Posted on 09/19/2017 2:12:47 PM PDT by davikkm
President Donald Trump took aim at socialism and left-wing ideology during his speech at the United Nations – specifically in the context of Venezuela, a socialist state currently experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in its history. “The socialist Maduro regime has brought a once thriving nation to the brink of total collapse,” Trump said. “This dictatorship has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country. This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation, by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. ”
“The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented,” Trump continued. “From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or Communism has been adopted it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenants of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people living under these cruel systems.”
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
To the question: “How socialist are we?”
Here’s the thing...once you start handing out funding to build interstates, city streets, bridges, etc...it comes from taxation and comes under the socialism umbrella.
When you start providing student loans and grants...it comes from taxation and the socialism umbrella.
When you run a national farm subsidy program....it comes from taxes, and the socialism umbrella.
There are probably over fifty examples of this. But the secret to the system is that you have to have a trade-program, a manufacturing base, and open capitalism....in order that taxation can occur and distribution of taxes gives you the socialism umbrella. If you can’t manufacture or sell anything...socialism fails.
One can use Venezuela as an example of failure. They stepped into the middle of capitalism and felt government control and regulation would work. As the months went by...they ended up owning or controlling virtually everything...to include toilet paper. Well...it’s all a crisis now (not even enough toilet paper)...because they didn’t allow the capitalist system to work on it’s own. There’s no free money left.
You can go to Sweden, Denmark, or Finland and find where products are made, sold, and taxation occurs which pays for all the free-stuff. As long as the government apparatus doesn’t attempt to control the products...it’ll all continue like this.
Yes! Face still sore from grin cramps.
I’ll help spread that - keep you the good work kid!
This might be the case theoretically but with humans the reality is much more messy. China for example - what the hell type of communism is that. I remember watching some Chinese premier going on and on about communism with Chinese characteristics. Essentially capitalism without the capitalists and slave labor.
Some countries with great natural reasources have been able to pull off the quasi socialist fairly effectively - while we providing the defense and the muslims weren't invading. Those days are gone I think.
“Well if Venezuela is a 10 what we about a 4 France a 6 Canada a 5? What do you think? It gets weird though. There obviously are various degrees of socialism.”
Yes.
The place to start is with the 10 planks of the communist manifesto. Most people would agree that this defines Marx socialist/communism.
We have implemented many planks completely and some mostly.
List the 10 planks here so we can look at them.
Trump drives me nuts sometimes, but this was one of best speeches by any President. A real classic which made socialist monsters squirm.
here is a good exercise..
What is the “official” form of government in the US?
What is the form of government that we usually say the following countries have?
North Korea?
Iran?
China?
Soviet Union (doesn’t exist anymore, but still a good one for example)?
And then...
What do the following countries all have exactly in common?
DPRK
IRAN
PRC
USSR
USSR no longer exists (having dissolved in 1991). It’s basically a Republic shaped around a capitalist society today, with former KGB guys running around, billionaire oligarchs happily adapting to capitalism and hiding money over the globe, and a handful of Russian generals trying to run a 3rd world military. Elections come and go....Putin or an associate....are happily chosen to be the front man for the ‘mythical’ country.
DPRK is a one-man government...run by ‘rocketboy’. You can vote for ‘rocketboy’ year after year, and the system is neither socialist, capitalist or communist. It’s just a plain-vanilla dictatorship. ‘Rocketboy’ likes the NBA, enjoys attention, and would likely be described as a psychopath by licensed mental health professionals.
Iran on paper is a republic...as long as you only vote for approved candidates which the head mullah approve. Behind the scenes, the system is heavily capitalist...oil and agriculture drive the system. Curious enough, they among the few nations in the world with a flat-tax (25-percent of your income). Most Iranians will grin and tell you that a large amount of the population conduct business in cash...hiding profits, and avoid paying taxes.
Finally with the PRC....another republic. Again, certain individuals are approved to run for office, and you can only vote among them. The bulk of China today runs off capitalism. Cash-friendly transactions are appreciated, and a vast amount of the wealth of Chinese is hidden from the government.
Is it ok to shorten this genius quote and still attribute it to President Trump? I’d like it as a tagline (see below).
My point is, that I trust Trump to speak for me.
Like I have never, ever trusted a politician before.
That is unconstitutional government corruption.
You speak like a good Marxist who loved calling the free market economy "capitalism".
The issue here is a relatively simple one. Government regularly violates the Constitution by engaging in bribes and subsidies in the marketplace. The Constitution gives the feds no authority to do such. THAT is the problem. Free enterprise can AND SHOULD look to maximize its profits any way it legally can including from government.
"Crony capitalism" implies that big business are the bad guys. No, GOVERNMENT using OUR MONEY to meet GOVERNMENT SELF INTEREST/GREED through bribes and subsidies is the bad guy. Stop government bribes and subsidies, and special-interest companies will have to win in the marketplace through quality production and competitiveness. CORRUPT GOVERNMENT and their unconstitutional bribery IS the problem.
As far as social issues, free enterprise can do whatever they want legally - that's what freedom is. If a company threatens to abandon states which do not allow men to use the ladies’ room, that is their business and most likely at some point, their loss.
And unlike the government, companies that stubbornly pursue stupid, deviant goals will probably find themselves sooner or later out of business or close to it because the free market, unlike government, is VOLUNTARY COOPERATION between buyers and sellers. If the seller goes off the deep end, the buyer simply goes elsewhere.
You speak like someone who doesn't believe in freedom, which is what the free market economy is all about. Again, freedom isn't perfect but it is way freaking ahead of whatever's in second place.
In the meantime, to the degree you espouse phony Leftist ideas and labels like "corny capitalism", to that degree you are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
Perfect!
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