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Socialism is absolutely not "bad." In fact, we use it effectively in many ways right here. Our
fire departments, police departments, military, and some water utilities are socialized. We all pay
for them, because we all understand that we need them. This is the guiding principle.
Capitalism is terrific for creating competition, which in turn creates diverse products and spurs
improvement. Yet, there are realms where capitalism is harmful. Imagine having private fire
departments. If you can't see the problems there, you aren't thinking hard enough. Socialism
should be applied to those areas that we all can agree that we need, and especially where profit
creates negative incentives.
Things I believe fall under this umbrella: BASIC (I stress basic because undoubtedly someone will
try to claim I'm advocating that the government pay for your ice cream) food, water, shelter, and
health care services, as well as education and general well-being (this would be your fire, police,
military). We actually already do most of these things, but certain areas need to be improved, most
specifically health care and education. |
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No I don't think socialism is a bad thing, if not taken too far. Lots of people seem to confuse it
with communism and the USSR - its like saying Democracy is bad because the Weimar Republic failed.
Here in Britain, socialism has given us the thing we can be most proud of - the NHS. The ideal that
nobody should suffer because they don't have money is incredibly powerful.
Nationalisation also gave us the BBC, and British Rail - far more efficient than often remembered.
One very important complaint against socialism - that it takes money away from the hard working rich
and gives it to the lazy poor. You may have noticed the trouble here - the poor aren't all lazy; the
rich aren't all hard working. The socialist ideal I aspire to is that nobody should be disadvantaged
by misfortune - whether being born into a poor family, being sacked unfairly, and so on. The only
way this can happen is if the rich pay their fair share, and the poor pay less.
If taken too far, as I said, socialism doesn't work. The nationalisation of industry is, on the
whole, a bad thing in my opinion, except when the service that industry supplies is vital to the
country or the people. However, if taken too far, capitalism is equally as bad. That's why even in
the States there's a general admittance that (for example) poor people who can't afford health care
should at least have SOME help - even if this thought isn't taken to its logical, socialist,
conclusion. |
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Most of the major theories of government and/or society have positive aspects but few actually
function well if taken to the extreme. Socialism I think should definitely help characterize the
nature of any number of public works without necessarily being the driving economic function behind
society. There are no true socialisms, capitalisms, democracies, or communisms in the world, no
matter what they may call themselves, there are only government and economic bureaucracies that lean
towards one or more ideal and functionality. |
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I wouldn't say socialism is bad but there are many concepts i don't agree with. The main one being
its desire to shape all areas of the public and its strong association with interventionism.
Socialism fears the people and so tries to control them, clearly gives priority to the workers, does
not believe in being materially rewarded for hard work, and ignores individual value and enterprise. |
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No socialism is not bad, I do not no much about the American governmental system but in the UK it
has done brilliantly things all socialism is, is something like a welfare sate like Britain, we have
the NHS which pays for peoples medical bills poor or rich which makes peoples lives much easier. |
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30 May 2008 13:20
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