Sunday, April 5, 2009

WHAT SEEMS FAIR ISN'T ALWAYS

Few people seem to understand what socialism is and why it has never succeeded at making people free.

For those who haven't been keeping up, let me give you the definition of socialism once again:

Socialism: a political theory advocating state ownership of industry; an economic system based on state ownership of capital; any of various political philosophies that support social and economic equality, collective decision-making, and public control of productive capital and natural resources, as advocated by socialists; the socialist political philosophies as a group, including Marxism, libertarian socialism and others.

Has socialism ever been tried? If so, how well does socialism work?

Here are some countries that have tried socialism. See if you'd like to live in one or more of them:

Just south of Key West, Florida is one of the most socialist of nations, Cuba.

Cuba has a mostly state-run economy, universal health care, government-paid education at all levels, and a number of of social programs. It does not have a stock exchange.

Cuba's citizens earn an average of $3,900.00 per year, and pays close to 33% in taxes.

Cubans can afford to eat Arroz y frijoles (rice and beans), the traditional staple meal. Rice is served at most meals, along with a favourite food such as potatoes, boniatos (sweet potatoes), yuca (cassava), plátanos (plantains), or tomatoes. Eggs are eaten boiled, fried, or as an omelet. Maize is the basis of many foods, the most popular being harina de maíz (cornmeal).

Cubans in coastal areas eat locally caught seafood, most of which they must catch themselves.

Tilapia, a freshwater fish found in Cuba’s numerous reservoirs, is also popular.

Home-grown tropical fruits include mangoes, avocados, guavas, oranges, lemons, pineapples, and papayas. Coffee is generally served after meals.

Cubans have not been allowed to buy freely any car made since 1959. Water is piped indoors to roughly half of all homes and outside to one-fifth; about half have private bath facilities.

Michael Moore would love to live in Cuba, but is a bit addicted to the money he can freely earn in the U.S. But if he does go there to live, maybe you'd like to join him.

Consider North Korea:

North Korea has an almost entirely state-run economy, as well as the same social programs mentioned for Cuba. Like Cuba, North Korea does not have a stock exchange.

The average monthly salary in North Korea is close to $50.00.

The urban diet is partly made up of a ration provided by the government, but this has dropped from 300-250g of cereals per person per day.

The rest of their daily nutritional needs they must grow themselves, if they are lucky enough to live on a collective or raise farm animals.

How would you fare if you moved to North Korea?

Let's all adopt the Syrian lifestyle.

Syria: Although not commonly referred to as Socialist in the West, Syria has a mostly state-run economy and has universal "health care," if you want to call it that.

Despite being one of the world's rich oil producing countries, the average income in Syria is about $1,600.00.

The Syrian diet consists predominantly of cereals, particularly bread. Significant is the consumption of fruit and vegetables, particularly tomatos and citrus. Mutton is the main meat item consumed in urban areas, while chicken dominates in rural areas.

Sweden

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy that operates as a quasi-socialist nation.

You'll find mostly private industry in Sweden, but many well-funded government social programs are offered. Universal health care and government-provided education at all levels is made available.

The median household income in Sweden is the equivalent of close to $30,000.

Swedish productivity has fallen rapidly relative to per capital productivity in the USA.

The Swedish government is being forced to cannibalize its own capital structure over time in order to make the system to continue to work.

The Swedish diet consists of a lot of preserved foods and include dried, smoked, salted, or pickled fish; dried fruits and jams; and fermented milk.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are only available for a few months a year and are dried and stored for the fall and winter months. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries abound in the summer.

Potatoes are an important staple of the diet and are served in a variety of ways, including as pancakes. Other staples include fish, seafood, mutton, cheese, cabbage, apples, onions, berries, nuts, and bread.

This is not an exhaustive list of socialist countries, but is a representation of the various levels of socialism around the world and the basic life-styles found therein.

Given what you've seen above, do you really want the United States of America to proceed down the path to socialism?

Can't you see that you have been sold a bill of goods about the "advantages" of socialism as played out in real life as opposed to the romanticized way it is presented by academia?

The "fairness" of socialism is only "fair" for the leaders, who fare very well, not the ordinary citizens.

Wake up!

21 comments:

Lone Ranger said...

Although our corrupt public schools don't teach it, socialism also failed here.

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Those who ignore the past are liberals.

Unknown said...

True socialism is failing all over the earth. Iran and Venezuela have undergone rapid socialization, and even though they don't like to admit it, all those programs are failing.

As long as we we have ideological lefty holdouts from the 60's alive and kicking and they can depart their useless knowledge into our school system, they will try and drive this country into the ground under the guise of "helping people through wealth redistribution".

sue said...

Joe - you did your homework. No,
that's not socialism for me. What I think of as socialism is a little bit different.

Joe said...

Lone Ranger: He got it right, didn't he?

bluepitbull: Our "public" (read: government)school system indeed teaches that socialism is better than democracy or a representative republic.

Sue: I ALWAYS try hard to do my homework.

Words have meaning, and we don't get to change their meaning just so we can use them to mean what we want them to mean.

Socialism is what it is. If you believe something else, you have to call it the name that the something else you believe is called.

Otherwise, we will not be able to communicate at all.

sue said...

Joe - I'm disappointed that you didn't say, "Sue, what is your idea of Socialism?" Is that because you are closedminded, or you don't think I would have a good answer.
Boo Hoo.

Joe said...

Sue: You have to be asked?

sue said...

Ok. I pattern my view of Socialism after Jesus. He was actually the first Socialist, since he recognized the poor
(they shall inherit the earth), and hung around with them. He did have a few friends that were well off, such as Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and of course Nicodemus, but I always wondered about Nicodemus, you know, how good a friend was he that only met with Him at night.

Now I know you are going to say that Jesus said - We will always have the poor, but you won't always have Me. I do not believe in saying that we will always have the poor. Rather, I would like to find a happy medium. It's not that I want to take anyone's money away, but really, who needs 50 bil.

The second part of Jesus' Great Commandment was - Love your neighbor as yourself. I believe that second to our love of God and our relationship with Him, we are to help our neighbor.

Perhaps my view of Socialism is the same as my view of myself as a Liberal. It is really not on target, but the words socialist
and liberal come as close as any I can think of.

Joe - you may say that coming close only counts in horseshoes and gernades, but this is how I feel. I am not in a position to do much in this world, but if I were, that is what I'd do.

Thanks for asking.

sue said...

meek ( I always get that wrong.)
The meek shall inherit the earth.

Joe said...

I've known Jesus since I was sixteen years old. Jesus is my friend. Believe me, Jesus is no Socialist.

Never has been, is not now and never will be.

In Socialism, the government requires the spreading of wealth.

With Jesus it is 100% voluntary...from the heart...or it is useless.

I don't want my government helping me to follow Jesus or keeping me from following Him.

sue said...

Joe - I am out of answers right now. I will be gone for a couple of days so maybe I can think about it.

Lone Ranger said...

It is always grotesquely funny when the Christian-hating left tries to use the Bible to justify its actions. Time after time, conservatives have been proven to be more charitable than liberals.

http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2006/12/06/who_gives_to_charity

http://talkingpoints.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/conservative-vs-liberal-charity-donations/

According to my tax records, I gave more to charity last year than Joe Biden does in 27 years. I gave 4% more of my income to charity than Barack Obama does. And that doesn't count the dollar I give to animal rescue groups every time I visit the pet store (twice a week), the times I pick up the tab for military members in uniform when I go out to eat or the 50-100% tips I give to breakfast waitresses.

Charity is not elicited at the point of a gun. Obama wanted to cap deductions on charitable donations -- proving he doesn't give a whit about giving. His agenda involves taking.

Socialism is never just about the economy.

snaggletoothie said...

Joe,
I think that the sheer abandon with which socialists murder their fellow citizens is especially notable. Look at the many tens of millions that were killed in Russia and China with nary a shred of guilt. I would think this would cause a thoughtful person to think more than twice about going down that path.

Also I love good writing. There is something about the over regimented and soul crushingly empty lives that socialist governments create that make decent writing virtually disappear from socialist countries. These regimes are anti-human since they mercilessly crush this (until the creation of socialism) essential and omnipresent flower of civilization.

Mark said...

Get used to it, Joe. Obama is still changing the country, and he isn't finished yet. By the time he is, we will have a socialist government.

But the thing that bothers me the most about it is this:

No one is doing any significant thing about it.

shoprat said...

A close cousin of Socialism is Fascism, which is not well understood by the public because it has been intentionally misdefined by the left to hide what they do. In Fascism as defined by Mussolini you may own the property but the state actually controls it.

Mark said...

Joe, I believe Sue is sincere. But I also believe she is sincerely mistaken. Most likely Sue is referring to the various times Jesus seemed to equate wealth with evil.

For instance, when Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven", Jesus wasn't saying rich people won't go to heaven. He was referring to anyone who puts the love for money before the love for God. It isn't evil to be rich. It's evil to put riches above God. The rich young ruler didn't go away saddened because he was rich. He went away saddened by the realization that he placed his love of money above his love of God.

But you know that, Joe, and can probably explain it much better than I.

Happy National Tartan Day!

1.21roots said...

Mark - I am only sincerely mistaken because my views differ from yours.

I do not believe that to be rich is evil. But having wealth and worldly goods can give you less dependence on God.

The rich young ruler went away sad because he was unwilling to give up his riches and follow Jesus. This is the danger of wealth. The more you have the more you would have to give up.

Do not think because I call myself liberal that I am like every other liberal. And do not think that I am Godless as your friend Ann
Coulter points out.

I have a pretty good relationship with Jesus - in spite of what any Conservative may want to think.

sue said...

The above comment is mine, but I am using my daughter's computer. She has a great relationship with Jesus too but she is a conservative.

Z said...

Sue, meeting at night had significance..check it out. There was a reason to hide...

Joe, you said: "With Jesus it is 100% voluntary...from the heart...or it is useless." that is said many times, and in the OT, too, I believe...good from the heart is what God wants. THANK you for that reminder..it really does fit this argument so well...so appropriate. and true.

I don't understand the reason for Conservative VERSUS Liberal and Jesus!
the liberal mind has no claim on Christ because Christ walked in sandals and helped the poor! But, I get the feeling many religious liberals feel that way. My gosh!
Conservatives help more than Liberals do, statistically....tho Democrats make more money.
And this isn't to smack anybody around, just stats.

Joe is right....and America is right (or was). Since when did taking from the rich build a stronger country? The rich pay something like 78% of the total taxes in America... Who will pay when we've broken them through unthinkably and damaging high taxes! 50% of the population don't pay taxes at all here!

We need the rich in relation to Christ..the 'rich' have built churches and given to charities and built schools and published great books...I believe He uses the rich to be his hands and heart.

And, of course, there are VERY rich liberals, let's stop with the impression that Wall St is full of "Stinking Republican greedy men"... it's absolutely laughable! But, this is the impression that's allowed to stand. It's SO wrong.

Having less dependence on God because one's rich shows that that rich person is not a mature Christian. I know MANY rich Christians who put all their trust in Him. Although I do agree that troubles bring us closer, I know no rich who haven't had horrible troubles with sickness or children, or depression, etc.

I'm rambling..just wanted to say I very much enjoyed reading this give/take and thank you all for the input.

Sue, I posted the melody to your praise song . Thanks for reminding me of that one!! xx (Tell Amanda about our conservatives sites, we'd love to have her join in, too!)

Joe said...

Sue: "I have a pretty good relationship with Jesus - in spite of what any Conservative may want to think."

I am ecstatic to hear that. Having a relationship with Jesus is not determined by one's political perspective.

You use the word "conservative" as though it were a pejorative, as though Conservatives don't want you to have a relationship with Him, but Liberals do.

You are far more likely to be attacked for your Christian walk by Liberals than by Conservatives...though some of either might attack.

Don't feel defensive. I am not trying to attack you, nor are the other commenters on this blog (and I would delete them if they did...I don't allow attacks on one another on this blog).

Pasadena Closet Conservative said...

Why the Michael Moores and Barack Obamas of America continue to be enamored of the concept of Socialism is beyond me.

sue said...

Lone Ranger - Thanks for your record of charitable giving.

True charity comes from the way we treat others and not from the pocketbook.

However that is generous of you to pick up the tab for the troops. I would be happy to do that.