Is It All Chainsaw Jack Welch's Fault?

[Bat Guano 359]

On 6/6/2022 at 11:13 AM, chainsaw said:

My philosophy is pretty simple: socialism for needs, capitalism for wants

You need: shelter, rest, food, water, medicine and medical supplies, healthcare, emergency relief, basic education, job training, transportation, a defense force to repel hostile invasions (see Ukraine), and caregiving (kids, olds, infirm). Maybe other things too, but you get the idea.

You want: a vacation house on the beach, the best meals, the longest and fanciest vacations, boob jobs and facelifts for the mistress, a degree in gender studies and underwater basket weaving, a BMW, a PS5 in every room....the list goes on.

Call it "socialism" but I think all the needs should be taken care of with the mutual wealth and efforts of the population. Those basics plus a universal basic income. We have more than enough to do this, already, and there's no moral justification for withholding it. There's the argument that nobody will want to work, but if "free to play" video games are any indication, most people are going to want more than the default options. People want to work, but they don't want to be disrespected or exploited. If workers always have the option to quit (not just in theory but in fact) you will see morale and productivity go way up.

 

 

This reminds me of several conversations I had in Sweden on a trip there a few years ago. They don't have socialism; everybody took pains to clarify that their system is one of universal benefits, meaning everybody gets the same benefits from the government, paid for by a progressive tax system, as opposed to a to-each-according-to-his-needs, as in socialism. And capitalism is flourishing. The example one person gave is that everybody can afford a decent, basic pair of shoes. If you want better shoes, you can work and save until you can afford them. But the point isn't about the better shoes or car or whatever; it's that nobody goes without the basics of a decent life. Even the poor have dignity and self-respect. And there is still an incentive to work; almost everybody does, but they are not slaves to their jobs, meaning they don't live in fear that their children will starve if they get fired.

This has all kinds of benefits. Much lower economic inequality than the US, for starters, which takes out a lot of the resentment that politicians play on. Greater entrepreneurialism, because people with an idea for a business feel freer to quit their jobs and pursue their dream (and this is actually borne out in the statistics; Sweden has more startups than the US). And there's the thing that certain quarters over here scoff at, but may be the most important one of all: happiness. People are actually happy when they have a sense of dignity and agency over their own lives. Who would have guessed?

[Blotto 23434]

18 minutes ago, Bat Guano said:

This reminds me of several conversations I had in Sweden on a trip there a few years ago. They don't have socialism; everybody took pains to clarify that their system is one of universal benefits, meaning everybody gets the same benefits from the government, paid for by a progressive tax system, as opposed to a to-each-according-to-his-needs, as in socialism. And capitalism is flourishing. The example one person gave is that everybody can afford a decent, basic pair of shoes. If you want better shoes, you can work and save until you can afford them. But the point isn't about the better shoes or car or whatever; it's that nobody goes without the basics of a decent life. Even the poor have dignity and self-respect. And there is still an incentive to work; almost everybody does, but they are not slaves to their jobs, meaning they don't live in fear that their children will starve if they get fired.

This has all kinds of benefits. Much lower economic inequality than the US, for starters, which takes out a lot of the resentment that politicians play on. Greater entrepreneurialism, because people with an idea for a business feel freer to quit their jobs and pursue their dream (and this is actually borne out in the statistics; Sweden has more startups than the US). And there's the thing that certain quarters over here scoff at, but may be the most important one of all: happiness. People are actually happy when they have a sense of dignity and agency over their own lives. Who would have guessed?

Cant emphasize enough how much income inequality has fucked our country up. 

[Tuco 5076]

16 hours ago, Blotto said:

Cant emphasize enough how much income inequality has fucked our country up. 

I wonder how much the lotteries have added to the problem.  They created this fantasy world where ordinary people see themselves as wildly rich.  And what's the first thing people say, "Sure, it's 400 millions dollars, but after taxes it's only like 250 million.  Fucking government stealing my hard earned money." Never mind that lotteries are actually government conning people out of their hard earned money, one stupid dollar at a time. 

[chainsaw 9838]

I'd much rather overpay for services from unaccountable companies than get them from the government.