Welfare State: Handouts Make Up One-Third of U.S. Wages

[Zero Sum 305]

Thanks, Zero. You're alright.

No, I don't hate capitalism. It's just that I see the shortcomings of it and am against laissez-faire economics as I would imagine most rational thinking Americans are as well. In fact, I think you'd be hard pressed to find many in Washington willing to say out loud that we should do away with all government regulations and oversight of the markets. That's just silly nonsense with no real world practicality.

I thought it would be appropriate to quote Adam Smith on taxing the rich (progressive taxation) since so many Right Wingers today think that such an idea is nothing more than Marxist Theory. My point was well made. It's just unfortunate that some here can't argue on the point made.

Thank you for the clarification.

I guess we'll be stuck with whatever some people want to interpret for themselves, as outlandish as their ignorance will let them go.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Thank you for the clarification.

I guess we'll be stuck with whatever some people want to interpret for themselves, as outlandish as their ignorance will let them go.

After you have been here a while you will see that his spin as different from his opinion. Give it time, you will see that he is as anti-capitalist as it gets.

[Zero Sum 305]

After you have been here a while you will see that his spin as different from his opinion. Give it time, you will see that he is as anti-capitalist as it gets.

We'll see. Anti-capitalism for some more or less extremist minds may happen to be a healthy constructive critique of the same system. Everyone in my opinion shows their true colors sooner or later. Others don't need any introductions.

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

After you have been here a while you will see that his spin as different from his opinion. Give it time, you will see that he is as anti-capitalist as it gets.

We've had progressive tax policies in this country for about 100 years, which I support and you don't.

We've had Social Security in this country for over 70 years. It's very popular among Americans including myself, and you don't like it (calling it theft and forced upon you).

I could list the numerous presidential administrations and their important contributions to the American progress, much of which you dislike or hope to see one day eliminated. Teddy Roosevelt and the Anti-trust Laws, Eisenhower and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Nixon and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, to name a few.

You, my friend are more in line with the John Birch Society - a fringe, ideological group who has a far different idea of how government should work. And that is fine as it is your freedom to believe in what you want, but try and be a little honest about who here has a more radical idea about change.

[mawilson 2,133]

We've had Social Security in this country for over 70 years. It's very popular among Americans including myself, and you don't like it (calling it theft and forced upon you).

I like the idea of Social Security too, Steven, and I wish there really was a lockbox

with a $2.5 trillion surplus.

However, allowing the government to "borrow" the money from the Social Security Trust Fund

and calling it an "investment" is a lie, plain and simple. Spending *your own* savings and

promising to *pay yourself back* with interest is not an "investment".

[Zero Sum 305]

I see this thread can move in a positive direction now. Good discussion there, mawilson.

Will this become spoiled by transparent partisan chicanery?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

These are crazy times when the wisdom of Adam Smith is confused as marxist theory.

He was not a capitalist. He was more of a collectivist. In that sense, his ideas are more inline with Marx.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

You may want to check up a little more on the father of the cornerstone of the American economy.

B.S. He was more interested in collective textile manufacturing in Scotland.

[Zero Sum 305]

He was not a capitalist. He was more of a collectivist. In that sense, his ideas are more inline with Marx.

One of several opinions of Smith.

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

He was not a capitalist. He was more of a collectivist. In that sense, his ideas are more inline with Marx.

Historical revisionism. He is the father of free market capitalism. You just hate the fact that in spite of Adam Smith being an advocate of the free market, he also embraced views of fairness towards the laborers. I'm sorry that no John Birch Society members will ever go down in history as defining this country the way Adam Smith has. It sucks to be an anarcho-libertarian fanboy who'll never see their ideological fantasies realized.

[Zero Sum 305]

B.S. He was more interested in collective textile manufacturing in Scotland.

BS because some old guy that confuses leadership with bullying says so?

I'll take the compendium of scholarly work before an anonymous internet opinion. But feel free to discuss your opinions.

And I do apologize for the jab.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

. Adam Smith also supported laissez-faire economics which Steven constantly rails against. His cherry picking of that one quote is laughable.

Wrong. Adam Smith never used the phase, "laissez-faire". He spoke of the "invisible hand " of the market. He wrote two contrary books (das Adam Smith problem), one touted by the capitalists, Wealth of Nations, and the the other gleaned by the anti-capitalists for Marxist quotes, The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

[Zero Sum 305]

Sounds like Wikipedia has been used in the last few minutes...

Laissez-nous faire...

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Sounds like Wikipedia has been used in the last few minutes...

Laissez-nous faire...

PolSci 400 "Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism".

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

@ Bill. I imagine that he sat off to the side and in the back corner of his political science class, never once speaking out loud, his outlandish ideas for fear of being laughed out of class.