What would a socialist America look like?

[danielpalos]

That's fine, but the same point applies. Government control (and that's a good word here) of the economy also exists on a continuum. The question is where, and that is ultimately decided at the ballot box.

There's plenty of space between 100% socialism and none.
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Are you sure?

What about during periods of transition or in places where there is no government to speak of. Somalia, Peshawar and parts of Afghanistan I've been in are ungovernable. The government has little if any impact on the people there let alone an economy yet it functions fine. During the transition from USSR to failed state, the economy went from total control to zero, yet somehow people bought food, goods and services. Economies can exist entirely without government. In our prison system the inmates have their own economy. Sure it's based on Ramen Noodles and ass blood, but the prison itself can't control it.

Economies and governments are not contingent upon each other, although government cannot exist without economy. Trade between people can exist without a government. It did for most of our existence. There was NO SOCIALISM until the late 1700's as it's defined, it wasn't even a concept drawn out until Engels came along.. So if you ask me, we were better off when there was none.

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Our Space Race and all the spinoff technologies we are benefitting from are due to Command Economics not free market economics.

 

[cutter]

It is about economics, not selfish points of view.

Higher paid labor pays more in taxes and creates more in demand. Unemployment compensation for simply being unemployed, solves simple poverty and is more cost effective than any form of means testing for welfare.

We could be lowering our tax burden by increasing the efficiency of our economy.

It seems that paying people not to work would encourage them to keep not working.

Not hiring everyone who asks, also encourages people to not work. Capitalism has a Natural rate of unemployment.

Not at all. When I left the Marine Corps I applied for probably more than 100 positions that told me no, and that happening did not make me want to just quit working, it lead me to try harder and make the choice to expand my skill set and education.

A natural rate of unemployment is a good thing, there needs to be a certain amount of people ready to fill new positions. A natural rate of unemployment is the churning of the work force and is a good thing. People that choose to be "long time unemployed" are the problem

Thats noble, Gator.

Seems common sense to me. Got out 9 years ago, in the depths of the recession. All those briefs I went to as part of my separation where they told us everyone wanted to hire a Vet were petty much bullshit, or at least during the recession it was. My wife and looked at our situation and said this was not acceptable. In the next 4 years I finished the bachelors I started while still in the Corps, and got my Masters. My wife went back to school and got her RN which she has now turned into a BSN. Since that time our family income has gone from not much above poverty level to being in the top 10%.

The idea that people saying they did not want to hire me would make me want to sit on my ass is just stupid.

Thats because you have ambition, sadly lacking in much of society nowdays.