Why Are Americans and Conservatives So Afraid of Socialism?

[Rigby5]

what does ADC stand for?

In my state the govt will pay if child support was ordered, but then the state will go after the father, and if he doesn’t pay can be held in contempt and jailed with a purge bond.

ADC means Aid to Dependent Children.
If could be the father is broke, dead, out of state, unemployed, contesting paternity, etc.
Does not really matter why, but the main and almost only welfare the federal government pays out is ADC.
The second would be for the disabled.
And again, BOTH these come from social security surplus funds, so are NOT paid by other taxes like income tax.
They come out of the FICA withholdings for social security.

 

[Kondor3]

Nope.
Socialism was a common, normal, and useful label way before 1900, in Germany and places in the US, like WI.
The label has not just nearly infinite history, but an exclusive and exact meaning that can not be replaced.
And anyone confusing it with strong central or undemocratic government, just knows nothing at all about politics or economics, and is just listening to propaganda sound bites.
What is important is to counter false propaganda, not dance around it.

I'm not arguing your points.

I'm saying that Socialism is anathema to modern-day America.

I'm not arguing that Socialism was on the table as a possibility in the 1880s and 1890s and early 1900s...

I AM positing that the Russian Revolution and 50+ years of Cold War after WWII have erased that possibility in America for generations to come...

You wishing it were otherwise does not render it thus...

 

[Rigby5]

I'm not arguing your points.

I'm saying that Socialism is anathema to modern-day America.

I'm not arguing that Socialism was on the table as a possibility in the 1880s and 1890s and early 1900s...

I AM positing that the Russian Revolution and 50+ years of Cold War after WWII have erased that possibility in America for generations to come...

You wishing it were otherwise does not render it thus...

But Russia had nothing to do with socialism.
Since Europe has been socialist for the last 50 years at least, it seems odd to reject the economic system of our allies?

 

[Kondor3]

But Russia had nothing to do with socialism.
Since Europe has been socialist for the last 50 years at least, it seems odd to reject the economic system of our allies?

Good luck selling that to the American People...

 

[Colin norris]

i am not sure what you are referring to

I don’t mind govt handouts, but govt handouts and the govt having owning a building to hold court are two different things

moreover, what those handouts are, and how they are distributed matter too.

So not sure what i am being a hypocrite about

The hypocrisy from repubmicans is they all hate anything associated with socialism but are all to happy to take anything the government give them.
Schools are a classic example. They gate teachers, they call them communists because they are unionised but won't take their children out because it's free. How's that for hypocrisy?

You know exactly what I'm referring to but won't acknowledge it.

 

[struth]

The hypocrisy from repubmicans is they all hate anything associated with socialism but are all to happy to take anything the government give them.
Schools are a classic example. They gate teachers, they call them communists because they are unionised but won't take their children out because it's free. How's that for hypocrisy?

You know exactly what I'm referring to but won't acknowledge it.

i don’t know any conservative that calls all teachers commies simply for being a teacher nor is having a public school option socialism.

the problem is you haven’t a clue what socialism is, anyone that proclaims the executive branch or judicial branch doing irs functions with police or courthouses socialism is clueless

 

[Smokin' OP]

Nope. That's the peace dividend, and Newt Gingrich is the one who passed it. You can thank Ronald Reagan for the peace dividend.

You're FOS.............................AGAIN, retard.
Reagan had nothing to do with it.
The Soviet Union dissolved 3 years after the traitor left office. (1991)

'Newt Gingrich is the one who passed it'.
So, NOOT still hated it.

In 1993, Bill Clinton undid some of the Reagan tax cuts for the wealthy, in a bill that every Republican in Congress opposed…Clinton’s 1993 increase in tax rates on high earners applied to a new wave of taxable income from corporate executives cashing in their lucrative stock options (which are taxed as wages). In fiscal 2000, the surplus peaked at $237 billion, and it remained a robust $128 billion in fiscal 2001 (Clinton’s last budget year).
Gingrich told anyone who would listen that Clinton’s 1993 tax increase would destroy the economy, but just the opposite happened.


in 1993 President Bill Clinton worked with Speaker Tom Foley (D) and Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D) to enact a law that reduced the deficit by cutting entitlement spending and raising taxes. At the time Democrats labeled this a “deficit reduction law,” while Republicans labeled it a “tax increase law.” The law passed Congress with only Democratic votes – all Republicans voted no.

May 10 1998
In recent weeks, Gingrich (R-Ga.) had been saying he wants the surplus used to reinforce Social Security, specifically by distributing it among Americans so they could establish personal retirement accounts, investments that would supplement their retirement income.

Gingrich's proposal, which would add tens of billions of dollars to any tax cuts Republicans push this year, puts him in conflict with President Clinton, who has called all year for using the surplus to strengthen Social Security.

Furthermore, you chart is trash. I noticed that you didn't post the source.

factcheck.org › 2008 › 02

It isn't the CBO because the data has been doctored by some left wing propaganda organ..

The source is the CBO, dumbass.
Aww, can't stand the truth moron.

 

[rupol2000]

lol. Because the left pro-socialist herd is exactly what the right idea itself is against.

But modern conservatives do not seem to be affected by this anymore, there are full of left-wing agents like Trump.

 

[rupol2000]

She has some good responses to these fears that I can’t do just to for a short attention span. Read the link if you want. I think these fears keep America from being a great and caring nation.

America cannot be great under the left. A slave herd cannot be a great people in principle.

All leftists fucked Americans in the ass, starting at least with Roosevelt, who took their gold and drove them into slave socialist collective farms. When Eisenhower left, the left turned America into a hippie pigsty. After Reagan left, America is back in shit, US was fucked even by pathetic terrorists in Afghanistan, and now the Europian queers look down on the Americans.

 

[Deplorable Yankee]

But muh sewer pipes,much fire house, and muh public school is socialism what are you so afraid of over and over ...

I can't wait till they starve you useful idiots to death

 

[Deplorable Yankee]

 

[DBA]

All human beings start with similar goals and values because they come from our DNA.
But the problem is too many Gordon Gekkos, who think "greed is good".
Those greedy people are not natural and can become real problems if they gain too much power, even though they are a small minority.

Greed is not the issue, envy is, and that is a hallmark of today’s Democratic Party.

 

[DBA]

Most conservatives dont know what socialism is. How man times have we seen some old guy dressed like George Washington at a tea party rally holding up a sign that read "keep you government hands off my medicare"? You know, cause he's too stupid to understand that medicare is a government program and its socialist.

A more honest sign would be "I only think taxes & socialist programs are evil when I have to actually pay for them. Stop taxing me, but let me have full access to everything other peoples taxes pay for"

You do realize that about 50% of the population in the US pays no income taxes, right? Wanna bet what percentage of those folks are Democrats who vote for the top 50% to “pay their fair share” as they want more and more? Yeah, you are very confused.

 

[DBA]

The hypocrisy from repubmicans is they all hate anything associated with socialism but are all to happy to take anything the government give them.
Schools are a classic example. They gate teachers, they call them communists because they are unionised but won't take their children out because it's free. How's that for hypocrisy?

You know exactly what I'm referring to but won't acknowledge it.

It is Republicans who advocate for school choice and Republicans who would be more than willing to abolish the Federal Board of Education. Give most Republicans a choice to send their kids to public school or allow them to take the tax money they pay and apply it to a private school and most would do the latter in skinny minute.

 

[citygator]

America cannot be great under the left. A slave herd cannot be a great people in principle.

All leftists fucked Americans in the ass, starting at least with Roosevelt, who took their gold and drove them into slave socialist collective farms. When Eisenhower left, the left turned America into a hippie pigsty. After Reagan left, America is back in shit, US was fucked even by pathetic terrorists in Afghanistan, and now the Europian queers look down on the Americans.

Country doesn’t change that much from administration to administration. Your life hasn’t changed one way for the worse since Orange Fatty left. What has changed is the fear you live in 24/7 about the world. It shows in your post. You gain comfort and fear easily simply based on elected officials. It’s the underlying organizing principle of the right: FEAR.

 

[bripat9643]

You're FOS.............................AGAIN, retard.
Reagan had nothing to do with it.
The Soviet Union dissolved 3 years after the traitor left office. (1991)

Only morons believe that the cause of an economic event immediately proceeds it.

'Newt Gingrich is the one who passed it'.
So, NOOT still hated it.

In 1993, Bill Clinton undid some of the Reagan tax cuts for the wealthy, in a bill that every Republican in Congress opposed…Clinton’s 1993 increase in tax rates on high earners applied to a new wave of taxable income from corporate executives cashing in their lucrative stock options (which are taxed as wages). In fiscal 2000, the surplus peaked at $237 billion, and it remained a robust $128 billion in fiscal 2001 (Clinton’s last budget year).
Gingrich told anyone who would listen that Clinton’s 1993 tax increase would destroy the economy, but just the opposite happened.

Only ignoramuses believe tax increases are good for the economy.

in 1993 President Bill Clinton worked with Speaker Tom Foley (D) and Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D) to enact a law that reduced the deficit by cutting entitlement spending and raising taxes. At the time Democrats labeled this a “deficit reduction law,” while Republicans labeled it a “tax increase law.” The law passed Congress with only Democratic votes – all Republicans voted no.

It didn't reduce spending of any kind, moron. A tax increase is what it was. That was the bill for "midnight basketball."

May 10 1998
In recent weeks, Gingrich (R-Ga.) had been saying he wants the surplus used to reinforce Social Security, specifically by distributing it among Americans so they could establish personal retirement accounts, investments that would supplement their retirement income.

Gingrich's proposal, which would add tens of billions of dollars to any tax cuts Republicans push this year, puts him in conflict with President Clinton, who has called all year for using the surplus to strengthen Social Security.


factcheck.org › 2008 › 02

The source is the CBO, dumbass.
Aww, can't stand the truth moron.

Hmmm, yeah. So?

And then the moron cites a fact check site even after the have been proven to be hoaxes.

 

[bripat9643]

Country doesn’t change that much from administration to administration. Your life hasn’t changed one way for the worse since Orange Fatty left. What has changed is the fear you live in 24/7 about the world. It shows in your post. You gain comfort and fear easily simply based on elected officials. It’s the underlying organizing principle of the right: FEAR.

It has changed by a big chunk, but morons like you refuse to acknowledge it

 

[Bush92]

What an interesting blog article on American ideas about civil responsibility and the knee jerk reaction of Americans generally, and Conservatives specifically, to fear community welfare and immediately associate it with socialism or communism. It led to her asking “What are you so afraid of?”, and she received 5 specific groups of fears:

1. I’m scared of having to pay for other people’s laziness
2. I’m scared because I don’t trust my government or other people generally
3. I’m scared because socialism leads to authoritarianism
4. I’m scared because socialists and communists kill a lot of people
5. I’m not scared, socialism always fails

She has some good responses to these fears that I can’t do just to for a short attention span. Read the link if you want. I think these fears keep America from being a great and caring nation.

Why Are Americans and Conservatives So Afraid of Socialism?
I went a little bit viral on TikTok recently for voicing the unthinkable: I said that I like paying taxes. As you might imagine, the Americans and Conservatives in my comment section were shocked and appalled. The words communist and socialist were thrown around like insults, images of gulags and famine were invoked to prove some kind of vague and poorly-articulated point about freedom.

In contrast, the (predominantly western/northern) Europeans seemed to find my explanation pretty fair and even stopped to correct me on some of the finer points of Scottish, Scandinavian and German socialist democracy.

What shocked me, however, was not that so many Americans and Conservatives seemed to misunderstand fundamental aspects of civil life — like taxation — but that so many seemed so vehemently opposed to any suggestion that we should all contribute to the collective welfare of our countrymen.

Curiosity piqued, yesterday I made the mistake of asking Americans and Conservatives: “What is it about communism/socialism that scares you?” Here’s what they said.

Because we love freedom.

 

[Colin norris]

It is Republicans who advocate for school choice and Republicans who would be more than willing to abolish the Federal Board of Education.
Of course they would. They regard them as socialists and teaching kids about communism.


Give most Republicans a choice to send their kids to public school or allow them to take the tax money they pay and apply it to a private school and most would do the latter in skinny minute.

Bullshit. They still want to sponge off the government while simultaneously moaning about socialism. You are all hypocrits.

 

[citygator]

It has changed by a big chunk, but morons like you refuse to acknowledge it

Like I said. Only in your mind. I suggest opening up your information sources more broadly as well as pursuing some additional formal education. You’ll be better prepared to battle your fears.