Do people still think that socialism and the lack of free market are a good idea?

Question

Look what it got Russia, North Korea, and Eastern Germany (before they were integrated into one Germany). These countries barely had the resources to feed their people because of silly government controls. If you spoke out against the government, you disappeared at night.

So liberals is this really a good idea or are free market economy's better for the world?

This is another question that a liberal asked that I simply changed the words too. You get some interesting answers when you do so.

All forms of socialism advocate a very egalitarian distribution of wealth. A few argue for complete economic equality, while most socialists wish to create a society in which differences of wealth are small, but not necessarily zero. Isn't this what communism wanted to achieve?

True socialism propose to abolish markets entirely. All, or nearly all, advocate some form of governmental or other social interference with market prices.

A Hungarian economist, Jonas Kornai, once a market socialist himself, modified his views subsequent to the fall of the Soviet system and its eastern European variants. Kornai has written that "the attempt to realize market socialism...produces an incoherent system, in which there are elements that repel each other: the dominance of public ownership and the operation of the market are not compatible."

See the full story at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticisms_of_socialism

Answer 1

Supporters tend to ignore Socialism's track record.

As for Socialism's "success stories" listed above, these are merely examples of policies that are feeding off of the wealth created by Capitalism.

To the answerer's above: I wouldn't use Western Europe as the central point ot my argument. Double digit unemployment, high tax rates, dismal economic growth. Wow, it almost makes the case for you!

Answer 2

It turned Russia from an argricultural country where 80% of the population were illitirate into a nuclear superpower within 40 years. For a while it rivalled the USA, Russia has now fallen behind again since Capitalism took over. Sure East Germany was poor along with North Korea but so is most of Asia and Africa which is capitalist. Sweden has strong state interference and living standards there are amongst the highest in the world. In the US there is massive inequalities with millions of people living in poverty. I dont think that either a pure socialist economy or a free market economy would be best, but somewhere in between. The state must intervene to correct imbalances and imperfections in the Market economy but that a degree of competition should be encouraged

Answer 3

Why do neoconservatives feel democrats are against the free market economy? I am a lifelong democrat and hold a masters degree from a top 10 business school. Neoconservatives need to wake up, and accept, that the world is not going back to 1885, thank goodness. A government is for the people and by the people, and, we are better off for it!

Answer 4

Look what it got Sweden and other Western European countries where socialist parties controlled the government and enacted socialist policies-- a higher standard of living for everyone than we have here in the good ol' USA. How about a fair representation rather than a straw man?

Answer 5

Well Bob the day I can grow some pot and sell it is the day I can compete against Lilly and company or Johnson & Johnson . Free market my left nut .
Hemp was competing against cotton and was seen as a threat . You do live in some confused state of mind if you think a free market exists .
I can not make my own ethanol for Gods Sake or refine my own bio diesel . Whats free about the market .Maybe you can explain it to me . How licensing and permit fees and rigorous paper work is needed for me to dump some corn in a pot add some yeast and mix up a batch of my own fuel .
What planet did you come from and who filled your head with this garbage that we have free markets .
Everyplace I look restrictions abound . This is not a free market but a carefully controlled market for the benefit of the wealthy .

Answer 6

Socialism..with a free market....works just fine in the EU, Canada, Austrailia...and most of the free world.

A higher standard of living, higher wages, free college, and superior education and healthcare.

Don't confuse Socialism with Communism, two different political systems.

Answer 7

Most liberals are not socialists.

And Russia, North Korea and East Germany (it's not "Eastern" Germany, you genius) were not socialist countries but were communist. You should learn the difference.