Posted on 02/20/2020 7:49:13 AM PST by karpov
...
History suggests that Sanders' plans for a system of "free" education, "free" health care, a federal paid leave program, government control of energy production, the Green New Deal, nationwide rent control, and a federal guaranteed-jobs program are only the beginning.
These plans rest on massive government interventions into people's lives, intense redistribution, and a level of coercion that Americans have never before endured. When people resist, the government's grip becomes firmer and more oppressive. If you think I'm exaggerating, think about it is this way: The people of Venezuela asked for their current crisis state when they voted for a regime that promised "free" health care and "free" education.
When Sanders talks about socialism, he isn't likely talking about the massive expropriation of property rights, nationalizing all businesses, or eliminating all but one—the state's—television channel. Nor is he really talking about Denmark's socialism. But even if one assumes that Sanders would not ramp up government intervention beyond what he now promises, what he already has on the table is much more than run-of-the-mill Democratic programs.
Leaving aside the fact that Denmark is a nation of 5.6 million people with the GDP of Wisconsin, by most measures, it's much more economically free than it is socialist. In fact, Denmark has recently scaled back its welfare state and set limits on Danes' fiscal burdens. The country is more open to trade than the United States is.
Yes, Denmark's government is still too big, but it has cut spending, lowered taxes on capital, and allowed for more flexibility in hiring and firing workers. It has also allowed more competition in public schools and health care. In these aspects, Denmark is very different from what Sanders aspires to implement in the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
If Sanders is a centrist then I’m the King of Spain.
Well, he is right there in the center of the spectrum between Lenin and Trotsky
From Reason?....................
I disagree. Sanders is a centrist - somewhere between Hugo Chavez and Josef Stalin (minus the KGB - for now).
Kings of Spain get a bad rap.
Why can’t we be more like Denmark? Because we’re not Denmark. Like it or not, we’re the alpha dog on the planet. We police the globe. Denmark wouldn’t even be able to quell a Black Friday shopper’s riot.
Bernie will have all of his enemies killed.
Communists do this.
Socialists do the mass killing by denying medical care.
Bernie Sanders is a Communist.
You can have “free stuff” or you can be a free people. Not both.
TANSTAAFL
Central planning....Central Committee....yeah I can see he might be a centrist.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.