Communism, Capitalism, or Socialism?

[DvD-IT]

Capitalism, both for ideological and practical reasons. Ideological reasons being - though this is nearer to an Anarcho-capitalism rather than capitalism - the capitalist system should leave everyone to its own personal freedom. No entity can decide who is poor and what is rich, and why, nor it can influence the lives of the people deciding what is good for them and what is not. Freedom over equality. I don't call it kleptocracy.

 

[REDY]

Actually, many European countries have a number of greatly Socialistic properties, and they are doing fine.

Sweden or Denmark? Technically, they are still capitalist and they are only working. If they will be without socialist elements, they should be maybe worse but more probably better, we dont know.

Socialism and communism making people more equally, but less efficient. If it was implented worlwide, this will help people to not dying in Africa, but in todays competition it has not chance to long duration.

I voted for communism, but for single country is best capitalism.

 

[WillJ]

People like Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek, and [SIZE=-1]Pierre-Joseph Proudhon had lives that were so worthless they actually bothered to write entire books on this one issue. If only they were brilliant enough to realize they could save all that time by just voting in a nice little CFC poll![/SIZE]

 

[Samuelson]

Capitalism, both for ideological and practical reasons. Ideological reasons being - though this is nearer to an Anarcho-capitalism rather than capitalism - the capitalist system should leave everyone to its own personal freedom. No entity can decide who is poor and what is rich, and why, nor it can influence the lives of the people deciding what is good for them and what is not. Freedom over equality. I don't call it kleptocracy.

But what you do not understand is how in the Capitalist system those who have great amounts of wealth can limit personal freedom, who is poor and rich, and the lives of others. Think about the lives of the factory workers in the early 1900s when the world was much more Capitalistic than it is today. The workers had up to a 14 hour work day and many of them even died due to the terrible working conditions.

 

[Samuelson]

People like Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek, and [SIZE=-1]Pierre-Joseph Proudhon had lives that were so worthless they actually bothered to write entire books on this one issue. If only they were brilliant enough to realize they could save all that time by just voting in a nice little CFC poll![/SIZE]

You are so right.

 

[Whomp]

Everyone lives for their own self-interest. So what I make more than 99% of Americans. I've earned it and I also pay more taxes than 75% of American taxpayers make. Your comment regarding owning stock is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

You seem to be ignoring the fact that in the early 1900s, all America were Capitalisms and that is why their was so much poverty. Then in the 1930s with Roosevelts New Deal, the U.S. took a step towards Socialism and the country was brought out of depression and all of the poverty.

Well actually WWII happened and large amount amount of military spending brought the United States out of the depression. Furthermore I would argue that non capitalistic measures such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act caused the Great Depression.


As communists like to say, there has been no true communism. There also has been no true capitalism. Absolute capitalism or communism is clearly impossible. However, I vote for capitalism with the idea that we should be as near capitalism as possible because it is both better and more free than going too far towards communism.

 

[Samuelson]

Well actually WWII happened and large amount amount of military spending brought the United States out of the depression. Furthermore I would argue that non capitalistic measures such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act caused the Great Depression.


As communists like to say, there has been no true communism. There also has been no true capitalism. Absolute capitalism or communism is clearly impossible. However, I vote for capitalism with the idea that we should be as near capitalism as possible because it is both better and more free than going too far towards communism.

Tariffs do not have to do with Capitalism or Socialism, they have to do with Globalization. Either type of society could face this issue the same way.

 

[Samuelson]

Everyone lives for their own self-interest. So what I make more than 99% of Americans. I've earned it and I also pay more taxes than 75% of American taxpayers make. Your comment regarding owning stock is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

When I made the comment about the stock market I meant to say that many people earn money by chance with the stock market. I realize too that many people also make money by making smart decisions with the stock market.

 

[R.B.]

You seem to forget that Europe exists. Many European countries have great economies with almost no poverty and are Socialisms. I really do not understand what you mean by against human nature. If you mean that humans have the nature to be competitive, I say to the contrary that humans actually seem to posess the greatest ability to get along and work in groups more than any other animals.

I smell a hippy!

The day humans learn to truly get along will be when we are all about to go extinct.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

Tariffs do not have to do with Capitalism or Socialism, they have to do with Globalization. Either type of society could face this issue the same way.

You better give your definition of capitalism then. I would say free trade is integral part of capitalism. Though I do admit international free trade is more difficult to fit in a capitalistic system than intranational free trade

 

[Samuelson]

I smell a hippy!

The day humans learn to truly get along will be when we are all about to go extinct.

I am not saying that all humans get along with each other. I am saying that in the early tribal societies humans evolved to be caring for each other because if they weren't then if they were ever in a bad situation, the other person wouldn't help them. The emotion of empathy is the best evidence for this.

 

[Samuelson]

You better give your definition of capitalism then. I would say free trade is integral part of capitalism. Though I do admit international free trade is more difficult to fit in a capitalistic system than intranational free trade

You better give your definition of Socialism. A Socialism is not a Communism, it has a free market.

 

[R.B.]

Is their a "true" socialist nation today? In EVERY sense?

 

[Samuelson]

Sweden or Denmark? Technically, they are still capitalist and they are only working. If they will be without socialist elements, they should be maybe worse but more probably better, we dont know.

Socialism and communism making people more equally, but less efficient. If it was implented worlwide, this will help people to not dying in Africa, but in todays competition it has not chance to long duration.

I voted for communism, but for single country is best capitalism.

You are right, but I think it would be better to have at least a substantial amount of efficiency as in a Socialism rather than very little efficieny as in a Communism.

 

[Samuelson]

Is their a "true" socialist nation today? In EVERY sense?

Their is not a "true" Socialist, Capitalist, or Communist nation today at all.

 

[R.B.]

Whats the differance between socialism and capitalism then, besides lower classes?

 

[Whomp]

I think studying kibbutzim is interesting. They've gone from the principle of "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", and have adopted "from each according to his preferences, to each according to his needs."

When electricity was free there was no incentive to save energy. When food was free people had no incentive to take the appropriate amount of food and now they also have differential salaries.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

You better give your definition of Socialism. A Socialism is not a Communism, it has a free market.

No fair. I asked you first.


I would say that socialism is an economic system where the economy is partially controlled by the state. I realize this describes every economic system on the planet so in practice we define economies as socialist when they are controlled by the state more than in capitalistic countries and less than communistic countries.

 

[Samuelson]

Whats the differance between socialism and capitalism then, besides lower classes?

In a Socialism their is more distribution of wealth, partially eliminating poverty.