Socialist countries less corrupted

[darkdog]

I am not saying that we should just give government the power to control us - it doesn't work that way - but for tea baggers to say that socialism = corruption need to look at those countries. They're been socialist for several decades. It works just fine.

Sorry to be slow to reply. It's been busy. Those countries really aren't that socialist if they are among the most economically free countries in the world. Their medical industries may be socialized, which takes off points, but other than that, people are pretty free on an individual basis to make whatever economic decisions they want.

As far as this country goes, I would venture to say that the more power the government has, the more corruption we'll see. And the health care proposals are designed to control us. If you don't have insurance (or even if you do but it's not government-approved), you will be fined and there will be no due process to protest the fine. If you do not pay it, you go to prison. That's control.

 

[flip]

Singapore and Switzerland are far from "socialist" countries. A regulated economy is something, and socialism something else. A socialist country can still include neo-capitalism. The meaning of socialism can vary.

I have lived in usa and europe, and I can with no doubt say that the europeans in some of the so called socialist countries in this list are enjoying much more freedom, both economical and physical, than the average american. What strikes me with the american goverment, is that they protects the industry and a market in a way that makes it possible to get very rich. This kind of protection are common in facists states. The protection of the individual is more a socialism thing. Americans have allways had some socialism in their system, too, like most other countries, but the cold war seems to have left the americans with a strange relationship with the term socialism.

One perhaps have to live in europe for a while to spot the limits the american citizens live under. But what impresses me with americans, is how free they feel they are. It's also funny how some europeans, even if they live in a unregulated economy, seems trapped by traditions and the history.

Operating with "socialism versus captialism" does not make sense at all. Reading a book or two will reveal that the opposite of socialism have allways been facism. Those teabaggers really have a flawed rethoric.