Will socialism save America?

Question

With 40% of households with a net worth less than 10k, unemployment for those between 21-30 at 9.6%, foreclosures at a record high, many college grads out of school for 2 plus years and still can only find temp work, religion controlling our lives..............

Its time for a change.

Sources: Federal Reserve and Nation magazine.

Answer 1

Yikes...you've picked the wrong forum for this question!!! Over the past few months, I've noticed that any mention of the word socialism gets aggressive responses...usually confused with communism. And the rest are aggressive simply because they don't want to see their hard earned money going to help "lazy losers".

In the end, America is a horribly cold and nasty place to be a 'have not'. There is little sympathy or compassion, and people seem to be more concerned with keeping their own piece of the pie than lending a helping hand - socialism or not.

Answer 2

Socialist policies cannot efficiently address economic woes. They may 'treat the symptoms' a bit, but often prolong the 'disease.'


For the 4 statistics you cite, there are 2 poximate causes, neither of which could be solved by instituting or expanding soclialist programs.

The low net worth of many households, and the record number of foreclosures are the result of real estate bubble. Bubbles happen - like the dot-com Bubble in the Clinton years - and the aftermath can be messy, but it doesn't indicate a systemic problem. The stalling housing market has left households with large mortgages on real estate they expected to grow in value, that has instead stagnated or lost value, cutting into thier net worth, but having no real effect on thier cash flow. The foreclosures are driven by the failure of speculative buying in the real estate market, both by traditional speculators and 'flippers,' and by individuals who bought homes they couldn't afford at the top of the market in the pannicked assumption that prices would go up forever.

The high unemployment rate among young people (not that unusual, really, BTW, for young people to have high unemployment) and the difficulty they have in finding permanent work, as well as any kind of work at all can be layed at the feat of immigration. Illegal Immigrants undercut young, unskilled Americans who would otherwise be doing basic labor, and legal, highly eductated, ones do the same with the entry-level positions young college graduates need. H1B visa recipients, for instance, are essentially temporary workers, and willing to accept lower wages than Americans (even though, technically, companies are supposed to refrain from doing that, they still do it, heavily). There is also, of course, a long standing trend towards temporary work, in general, in part to avoid paying the exploding costs of third-party-payor health care (employer-provided insurance).

Answer 3

If your statistics are true, I would bet that the 40% have a low net worth because of excessive debt, (spending more than you can afford to).
And the unemployment of 21-30 year olds due to them being in college or being freeloaders. I have never seen a newspaper with no Help Wanted ads in the classified.

What Socialism proposes is to further tax the responsible productive citizens and hand out to those who contribute nothing to society. Socialism is a proven failure because it rewards laziness and eliminates incentive for productivity.

Answer 4

Socialism never saved anything. Ask our friends over in the former Communist Bloc in Europe. The only thing it does is stifle wealth and lower peoples standards of living. If people cannot integrate themselves into the economy with success, then they must adapt. Why should people work hard if they cannot enjoy the rewards?

The only thing that can save this country is a belief in our principles of liberty and that every man is responsible for himself. People who depend on the government to save them are only going to be disappointed. If there is one thing that the United States government has proved time and time again, is that it cannot solve problems effectively.

I believe your statistics are very flawed.

Answer 5

A better question is whether socialism will destroy America. The answer can be gleaned by looking at the last 50 years of drifting towards it. Yes, we are being destroyed from within by folks feeling entitled to be suckled by the government from cradle to grave.

All those statistics are caused by the lowering of standards of education and the heightened demands of individuals to have "what they think they have coming" in the form of higher paying jobs with no real skills and bigger houses than they can afford.

Yes, its time for a change....but that means AWAY from socialism.

Answer 6

So, what? Do you think taking my hard work and investments away from my family and forcing us to lower our living standard is going to help the lazy ones?

You did not mention anything that people do not choose for themselves. We all personally determine our net worth on how much we are willing to work and how we choose to invest our time and money. We determine if we will work or not. We decide to buy a home we can afford or not, few are foreclosed on against their will, they willing bought more then they could afford, they willing decided not to pay back money they borrowed.

Religion only "controls" the religious, which again, are voluntarily following their religious dictates or not.

Taking away our freedom to determine our own fates would destroy America, not save it.

Answer 7

You're nuts. The only college grads who cannot find work are the liberal arts majors. They cannot add 2 + 2 and get 4.

Answer 8

Socialism is societal suicide.

It is time for a change though.

Time to make everyone responsible for taking care of themselves.

Time to shut off the welfare tap, kick the illegals out, and end this bit about 'jobs that Americans won't do.' If it's the only way of surviving believe me people will do those jobs.

Time for Americans to decide that if a job is unfair they need to re-energize their unions.

Time for schools to stop preaching and start teaching again.

Yeah, it's really time for a change.

Answer 9

From President Truman, I learned the expression: "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics." I don't accept any of your numbers, no matter where they came from.

The US is the best country on earth, we have the best economy, the best form of government, the brightest future. And you are promoting gloom and doom.

Socialism fails every time it is tried. Look at the socialist programs we are saddled with: Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare drugs, Social Security, Welfare, VA socialized medicine, a Department of Energy that produces no energy, a Department of Education that does not educate anyone.

Answer 10

Is this where Rod Serling advises us that we are in "The Twilight Zone"?


Statistics like these remind me of the 6 foot tall man who drowned in a river that averaged 2 feet depth.

Answer 11

I think you need to define "save". If loosing individual the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a form of salvation, then I will pass. Europe's economy is much worse off than ours is. I don't think that gives much credit to socialism.