On 18/1/2016 10:52 MisterDiddyWahDiddy wrote:

> On Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 2:40:50 PM UTC-6, Bruce wrote:
>>
>> The problem with socialism is that every attempt to implement it, has
>> led to dictatorship.
>>
> The problem with extreme socialism is that it puts government in charge of
> things that are better left in private hands. Balance is the key. Some
> things are better when operated by the state, like children's education,
> roads, libraries, police and fire, the military and public lands. Some
> things are surely better off being privately owned, like factories,
> retailers, the media (obviously, though non and not for profits also play
> a role), construction, mining, agriculture, etc.
>
> The working class needs to be class conscious, but that doesn't mean being
> against capitalism. In the pre-tractor days, a farmer could be far more
> productive if he had a mule. Well, mules are notorious for kicking when
> you turn your back on them. So, the working class gets kicked by the mule
> (the capitalist). If the worker is foolish, he either kills the mule
> (communism) or repeatedly lets himself be kicked (working class Republican
> voter), but if he is wise, he supports a highly unionized workforce that can
> bargain collectively with the owners, and a government that tempers the
> excesses of capitalism, and through progressive taxation, prevents an obscene
> concentration of wealth by those at the very top of the economy.

I agree. Bridled capitalism is the way to go. Bridled to such a degree
that excesses like Walmart aren't possible.

--
Bruce