Has The Time Come To Replace The Welfare State With Universal Basic Income?

[trastrick]

3 hours ago, El Cid said:

The Johnson Government is giving people money left, right and center; isnt that socialism? Helping your fellow man.

 

It's just how cynical politicians get elected these days. Loot the treasury to bribe the plebes with their own money.

 

Beats starting up a business, and working for a living. Politics is the quickest way to become a millionaire, these days.

 

An attractive 23 year old bartender in the States recently got elected, and she's now the architect of the Green New Deal, a $100,000,000,000,000.00 (that's one hundred trillion dollars) because she says we have only 11 years (10 now) to "save the planet!"

 

No more pouring shots for drunk businessmen and smiling for tips, for her!

 

You go girl!

 

 

[nightrider]

17 hours ago, El Cid said:

The Johnson Government is giving people money left, right and center; isnt that socialism? Helping your fellow man.

 

No. Isn't socialism completely removing capitalism? Johnson relies on a capitalist economy to keep things going.

 

Having a good welfare state is not socialism (see many european countries who have much better welfare states than the UK/USA, yet still run capitalist economies).

[El Cid]

On 21/05/2021 at 12:00, nightrider said:

No. Isn't socialism completely removing capitalism? Johnson relies on a capitalist economy to keep things going.

 

Having a good welfare state is not socialism (see many european countries who have much better welfare states than the UK/USA, yet still run capitalist economies).

Is the word socialism interpreted differently by different people, is there one set deffinition?

 

socialism - a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

 

Owned or regulated by the community as a whole, is that just the population electing MPs? But being ruled by those on the take cannot be socialism.

[carosio]

In other words, it would be illegal to own and run a business.

[RollingJ]

And what enterprises did exist would probably be of little use - and 'managed' by unqualified, probably incompetent individuals.

[apelike]

16 hours ago, El Cid said:

Is the word socialism interpreted differently by different people, is there one set deffinition?

 

socialism - a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

But in reality that's not how it works though. A socialist government takes charge of the whole lot, it creates monopolies under government control and by doing so it stops competition and innovation.  The community as a whole never have any say in any of it.

[tinfoilhat]

21 minutes ago, apelike said:

But in reality that's not how it works though. A socialist government takes charge of the whole lot, it creates monopolies under government control and by doing so it stops competition and innovation.  The community as a whole never have any say in any of it.

That's a communist government. 

[apelike]

2 hours ago, tinfoilhat said:

That's a communist government. 

No that is what socialist governments do. Communism is authoritarian and does not by and large allow for democracy, it also puts curbs on individuals freedoms and expression.

[tinfoilhat]

1 minute ago, apelike said:

No that is what socialist governments do. Communism is authoritarian and does not by and large allow for democracy, it also puts curbs on individuals freedoms and expression.

So, short of north Korea- we don't have any socialist states. 

2 minutes ago, apelike said:

No that is what socialist governments do. Communism is authoritarian and does not by and large allow for democracy, it also puts curbs on individuals freedoms and expression.

You suggested socialism is authoritarian because the community never has a say.

[apelike]

21 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

So, short of north Korea- we don't have any socialist states. 

No, not really. Communism does not have many now either.

 

Quote

You suggested socialism is authoritarian because the community never has a say.

You misunderstand, I didn't suggest socialism was authoritarian as it is democratic but when you have socialist state run monopolies like the UK had its the government that runs them so the community have no say in any of it. Unless it's the Unions of course..... 

Edited May 23, 2021 by apelike