The Hillary-thread

[L'Emmerdeur]

A system where thousands of the nation's full-time employees (looking at the nation's biggest employer, Walmart and also McDonald's among others) are entitled to food stamps and medicaid . . .

We hope and pray that this terrible situation will soon be remedied.

[Hermit]

A system where thousands of the nation's full-time employees (looking at the nation's biggest employer, Walmart and also McDonald's among others) are entitled to food stamps and medicaid . . .

We hope and pray that this terrible situation will soon be remedied.

With a two and a half year old proposal?

Also, being blessed with divine atheism myself, I leave the praying to you.

[Brian Peacock]

It's liberal economics that has been the greatest boon to mankind and the greatest poverty-fighter. If you want to see poverty, look to places that have gone far left.

According to the United States Census Bureau 15% of the US population lived at or below the poverty line in 2011.



While I'd definitely prefer living in the US rather than North Korea, it's not exactly a ringing endorsement of capitalism as exemplified by the wealthiest nation on the planet, is it?

And don't give me that crap about most of even the poorest in the US having TVs, fridges and smartphones. Firstly, Henry VIII had none of those either. Secondly, even if the poor had not spent money unwisely on all those luxuries, they'd still be short of funds to cover the cost of quality education, health insurance and so forth, not to mention the sort of gadgets the vast majority of the US population takes for granted and can afford.

A system where thousands of the nation's full-time employees (looking at the nation's biggest employer, Walmart and also McDonald's among others) are entitled to food stamps and medicaid may be preferable to living in Venezuela, but for 40 million people the best that the capitalist system can offer them is still a shithole.

[pErvinalia]

I'd give it 7.4/10

[Forty Two]

It's liberal economics that has been the greatest boon to mankind and the greatest poverty-fighter. If you want to see poverty, look to places that have gone far left.

According to the United States Census Bureau 15% of the US population lived at or below the poverty line in 2011.



While I'd definitely prefer living in the US rather than North Korea, it's not exactly a ringing endorsement of capitalism as exemplified by the wealthiest nation on the planet, is it?

Of course it is. The issue is where the "poverty" line is drawn. Like most western capitalist countries, being poor is not poor (when compared to the "rest of the world").

And don't give me that crap about most of even the poorest in the US having TVs, fridges and smartphones.

That argument is a way to say that the poverty line in the US or western Europe is not the same as the poverty line in most of Africa, most of Asia and most of South America.

Firstly, Henry VIII had none of those either. Secondly, even if the poor had not spent money unwisely on all those luxuries, they'd still be short of funds to cover the cost of quality education, health insurance and so forth, not to mention the sort of gadgets the vast majority of the US population takes for granted and can afford.

Name a socialist country where the common person has quality education, health insurance and so forth, and gadgets, etc.? You won't find it. And, don't point to the UK, France or Norway. Those are capitalist systems, with social safety nets.

A system where thousands of the nation's full-time employees (looking at the nation's biggest employer, Walmart and also McDonald's among others) are entitled to food stamps and medicaid may be preferable to living in Venezuela, but for 40 million people the best that the capitalist system can offer them is still a shithole.

In a socialist system, everyone gets government benefits.

What system other than capitalism are you suggesting we adopt?

[Tero]

Social democrat. You might have heard of it. It's standard in Europe now. Get with the program- Modern life, inventions and all (DNA! Monsanto! cancer cures!) is hopelessly tied up with Government Funding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_De ... of_Germany

[L'Emmerdeur]

A system where thousands of the nation's full-time employees (looking at the nation's biggest employer, Walmart and also McDonald's among others) are entitled to food stamps and medicaid . . .

We hope and pray that this terrible situation will soon be remedied.

With a two and a half year old proposal?

Ryan has been pushing the "slash government assistance" agenda for years; that was a link to show his ideas. With a Republican president to sign his bill, do you think he's going to just drop it now?

[Hermit]

What system other than capitalism are you suggesting we adopt?

You do realise that there are many, widely diverging forms of capitalism, don't you? I prefer the liberal/social democratic end of the spectrum to the libertarian/laissez faire one. For communism, as in the means of production being government owned and controlled, I have no attraction. And then there are many forms of anarchism proposed. I tried to imagine a few million individuals named rEvolutionist working the tiller simultaneously...

[Hermit]

A system where thousands of the nation's full-time employees (looking at the nation's biggest employer, Walmart and also McDonald's among others) are entitled to food stamps and medicaid . . .

We hope and pray that this terrible situation will soon be remedied.

With a two and a half year old proposal?

Ryan has been pushing the "slash government assistance" agenda for years; that was a link to show his ideas. With a Republican president to sign his bill, do you think he's going to just drop it now?

Good point. Thanks.

[JimC]

What system other than capitalism are you suggesting we adopt?

You do realise that there are many, widely diverging forms of capitalism, don't you? I prefer the liberal/social democratic end of the spectrum to the libertarian/laissez faire one. For communism, as in the means of production being government owned and controlled, I have no attraction. And then there are many forms of anarchism proposed. I tried to imagine a few million individuals named rEvolutionist working the tiller simultaneously...

[Hermit]

Would have been funnier if there were just four. Forty Two, rEvolutinist, Seth and Sandinista.

[Svartalf]

Sandy would blow the other three up and take control

[pErvinalia]

Would have been funnier if there were just four. Forty Two, rEvolutinist, Seth and Sandinista.

Might I request that you go and sit on a pineapple? You're looking for a shit sandwich by comparing me two those three.

[pErvinalia]

Not that I don't like Sandy. It's just that Marxism is insane.

[Hermit]

Would have been funnier if there were just four. Forty Two, rEvolutinist, Seth and Sandinista.

Might I request that you go and sit on a pineapple? You're looking for a shit sandwich by comparing me two those three.

I was not even implying that any of the four of you are alike. On the contrary, the joke consists of four completely disparate characters attempting to govern simultaneously within an anarchist framework.

I'll have the pineapple, though, if you can spare it. Unlike some culinary dogmatists I think it goes well - along with ham - to make a pizza.