but isn't it funny that charitable giving has decreased as taxes and public programs have increased. I wonder why that is...

9/10/2009 12:54:52 AM

well 300 billion was giving in charitable donations in 2006.

im not sure were you're getting charitable donation numbers form the 20's and 30's

[Edited on September 10, 2009 at 1:11 AM. Reason : !]

9/10/2009 1:10:14 AM

"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."
~ Alexis de Tocqueville

9/10/2009 8:48:59 AM

google: anti-socialist quotes

9/10/2009 9:14:13 AM

Quote :

"How can you be born and raised in the US, call yourself an American, and post this thread? This is truly a sad time when a generation of retards like yourself think your American but dont see anything wrong with something completely un-American. "

USA #1 woo!!!!!!! go team go
<3 our freedums and democracies!!!!!

Anyone who questions the gov't or the status quotes hates freedom and if they don't like they can GIT OUT!!
Also anyone that doesn't like Jesus or George W is a satan lover and needs to GIT OUT ALSO!!

Quote :

"I suspect you are not the largest player in your industry. "

Without mentioning the industry I am in or my company, I can assure you we are THE LARGEST player in our industry.

Quote :

"A bunch of large companies somewhere wanted OSHA standards "

Or this is once occasion where congressman actually did something FOR their constituets not just the companies in their back pocket; cause we do like to pretend every once in awhile that we are a govt for the people by the people.

Quote :

"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word "

Democracy and socialism are two distinct topics. The opposite of socialism is capitalism. A capatilist society does not have to equate to
a Democratic one. On the contrary the opposite of democracy is totalitarianism. More totalitarian governments throughout history were
not socialist compared to those that were.

9/10/2009 9:20:12 AM

I think it's a matter of degrees. In fact, moderatly socialist countrys do very well economically - as well as on the U.N. human development ratings.

Quote :

"U.S. Displaced by Switzerland as Most Competitive"

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=adyH5Eq1Rxcs

Singapore, Sweden and Denmark rounded out the top five, followed by Finland, Germany, Japan, Canada and the Netherlands.

[Edited on September 10, 2009 at 9:51 AM. Reason : *~<]Bo]

9/10/2009 9:49:20 AM

to you people that are seriously advocating socialism - name me successful socialist governments who's people, on the whole, are as prosperous as Americans

9/10/2009 9:57:46 AM

Quote :

"Democracy and socialism are two distinct topics. The opposite of socialism is capitalism. A capatilist society does not have to equate to a Democratic one. On the contrary the opposite of democracy is totalitarianism. More totalitarian governments throughout history were not socialist compared to those that were."

Untrue. Democracy just means voting and elections, rule of the majority. In a democracy, if the majority chose, it could rule in totalitarian fashion. All totalitarian means "is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible."

What you were thinking when you said democracy was something else, like constitutional democracy or liberal democracy or a Republic. So, the opposite of democracy would be rule by the minority, or despotism. But you can have all the same limits to power in a despotic rule. Such as a constitutional monarchy, liberal dictatorship, or crowned republic.

But a constitution can be authoritarian too. Just because the democratic leaders cannot change the rules, does not make the rules liberal. Think of the constitution of Iran. So, you can have a socialist constitutional monarchy, where the king is bound by law to own all means of production (medieval feudalism). You can have a capitalist despotism where the rulers just decide every year to honor the tenets of capitalism even though they have no legal requirement to do so (early Hong Kong). You can have a authoritarian democracy, where the majority decides every year to impose strict illiberal laws upon themselves, punishing criticism or what they consider immoral behavior all the while maintaining a kleptocratic economic system (New York City under Tammany Hall).

Almost every form of government you can imagine has been tried somewhere. However, it is the case that all fully-socialist economies where the government owns >90% of the means of production have been ruled over by a totalitarian government (USSR, Cuba, North Korea). That there have been more capitalist-totalitarian governments is merely because historically there have been comparatively few socialist-anything countries and almost all the historical examples of fully-capitalist economies where >90% of the means of production were privately owned are found in the 19th century.

Quote :

"Singapore, Sweden and Denmark rounded out the top five, followed by Finland, Germany, Japan, Canada and the Netherlands."

It is a myth that various European states are more Socialist than America. Upon accounting, the United States owns more of the means of production than many so-called socialist European states, simply because they have privatized their post-office and we have not.

9/10/2009 10:44:48 AM

ups

fedex

DHL

wtf

are

you

talking

about

9/10/2009 6:38:34 PM

None of which can legally deliver mail, just packages.

9/10/2009 8:34:47 PM

put your mail in a package.

9/10/2009 10:57:30 PM

Or, in Europe, you can just put your mail in the mail carrier of your choice.

"Top officials from Sweden, of all places, complained about Washington's auto bailout, tersely announcing that 'The Swedish state is not prepared to own car factories.'"

9/11/2009 8:05:00 AM

I agree with you. I dont want the government owning car companies and it would be great if you could mail regular mail with UPS.

9/11/2009 3:13:19 PM

^I'm hearing talk of the USPS stopping postal service on Saturdays to save money, I wonder if UPS or any of the other private ones will pick up that open market then at least for Saturday deliveries?

9/21/2009 11:12:06 AM