Capitalism vs Socialism-Would the US be a better place?

Question

I was reading on a few past and present socialist/"semi-socialist" nations/goverments and started thinking about the US. Would this nation be better off if wealth was evenly distributed? Or is it best to let the individual make it on his/her own? Is the "American Dream" really accesable to everyone?With that said, 4% of the population controls the country's wealth, the middle class will soon be non-existant, and the poor will continue to be pushed aside and exploited.

Some of you are getting socialism mixed up with communism. In a socialist society you still can "do your thing". Look at Europe. Less crime, less poor, health care for all, better quality of living ( most places), less stress related illness, etc...

Answer 1

Who are the Know-nothing that say we can't have a mix, which in some ways we already have! The out of balance/control is the wealthy few have it all rule & control with an iron fist, while the working class get fleeced! Large sums of money do get handed to those who are all ready rich, this is wrong opportunity wise! While the poor & working class stuggle for existance! They need more opportunity to make real money, that a main problem! All this crap about Education does NOT hold water with me given the fact uneducated Americans built this country into what it is today!!! I am a firm believer that our representative government & love affair with big money business bribery needs to be put out of business. Then replaced with a True direct consensus democracy of/by/for the legal citizen majority! With ultimate rule & control by majority plus a system in public issue voting that is secure/verifiable/proveable etc.

Answer 2

There has never been a socialist government that did not fail. Why are you setting yourself up for failure?

The reality of socialism is that it removes the primary motivator from our lives. If we cannot gain by our own efforts, if we have no chance to better our lives we will not try.

Its also a major incentive to cheat the system. Those with weak ethics and a strong desire to gain will cheat. The more that get away with it the more that will do it. You end up hiring more police and creating more laws to try to stop cheating. But the police cheat too, as do the people in government. You end up creating a police state. It has happened every time.

Capitalism has been a successful means of working since the first primitive people traded shells. It has its bugs, certainly. However, it works. Socialism is a nice theory and makes you feel good but it is a failed system, EVERY TIME!

Answer 3

I would ask for you to look at History and see that socialism doesn't work. As an indiviudal I beleive I can take care of myself better than the government. If I had all the money I put into social security and used those funds to invest in my own retirement, I would be much better off than a govenrment program that I may never recieve a dime from. People need to be given freedom, not caged by government rules and regulations. We are not domesticated beasts, but self determining individuals. The "American dream" is based upon the ability of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not government funded checks so folks can sit on thier butts. Your ideal of 'wealth evenly distrubuted' is at best niave. If I work 50+ hours a week, went to school for a masters degree, shouldn't I be paid more than someone who works part time at a grocery store? Who would determine 'evenly distributed'? Congress? Look at the profits that they are making off of their jobs! Is that fair?

Answer 4

To take away from the rich and give to the poor is to destroy the American Dream. There would be no point in being successful anymore, as everyone receives the same cookie cutter benefit no matter how much work they put into life. It's best to let one make their own way. No one owes you a thing.

For instance, you have 2 co-workers on your project team. Co-worker #1 puts in 20 hours a week. Co-worker #2 takes a lot of smoke breaks, can't pull himself away from the vending machine, and sleeps in his chair. So, he probably puts in 5 hours of actual work a week. You, however, worked 60 hours last week to finish the project yourself. At the end of the week you all received 3,000 dollars. Fair? No, but that's what the socialists want. In this type of wealth distribution, there would be no point in putting in extra effort to achieve success if we were to earn the same (or have to give away our earnings) as those unwilling to do the same. Thus, ruining the American Dream.

That being said, people are also not poor on accident. With so many opportunities to better one's life via education and gainful employment, there are no excuses. Some people will always wait for handouts with a sense of entitlement. That's what drags down this country, not some evil wealthy man keep "exploiting them" (that's just yet another excuse for not taking personal responsibility for one's own situation). The only thing keeping them down is themselves.

To put it bluntly, we have WAY too many lazy, sense of entitlement people here for socialism to ever work. So many that it would literally drag the system into a third world country.

Answer 5

Sounds very incorrect. i think of you have it incorrect way around. In socialism the government owns each little thing and you pay hire. In capitalism you very own it as a result you have a stake in it. proper opposite of what you describe. If the governments is in fee of each little thing why could I care approximately fixing some thing when I can take it consumer-friendly and enable somebody else do the artwork. the way you communicate approximately socialist its sounds extra like how a company is administered the place all and sundry has a stake. the extra appropriate the off company (or the development) the extra appropriate off you do. i do no longer think of you already know too lots of ways those issues works, the socialism you describe is how a company is administered. Totaly opposite of socialism.

Answer 6

Look up socialist governments. They were failures and still had the elite at the top living like kings and the poor at the bottom living like paupers plus without their freedom to boot! In theory maybe it sounds good. In reality, it is subject to the same corruption as any system. I would not be willing to give up control of my destiny so the government can take care of me and make my choices for me. Neither would I be willing for the government to take my hard-earned money and distribute it to people who don't work for some reason. We have enough income redistribution in this country as it is.
A better idea might be to get some programs going as far as education and employment are concerned. Poor people would not remain poor if they were given opportunity to better their situation and had the internal ambition to make it happen.
Disabled persons should always, however, have their needs met by a benevolent society.
The problem with a lot of social programs is they keep the poor from starving but they also keep them from improving their situation as they are penalized if they add to their income. It seems there are no intermediate steps out of poverty. One thing I truly dislike about welfare is that it does not encourage people to think and act for themselves. In fact, it tends to keep them poor.

Answer 7

Illegal immigration is the result of the American FREE ENTERPRISE system!
Everyone wants to come to the U.S.A. for the opportunity and HOPE that is provided by the free enterprise system.
Yet Barack Obama has the audacity to write a book entitled THE AUDACITY OF HOPE!
Obama is a Socialist/ Marxist in the classic sense.
He is trying to sell America on the idea that HOPE longer exists and that YOU must put your life and future into the hands of a potential tyrannical and/or dictatorial government who wiill "give" you everything. (But only if you give them the power to do so.)
THAT plan will handle illegal immigration ONCE AND FOR ALL!
No one will want to come here any more because the U.S.A.will be the same as everywhere else and ALL HOPE for ALL MANKIND will be lost forever!

Answer 8

There are plenty of socialist countries. Like Canada, France, and the UK. They're fine places to live. If you want to live in a socialist country, move there. But the US is better than those other countries, and I don't see why we should impersonate our inferiors.

Answer 9

"Look at Europe. Less crime, less poor, health care for all, better quality of living ( most places), less stress related illness, etc..."

Forgot about France there, Bunky?

Socialism is a failure.

Answer 10

Socialism doesn't work. William Bradford learned that over 400 years ago.