I have a legitimate question for all the liberals...

What is socialism? When you use the word "socialism" what are you referring to? OddsOn? Anyone?

 

I'm not sure what I'm looking at here. Did Ling Ling just prolapse? Too much celebration cake?

 

Increasing tax on anyone group to give to another group is socialism.

I'd be fine if the tax increase is 10% for everyone. remember, 10% of 0 is still 0

It will slow the economy down, but the tax increase would be considered fair, since it's an increase on everyone

Patriot act was in place because of 911

gas, and electricity prices are directly related to the consumer.

Get rid of the SUV's, trucks, mega minivans, muscle cars and OPEC would be hurting.

The work place is dynamic in nature. You can't depend on your employer. You must always be ready to learn new things and do new work.

I don't depend on anyone.

 

No it's not. You must have failed high school social studies.

And, PS....you're dead.

 

Very typical.

I ask questions and instead of answering them you choose to ask your own question and threaten to put me on ignore if I don't answer yours first?

Fine put me on ignore since you refuse to answer the questions.

 

TJ im trying to understand you. can you define socialism for me?

 

You are wrong, and enormously stupid.

 

Fixed it for you...

 

Is it a legitimate question when I ask people who use the word "socialism" in reference to this election to explain their understanding of the meaning of that word? I've yet to receive anything resembling an answer even though I've asked in multiple threads.

Maybe it will help if I explain my beliefs: Capitalism and Socialism do not exist in today's world. Socialism has never existed in any nation-state, and capitalism stopped operating according to its own principles at points across the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Now, the words are typically used (when they're being used in a self-descriptive manner) to imply that there is an impersonal system of economic regulation in place when, in fact, the operating principles of each economic system are changed, altered, and emphasized in order to keep power in a certain segment of the population. There is no impersonal system operating in either case although the ruling segment of either "type" of society desires to retain the illusion that their personal machinations are simply the operations of that impersonal system.

There. Next?

 

Just read my signature. It explains everything.

 

A socialist system has no taxes. And you're misunderstanding the U.S. tax system if you believe this is what's happening (I think what you're really referring to is "when you take money from rich people and give it to poor people"). The majority of the taxes in the U.S. go to "national defense."

From the 2004 Fiscal Year Discretionary spending (note: as far as I've seen, this is the only year we have complete data on - nothing more recent. This is actual expenditures, not projected expenditures):

26.2%—military
22.6%—interest on the debt
19%—health care
5.5%—income security
3.4%—veterans’ benefits
3.3%—education
2.5%—nutrition spending
1.6%—housing
1.6%—environment
11.4%—everything else

(note: almost half of the interest on the debt is paid for military debt)

So, in the barest of details, you are correct. Most of your taxes go to procuring supplies for the military, and in paying military paychecks. In that case, the groups are a.) all taxpayers and b.) the military establishment (which can be broken down further into actual soldiers and the corporations that make supplies, both for war and for maintenance, for the military).

The next biggest expenditure goes to interest on the debt. So, the groups there are a.) all taxpayers and b.) the holders of debt (which, again, can be broken down further - many large banks, as well as foreign governments and investors, are in this group).

The next goes to healthcare (it should be noted that even without nationalized healthcare, this is still our third biggest expenditure) - most of this is for reimbursing the companies that own hospitals, and the corporations that own pharmaceuticals and other types of research technology. The vast majority of it never goes into an individual patient's bank account.

And you can read the rest for yourself. This isn't 'taking from the rich and giving to the poor.'

 

"Stay on the bloody line, I told you!"

SamFisher - 1
ling ling - NIL

 

Good Post Thadeus! That should definitely clear things. The biggest misunderstanding here is obviously conservatives are assuming that by increasing taxes for those who make more than 250k, they are giving up to people who can't provide for themselves and are lazy.

These taxes are going to the military, interest, healthcare... There are a variety of things, but most important the health of the country as a whole. Which is what is being taken care of, the country isn't that what is most important after all, nothing will be done if you don't raise taxes for those who are able to provide based on their income, obviously this shows with the bailout that just occured, it would have been far less money that would have been needed had this plan been implemented in the past.

 

What is the interest rate the US government is paying on it's debt?

DD

 

Man, who would have thought socialism and communism would become such an important issue in this election? This is awesome.

 

TJ doesn't need to put anyone on ignore; he's already got an ignore function in his head which has probably never been turned off since he was 12 years old. It's fruitless trying to debate with someone who doesn't listen.

 

I think it will be cool to hear McCain having to say "my comrades" instead of "my friends" during the next election cycle.

 

In a 1950's kind of way.

 

It's not an issue. That is the point......

Well, unless you are a moron, that is....then I guess the people that think it is an issue should take some time to educate themselves.

DD

 

Legitimate question for Conservatives: What is it with your love of kleptocracy and autocracy? I mean this in all seriousness.

Really, I do. If I was going to be mocking and ask a question equivalent to OddsOn, I would have asked why do Conservatives love Hitlerism?