The time when America stopped being great

[impulse]

2 hours ago, mikebike said:

You mean like the nordic countries, and possibly France? It is not as though democratic socialism is a theory. Why would any enlightened administration follow Stalin or Mao when there are much better concrete examples in the west?

 

Maoism and Stalinism aren't true socialism, nor are they true communism.  They're tyrannical cronyism, with the economy dictated based on keeping themselves in power and punishing anyone who stood in their way. 

 

The fact that people confuse them with communism/ socialism is testament to the brain washing we get from the capitalist funded education system.

 

Google Schlumberger (French) and tell me how communist/socialist they are...

[mikebike]

7 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Maoism and Stalinism aren't true socialism, nor are they true communism.  They're tyrannical cronyism, with the economy dictated based on keeping themselves in power and punishing anyone who stood in their way. 

 

The fact that people confuse them with communism/ socialism is testament to the brain washing we get from the capitalist funded education system.

 

Google Schlumberger (French) and tell me how communist/socialist they are...

You are arguing my point.

[mikebike]

18 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

And yet although the Nordic countries still 'sort of' have socialist values,  they still have to contend with 'globalism' and globalism is winning the fight as the division between rich and poor becomes ever more pronounced in those countries too.

 

But I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

"Globalism" is a bit of a loaded term and in 2017 no country can exist as an island. Theoretically "globalism" was practiced by the Romans.

 

Income disparity is not necessarily tied to today's definition of globalism.

 

In the most recent figures I have seen Norway's top 5% control about the same amount of relative wealth in their country as US's top 1%. Still a problem but could be seen as 5 times better...

[impulse]

2 hours ago, mikebike said:

You are arguing my point.

 

Where's the democratic socialism experiment you refer to? 

 

'Cause, unless Schlumberger is owned by the French people and not a bunch of international stockholders, it isn't socialism.  It's a mixed economic model and that's one of the things driving us into debt. 

 

The capitalists want to privatize all the benefits, and put all the risk and infrastructure costs into the public domain.  That's exactly what happened in 2008.  Because the capitalists can buy the politicians with their campaign donations and lobby money.  They'd have a hard time buying them if the corporations were state owned meritocracies operated to provide goods, services and jobs to the people as their main objective, instead of as an incidental to providing profits to the capitalists.

 

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by impulse

[lannarebirth]

10 hours ago, mikebike said:

You mean like the nordic countries, and possibly France? It is not as though democratic socialism is a theory. Why would any enlightened administration follow Stalin or Mao when there are much better concrete examples in the west?

 

If approached as a purely economic model then I don't think socialism, democratic or otherwise holds up in most instances.  Where it is useful is in making a society more cohesive.  It puts everyone in the same boat, pulling in the same direction. Where conflict arises, it is not citizen on citizen but on how the policy can be made better for all. That is the chief failure of US style democracy.  It intentionally pits people of every age, race, income level, etc against each other. The battles become so fierce that no one ever seems to notice it is the crony capitalist in the middle that is the only winner.

[Stargeezr]

USA and Canada have top as well as very expensive Universities.  America and Canada have faded from greatness over the last 10 to maybe even 20 years. We both now fight stuff like  politically correct speech, or catering to religious people  who have come over to North America and instead of trying to fit in, are stuffing their religions into our faces with nijab issues, and turban and those legal knives, issues, and such. How many years until we have legal Sharia laws in pockets of our countries? Something to think about!

Geezer

[isaanbanhou]

3 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

USA and Canada have top as well as very expensive Universities.  America and Canada have faded from greatness over the last 10 to maybe even 20 years. We both now fight stuff like  politically correct speech, or catering to religious people  who have come over to North America and instead of trying to fit in, are stuffing their religions into our faces with nijab issues, and turban and those legal knives, issues, and such. How many years until we have legal Sharia laws in pockets of our countries? Something to think about!

Geezer

 

The pilgrims came over a lot longer than 20 years ago.  And now we export religious zealots around the world to spread American religions like Scientology and The latter Day Saints church.  What comes around goes around my friend.  Turbans and those legal knives are symbols of the sihk religion. Hajibs and sharia laws are muslim.  

 

[Stargeezr]

Latter Day Saints do not try to get people around them to believe that Sharia Law is  a great law.  I do not agree with a Sihk security guard wth his ceremonial knife on his belt telling me that my swiss army

knife with an inch and one half length blade cannot be taken onto an aircraft. And my objection to any Muslim that builds a Mosque near where  I live then wakes me up each morning at 5 or 530 , as they do their daily call to prayers.

  I do not like Scientology and never have,  is it actually a religion or more like a cult?

Brand me as an Old Christian who is tired of seeing other religions trying to push their way into North America and then seeing Christian and other people recruited and brainwashed to go killing others in the name of Islam.

Geezer