Now I feel like a local - our first lawsuit ;)

[steveinbsas]

You're a pretty angry person. I have better things to do man.

How could you possibly know if I'm angry?

I am very happy after closing on my house last Friday.

If you have better things to do, perhaps you will stop replying to this thread.

Especially if it means you have to admit an error.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Lenin would have called Michael Moore a useful idiot for saying this:

http://www.breitbart.tv/michael-moo...tional-resource-we-need-to-take-it-from-them/

Ayn Rand identified the the scapegoat as the businessman.

Today it's anyone who is "RICH" (those making more than 250K per year, even if they don't "own" a business).

The idea that their wealth is community property and should be seized is the essence of communism.

I wonder if Michael Moore thinks his wealth is exempt form his own assertions. Or if he can dodge a bullet to the head if and when they come for him.

The major problem is that the foundation (money) of socialism, communism, and capitalism doesn't work. Money is printed at will. It's inherently valueless. Furthermore, in capitalism the needs of people are only met with when a "wealthy" group of people sees that it's profitable. And in socialism and communism, the needs of people are only met when a politician decides that it is advantageous. How could any of these systems be called "democratic"? How do any of these systems "economize" anything? Capitalism thrives on consumption and waste. Companies and governments profit from problems. In Argentina, if there were no problems with "inseguridad," where would all of the security guys get jobs?If there were fewer sick and dying people, what would we do with all of the doctors and nurses out of work?

We need to change our value system... and fast.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Don't you see any difference in the "foundation" of capitalsim (a free society) as oposed to any form of collectivism (socialism and communism)?


Hint: the answer is individual (including property) rights...which apply only to actions: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...and not to things (including health care). The right to "own" (use and dispose of) property is also an action.

You can have property rights, and not have capitalism. All three of those systems are far from a "free society." Is the United States a "free society"? Money buys the media. Money buys good education. Money buys good health care. Money buys quality food. And if you have no money and live in a capitalist, socialist or communist society? You might just have a vote -- if you're lucky. However, what good is a vote if you're misinformed, uneducated, sick, and malnourished? At least a dictatorship is straight up with you about you being its slave. Capitalism gives us the illusion that we're free, and socialism and communism give us the illusion that we matter. In reality, they're all evil, and a threat to any sort of "free society" that we both desire.

 

[StevePalermo]

Intellectually, yes.

Thank you!

Noted that you edited your previous post, and that you're backtracking somewhat. Maybe you should stop digging that hole now, it's making you look a bit daft.

 

[igor]

... and capitalism doesn't work. Money is printed at will. It's inherently valueless.

Here is a bit grotesque explanation of what money really is. Whether printed or digged or carved from stone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yap#Stone_money

 

[JoeBlow]

I'm afraid situations like this have become the vogue. Employers are becoming afraid to hire anyone any more, simply because the employees have more rights than the employers. Businesses are becoming the pariahs of this country. I don't know what the employees will do when there are no more employers; protest I suppose.

We really need to stop thinking of this as "businesses" vs "the employees". That's just like the people in Argentina who complain about the "bad government", and lament that the aren't more "good people" in positions of power: it's the old "us" and "them" mentality.

The problem with the us vs them mentality is that it doesn't let us see that people on either "side" can and do act in their own best interest (screw people over) at any given moment.

We need to stop mutually screwing ourselves over and start realizing that we all need and want the same things in life; I think the law of the jungle is medieval and must be done away with.

I know it sounds trite, but we'll have to mature some day.

For the record, "these situations" are not becoming the vogue; they have been standard practice for many years.

 

[John.St]

I did read the first part. I was pointing out that it was kind of dumb to accuse the worker of having part of his salary in negro. She would be indirectly accepting fault for tax evasion (paying him in negro).

Not accuse, threat to accuse - makes a big difference.

 

[John.St]

... Capitalism gives us the illusion that we're free, and socialism and communism give us the illusion that we matter. In reality, they're all evil, and a threat to any sort of "free society" that we both desire.

The problem with this (political, economic) kind of -isms is that they are incomplete models of the world, and their proponents try to change the world to fit their incomplete models.

 

[John.St]

We really need to stop thinking of this as "businesses" vs "the employees". That's just like the people in Argentina who complain about the "bad government", and lament that the aren't more "good people" in positions of power: it's the old "us" and "them" mentality.

The problem with the us vs them mentality is that it doesn't let us see that people on either "side" can and do act in their own best interest (screw people over) at any given moment.

We need to stop mutually screwing ourselves over and start realizing that we all need and want the same things in life; I think the law of the jungle is medieval and must be done away with...

As far as I can see, the main problem in Argentina is that the majority of the population haven't yet made the transition from a feeling of being immigrants to being citizens together with the other Argentinos.

It is also my impression that the reason socially responsible capitalism works so well in Scandinavia is that the "we"s see "them" as part of the same tribe, a sort of cousins umpteen times removed, but still their cousins.

 

[Guillo]

Not accuse, threat to accuse - makes a big difference.

"Dont sue me or I'll incriminate myself!"

I'd say the threat value of that is one of the lowest I've ever seen