American capitalism gone with a whimper

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

It wasn't a big deal in the Soviet Republics either.

Pull the other one.

You said "how naive can you be?"

Well I'm going to raise you - "how hysterical can you be?"

[mRx 16]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

It wasn't a big deal in the Soviet Republics either.

Pull the other one.

You said "how naive can you be?"

Well I'm going to raise you - "how hysterical can you be?"

It's still naive.

Nothing's changed about what I wrote.

The fact that it's not a big deal in Europe merely supports my statement.

Or are we really going to get into a battle of semantics?

[Kar98 0]

Just a hint: when the communists socialized private enterprises, they didn't throw shovels full of $$$ at the owners, they took the property, shot the owners, raped the dog and re-settled the grandmother to Siberia to slave away in lead mines.

[mRx 16]

Just a hint: when the communists socialized private enterprises, they didn't throw shovels full of $$$ at the owners, they took the property, shot the owners, raped the dog and re-settled the grandmother to Siberia to slave away in lead mines.

Then obviously the communist government officials weren't also conveniently a part of the private enterprises, as they are here.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

It wasn't a big deal in the Soviet Republics either.

Pull the other one.

You said "how naive can you be?"

Well I'm going to raise you - "how hysterical can you be?"

It's still naive.

Nothing's changed about what I wrote.

The fact that it's not a big deal in Europe merely supports my statement.

Or are we really going to get into a battle of semantics?

What you said proves and is supported by nothing.

This country has an irrational fear in its psyche (which you are buying into) that anything that hints at even a microscopic policy shift to the left is tantamount to Marxist Socialism and Communism - whatever word happens to be the flavor of the week, or which has the most drama attached to it.

Hysteria is exactly what is.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

That's because Europe is full of Commies.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

That's because Europe is full of Commies.

Not these days. If anything things are going the other way politically.

[scandal 951]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

That's because Europe is full of Commies.

Why do you hate Europe?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

That's because Europe is full of Commies.

Why do you hate Europe?

Because it's full of Commies.

[mRx 16]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Nationalisation really isn't that big of a deal in Europe.

It wasn't a big deal in the Soviet Republics either.

Pull the other one.

You said "how naive can you be?"

Well I'm going to raise you - "how hysterical can you be?"

It's still naive.

Nothing's changed about what I wrote.

The fact that it's not a big deal in Europe merely supports my statement.

Or are we really going to get into a battle of semantics?

What you said proves and is supported by nothing.

This country has an irrational fear in its psyche (which you are buying into) that anything that hints at even a microscopic policy shift to the left is tantamount to Marxist Socialism and Communism - whatever word happens to be the flavor of the week, or which has the most drama attached to it.

Hysteria is exactly what is.

I'm not concerned in which direction a policy shifts. I'm not exactly lined up in the Bush administration's defense.

Additionally, the government taking over a massive corporation is hardly "microscopic", my friend.

If it's not a big deal to you, that's fine. But, minimalizing it as microscopic and insignificant is naive.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'm not concerned in which direction a policy shifts. I'm not exactly lined up in the Bush administration's defense.

Additionally, the government taking over a massive corporation is hardly "microscopic", my friend.

If it's not a big deal to you, that's fine. But, minimalizing it as microscopic and insignificant is naive.

I didn't say *it* was "microscopic" or "insignificant" - I was talking about the mentality in this country that sees anything leftist as variously socialist or communist depending on which word gets more of a reaction.

There are discussions about this in Europe (the recent takeover of Northern Rock by the UK government for example), people are concerned by the scale of the government intervention in response to this recession - but to suggest that the US Government taking control of GM and a couple of banks puts us 10 minutes away from some sort of Stalinist dictatorship is just cheap sensationalism.

[mRx 16]

Not 10 minutes away, but c'mon man, Government Motors is a pretty big sign of which direction we're going. I doubt it will stop there either.

I don't think we are headed to a Socialism or Communism model, by definition. But more of a Socialized Capitalism, as the big business CEOs are already well placed in the Federal government heirarchy. H. Paulson, former CEO of GS is a perfect example. What better way to hedge your stake in a company than by government bailout of AIG?

The Right blames the Left and the Left blames the Right in an infinitely perpetual cycle, while the elite make themselves obscenely rich off the rigged system.

Socialized loss and privatized profit is the way America is headed.

My .02.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

the American decent into Marxism is happening

It really isn't you know...

If anyone would recognize the signs it would be someone that has already been there.

I have and I don't see it.

GM is swallowed by the government; a championing victory for "public" ownership of production, and you don't see the signs?

How naive can you be?

Matt,

The reason why Obama took over GM and Citigroup is because had we let these huge corporations fail, the repercussions would have thrown this country into a deep Depression. If there is any indication for you that the Libertarian viewpoint of allowing markets to truly be free from any governmental oversight, this would be it. Corporations have become too big to fail, thanks to the dismantling of regulations that prevented it before. The Fed will be handling GM long enough to broker a deal with another company like what the FDIC is doing with banks that have failed. It's not pretty but considering the consequences if we didn't, we really didn't have a choice.

[mawilson 2,133]

The Stimulus Bill hasn't prevented anything - the money hasn't even been spent yet!

Total $5,054,512,268

Which is, what, 0.6%?

Let me ask you - do you believe that tax cuts alone would have diverted us from going through another Depression? Or do you believe that injecting some money into the economy through some government spending was necessary?

No and no.

Why do you hate Europe?

Because I actually had to live there?

[AlHayatZween 2]

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights.

Well, this much is true, but it has nothing to do with Dems or Republicans or Karl Marx.

It has to do with the lack of importance placed on education in general, and misplaced spending and "good" intentions. It also doesn't help that parents don't have time to care for their kids b/c they are either working too hard, juggling too many issues, or they just plain don't see the value of turning of American Idol for once and opening up the algebra book.