The seven deadly sins are human nature, they are what make this world great. However if they control your life then they will lead to your demise. you have to learn to control yourself. There is nothing wrong with wanting more, its only bad when you hurt other people by doing it. And you are not suppose to covet your neighbors possessions. It says nothing about love thy neighbor as thyself, that is treat others how you would want to be treated. We learn that in elementary school. As for the ten commandments many other religions have the same rules. Even Islam, if you read the Quran you can find these 10 same rules. It seems to me that you value material things more than life. You think everyone is equal if we all have the same things.
I never said anything about the country, I said world. But really I meant to say that they make life great. Greed drives us to have a better standard of living. Gluttony is over-indulgence. Everyone always eats a ton on Thanksgiving, but if you did it everyday you would get really fat. They are in essence bad, but they make life what life is. I also said they are human nature and you have to learn to control yourself. No one is perfect. Pride is also a sin. You seem very prideful to me, but I am not one to judge.
I've read several posts in this thread saying look to the scandanavian or european socialist countries as shining examples of socialism.
Heres a copy and paste quote from the socialist party website: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/News2Frame.htm?socialistcountries.htm
"Are there any socialist countries in Europe?
Sometimes countries have governments that call themselves 'Socialist,' but they do not carry out genuine socialist policies.
For instance, in the past the Labour Party in Britain was often labeled "socialist". When the Labour Party was in government, people sometimes used to say "We have a socialist government," and even that Britain was socialist.
But this was not true. Labour governments did not go beyond the boundaries of capitalism. The country remained capitalist.
In Spain and in France, and elsewhere around the world there are parties that go by the name of 'Socialist' and they have been elected into government.
When the French Socialist Party was in government, it was called a 'Socialist government', and we were told France had 'gone socialist.' This was not true.
When the Spanish Socialist Party was returned to power in 2004, (because of its opposition to the invasion of Iraq,) it did not and will not bring about a socialist society.
In Germany and other countries, parties going by the name 'Social Democratic' were sometimes referred to as socialist.
But this was not true either.
These countries remained capitalist through and through."
LOL, according to the socialist party there are no true socialist countries in europe as has been claimed so often by people on this website. you'd think the socialists would know.
First of all, not all Americans are like that. No other country has the freedoms that we have. Secondly, slavery was stupid and it shouldn't have happened. The people that endorsed it were ignorant, but its over with now. Some corporations are bad, but many are not. Most corporations do not exploit their employees. Corporations are mostly good. Walmart was pretty bad years ago, but they are doing better and are changing the way they do business because they know people were sick of how they were acting. I'm sure you are going to have something bad to say about Walmart, but they are trying to change. Large corporations keep prices in check and offer things that small business cannot. I can buy a box of Kashi cereal at walmart for $2.84 and Meijers (the stores by me) have them for $3.50. Walmart offers all the necessities that people need for a good price, something small businesses can't do. Again the problems don't stem from corporations or governments, they come from people. People have to learn to do the right thing and not be so greedy. Years ago business forced workers to work more hours than they could and eventually people got smart and formed labor unions. Now labor unions are so greedy that they forced manufacturing right out of America to other countries. LIke I said before no matter what type of government or economy you have people are still going to be greedy and people will still want power. You could have a socialist country and there would always be someone that would want to be in control and have the power and wealth. It's better to keep the individual empowered and not the collective. When it comes down to it people are the ones that make their own problems. Everyone is created equally and we should all have the same rights and for the most part we all do in America. There are still some things that need to change, but they will come with time. Some people may need to work longer or harder than others to have a decent standard of living, but that doesn't mean they are worth any less than a CEO. They are just as important. It just seems to me that you value material things more than living. That people will be equal when we all have a nice car and house, but you don't need nice things to be happy or to enjoy life. If certain companies are doing wrong, then we can boycott them and they will change. People need to work to create real wealth so they can have a better standard of living. Taking from the rich and giving to the poor doesn't create real wealth, but it just makes people dependent on other people. If you are dependent on other people you lose your freedoms, not all, but some... it depends on the situation. That doesn't mean that people shouldn't lend a hand when someone is in need. It all comes down to how people act.
i never denied that socialist qualities are springing up, the more time goes by the faster and faster it goes
Really? No other country, huh? So no other country in the world has the freedoms we have? Might want to recheck on that.