Chuck sez ...
"Do you think the system we have in place right now, is the best possible system?"
No I don't. The governmental system we've evolved into is socialistic fascism. We are overrun by bureaucrats, rules, laws and regulations designed to stifle the free market, economic freedom and liberty.
Now, I know from your previous posts, that you prefer "equality," but you've yet to define what you mean by that. I'm in favor of "equality" too. Equality of opportunity ... but not "equality" of outcomes. I suspect that your "equality" is of the latter sort ... and, in my opinion, the only way to achieve that type of "equality," is through economic enslavement, with the end result that everyone is equal ... equally poor.
That's my take on equality ... what's your's?
Vi
FINALLY
jeez Vi, I knew you had something bubbling up in there. good to finally hear it.
I know what you mean by equality of opportunity and I agree with it to an extent.
I am more pushing for equality of living conditions. No one* should deserve to not be able to put a good meal on their plates, no one* deserves to not be able to afford the best health care available, no one* should have to live in the streets when people live in houses that massive. It blows my mind that there are people living in houses with 50 rooms yet there are people living in poor conditions, so poor they feel like they have to steal, so poor that everyone is always sick, and you are just used to it.
*I'm not saying everyone should be able to use these public services. If you are fully capable of contributing to society but you choose not to due to lazyness, then you simply get nothing and can be left to die.
And for everybody that works harder than what is declared "the minimum" they should be rewarded with luxuries or moneys for luxuries.
The reason why i put that last remark is because without some type of incentive to work harder progression would not occur.
Society is also about progression.
However, lately (past century) we have been progressing technologically but have been digressing (not sure if thats the right word but you get it) morally and socially. Economically we seem to be at a standstill (well up and down.) and in my eyes i see that standstill leading to a large long descent if nothing is done about it. You cant keep making the rich richer and the poor poorer. We are a new country and soon enough we will end up just like a third world country where every working human breaking their back in shit jobs will be poor and all the "owners" will be sitting pretty.
Dont make governing a profiteers game. This isnt about money this is about makiing life better for everyone.
society is ALL about helping eachother to make overall living conditions better for everyone.
Perhaps I misjudged you.... wow...
Yes, I can agree with a lot of what you are saying about our society expanding technology wise, but no longer moving towards the bright golden future where technology reduces the cost of everything.
But I think we disagree on the fundamental reason on why that is, and how to correct it.
I think that the best way to ensure society continues to move forward is by letting people organize businesses and to make a profit with out undue regulation and with out being forced to answer to a thousand different bureaucracies.
The market punishes bad companies and rewards good companies. Companies that deliver substandard products will suffer, because of the negative reputation they will receive, and companies that deliver superior products will prosper. Thus the companies that are prospering will be able to effect lower prices.
I also think that people fail to see that it is possible for everyone to share in the profits of Exxon, Microsoft, and other companies by purchasing shares in those companies. Yes, people may not be able to buy a lot at once, but the idea is that you slowly increase your savings.
Do I think that some corporations have abused their freedom by failing to properly manage the environment and land around their production facilities, yes, but that doesn't make all corporations evil, nor does it justify attempting to tax them (and their workers) out of existence.
Though I disagree with the moral and social regression that you are stating is occurring, or at least that more people need to be forced to donate to charity. Everyone that pays taxes already is forced to donate to this countries biggest charity program, the US Government, and the state and local governments. They produce nothing, and interfere continuously with everyone's life while pretending to be accomplishing something.
40 years of the government attempting to fight poverty, and we still have it, because the money that the government collects to fight it vanishes into the back pockets of government employees.
160 years of Centralized education, and the youth of our nation are ending up less intelligent, less motivated, and less inclined to strive to get ahead. A society that does not have a group of highly motivated youths who are motivated to think about improving society through innovation, invention and new uses of technology is sliding down hill towards stagnation and rot (or may already be there.)
Unfortunately, part of the problem, is that people like me, who want to be able to get free of the corporate rat race and try to create inventions that will better our living conditions, and form companies that will benefit more than just myself, are stuck in the rat race due to high taxes.
It's hard to strive to better society, when all you see is society stealing from you, and no way to escape it.
The system is broken, and it can not be fixed, because it will still rely on the same methodology that caused it to be broken in the first place. As long as corporations, and other interest groups are allowed to unduly influence our government, and our government is allowed to arbitrarily set new laws, and levy new taxes our society is doomed to stagnation and rot under its current kleptocracy.
