...clearly you missed the original post stating that all socialist countries collapse in a generation or two. You know, excluding all the ones that didn't. But ignore them, we're nothing like them. Wouldn't work. Because [return to beginning of this post]...
Get the government profits out of healthcare and education, then see how much happier and more debt free we are
Not healthcare. I'm trying to type too much, too quickly. Government makes far too much money off student loans is what I'm saying
Insurance companies and Big Pharma makes me think there's a better way. I don't think pure capitalism nor pure socialism is the way to go. But to answer you, as to why some would think socialism might be better. We are in the middle of several years of a cycle where working folks, not the gimmie crowd, have seen stagnant wages. At the same time, they've seen corporate salaries grow rapidly. We are in a time where wealth is becoming concentrated. I'm not going to argue percentages, no point in that because we all know where that will go. Marketwatch.com (a subsidiary of Dow Jones which is the property of News Corp.) has a story from December 5, 2015, that the richest 20 Americans are worth $732 billion which is more than the 152 million people that make up the bottom 50% of the population. This isn't just happening in the US. Look at the oligarchs in Russia for a similar situation. That's disturbing to many people. I have never claimed to be a financial guru. In fact, I admit my gross inadequacies in this area. But, as in all things, perception is reality. True or not, the perception for many people that put in a hard day's work daily is that they are working harder and more than ever, yet they are spinning their wheels, at best. All this, while reading about huge corporate bonus like Alpha Natural Resources, a company in bankruptcy, paying executive bonuses to the tune of $14.8 million dollars while cutting retiree benefits. Not going to argue the financials and such. I am incapable of doing that, but the question was, "Why do people vote for socislists?" My short answer is, true or not, many hard working people in this country feel taken advantage of. Many people no longer feel that hard work will improve their lives. Many people feel that upward mobility is an ever fading dream that they can never see come to realization. These people feel like they've been rode hard and put up wet. Again, not my views necessarily, but this is how apparently a large number of people feel.
your neighbor getting richer than you doesn't make you poorer nor did that money come from your pocket. it's just a silly argument.
And why is healthcare so expensive? https://mises.org/blog/how-government-regulations-made-healthcare-so-expensive But, by all means, let's put the government in complete control of more things.
The middle class is eroding. I don't give a damn that the rich get richer. Real median household income was around 53K in 2014. That was the same as 1996. But 1996 53K is worth 79K in 2014 bucks. Our money has less buying power and more of it goes to the richest than in the history of this country. Are they working harder than the richest of days gone by? Our taxpayer funds kept some of the biggest manufacturers and banks alive, and we never got back a dime.
That's not what I was saying at all. I just can't have a conversation with you on any of this. But in the Alpha case, apparently some getting richer has made retirees poorer.
It is a silly argument when you think we're directing it at Sally Storeowner down the street or Dr. Jeff. Corporations get billions in tax breaks yearly thanks to lobbying. Maybe we could make them pay some of what they're supposed to. Like Sally Storeowner has to.
Silly to ignore China and Russia. The stupid rhetoric about Cold War being over is the naive silliness that runs around the draft dodger laden ivory towers of the US.
first off, the middle class is doing just fine. see below. and the reason why the rich are getting richer and the middle class is not is because the rich have non outsourcable jobs and the middle class does not. it's hardly the fault of the rich that the middle class is not internationally competitive. as for taxpayer funds, the US taxpayers made tens of billions in profit off of tarp, so i'd hardly say they didn't get back a dime. quite the opposite.
what is a tax break to a corporation? does that cost money like direct deposits? like payments to doc offices or pharmacies? do tax breaks not pay for themselves. Let me be the first to assure you that they are the only made up lefty "cost" that has a prayer of paying for itself.
you are saying that's the "impression" people have. $14 mil ain't going to make those retirees whole. for all your handwringing about ceo salaries, even the best paid CEO in this country going from millions to zero ain't going to put any real money in the hands of the employees.
They suck pretty hard (on average), if the experience I've had dealing with them is any indication. Perhaps other generations did at that age, but that's not something to which I can attest.
