Say what? Judge…Judy Rand?
What? Socialism is good? Bad? Spoils the punch?
Love a challenge, but gimme a teeny hint.
Regards, 'Uigi
Well, it’s a country in Europe.
I’ll take “European Socialists” for $200, Alex.
What is Sweden?
jayjay
I like it. A lot.
They should definitely use heavily-armed giant robots for transportation and aforementioned extreme measures. Upon settling every dispute, they shall trace the sign of the dollar upon the air, and after an appropriate moment of reverential silence, climb back into their LiberMechs, and stride into the sunset.
“Live long and profit, sovereign individual! I must needs be on my way; somewhere, there is an initiation of force being committed!”
<whirrrrTHUD THUD THUD>
“Galt, Galt! Come back, Galt! I love you, Galt! Goodbye! We’ll never forget you!”
jayjay:
You now have control of the board.
Matt:
Canada doesn’t count as Socialist. I have a major bone to pick with Canadians on this issue. It really pisses me off. As members of the British Commonwealth Canadians can move to the Bahamas and live tax-free.
It pisses me off because I wanna move to the Bahamas and live tax-free.
Anyway, any country where you can do that is by definition not socialist no matter what kind of medical plan they have.
Actually, the news sources that I use are fairly accurate. I think you’re taking a pretty big tarbrush to the “media” and your argument has a mess of holes in it.
Conservatives always get the good treatment?
The media doesn’t want to take on the NRA?
Business as usual for Charleton Heston during the Columbine incident?
Are you sure that you are on the same planet that I’m on? (called Earth, 3rd of the Sol system)?
The scenario that frightens me is that of a paternalistic, controlling government that knows exactly what is best for everyone. Populated by people that will tell me how to behave, how to live, what kind of car to drive, what kind of thoughts to think, how I should spend my money (the little left after taxes and income redistribution), etc. I’ll take the system we have now in favor of the approaches that the Socialists have.
Well, great. Now I have this image of Communist Pokemon stuck in my brain.
Leninchu, I choose you! Sickle attack!
Well thank you Scylla. That was more support than I had any [pun]right[/pun] to expect from the conservative section of the audience.
'Uigi, you and I are never going to like each other. I think I might form a tag team with matt_mcl, and challenge you to a rumble in the pit. matt? you in?
I think this became a GD thread a long time ago… I seem to have that effect on the pit, at least in my own threads. I argue this way in person, too. I’m told it’s actually pretty infuriating, at least if a person is hell-bent on giving me a verbal thrashing.
MarxBoy
The kid reminds me of the idealist anti-social anarchist days of my youth…before I sold out and became a tool of the establishment.
You have to admire Marxboy’s intelligence and idealism. When you’re young and full of an earnest desire to aid humanity, Socialism sounds like a great way to erase social inequality. Eventually, after they get their graduate degrees and land jobs with good pay and benefits, maybe have a chance to invest in mutual funds and blue chip stocks, Marxboy, Matt, and other good folks will still remain compassionate leftists who want to improve the world around them, but they will probably no longer be Socialists because they will have realized that an economic system favoring equal distribution of resources can never work when human nature favors conniving, selfishness and the desire to be rewarded for one’s efforts. In the meantime, I’d much rather they be Socialists than Young Republicans.
I’m reminded of something Clemenceau was supposed to have said about his son turning Socialist: “If he had not turned Socialist at twenty, I would have thought he had no heart; if he is still a Socialist at forty, I will think he has no head.”
I’m going to stay out of the entire “Socialism is the best thing in the world because capitalists want to make us all slaves” vs. “But, under Socialism we’d all have to grow Stalin mustaches and learn the Mazurka, and I don’t dance” debate, except to point out that not all socialists are communists.
As to the OP, it doesn’t sound like the girl’s father is bad , so much as he’s ignorant, which probably makes it a good thing you passed out the pamphlets.
Finally some one said it. Every single time that i have discussed socialism in public, some moron comes up and starts talking about commies. Will you people think for yourselves and stop being brainwashed? freakin’ McCarthy is long dead, its okay to think for yourselves now!
btw, i am for socialized medicine and similar “public good” programs, but not a full implementation of socialism. So don’t try that “love it or leave it” crap with me, it wouldn’t work anyway, since the best part about this country is i don’t have to leave it, so neiner neiner neiner!!!
I can move to the Bahamas and live tax-free?!? Why doesn’t anybody tell us this stuff?
Well, that is assuming of course that any sane rational being would accept Marxism. I can discuss it while relaxed, however. You might note I have not taken the pit stance of flaming.
Much like all symbol-systems, they seem to pale in comparison to the actual things being represented. The content of my name could very well be “Armchair Philosopher”, “erislover,” “POEEpope,” etc etc. Some posters have names here that don’t represent anything in particular at all, how would you argue with them?
I think the all-exclusive use of “ever EVER” is still in error. Were this great debates I would even take the time to back it up. Instead, I will merely mention that I only brought up Hitler to show that it was a bad argument against socialism, much like attacking the media is a bad argument agaisnt capitalism.
Guin
Godwin’s Law: prov. [Usenet] “As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” There is a tradition in many groups that, once this occurs, that thread is over, and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever argument was in progress. Godwin’s Law thus practically guarantees the existence of an upper bound on thread length in those groups. However there is also a widely- recognized codicil that any intentional triggering of Godwin’s Law in order to invoke its thread-ending effects will be unsuccessful.
Does it count if I was using it negatively? 
Needless to say, my impression of socialism has nothing to do with the Hitlers of the past.
And yet they stay…
Err, Scylla, I don’t fully understand the logic here. Are you arguing Canada’s not socialist because:
- Canadians can move to the Bahamas
or - Bahamanians don’t pay taxes?
A canadian is a member of the British Commonwealth under whose rules, income tax is determined by geographic habitation.
A canadian can move within the commonwealth, retain their original citizenship and comply with local tax laws without penalties. The bahaman Islands within the British Commonwealth have no income taxes. Therefore, a Canadian can move there and maintain their citizenship without paying taxes.
Capitalism at its best.
Scylla,
I thought the Commonwealth was simply a loose grouping of nations, most of which (if not all) used to be ruled by the UK.
I doubt that anyone from e.g. Nigeria can just move to England, without a visa.
Are you sure Canadians don’t need a visa to visit the Bahamas?
Scylla, that may have once been true. However, the Commonwealth is now a grouping of sovereign states, much like the UN or the Francophonie, only a very few of which states are still colonies of Great Britain. The only ties Canada retains to Britain are certain ceremonial ones (Queen as head of state, etc.) I very much doubt that the Bahamas dodge still applies if in fact it ever did.
Mattmcl:
Actually I read about it as a technique used by a few wealthy Canadian celebrities to shelter their income. It’s similar to wealthy English changing their residence to Ireland, and works under the same principle as Municipal Bonds, here in the U.S. I.E. that various members of the Commonwealth do not tax each other.
I have no idea if it’s actually true, but I thought bringing it up would qualify as gratuitous cheap-shot at Canadian Socialism.
Now, I’m curious if it is true. I think there might be something to it, because the context of the statement was referring to certain Canadian Pro Wrestlers who earn the bulk of their income in the U.S, and are subject to double taxation on a portion of it. Changing their official residence supposedly does this.