still support the same people who regulate them. Big business can adjust to new regulations every year small business can't. Your point that Capitalism concentrates wealth shows a lack of basic economics knowledge. Wealth is not finite new wealth is created everyday. Wealth is what you create money is only our method of proving what you have created. The more you create and the more valuble it is to your fellow man the more wealth you have. Most every economist agrees capitalism is the best system for mankind as a whole. If you do not believe me look to China ones a strick socialist country but also very poor the more open and capitalist they become the richer there people become. Every person must produce at least enough for them to survive. Capitalism encourages people to produce in abundance.

Answer 3

Socialism as an economic policy of a nation, instituted by the government, is defined as the means of production being owned by the state.

From the American Heritage Dictionary: Socialism - Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.

Calling insurance socialism is stretching the accepted definition quite a bit.

Answer 4

Socialism is slightly milder form of communism, but basically they're both rubbish.

Look at the USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. After the Iron Cutrain came down, a lot of the previous Communist parties changed their names to the Socialist Party or something like it.

Answer 5

Socialized medicine does not work we have the best health care not the worst. Just check out what socialized medicine has done to Canada! Why do all of you Socialist want to oppress the people of America?

Answer 6

I don't think that a lot of people on this board care. They're perfectly happy spewing the empty rhetoric that they're grandfather and their father spewed before them.

Answer 7

Yes I know what it is. Shiraz does not. What you are seeing 'a lot' of are his and his clones questions, repeating themselves. Please don't take that as a gauge of the intelligence in the US

Answer 8

Would it be like censuring people with whom you disagree? Because I've been seeing a bunch of that around here...

Answer 9

No I just let the people on here tell me..They couldnt be wrong right???????
(sarcasm)

Answer 10

right on brother