I'm not American, but I've worked there for a while. And back home I keep up with the news about the US.
I fail to see that hate-spreading-left you talk about. All I see is crazy people from the Republican Party spreading hate and intolerance, promoting ignorance, forcing their warped puritan religious views on others, but promoting extreme selfishness, against the very basis of the religion they claim to love so much.
Most of those people would be considered mentally ill where I live.
Giving subsidies to useless rich fucks who happen to own a lot of land, while small owners are left in the cold is now Socialism?
It certainly isn't capitalism.
In my country, the ruling classes have been destroying all the social benefits we conquered with the 74 revolution, in the name of "competition" and "market freedom". The State has been selling its assets at bargain price to capitalist friends. Many state services have already been transferred to private hands. They're talking about privatising what's left of it, like water, public TV, Social Security, education and health care. In all the cases, these privatisations involve the sale of a public service at shit-cheap price to a big monopolist corporation. The corporation then runs it for profit, providing a shitty service and getting huge pays by... the State (?!?) to keep the thing running. At the same time, the ruling classes point out the unemployed, the retired, the sick, the civil servants, etc. as leaches that place an unbearable burden on the public budget.
Meanwhile, our agriculture and fisheries were completely destroyed, our industry disappeared. Most of the companies in our stock exchange are near-monopolies that feed on the (public) budget and make big (private) profits, and banks (that are all on life support, right now, fed by... guess who).
Maybe it's not Capitalism. What is it, then?
Government influencing the real estate market, and propping up the property rights of once group over another, is an example of misuse of state power. Don't give the state power to subsidize anyone, and they'll be forced to sell their useless land.
The system being gamed to give money to friends in high places, that's just criminally wrong, and must end. The State giving up any intervention, leaving it all to the law of the jungle, will produce the same results. The big sharks will eat all the small fish and then use their huge power to game the system so they end up getting public money anyway.
Take a look at the current economic situation worldwide. The developed Capitalist countries' States gave up the control of the economy, and they're facing huge debts. In the emerging economies, the State has an iron hand on the economy. Leaving all the economy to the private sector paradoxically leads to more and more public debt, because almighty corporations won't stop at nothing to make more money. Taking it from the State is the easiest way, both in the form of tax avoiding, public contracts or subsidies.
Can't you guys see any colour besides black and white?
What guys?
Every time these issues are discussed with right-wing people (as I assume you are) they end up using the straw-man attack. I'm not proposing to end the right to private property, as you implied!
You note that the European Common Agriculture Policy is impeding progress, yet blame it on the "free market"? It was short-sighted individuals who caused this mess, but clearly the socialist policies aren't fixing it.
Giving subsidies to useless rich fucks who happen to own a lot of land, while small owners are left in the cold is now Socialism? Oh fuck, I must have read the wrong books, then. But it sure is Free Market all the way, because the corollary to the neoliberal theories is that only the rich can suck on State's tits, all the others can't because that'd be Communism and promoting laziness.
And tossing away the right to own property in the interest of the "common good" would be rash and cause long-term hardship.
When exactly did I suggest that? Can't you guys see any colour besides black and white?
If you have great ideas for saving this land, why don't you draw up some plans, organize, and lobby for the government to purchase these neglected lands through a more democratic process of eminent domain?
Who says I don't? Who says they give a fuck? Money talks louder, dude.
Since when the US government has to justify anything? USA is the bully in the school yard: steals lunch from other kids, beats them up and then laughs at the others crying while stuffing the stolen lunch down his throat.
That would be nice, but it's quite the opposite that happens. With the stupidity of European Common Agriculture Policy, If you have enough land you can live off subsidies without actually producing anything.
The same issue happens with housing. We have enough high-quality houses for everybody, but many are empty. In our capital Lisbon alone, there are 50.000 empty houses because wealthy people use them as investments and don't want to bother to rent them. They just let them sit there empty, hoping their price increases to make a profit. Meanwhile, millions of new apartments have been built in completely chaotic suburbs around the city. Fortunately the current crisis killed the construction fever, but the empty houses are still empty.
Every time anyone proposes the same fix you proposed he is violently attacked as a "delusional communist". While private property is kept as an absolute value over the common good, there will be no way to fix this. The politicians won't do anything because they're in the pockets of rich proprietors and real-estate speculators. Rentist parasites leaching on the rest of society, in the name of Free Market, Freedom of Enterprise and the Sanctity of Private Property. Ironic, isn't it?
It's a paradox most people don't understand very well. My country, Portugal, is a very good example.
Massive migrations from the countryside started in the 60s because of widespread poverty in rural areas. Our agriculture was not productive enough to feed everybody and the dictatorship never bothered to develop it. Land was either abandoned or misused for monoculture of eucalyptus and pines for the production of paper. As most people now live in cramped cities on the coast, the rural areas away from the sea have extremely low population densities. Paradoxically, instead of this allowing the wild life to recover, it leads to massive wildfires, soil erosion and desertification. The original woods were cut down centuries ago and will not grow again without human intervention.
Of course, everybody talks about desertification, but no action is actually taken. It would involve very big State intervention, and land owners don't want that, even when they don't give a flying fuck about the land they own. I know people that inherited pieces of land, they won't go there ever, they won't use it for agriculture, they won't associate with their neighbours to make the costs of maintenance lower, they won't allow the State to take over their land. They just have it planted with pines or eucalyptus and sit on their hands for years waiting to reap the benefits. But they don't do any maintenance. When a fire consumes all the trees, they just say "Oh, bad luck. Who gives a fuck?".
When all my country becomes a barren desert, maybe those in power will bother.
Do you pay for your cable TV? Do you pay for your gas at the pump? Do you pay for your groceries in the supermarket?
Oh my GOD! Those evil businesses are taking your dear money from you! Why don't you keep it and take all that shit for free? That's not stealing. It's just "keeping your own money"!
It's funny you mention that, because in a competitive capitalist market price approaches cost. Therefore, people get that lowest price for their labor and do not need to steal as much. In non-capitalist systems, where prices are elevated, people DO have to use unethical means to get food ( for example, in Soviet Russia, hoarding, sneaking, stealing food etc etc)
How are unicorn farts and fairy dust doing in your world's commodities market?
In other news, if you make stealing legal, there will be no more thieves.
Can I declare my salary in Bermuda, too? I'm sooo tired of paying taxes. But of course, I want to have police, firemen, roads, schools, hospitals, courts, sewage, water, etc.
But Republicans are pretty quick to shove that "business" down everybody's throat, every chance they get. Guess their idea of individual freedom is just a little bit twisted...
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Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the US is far, far higher up that scale.
Indeed, the amount of gun violence in the US is disproportionately higher than any other First Worldcountry on earth.
FTFY
citation
But not all is bad. In homicide rate, you're right below Zimbabwe. Take that, Zimbabwe! Festering shithole you!
The current violence over there only began when you guys invaded it, so AC has a point.
My country has a state-provided, secular education system. Like most of Europe, by the way.
I wonder why we aren't all shooting at each other, then.
I'm not American, but I've worked there for a while. And back home I keep up with the news about the US.
I fail to see that hate-spreading-left you talk about. All I see is crazy people from the Republican Party spreading hate and intolerance, promoting ignorance, forcing their warped puritan religious views on others, but promoting extreme selfishness, against the very basis of the religion they claim to love so much.
Most of those people would be considered mentally ill where I live.
Isn't that what they're doing today? Drones and all...
It certainly isn't capitalism.
In my country, the ruling classes have been destroying all the social benefits we conquered with the 74 revolution, in the name of "competition" and "market freedom". The State has been selling its assets at bargain price to capitalist friends. Many state services have already been transferred to private hands. They're talking about privatising what's left of it, like water, public TV, Social Security, education and health care. In all the cases, these privatisations involve the sale of a public service at shit-cheap price to a big monopolist corporation. The corporation then runs it for profit, providing a shitty service and getting huge pays by... the State (?!?) to keep the thing running. At the same time, the ruling classes point out the unemployed, the retired, the sick, the civil servants, etc. as leaches that place an unbearable burden on the public budget.
Meanwhile, our agriculture and fisheries were completely destroyed, our industry disappeared. Most of the companies in our stock exchange are near-monopolies that feed on the (public) budget and make big (private) profits, and banks (that are all on life support, right now, fed by... guess who).
Maybe it's not Capitalism. What is it, then?
Government influencing the real estate market, and propping up the property rights of once group over another, is an example of misuse of state power. Don't give the state power to subsidize anyone, and they'll be forced to sell their useless land.
The system being gamed to give money to friends in high places, that's just criminally wrong, and must end. The State giving up any intervention, leaving it all to the law of the jungle, will produce the same results. The big sharks will eat all the small fish and then use their huge power to game the system so they end up getting public money anyway.
Take a look at the current economic situation worldwide. The developed Capitalist countries' States gave up the control of the economy, and they're facing huge debts. In the emerging economies, the State has an iron hand on the economy. Leaving all the economy to the private sector paradoxically leads to more and more public debt, because almighty corporations won't stop at nothing to make more money. Taking it from the State is the easiest way, both in the form of tax avoiding, public contracts or subsidies.
What guys?
Every time these issues are discussed with right-wing people (as I assume you are) they end up using the straw-man attack. I'm not proposing to end the right to private property, as you implied!
You note that the European Common Agriculture Policy is impeding progress, yet blame it on the "free market"? It was short-sighted individuals who caused this mess, but clearly the socialist policies aren't fixing it.
Giving subsidies to useless rich fucks who happen to own a lot of land, while small owners are left in the cold is now Socialism? Oh fuck, I must have read the wrong books, then. But it sure is Free Market all the way, because the corollary to the neoliberal theories is that only the rich can suck on State's tits, all the others can't because that'd be Communism and promoting laziness.
And tossing away the right to own property in the interest of the "common good" would be rash and cause long-term hardship.
When exactly did I suggest that? Can't you guys see any colour besides black and white?
If you have great ideas for saving this land, why don't you draw up some plans, organize, and lobby for the government to purchase these neglected lands through a more democratic process of eminent domain?
Who says I don't? Who says they give a fuck? Money talks louder, dude.
And without American corporations' money, Hitler wouldn't have been able to rebuild and rearm his country so fast. We all know how it ended.
There are limits to what the American population is willing to endure to support that obscene war machine of yours.
Since when the US government has to justify anything? USA is the bully in the school yard: steals lunch from other kids, beats them up and then laughs at the others crying while stuffing the stolen lunch down his throat.
The US can find some "freedom fighters" to overthrow the regime from within. If they can't, they can just invent some.
Come on, what could possibly go wrong?
That would be nice, but it's quite the opposite that happens. With the stupidity of European Common Agriculture Policy, If you have enough land you can live off subsidies without actually producing anything.
The same issue happens with housing. We have enough high-quality houses for everybody, but many are empty. In our capital Lisbon alone, there are 50.000 empty houses because wealthy people use them as investments and don't want to bother to rent them. They just let them sit there empty, hoping their price increases to make a profit. Meanwhile, millions of new apartments have been built in completely chaotic suburbs around the city. Fortunately the current crisis killed the construction fever, but the empty houses are still empty.
Every time anyone proposes the same fix you proposed he is violently attacked as a "delusional communist". While private property is kept as an absolute value over the common good, there will be no way to fix this. The politicians won't do anything because they're in the pockets of rich proprietors and real-estate speculators. Rentist parasites leaching on the rest of society, in the name of Free Market, Freedom of Enterprise and the Sanctity of Private Property. Ironic, isn't it?
It's a paradox most people don't understand very well. My country, Portugal, is a very good example.
Massive migrations from the countryside started in the 60s because of widespread poverty in rural areas. Our agriculture was not productive enough to feed everybody and the dictatorship never bothered to develop it. Land was either abandoned or misused for monoculture of eucalyptus and pines for the production of paper. As most people now live in cramped cities on the coast, the rural areas away from the sea have extremely low population densities. Paradoxically, instead of this allowing the wild life to recover, it leads to massive wildfires, soil erosion and desertification. The original woods were cut down centuries ago and will not grow again without human intervention.
Of course, everybody talks about desertification, but no action is actually taken. It would involve very big State intervention, and land owners don't want that, even when they don't give a flying fuck about the land they own. I know people that inherited pieces of land, they won't go there ever, they won't use it for agriculture, they won't associate with their neighbours to make the costs of maintenance lower, they won't allow the State to take over their land. They just have it planted with pines or eucalyptus and sit on their hands for years waiting to reap the benefits. But they don't do any maintenance. When a fire consumes all the trees, they just say "Oh, bad luck. Who gives a fuck?".
When all my country becomes a barren desert, maybe those in power will bother.
Do you pay for your cable TV? Do you pay for your gas at the pump? Do you pay for your groceries in the supermarket?
Oh my GOD! Those evil businesses are taking your dear money from you! Why don't you keep it and take all that shit for free? That's not stealing. It's just "keeping your own money"!
It's funny you mention that, because in a competitive capitalist market price approaches cost. Therefore, people get that lowest price for their labor and do not need to steal as much. In non-capitalist systems, where prices are elevated, people DO have to use unethical means to get food ( for example, in Soviet Russia, hoarding, sneaking, stealing food etc etc)
How are unicorn farts and fairy dust doing in your world's commodities market?
In other news, if you make stealing legal, there will be no more thieves.
Can I declare my salary in Bermuda, too? I'm sooo tired of paying taxes. But of course, I want to have police, firemen, roads, schools, hospitals, courts, sewage, water, etc.
We're turning Earth into the Planet of Love!
But Republicans are pretty quick to shove that "business" down everybody's throat, every chance they get. Guess their idea of individual freedom is just a little bit twisted...
How does that affirmation deal with drug, abortion and sodomy laws?
You make it sound like this particular case has anything to do with freedom of speech. It hasn't.
A lake called Vida is full of life. What's the big fucking deal?
Is it the high salt concentration...?
You hit the nail in the head.
Influenza kills half a million people worldwide every year. Do you understand it now?
Or maybe you could have the labour laws of a civilised country, with mandatory paid vacation for everyone. But that's just me saying...