Authoritarianism

Great, who's going to pay them living wages? The taxpayers? The employers? The customers who buy from the business (in the form of increased prices)?

"Rich" people?

 

Unless we just view it as a general direction in political orientation.
An ideal to strive towards, but maybe not optimal to actually reach.

 

Why should hardworking Americans NOT be paid a living wage?

Why do YOU support hardworking Americans being EXPLOITED by corporations and the wealthy?

 

Every time Libertarianism has been tried it has ALWAYS FAILED!

Why believe in FAILURE?

Why not strive towards something that WORKS for ALL Americans?

 

They should quit their exploitation and go into business for themselves. Then they could keep 100% of their labor value.

 

What exactly is a living wage?

 

Didn't read whole thread.

The degree to which something is "authoritarian" or a person holds "authoritarian" beliefs is quite simple and doesn't rely on any vague, nebulous abstractions. Government power is fiat power, the power to tax, spend, jail, even kill, the ultimate form of authority over individual human beings. Therefore, people who support larger and more powerful government are more "authoritarian" to the degree they do, and people who support smaller, less powerful government are less "authoritarian" to the degree they don't support larger government.

It's that simple folks. In a vainglorious attempt to HIDE the simple truth, statists have gone to great lengths to do what they do best, PROJECT their nature and characteristics onto their political opposition, hence mounds of outright manure about "RW Authoritarian Personalities" pure, fabricated ****.

More government = more "authoritarian."
Less government = less "authoritarian."

Or you can buy their gallons of snakeoil projections and deflections of what is relatively simple. Choice is yours.

 

And free will? Non-Exitent?

 

Sufficient income to pay all your bills and save for your future.

 

Today's conservatives/republicans

No it isn't. Corporations and corporate personhood are literally creations of the state.

 

People should go into business for themselves. Not sell their labor to an employer. Then they would keep 100% of their labor value, and be able to pay their bills and save for their future.

 

Do you find it at all interesting that historically as tax rates have become more progressive and the top brackets pay more of the total tax burden, wealth inequality has increased? Is it at all interesting that as the wealthiest have paid more, the poverty rate has not decreased, but stayed in a narrow defined range?

Oh, and debt pays for spending.

 

That’s entirely subjective.

 

50lb bag of rice, and 50lb bag of pinto beans.

 

Irrelevant since it is the PRINCIPLE that applies.

Do you support greed obsessed corporations EXPLOITING hardworking Americans by paying them LESS than a living wage for 8 hours of work each day?

 

It is rather short sided and a little delusional to think that the political divide is between those who prefer government vs those who do not. In fact I find such a notion as the height of the ignorance, and most likely willfull ignorance. When one looks out across the world and time, one never sees a libertarian society, as it is just fantasy land.

When one observes the real world one sees the world divided by those who live under an aristocracy and those who live under a democracy. The term conservative was created to describe those who support and conserve the political order in which the aristocracy rules and everyone else is ruled.

The opposite is democracy, where the people rule. That is why Republicans try so hard to suppress the vote. The aristocracy likes it that way. They don't like too much input from the people, as they prefer them compliant. Which is kind of the point of churches. Keeps the people looking up to a leader.

It really makes no sense to me that one should worship another, especially a class which suppresses one. You can see the type of people who the aristocracy produces, people like lil Bush and Donald Trump and his clan. Not exactly the brightest bulbs on the tree. And yet that is what proponents of an aristocritic society give us as leaders. Bumbling boobs. Devin Nunes, what a corrupt individual he is turning out to be. You worship at the feet of wealth you will never have, sacrificing your conscience in the process, for what? A warm feeling? A soothing of your fears?

And while you fawn over dear Leader, pretending he can do no wrong, the rest of us are working to make a better world for all of us. One that even you will like, you just don't see it yet, because vision of a bright future is a liberal thing. Opposing aristocracy is a liberal thing. An egalitarian society is a liberal ideal. Conservatism is a tool of the aristocracy.

There is still time. You can break your chains, and live free, like a liberal. Like I do. But it has to begin in your head.

Do you know why democratic efforts tend to come up short in places like Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and the Bible Belt? The people have been so conditioned over such a long time, that it becomes almost impossible to imagine what real freedom even looks like. Freedom without a leader. How scary that must be for many.

 

We can’t have any discussion of something undefined. What is a living wage?

A principle must be based on something more than a subjective undefined talking point.

 

I'm not sure where you are getting you information from, but it does not reflect reality. The income inequality that we are now seeing, is a direct of Reagan, Bush, and Trump tax cuts on the wealthy. During the sixties and seventies, when top marginal rates were more than twice if what they are now, poverty shrank and the middle class grew. Reaganomics took hold and the middle class has shrunk, poverty and homelessness have risen, and the weathiest got richer.

 

Corporations are mostly wholly owned by the aristocracy. The political divide in the US is between those who think the aristocracy should rule and those who think democracy should rule.

The state, in a democracy, is we the people. We the people make the rules. In an aristocracy people are ruled by the wealthy. You all should open you eyes and see that Trump, and his ilk, is not a man of the people. Nothing he does benefits the people.

The primary purpose of the Republican party is to create a society of haves and have nots. Liberals are not your enemies. We are trying to bring more liberty to the world, more happiness.

 

You sure use a lot of words to say nothing.

Raising your kids to know right from wrong is not authoritarian.

Here are some things that are.

1. Using the IRS to target your political rivals.. done by a liberal in the Obama administration.
2. Saying there is no crime before an investigation even behins. Done by Obama

3. Wanting to take away people's 2nd ammendment rights.

4. Wanting to take away people's first ammendment rights. Hate speech laws and forcing religious people in things that are anti religious.

5. Blocking traffic because no one cares about your political views.

6. Suggesting that people atrack Republican law makers and suggesting that they aren't welcome in public places.


I could keep going for a very long time..

Authoritarianism leading to totalitarianism comes undoubtedly from the left..


Ohh. And your atheism , yeah. That's a religion and you seem demanding that your point of view is the one that shoukd be pushed.

 

From 1965 to 2019 the poverty rate has been confined to a range between 10 and 15%.

Effective tax rates on wealthy have been steadily increasing since 1980.


The wealthy paying a higher percentage of total revenue is not stopping inequality. By the numbers it is causing it. I’m not interested in being political about it. Just following the numbers.

 

I thought you said that liberty doesn't work.

 

They should quit working for their corporate exploiters and work for themselves. Then they could keep 100% of their labor value.

 

Bologny.

The sole Monopoly of Force resides in the ruling class elite of the government. The government created corporate personhood to empower businesses and their "aristocracy" to not just better enrich themselves, but to enrich the power brokers of government even more. Without the government and the Monopoly of Force that it wields, business would not be nearly as powerful as they are today.

There is no "we the people". That is a quaint bed time story told to children to subdue their angst. It is an ancient concept that while at one time was honorable,has not stood the test of time well.

Democracy is but tyranny of the majority easily manipulate by the two party elitist ruling class to dupe people like you.

While I agree about Republicans/Conservatives (those history in France is little different than that of today) liberals and Democrats are no better. (Worse, even) Theyhave a particular lust to interfere in people's private affairs and are generally unapologetic busy bodies. While I want Conservatives to stay out of my bedroom I sure wish Liberals and Democrats would stay out of my (and everyone else's) wallets!

In short I see today's liberals as no less authoritarian as today's conservatives.

 

You contradict yourself, you say