OK monster.
There are many countries that have “Socialist” policies enacted.
I’m not going to comment on all of them, but I’ll comment on the ones I know best.
In Ireland we have: Free Education (and one of the best Education systems in Europe.) We have Semi-State run Transport, Forestry and natural Resources, Semi State Telecommunications (as well as private companies).
These are “Socialist” policies, but they are there to aid the people directly. I’m sure that whatever type of democracy is in power, they enact items like this all the time. you have nothing to fear by them.
Many European Countries have similar policies, but few have socialist governments.
Cas: I thought that by trying to educate them I was fighting ignorance.
I just wanted to add that I think the choice of terminology here is not very helpful. If you choose to characterise something as ‘socialist’ it brings up very misleading Eastern Bloc connotations. Seems to me that if you are brought up to associate as ‘socialist’ these otherwise practical economic solutions to national problems (that the pure free market can’t satisfactorily resolve) , you are, to some extent, the victim of corporate propaganda.
The free market doesn’t work well for education (witness America’s socialist public school system), nor many other functions of the modern State. The primary difference between the US and almost every other industrialised country is, IMHO, lies in the determinion of the question: At what stage the Government should intervene to correct market inefficiency ?
The US has traditionally had a higher tolerance for free market inefficiencies than their European counterparts and, historically, European’s have been overly keen on State intervention (witness Nationalised Industries - something that has now been largely addressed).
It’s about two things: Addressing free market inefficiencies and the concept of social inclusion - both of which are a very long way from practicing some dated and proven to be flawed political ideology.
The US has traditionally had a higher toleration for free market inefficiency *as it applies to social inclusion (i.e Inclusion is a concept that has been more historically more highly regarded elsewhere *) that have European counterparts and Europeans have, historically, been overly keen on State intervention (something that has now been partially addressed)
Looking back, I see now that my “And another thing…” post to Monster104 should NOT have had the “pretty please” line in it. It was wholly inappropriate. Even though this is the pit, Monster104 was arguing, not flaming. I shouldn’t have done either. I’m sorry.
But the reason I did (not the excuse, the reason) was because I took the “basic human rights” personally. There are some US posters here, Monster104 not among them, who keep insisting there is only One Way Of Life. Yes Major Feelgud, I’m talking about you.
Monster, I saw your location in your profile, and I agree with Randy. Hell, if Eddie and Alex chose to live there, it can’t be all bad.
[sup]For those of you without any sense of what’s what: Randy Newman, E. & A. Van Halen.[/sup]
I liked your very succinct and fair breakdown of Bush and Gore on the first page of this thread. I like a person who can be rational even when discussing an opponent.
To my fellow Americans on the board -
To be fair to Quincy (any idea why he was banned? I have to admit, I haven’t read the whole thread yet), he is just stating an opinion, one he repeatedly admits isn’t perfect and one I bet was shaped by our own pop culture. My pen pal in England told me “Dallas” and “Dynasty” were pretty popular a few years back. No wonder some Euros have a low opinion of us…
And for those complaining how uninformed Quincy is, I’m impressed that he even knows common stereotypes about us. Pop quiz: name me one characteristic about Romania. Or Luxembourg. Or any other Euro country besides England, which we Yanks know a bit about through their pop culture (“The Full Monty,” etc.). I sure can’t do it without great difficulty. These are not perfect images of each other’s countries, but it’s better than nothing.
As for his knowing/not knowing much about Bush or Gore, here’s another pop quiz: name three European leaders, not including British PM Tony Blair. Who did they run against in their last election? What we some of their election promises? You get the picture.
And please don’t get upset with Quincy for wanting an American president he feels will be better for the whole world while we Americans pick whoever we think is best for the country. Obviously he’s going to have different concerns than us, and he’s quite right when he says whoever leads the U.S. will have far more impact on the rest of the world than whoever leads France (whose name and politics I too know nothing about). That’s kinda like getting upset with a guy who knows or cares little about “feminine itching” - its just not his experience, so why should he be as concerned about it as a woman would be?
“And I just can’t believe the episode where some guy tosses your brother the keys. For one thing, no one says “Boy” anymore, even to a servant.”
Unfortunately, that story rang all too true for me.
A few years ago, the Honorable Judge Nathaniel Jones (a respected federal judge) taught a civil rights class here at the law school, which I sat in on. He couldn’t make it one day so his daughter, also a lawyer and professor, filled in for him and told the following story…
Judge Jones and two white men (also judges) were standing just outside a hotel that Jones was going to give a lecture in that weekend. Keep in mind, he was already in his 50s at the time and was wearing a suit and trenchcoat. As they chatted, waiting for a cab or some such thing, a young white lawyer came up to the judge and asked him to get his car for him. HE THOUGHT THE JUDGE WAS A VALET!!! He wasn’t even wearing a valet uniform! I bet the lawyer felt REAL stupid later when he attended the lecture Jones was giving!
So I can easily see this happening - just because racist shit in this country isn’t as acceptable as it was 50 years ago doesn’t mean we’ve gotten ride of the racists.
Maybe I should show you the post I wrote about the racist campus cop…
Uh, do you even know what a narcotic is? It’s a drug that makes you sleepy. Narc = sleep. (e.g. narcolepsy, narcosis). Heroin is a narcotic. Marijuana is not. Actually, alcohol would fit the bill for this term much better than pot. Give one guy 7 beers and another guy 7 joints and see who can stay up the longest. My money’s on the pothead.
I know that the U.S. government likes to parade pot around under the guise of a narcotic. Perhaps they think it sounds more sinister. Whatever the case, they suckered you in good.
Oh, and you know what? You’re right. There haven’t been any studies that proved marijuana has the same effects as alcohol. According to the World Health Organization, pot is actually less dangerous that alcohol or tobacco. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
