Communism in America
64Definitions of communism on the Web:
- a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership
- a political theory favoring collectivism in a classless society
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - Communism is a social structure in which, theoretically, classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled, as well as a political philosophy and social movement that advocates and aims to create such a society.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism - Criticism of communism can be divided in two broad categories: Those concerning themselves with the practical aspects of 20th century Communist states and those concerning themselves with communist principles and theory. Although they often overlap, these two categories are logically distinct.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism_(criticism) - Any political philosophy or ideology advocating holding the production of resources collectively; Any political social system that implements a communist political philosophy; The international socialist society where classes and the state no longer exist
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/communism - The ideology of political parties that use the term Communist in their names, usually Marxist and Leninist; The socio-economic system based on such parties' ideologies; A state of affairs perceived as oppressive, overly arbitrary, or totalitarian
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Communism - communist - a member of the communist party
- communist - a socialist who advocates communism
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - communist - An advocate of a society based on the common ownership of property; A revolutionary or subversive radical; Of, relating to, supporting, or advocating communism
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/communist
- communistic - Characteristic of communism
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/communistic - Communism is an economic and political system based on the principle "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need. ...
www2.truman.edu/~marc/resources/terms.html - A social system in which all property is owned and shared by society as a whole, with none belonging to individual citizens. This ideology was common in central and eastern Europe up until the end of the 1980s.
www.bbc.co.uk/wales/ps/sites/roughguide/jargon_buster/a-c.shtml - An economic theory which stresses that the control of the means of producing economic goods in a society should reside in the hands of those who invest their labor for production. ...
www.ilstu.edu/class/hist127/terms.html
Personally... I like the idea of private ownership... land (the more the better), my home, my car, my business (should I ever manage to start one), my money (should I ever have any), etc., etc.
And while I don't like (currently) being a member of the "lower class", I am not angry or bitter about it. Like anyone who will just friggin' be honest, I openly admit I am jealous as hell and envious of those that could be referred to as "rich". But I do not dislike them or begrudge them. Nor do I blame them for my problems or expect them to "bail me out". To me, my current "status" is motivation to work to improve my situation. And the fact that, at least for the time being, people are still allowed / able to get rich in this country is just further motivation to get there myself. I may never succeed, but it doesn't mean I'll ever stop trying!
These first few paragraphs are an edit to serve as a bit of a "disclaimer", and one I probably should have had from the beginning. To those on the "right" who would choose to befriend me, that's great, but be forewarned, it's only my "politics" that are conservative. Personally, I am fairly "liberal". I'm an atheist, I don't have a problem with people of faith (so long as they don't have a problem with me), and I don't believe someone is "stupid" or "scientifically ignorant" for being a man or woman of faith. Nor do I wish to "convert" anyone to my beliefs, it just isn't for me.
I am pro-choice. Having my own children has changed my personal thoughts about abortion a great deal, but they remain just that, my thoughts. I do not believe that you, me, the government, or anyone else has a right to make that very personal decision for someone. I also support gay-rights (marriage, serving the military, etc.) as well as racial/sexual equality... though I do not believe someone should be given "special consideration" just because they are a minority or a female. So, to those on the "left" that would disregard me because I'm just another "extreme right-wing nut job"... please see above.
So what does that make me? A "Libertarian", apparently. I believe in personal freedoms and the idea of "live and let live" above all else. I think our founding fathers were geniuses and feel the Constitution is a timeless document, that if it were truly followed to the letter, would not only allow (er, provide) for us to have become the great nation we were, but we would continue to thrive and prosper. The one drawback to being a free people is that you are just as "free" to fail as you are to succeed. Either way, you make it (or don't) based on your own efforts and merit.
Unfortunately, there are always going to be those that, for one reason or another, don't. Call it what you want, laziness, "unfortunate circumstances", whatever... the point is, there will always be poor people, regardless of our political system. That much has been proven time and time again, in every nation, under every style of government throughout the history of mankind. The one major difference is, here, under the "evil capitalist regime", the overall success of our nation has meant that there are far fewer "poor" people... and, for the most part, our idea of "poverty" could easily be mistaken for "wealthy" in many other places.
Eventually, with many edits, I'm sure this will become my longest "hub", as it's something that cuts to the very core of who I am. For tonight, it will be my shortest. We, as the United States of America, were for all intents and purposes, the inventors of Freedom, Liberty, and Capitalism as the concepts are known world wide today.
Our idea of these concepts led us to become the great nation we are, or at least... were in recent times. No other nation or society in the history of mankind has enjoyed the overall success, freedom, and happiness that we, as Americans, take for granted today. Dispute me if you dare, but you'd damned well better bring facts supporting your argument, because I promise I will easily tear you apart if you don't.
That being the case... in consideration of the "liberal" agenda that seems so prevalent today: how does it not equate to communism? More and more people on the progressive left wing bandwagon don't even bother denying it anymore. With that out of the way, I ask: how many times does communism have to be tried; leave it's people miserable, terrorized, and starving... and in the end: fail so epically... before these numb-nut "progressives" will finally get a clue and realize: IT DON'T WORK!
Name one single communist, marxist, fascist, socialist, or "progressive" nation that's ultimately ever succeeded? North Korea? Yup, they're doin' dandy. Iran? Just swell, I'd like to buy a vacation home there! California... oh wait... they're still (technically) part of the U.S. China? Maybe, but only because A) we've sold our souls to them to finance our "entitlement programs" (welfare) and B) because they're gradually giving up communism in favor of economic success.
Seriously, it's a "grand" enough concept, I'll concede that much... everyone shares the wealth... regardless of their "status". Problem is, without freedom to incentivize working for said "wealth"... there's no motivation to earn said "wealth". If your out-take is the same, regardless of your in-put... why put "in" more than the bare minimum necessary to keep you out of the gulag? Laziness is a human virtue that's not going away anytime soon, regardless of our political system.
I think that's truly the issue in question. Yes, even being as great of a nation as we are, we still have our share of problems. There are still those who live in poverty... though even "poverty" in a America, for all but a fraction of a percentage of those who suffer it, would almost be considered "wealthy" in many other nations. We still have criminals; murders, rapists, thieves, burglars, etc. Our health care system wasn't perfect (though it's about to get a lot worse). You could write an entire hub... and then some, about all of America's problems.
The thing of it is, though... these problems are issues that have plagued humanity throughout our history, not because of any particular political system, but in spite of it. Bottom line, they can not be solved by the government. What's worse is, continuing to have the government try is not doing anything for those "less fortunate", so much as dissolving more and more liberties for the everyone.
Not to mention actually causing more problems. People are screaming for the Federal government to get MORE involved with the economy and put MORE restrictions/regulations on "big business/banks/Wall Street". There's two major points everyone seems to be overlooking. 1) It was largely government involvement and regulation that got us into this mess in the first place. 2) We the people hold just as much, if not more, of the blame for the recession as the government or banks. I'm not getting into it here, I'm currently in the middle of amassing a ridiculous amount of research for another hub about it, but, suffice it to say, it's not more government that's going to get us out of this.
So, like I said, depending on the "feedback" I get from this, I'm sure I'll add more later, but one final warning: if you disagree with me, that is perfectly okay, you live in a free country, it is your right to oppose your own freedom. Should you choose to post a comment saying as much, that's okay, too (and it WILL be "approved")... but you'd better bring the facts (and references) supporting your claims... because you know I'll have mine.
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I am completely on your side, I would just like to point out whenever I have made a similar argument, the feedback I generally get is that those nations aren't really communist. This ought to be interesting.
I really enjoyed your hub. Especially the part about "it's your right to oppose your own freedom", that was awesome.
Rachel
According to the NY Times, corporate profits for the third quarter of 2010 were the largest since record keeping began. The article stated that the third quarter was the seventh consecutive quarter in which corporations' profits broke records. Please expand your hub and explain how this lends credence to your theory that this country is becoming the enemy of capitalism. I am obviously uneducated so I need to have your hypothesis explained further. Thank you!
I don't recall ever stating this country is the "enemy of capitalism"... Our current "leadership" not withstanding, quite the contrary! This country is, or at least, WAS, the "home of capitalism".
You can believe what you like in terms of what the majority of Americans want, but when I see AP "news" articles supporting and praising the global warming summit in Cancun, yet not bothering to mention it took place during record cold temperatures... or stories bashing the "activist" judge that agreed a Federal mandate for every American to purchase health insurance was unconstitutional... it irks me to no end.
Right up until the point that I scroll down to the "comments", and there's 80,000+. Page after page after page is 10 to 1 people in support of what you would expect from the "pre-liberal" America. That is my last bastion of hope that all is truly not lost.
Despite what CNN or MSNBC would have you believe, we're still a "majority rules" country, and the majority, it would seem, still believe in the fundamental values of "capitalism" and "personal liberty".
In terms of your example, I wouldn't claim to have the facts to dispute it... again, quite the contrary. My honest opinion, if what you say is true, then... GOOD! Sounds a little far fetched to me, especially considering what a "reliable and unbiased" source you quote (yes- you do detect a hint of sarcasm there)... but for all the reasons I could see the NY times wanting to claim such a thing for the benefit of their own agenda... I sincerely hope it IS true!
Please don't tear me apart, I would not be able to do my Christmas shopping. I "dare dispute" your statement though and not because I am a daring person but because there are two sides to most coins. See,
http://hubpages.com/hub/There-are-two-side-to-ever for details.
"No other nation or society in the history of mankind has enjoyed the overall success, freedom, and happiness that we, as Americans, take for granted today." - I am quite sure that's what the Romans said or the Egyptians. Every empire thinks its the best. Yet, every empire crumbles and new ones arise. The Empire of the United States is on its way out. It wasn't the best empire, it was just an empire. Now, let the trumpets sound and learn Chinese because here comes China!
This is going to be a long comment because you're off-roading on almost every sentence and I would not be true to myself if I didn't show you a different perspective on things.
" how many times does communism have to be tried; leave it's people miserable, terrorized, and starving... and in the end: fail so epically... before these numb-nut "progressives" will finally get a clue and realize: IT DON'T WORK!"
Communism has not been tried yet, that is the problem. The only honest attempt was made by Fidel Castro but due to the US embargo, his little island is a place of hardships. Even though, my sister fell off a moped while vacationing there several years back and ended-up in a coma. She had all sort of surgeries and stiches but when she came home she said she thought she received the best medical attention ever.
This is the general mistake people make. They confuse communism with dictatorial regimes. China is not a communist country - it is a dictatorship. North Korea is not a communist country - it is a military dictatorship.
I was born in Romania which at the time was part of the Soviet sphere of influence; the Iron Curtain had us shut-out from the world. The Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu claimed Romania was a communist country but it wasn't or if it was, it had such a perverted notion of communism that it cannot even be defined as such.
To understand communism you really have to read Karl Marx. And I mean read for yourself his work; not listen to Glenn Becks' interpretation of the Communist Manifesto. If you do that, you will know that communism has not been tried. All these countries which claimed to have tried it have been dictatorships. Marx never spoke about communism having to supress the freedom of speach and Marx never promoted a system where the internal security forces of a country should kidnapp political dissidents and torture/kill them. This is what happened in most of these pretend-to-be-communist countries. The idea of communism was highjacked by people with personal goals and ideals only as a means to their end.
The following statement which you wrote "your out-take is the same, regardless of your in-put" has to be looked-at closer. Believe me, I know what you are trying to say: without bonuses and raises and such, why would one want to work hard?
First of all, for me working has a personal satisfaction. When I finish some sort of work that I am doing, especially if it took a long time, I have a very good feeling of satisfaction sort of tingling through my body. No amounts of money can match my personal feeling of satisfaction. That is price-less (for me anyway).
In general I like to ask for donations or I ask to be paid for a specific job a certain amount. I do not like salary and/or hourly pay. We can agree I am sure that human life is priceless. But is it really when portions of your life are being sold-off at an hourly or monthly rate? That's why I don't like the way people get paid and how paying for work is done overall. How much are you worth per hour? (That question bothers me when I ask it to myself because it makes me feel like a hooker or something ...)
Wanting to persevere should not only happen because there is a monetary reward. I would assume most people on Hubpages do not get paid and so they do put in work for no money. I know I do. This message to you alone is already taken quite a while ("time is money right"?) and I am not even close to done.
I just wish you do not think that people only do things in Life for money. It would be a much worse place if that was the case. Many people do great volunteer work and that shows you don;t need money to want to do great things.
"These problems are issues that have plagued humanity throughout our history ... they cannot be solved by government." You are right in that, famine, poverty and such are problems which humanity has always faced. I would like to think that the Government can help.
Let's clear a myth right now. The government is not some evil deity trying to suck-out our souls. The government is us. If the government is irresponsible guess what? It is because we are irresponsible. The government represents us. And how many people are involved in politics nowadays? What is the percentage of people that come out to vote out of all who are elegible to do so?
People have to take the government back from the crooked politicans and lobbyists who control it for personal benefits. The government is not something to be afraid of. The government is the people! All of us.
You wrote that: "suffice it to say, it's not more government that's going to get us out of this." We don't need more government, we need responsible government. A government which represent regular people and not Wall St. lobbyists, pharmaceutical firms and the like.
The government for now, in the States and pretty much the same for us here in the 51st state are dedicated to serving corporations, bankers - whoever writes politicians big checks so that they can win the media wars come election time. It's grose.
Okay I am done for now. Thank you for your patience. Wish my ideas will at least raise some questions.'
PS. I wanted to say something on the idea of "progressive" politics or societies but that perhaps will happen at a later time. I do think progression is a state of being though, in most things as we see.
Probably going to have to answer in bits and pieces, here. For starters I feel no need to "tear you apart", or anyone else that has a civil and rational point to make, for that matter. My problem, and the reason I phrased it like that, is that it seems to be anytime someone who doesn't agree with the "left" tries to say as much, they can pretty well expect to be called every name in the book incessantly withOUT any kind of a rational arguement ever being made.
I do agree, or at least understand where you're coming from, on some of your points. For one, in having a personal satisfaction in your work, and at least at times doing something without being reimbursed, I agree. The problem is, whether you're under a communist or democratic system of government... if your job is to clean sewers, how much "pride" or "satisfaction" can you really have in it? I would prefer to live in a world where, if I'm stuck with a "crappy" job like that (pun intended), that I could look at it as a temporary problem, and at least have the opportunity of getting something better at some point, if I choose to.
In terms of your input vs. your out-take; I was speaking more along the lines of say, somebody flipping burgers vs. somebody engineering bridges. If I am basically going to have the same "only what I need" lifestyle either way, then why bother putting in all the extra effort to become an engineer? If I could just as easily flip burgers and be afforded the same basic lifestyle, what's the point of doing anything more challenging?
And you're right, pretty much every "communist" nation to have ever existed was, in truth, a dictatorship. But what does that tell you? Do you honestly believe they all started out that way? Like I said, in theory, true communism may be a "noble" or "grand" enough idea... but it has one fatal flaw. You simply can not give someone, or a small group of people, that much power and expect them to remain benevolent. It just will never happen.
Our system may not be perfect, but it's about as good as humans are ever going to get. Power is broken up between several groups of ELECTED officials who can be voted out. Up until recent times, it was a system that worked pretty well.
That is another point on which I agree with you; yes, things have gotten corrupt beyond belief. Career politicians with everything but the best interests of the American people on their minds have pretty much completely taken over, on both "sides", and led us down a path that, if we are able to recover, it will take some drastic measures.
You are correct, the government has to be taken back and restored to it's rightful place... "For the People, By the People.
But that can not be blamed on Capitalism itself, it's our own fault for being "asleep at the wheel" for so long.
It would seem the same basic issue plagues both Capitalism and Communism, power hungry, corrupt a$$holes always seem to end up in charge. But at least here, they can be voted out without a violent coup.
I feel idealism perpetuates the statement that personal satisfaction motivates the masses in their work ethics. The most altrusically endowed, doctors, vets and the medical profession in general, does not bear this theory to be true. Without exorbitant cost to insurance, I have not encountered any physician so dedicated to uphold the oath of "first do no harm" without the cash to substantiate his/her services. I have witnessed the agony of a caretaker having to make the decision to euthanize a beloved pet because they could not afford optional treatment costs. As adults, we know we must pay. By the same token, our medical care is the best in the world. Doctors are trained in state of the art universities by the best and most demanding standards in the world. I want that for everyone I know. In comparison, without monetary reward, I don't believe that the majority of our brightest, most ambitious minds would enter a field that demands the level of dedication, years and hard work required to meet those standards. It is a priority to me to be able to acquire the benefits of collaborative efforts with the "best and brightest" to insure the state of the art in medical care. Americans know that for this there is cost. I have worked my entire life (until recently due to the economy) in order to allow me access to this priority. And, yes, as American's we make choices. I cannot afford couture fashion if I want the best medicine. But, I will sacrafice one for the other, to have the choice. The alternative would be to live in a country where everything is substandard for all. Without motivation in the form of reward that enables the service provider the freedom to live in the manner desired, everyone would live hand to mouth.
This interesting article assures me that I have not read enough to understand the complicated issues and consequences of communism, and I look forward to following your trail on this subject, shyandsly. Thank you
The "liberal" agenda of today is far Left which is progressive socialism - communism put into polite terms. I'm with you, and look forward to reading your research findings. Very important topic to understand these days!
@Amy, Please don't misunderstand and think that I am advocating Communism, or Socialism because I do not believe either work. You said that you hadhave not encountered any physician so dedicated to uphold the oath of "first do no harm" without the cash to substantiate his/her services.
I thought I would share my personal experience with you. At four years old, in a rush to catch up with my older siblings, I ran out the front door of our house, then turned to close it behind me, slaming the door on my right pointer finger. I cut the finger clear off.
My parents hearing my cry of pain rushed to the door, my older brother on their heels, together they made a cursory scan of the area, my brother is the one who actually found the digit and placed it on ice.
At which point my parent rushed me to the closest emergancy room. The first hospital they came upon told them that it would be pointless to save the finger, and so my parents opted at that point to take me to another hospital. It was late in the day, we arrived at the second hospital again to be told that it would be pointless to try to save the finger.
A nurse in the ER gave my father a business card, for one of the worlds foremost plastic surgeons. My Parents called the number and were patched through to the Doctor at his home. He told them he would meet them at his clinic and we left there.
When we arrived at the clinic my father was quick to tell the Doctor that we had neither insurance nor the means to pay for his services. He assured them that it was no problem at all, took me back, sedated my hand and sewed the digit back on.
He saved my finger, I am able to be a writer now because of this kind and generous man.
When all was said and done he explained that his Mom paid for his medical school. 100% out of pocket cash on her part, Harvard, nonetheless. The only catch to this "free education." Was that he was not allowed to turn away even one single patient for lack of payment.
So in some instances I believe that there are kind people out there who would gladly do something, what they are good at, to benefit total strangers at a huge cost to them.
I do not believe the majority of the world is that way, otherwise Socialism/Communism and all those other ism's that people think are so grand would work.
Rachel
Amy, as always it puts a smile on my face to see your commentary.
And I must say thank you, for you've rephrased my arguement about the motivations for citizens voluntarily increasing their input in exchange for a higher out-take much more effectively and eloquently then I've been able to.
Been a little "off my game" lately, not writers-block, per se, just having a hard time getting what I want to say to translate intelligently into what I manage to type.
Ms Dee, thank you, and I agree. It annoys me that the far left has adopted the word "liberal"... as in liberty. What is so "liberal" about having the government involved in and making decisions in every single aspect of one's personal and professional life?
Rachel, can't exactly say "beautiful story" as that kinda sucks, lol. But I'm glad it worked out in end. Also kind of adds another point against people saying Capitalim is nothing more then greedy rich people trying to get richer. If that's really the case, then why is it we top every other nation in charitable donations? On average, between $300-$350 billion a year, more than the entire GDP of many other countries.
I enjoy your hub, but you show that you don't understand what happened to bring this economy into this situation. It was NOT the government's involvement that led to the crisis. You are obviously referring to the sub-prime mortgage debacle and the government pushing those loans. That is a mild portion of the issue, and with very little effort, you can learn that it was NOT the cause. At the time of the Wall Street blowup, only 9% of the sub-prime mortgages had gone under. 9% of mortgages don't bring down a global economy.
Clinton and the Republican Congress pushed for eased lending practices and rewarded lenders for providing sub-prime mortgages to less deserving applicants. That is a fact. With that, lenders dealt as many as they could, in fact some 16% that were given sub-prime nationally, qualified for normal rates, but were lied to. That being said, the lenders selectively bundled the worst of the worst, not spreading the risk, sold them under the guise of a risk averse commodity, short sold the bundle (betting it would fail, and it would because they chose each one in their for that very purpose), and then sold credit default swaps (insurance with no capital) on top of it. When the bundles failed, they got richer, and the credit default swap market (a 3 trillion dollar market at the time) entirely went under. Wall Street got the Congress to agree to not regulate derivatives or credit default swaps, so it was basically a full out scam with imaginary insurance. To say that Wall Street doesn't need to be regulated it pure ignorance. You seem to be a smart and genuine guy, but my friend, you need to do much more research to get an understanding of what happened. Fannie and Freddie, who only got involved in the sub-prime mess when they started losing ground against Citi and BOA, didn't bring down a global economy. More effort my friend. That is all I ask. We have a responsibility to our children to understand this mess and not just eat the Glenn Beck brownie.
BTW - Communism isn't regulation. Communism is ownership. Again, you need to put more effort into your education. It doesn't stop at 18.
Dear Rachell, I am glad you had the good fortune and parents that obviously loved you with all their hearts to persist and find a doctor with such an extraordinary upbringing that the outcome was so positive. I make no assumptions or judgements. I am embarrassingly deficient in my education regarding the "isms". I look forward to shyandsly's exploration of this very relevant, complex issue. I have a lot to learn.
Dear shyandsly, At the risk of appearing argumentive, you need no help in stating your thoughts or position on any matter. As you can see from the comments, you have managed to stimulate the neurons and interest of many intelligent people. Well executed!
Texasbeta... in terms of the recession, as to what caused it and what exaggerated it, that is exactly why I stated:
"...I'm not getting into it here, I'm currently in the middle of amassing a ridiculous amount of research for another hub about it, but, suffice it to say, it's not more government that's going to get us out of this..."
But as far as government involvement getting us into this mess, you yourself admitted, it was the Federal government pushing banks to make those "sub-prime" loans that enabled the entire situation.
While it may be fair to say what the banks did with those loans- after the fact- wasn't exactly on the "up and up", wouldn't it also be fair to say, those loans never would have existed in the first place if not for the CRA, and then a push to begin enforcing it by BOTH parties under pressure from ACORN and associates, in the 90's?
I will be the first to admit, I do not (as of yet) completely understand what happened after that, hence the reason I have not yet written about it. But it does beg the question, what were the banks supposed to do?
They had a choice, make crappy loans to people with neither the credit, nor the income to pay them back, or lose their FDIC status, as well as be denied permission to expand, open new branches, or take part in mergers.
Either way, the banks lose. Like I said, what happened after that may not have been "ethically correct", but, another way to look at it might be that they were simply doing what they had to do to survive.
And again, had the government not forced them to make those loans in the first place, the opportunity to run their "scam" never would have presented itself. Is that fair to say, or am I again just showing my "lack of education"?
Hey amigo,
Thank you for reading my comment and respoding.
I don't have much time (that's probably good - I can;t leave a five page comment) but I just wanted to comment on your above question.
I do not think that if I am given the opportunity to do something wrong and I do it, I can go back and blame whoever that gave me the opportunity to commit the wrong.
So, if I am left in charge of someone's kid I am going to be a proper babysitter and watch over the kid. I cannot go to sleep reading a book and if something happens to the kid say: "Hey, your fault for letting me babysit."
We must own up to the things we are guilty of.
All the best! (And I like your car - nice!)
Mr. Happy-
That, my friend, is something we certainly can agree on. People, as well as corporations should indeed be held liable for their actions.
Provided they actually did anything illegal, then the banks that ran those "scams" should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. That, again, is something I am still studying for myself to try and understand.
Probably the most controversial thing I've said yet is this: Could it be possible this recession may actually be a good thing? Look at it as the market and the economy "correcting themselves". Big money CEO's and companies... GM, banks, Wall Street, etc., played their games, did stupid things, and it came back to bite them on the ass.
So, while it's true a lot of innocent people where hurt in the process, financially or otherwise, couldn't it also be said that, in a sense, this recession was a form of "spring cleaning" to eliminate the scumbags engaging in those unethical and risky business practices?
A true "free market" will ultimately take care of itself. The problem this time around was Big Government + Big Business = Lying to the public, claiming all this "too big to fail" b.s., so we the taxpayers end up bailing out the shady corporations, businesses, and banks that should now be nothing but liquidated assets and a foot-note in the history books as "how not to run a company".
To Amy-
You can say that again, lol. In less then two days, this post has recieved close to 70 views, as opposed to 46 for my next closest one, which has been up over a week. Kinda tells you where peoples' interests are these days, I guess... though I'm not sure whether that's good or bad?
I think we agree on far more that we might not. I think first and foremost that you are an "individual" who does not discount common sense nor allow others to do your thinking for you which sadly is what so many do. As a nation, we need an education on all aspects of socialism, marxism, and communism because the average joe American just does not recognize it when it shows up on his door steps. It is all around us today in the education system, the unions, and sadly in our own government at the highest of levels. If we do not recognize it and fight against it, all our Founding Fathers hoped for in this country will be lost to some utopian bull-shit idea of equal sharing and sitting around a camp fire singing Kumba Ya. Thanks for an excellent hub. WB
WB- I've read alot of your writings, and yeah, we definetly have our "differences", but they're all fairly inconsequential things, in my opinion. Or perhaps a better way to say it might be, they're "personal" differences... that being said, I would wager a guess that if either of us "got our way", the other would be perfectly happy living in that world.
Shynsly,
Good hub, you make allot of great points about the collectivist direction of our country. Personally, I view our country as leaning in the direction of a really disturbing mix of both fascist and socialst/communist management. On the one hand we have a gigantic and still growing entitlement system that allot of people find perfectly acceptable and many in government are perfectly happy to install the necessary income & wealth distribution to carry it out. Then you have the unholy alliance between Big Government and the Corporate Elite (Big Food, Big Oil, Big Banking, Etc.) along with the ultra rich power brokers (Political, Intellectual, and Wealthy Establishment). Regardless which side is more prevalent, neither will do our country any good in the long run. I wouldn't say that our country is completely consumed by these forces just yet, but things are going in the wrong direction at an accelerated pace.
Its hard to say if these negative trends can be reversed, but I think there is still some hope if more citizens wake up and take a more active role in managing our government. I mean more than just voting...
Not to get to spammy, but my last hub that I published deals with the topic of being more aware about Government and How to use the internet to not only conduct quick research about legilation but to mobilize for truly positive changes. If shynsly gives me the ok, I will go ahead and post the link for anyone who is interested.
Just let me know.
Mr. Tindle-
Not sure what "okay" you're asking for, but, if it's in regards to posting a link to my hub, that's cool with me... though I'm sure there's better, more eloquently worded sources of "enlightenment" people could refer to, lol.
I'll have to check your hub out as soon as I regain enough sobriety to comprehend anything semi-intelligent, lol, but as far as what you've commented here... TAKE HEART MY FRIEND!
Go back and read my reply to Jillian Barclay... specifically the part where I point out the FACT that anytime you see a "news" article supporting the current "agenda"... if they even allow uncensored commenting, then for every 1 comment in favor of the left, their are between 10 and 20 of our fellow non-communist Americans ripping it apart.
While that may not be an "official" poll by any means, it's good enough to give me a nice "warm and fuzzy" about where the VAST majority of U.S. citizens hearts lay.
Like you said, we need to get more people to actually take a stand and actually DO something about it.
But... ultimately, especially in light of the history of our nation... I'll take being on the side of the "silent majority" over the "loud-mouthed minority" any day of the week.
Cheers, my friend, and good luck to you in all your future evil capitalist greed-inspired endeavors!
The ok I was asking for was in regard to posting a link to my own hub about being vigilant over government. Unfortunately, it has received the least amount of traffic out of any of my hubs. Though I think it is one of the more important ones that I have published (not to brag too much...lol). So here is the link for anyone interested.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Staying-Vigilant-About-Gov
I saw one of the other commenters linked to theirs up above, so hope you don't mind.
Thanks again for writing the great hub
Oh, naw... it's all good. Even if you completely disagreed with me, so long as you did it in a reasonable and "civil" fashion, I'd be happy to promote your "contradictory hub", lol.
In consideration of the fact I'm guessing your hub is NOT contrary to mine, well, that's all the better, lol.
I don't know why mine has garnered so much attention. Perhaps it's just the "striking" title... but, just a few hours ago, I mentioned this article had nearly 70 views in less then 48 hours, compared to less than 50 in over a week for my next closest... now I'm over 100. If even a handful of those happen to head your way... more power to you, my friend.
Ok, thanks allot! I put you on my list of people to follow here on hubpages, so I will be checking out more of your hubs in the future. Take care.
Dear Mr. Tindle-
I, too, have a new "hubber" to follow! Just got done speed-reading your hub... still, ehem... "buzzin", but I'll give it a thorough reread tomorrow.
At any rate, even from what I gleaned in my current "state of mind", I love the fact that your sources are primarily non-biased towards either party.
That is exactly what we need, if we're going to turn this party-bus around BEFORE it runs off the cliff. One thing I fear is that all the "lefties" who read my hub will ass-ume I'm just another "right wing-nut" and, in that light, will just disregard my points... no matter how valid they may or may not be.
Anyways, like I said, gave your hub a once over, voted up (and clicked on your ads ;) accordingly. Tomorrow, I'll give it a true read and post a fair comment. Thanks again, and take care!
Great thanks for your support. I'm glad you noticed the non-biased theme in my hub(s). I don't think its about Democrats vs. Republicans, but that it is truly about Individuals (and their rights) vs. Big Government / Collectivists (and Totalitarian/Tyranny).
Amy; I certainly didn't mean to imply that you were trying to pass Judgement. What shyandsly said about the matter is quite true. My story doesn't prove that Socialism or Communism works, as much as it shows that not all Capitalist are greedy.
Hey! What's wrong with being greedy!? =) In all seriousness, EPman wrote a good hub about it:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-Greed-Is-Good
Some may believe "greed" is a dirty word, as there are other less "offensive" ways to say the same thing, but, like EPman said, it's all semantics.
"Greed" is bad if it inspires people to do things that are illegal, harmful, or unethical, but then again... so is "drive" or "motivation".
It's all in how you utilize or facilitate your greed. Jealousy could also be considered a "bad word", depending on how the person experiencing "jealousy" expresses it... personally, I prefer to use my jealousy of the rich, not to beat them or talk smack about them... but to give me the motivation to find a (legal) way to JOIN them, lol.
I took Criminology this semester and we discussed "Greed" and the American Dream. One of my fellow students made the claim that anyone who wants more than they already have is greedy. My response to that is everyone is greedy because we all want more than we already have, even if it's just another piece of pie.
Lol- good point. If you really want to get down to it, look at it like this: If it wasn't for greed, we would all still be living in natural caves being thankful anytime a lightning strike happened to light a fire for us, eating whatever vegetation we stumbled across in our aimless daily wanderings.
Though I think that's exactly what many of Al Gore's fans would have us be doing... but then that's a whole other issue for a whole other hub.
Greed is what inspired our ancestors to learn how to light their own fires, to cultivate food, fasion tools, build houses, etc.
A more civilized form of "greed" also eventually inspired our ancestors to learn how to trade what they had in abundance for what they lacked... as opposed to just trying to take it by force. Sort of a pre-historic "free market".
shynsly,
Great hub.
Many people like to think of themselves as a result of their circumstance, not creators of it. It's a sad attitude, but one I come across more and more every day. There is no doubt that Capitalism is the better system, but sometimes I wonder if the mindless drones are ready for it.
I know I am so late in responding and I apologize. You know how things get. However, it still appears that you are putting it on the bad loans, bad mortgages. Man, had home loans don't bring down a global economy. They were a medium and nothing more. When you are doing your research, make sure you spend a great deal of time on derivatives, their entire lack of regulation and how they are bundled, who bundled them, who shortsold them after they bundled them, and then who sold fake insurance with no capital with the name of credit default swaps on top of them. It was a rouse bro. Companies like JP Morgan chose the loans to include in the derivative bundle. They, and this has been proven and investigated at this point, chose with the intention of the bundle failing. They didn't spread the risk. They would bundle 400 credit scores, and put them all into a bundled commodity, sold it claiming confidence and altering their reporting, short sell it (meaning they would bet it would fail), sold insurance with no capital called credit default swaps, and when 12% of the mortgages go under, the credit default swaps failed...as they weren't real. There was no insurance, no capital. Couple that with the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act and you have a problem. TIME has a great article from a long time ago on it if you want. Let me know, I have more saved info on this than I can count. Enjoy your studies man. Later
Hi shynsly,
Honestly your hub was really heavy duty in the intellectual dept. at least for me as I know little on the topic. But I do agree in not judging others so there we agree and I don't like Communism either so we agree there too.
And since I made this comment, you can see that even if your IQ is lower than avg like you said in your profile....believe me even thou mine is higher than avg, your hub stupefied me LOL
Thanks for stoppin in my hub.
Take care!
sns,
Amy Becherer is a close friend of mine and she suggested that I check you out. From what she tells me we are quite a bit alike, which means we line up pretty close politically and both write with quite a bit of self confidence. aka We're both alpha males. I thought that might be a problem, but after reading my first hub by you I think you're pretty cool. I doubt that we'll agree on everything, but we're damn sure moving in the same direction. Good hub and looking forward to reading more.
jim
imjustmusing 17 months ago
I couldn't agree more. If you haven't read it already I suggest reading "Liberal Facism" by Jonah Goldberg. Outline this very well.