So you consider the whole of Europe not to be socialist countries? Or do you consider all European countries to be on the verge of dictatorship?
If your definition of socialist is equal to communist, then there are no more soclist countries and we agree it doesn't work... But that's not at all the universally accepted definition of socialism.
Socialism is about the redistribution of the wealth to ensure that the poorest citizens who have not been provided with the right opportunities get a chance to make a decent living. This includes first the universal right to healthcare because we, citizens of socialist countries, think it's an absolute failure of civilization when people die on the street out of easily curable diseases. I see socialism as a structural embodiment of empathy. As explained before, this is in no way opposed to free enterprise and market developments. As it turns out, Europe is a lot more aligned with free market principles than the US under Trump.
The level of taxation in Europe is higher than in the US, not the difference isn't that large. The key differences are how money is being spent and the structure of taxation as a result of the level of wealth (and taxation on income vs on assets). On the former, the US focuses a lot of expenditures on its defense lobby without this being subject to much public debate as far as I can tell, while Europe uses its taxes to deliver services to its citizens, starting with proper healthcare, good public transportation,... this is the result of an incredible turn of fate in which private corporations in the US (again centered on the defense lobby) have formed to public mindset to be both anti-state and pro-defense spending... which when you think of it is a totally loosing proposition for most citizens. You pay a lot of taxes and are not getting anything out of it unless you are invested in the defense lobby... and you are super happy about that. Very smart...
in the mean time black kids die everyday in the ghettos of Los Angeles out of drug abuse, drugs that are being let in by supportive police forces... the US having a rate of people in jail 5 times higher than any other developed country (an incredible 0.7% of the population in the US is in jail), against mostly black people. So that non social state is working great for the poorest citizens in the country... very impressive. From a European standpoint we wonder... how do you justify to yourself on moral grounds the support to a system based on selfishness that results in such a high % of your fellow citizens left out to die in prisons? Do you think it's they fault? Don't you think you would be better off with a little less money and more happy fellow citizens?
So yes, it is complex. Not even close to the oversimplification of the world between lefties and righties.
Cheers,
Bernard
There is a conservative radio host in the USA named Dennis Prager who is found of saying, I don't need agreement, I just need clarity. You provided some nice clarity, until you got to talking about black kids in ghettos. Why not just people in ghettos? Lets keep skin color out of it, or I will need to start siting psychological studies on the effect of single parent households, including the recent landmark study that showed even if you are raised in a dual parent household but in a neighborhood with a majority of single parent households, you still will not escape the effects. Then we will need to start talking about cross racial statistics on the rate of single family households and the history in the rates of decline, pointing out that in fact one particular racial group had higher rates of dual parent households prior to the 1960s but now has the highest rate in single parent households. Then that leads to what happened in the 60s that encouraged this devolution. It becomes a whole can worms.
But anyway, getting back to your other points. It is not nice to see people die on the streets from easily curable diseases, but that is not what I see. As a matter of fact, I dont see much of anyone living or dying on the street. Philadelphia does not have a big homeless problem. I see the occasional vagabond staking out a spot on Callowhill Street, under 676, but we have a lot of privately operated shelters in the city. I've actually been hire to photograph a couple. On top of that, it is illegal to live on the streets in Philly, which helps officers to get these people to except help and go to the shelters. Now in LA or San Fran, I hear a lot of discouraging news. But it appears to be brought on by giving people too much carrot and not using enough stick. Of course, using too much stick and not enough carrot has it's problems, which is why I support private shelters.
On defense, I agree we spend way too much on defense. If I was in charge, we would be a near isolationist country. I would have us pull out of NATO and the middle east, and mostly anywhere else. Perhaps provide help to Israel when needed, but they bested three countries at once in the 1967 War and appear to be able to handle themselves, and a few other choice allies.
Insofar as the prison debate, as I alluded to above, I believe the route cause to much of the increase in the prison rate to be related to the increase in single parent households along with the devolution of family structure and basic societal structures, like church. (Note, I am an atheist and cant stand the hocus pocus of any religion, so it is quite difficult for me to side with the conservative right on this. I do believe the increase in non-secularism is a contributing factor, even though I have no plans of joining any churches.) So, by the time they reach adulthood, it is kind of baked into the cake. Now I am not an Inspector Javert here and feel redemption is beyond possibility, but I do insist on holding adults responsible for there actions and expect them to pay for their sins. (I am also for the death penally in case you are wondering.) Money and time would be better spent on trying to instill basic societal structures, like promoting marriage and raising kids in in two parent households. However, many elites promote the idea that marrage does not need to be for everyone and two parent households are not necessarily needed, even though most (83%) reap the financial benefits of being married.
