Does socialism mean that the government will own and run everything? Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect. Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting millions of people. Resources are used to make money for capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions should own and control them. Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives. Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that the whole economy should be centrally planned. While we believe that democratic planning can shape major social investments like mass transit, housing, and energy, market mechanisms are needed to determine the demand for many consumer goods. http://www.dsausa.org/govt_run_everything - - - Updated - - - I would further say, all items that affect Americans National Security.
"Does socialism mean that the government will own and run everything?" Taxcutter says: Yup. Viz: The Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republics. That's why socialism is unacceptable.
We all (hopefully!) agree that the public good is the end. On that there's no discussion to be had. The debate is about what works, and what gives us the best results in terms of the general welfare. Thus I'm asking you, why would whatever system you propose be superior to our current mixed economy?
“Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all" - Frédéric Bastiat
Right on!!! We were created by the founding fathers as a constitutional republic, where every citizen has full individual rights to come and go and do as they please so long as they harm no body else or their property. Moreover, in a republic a 51% to 49% vote means that 49% will not participate in what the 51% wants to do, whereas in a democracy the majority rules and the 49% is dragged kicking and screaming into whatever the 51% wants! So basically democracy is two wolves and one sheep deciding what's for dinner! I always viewed the term socialism as a stepping stone towards and a nicer way of saying communism.
Oh, you mean like how in the US they have a first past the post system which means that if you win a plurality of the votes -not even a majority- you get all the votes, essentially meaning that only the votes of the winners count? As opposed to the proportional systems in europe where everyone's votes matter?
We don't live in a democracy. - - - Updated - - - That's because it's exactly what socialism is. It's part of the Marxist progression to communism.
Socialists want total control over every aspect of every persons life and every interaction in society. Oh sure they start out being moderate and nice saying they only wish to improve things a little. But they always fail. The more they try the more they fail and the more control they demand to fix things. We see this happening right now. Just as one example how succesful has the socialization of education been? The clear answer is that it is a failure. Yet they keep demanding more tax money for the department of education and more control over education. The same is true in any area where they get some control and of course is what will happen with Obama care. Once the government gets this insane law entrenched then they will begin to use it as an excuse for more and more control. After all if they are providing health care they have the perfect excuse to tell you how to live. What to drink, what to eat, what to smoke, who to have sex with and how often. As long as they foot the bill for health care they have the right to dictate how you live for the sake of your health.This also means that even if Obama care never set up any death panels it is only a matter of time before they do simply because they will be forced to ration health care. Socialism always fails which is why they always seek to have more control over others. The socialist explanation for socialist failure is it was not funded enough or used properly or not enough was done or they did not have enough control. This is even the typical sickening explanation socialists give for communism as in " oh it's a wonderful idea if only those other countries would have applied it correctly " or " it failed because it was started in agrarian societies rather than industrial societies ". Defending communism is like defending national socialism. It is the defense of genocidal evil. Watching socialism fail and then demanding more of it is what Bill Clinton defined as insanity.
Oh yes you do. The US is a democracy Not necessarily. There are those socialists who are content with a redistributive aystem and safety nets under a mixed economy, like we have now. Socialism is different from communism, but pof course some socialists want to push further towards communism than others.
The US is a constitutional republic. Nothing is ever enough for socialists, once you get to socialism... they always want more. I've studied enough Saul Alinsky and Karl Marx to know their ideals and their plan to get there.
Well just look at how many people in the U.S. hate Obamacare and didn't get a single Republican's vote yet it was rammed down their throats anyway! I believe that the different political systems are really from the same think tank. Democracy is a stepping stone to Socialism and that eventually leads to Fascism or Communism. It's the incremental enslavement of the masses over a long period of time and is much like boiling a frog. You start him in cold water and then slowly turn up the heat until he's cooking and doesn't know it. The changes come so slowly that we wake up one day and wonder what happened to the country we used to know?!? What we must all learn, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world is that rights and liberties are like muscles in a living organism. They must be exercised regularly, because as the saying goes "if you don't use it, you'll lose it"!
Socialists are just communists who haven't taken the time to process their ideology through to the rational end.
In today's world, a CEO can just own the komissars and secret police. That is when you have such a strong control over policy because you can own politicans.
