>From Grok: > As the smoke cleared, OrionWorks <[email protected]> > mounted the barricade and roared out:
>> Grok sez to Terry: >> >> > On the contrary -- capitalism very much DOES relate to fascism. NOST >> > directly so. And of COURSE socialism relates to communism! However I >> > doubt very much if you understand the first thing about that. >> >> Ah, I see another informative political lecture is about to ramp up >> for our viewing pleasure... or perhaps not. > > Ya, I doubt it too. However the fact remains that the main stumbling > block to the advance of society today -- and certainly to OU 'fringe > science' and tek -- remains the present social order, with its rather > brutal and short-sighted focus on short-term profit return. > > We really require that "vision thing", you know..? > Interesting speculation, Grok. FWIW: I don't claim to be a Political Science expert. Speaking specifically of socialism, and looking through rosy spectacles, Scandinavian countries come to mind. Most of these European countries tend to tax the hell out of their citizens. Despite the on-going indignity of having one's wallet continuously raped, I get the impression that most of its citizens do not appear to be revolting against a tax bracket that is often in excess of 50%. The only logical conclusion that makes any sense to me is that most must feel that they are getting what they are paying for. They must feel they are receiving adequate returns on their investments. Yet, there remains a constant struggle to define what makes one truly happy. For example, let's take Sweden in more detail: See: http://www.essortment.com/all/governmentswede_rbfh.htm Exerpt: ----------------------------------------------------------- It is hard to argue that Sweden’s all-encompassing health care hasn’t benefited the average Swede in some ways: infant mortality is low (3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births) and life expectancy high (79.08 years). Paid parental leave is available to all Swedes, female and male. Yet many Swedes complain that their health care system is a bureaucratic nightmare, with long waits for doctors’ appointments and even surgeries, and little choice for patients when it comes to things like choice of doctor. Every time Swedes have voted in a nonsocialist prime minister, they seem [to] regret it, and in only a few years revert to the socialist system that most have been raised in. ----------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, I've spent most of my adult life living and working within a capitalist system. I neither love capitalism, nor do I hate it, nor do I perceive it as an inherently evil system. It simply IS, and I'm used to it. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. From what I can tell, no political system is perfect. In the end it always seems to come down to: You get what you pay for. Personally I'm inclined to believe that many within the United States cling to a ridiculous notion that they will be better off (happier) if they are taxed less. Paying less taxes, they assume, means they will have more purchasing power to buy more "stuff". The illusion is that one perceives wealth, power, or freedom, as being in possession of a fat bank account that allows one to buy all the "stuff" they believe that will make them happy because someone told them that being in possession of such "stuff" is what they really need in order to be happy. Ironically, the exact opposite often seems to happen for many after they are lucky enough to accumulate all the "stuff" they were told would make them happy. Now one is faced with all those worries about all that "stuff" that needs to be maintained or protected from everyone else who now covets their "stuff.". IMHO, this country will eventually need to perform a serious amount of self-reflection on what makes itself happy. I would predict that many who might embark on such a task might be devastated to discover that what they thought would make them happy (if they were to get it) actually wouldn't So then... what does make one happy? And what is wealth? Can one find true happiness ONLY if we were all to rise up and overthrow the evil bourgeois system we all live under so that the correct one can be installed? That's a topic for another discussion. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
