Capitalism and Communism

[ducati]

Two ends of the scale. Where are you?

[Flynn]

Well I look at the capitalist USA, and see the millions of people with no health cover, people left destitute after having a heart attack and being bankrupted by medical costs, and I think 'If that's capitalism it's not for me'.

Then I look at North Korea and their totalitarian Communist regime, and thing, 'If that's Communism, then it isn't for me'.

I'm probably very left, but not as far left as China.

Pure capitalism is a nasty society where the poorest and weakest are despised and ignored, and generally blamed for all the ills of that society. Much like modern day UK.

[Alrock]

Both in theory have their good points but both suffer badly at the hands of corruption & greed.

[Whitewater]

Unfortunately both systems are run by greedy humans and stupid governments. What chance does either have?

[weezer 316]

I think the original question is a bit loaded! The answer is I am both. I have said umpteen times taxes should be raised and we should live within our means. I am all for the govt running our health care and I am glad they mandate what can be taught in schools. I think infrastructure should largely be publically owned and operated also. I would also like to see more govt involvement in public transport to ensure remote places have access to it, although not to the level in the cities as they ultimetly subsidise us.

I then range all the way ove to things like telecomms which should be totally private. Energy supply to as the nunaces of generating, buying and selling energy combined with the way it is consumed make it totally impracticable and unfair for ask the public t support it operating in this market

[Rheghead]

Two ends of the scale. Where are you?

hmm, I think it is a limited scale, too one dimensional and I think the political compass (http://www.politicalcompass.org) gives a better indication. I'm extreme lower left.

[Alrock]

hmm, I think it is a limited scale, too one dimensional and I think the political compass (http://www.politicalcompass.org) gives a better indication. I'm extreme lower left.

Me................................................ .................................................. ........ My Partner..........

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3337/pcgraphpngphpec775soc6.png http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/6537/pcgraphpngphpec375soc5.png

[David Banks]

hmm, I think it is a limited scale, too one dimensional and I think the political compass (http://www.politicalcompass.org) gives a better indication. I'm extreme lower left.

Thanks for the link Rheghead - most interesting.

I'm about in the centre of the lower left segment.

[Rheghead]

Here is how the UK parties measure up to the political compass, it is an interesting exercise to compare that to where your own result lies.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/charts/uk2010.php

[golach]

Here is how the UK parties measure up to the political compass, it is an interesting exercise to compare that to where your own result lies.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/charts/uk2010.php Drat my survey puts me in the T Sheridan and G Galloway bracket, I need to change my ways [disgust] But on second thoughts I will stay where I am.

[Alrock]

Drat my survey puts me in the T Sheridan and G Galloway bracket, I need to change my ways [disgust]

Come join me down lower left, kinda lonely down here.... lol

[Rheghead]

This is mine.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=-6.00&soc=-5.90

[cptdodger]

Here is how the UK parties measure up to the political compass, it is an interesting exercise to compare that to where your own result lies.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/charts/uk2010.php

I did mine, but did'nt think to copy it, I'm on the Green box two boxes to the right of the SDLP. So, i'm not too sure what that makes me !!

[M Swanson]

I think the original question is a bit loaded! The answer is I am both. I have said umpteen times taxes should be raised and we should live within our means. I am all for the govt running our health care and I am glad they mandate what can be taught in schools. I think infrastructure should largely be publically owned and operated also. I would also like to see more govt involvement in public transport to ensure remote places have access to it, although not to the level in the cities as they ultimetly subsidise us.

I then range all the way ove to things like telecomms which should be totally private. Energy supply to as the nunaces of generating, buying and selling energy combined with the way it is consumed make it totally impracticable and unfair for ask the public t support it operating in this market

That all seems quite reasonable, Weezer, but aren't you forgetting something? With Communism none of your ideas would be possible. The government take full control of businesses and the economy, so you'll have what you get. The leader is elected by the party and not the people and all the power is held by the corrupt few. I've lived my whole life under the Capitalist system and whilst it's not perfect, it's a darn sight better than any Communist countries reality, imo. I'll stick with the devil I know. It's a no-brainer.

[M Swanson]

What your diagram doesn't show Rheg, but it does on another page, is that whilst Cameron and Farage are indeed positioned where you show them, Barack Obama and Miliband are a hair's breadth away. I think that's an important addition to make.

[Rheghead]

What your diagram doesn't show Rheg, but it does on another page, is that whilst Cameron and Farage are indeed positioned where you show them, Barack Obama and Miliband are a hair's breadth away. I think that's an important addition to make.

Oh yes, agreed, I think the rhetoric when compared to the actual political position of the Labour and less so of the Democrat party is a big lie.

[secrets in symmetry]

My Partner..........

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/6537/pcgraphpngphpec375soc5.png
I'm sitting right beside your partner Alrock - I hope she's ok with that! :cool:

I would probably be a lot closer to the green-purple border on a 5-point scale (where there is a "neither agree or disagree" option) - because I gave a "left-wing answer" rather than a "right-wing answer" to rather a lot of questions in which I was very marginally more left than right. I would probably be slightly higher up the graph on a 5-point scale too.

I suspect I am classed as Libertarian mainly because of my answers to the questions on sex and drugs lol!

Last time I did one of these things, I was almost a Tory!

[weezer 316]

That all seems quite reasonable, Weezer, but aren't you forgetting something? With Communism none of your ideas would be possible. The government take full control of businesses and the economy, so you'll have what you get. The leader is elected by the party and not the people and all the power is held by the corrupt few. I've lived my whole life under the Capitalist system and whilst it's not perfect, it's a darn sight better than any Communist countries reality, imo. I'll stick with the devil I know. It's a no-brainer.

None of my ideas? Im curious as to how power being concentrated in a few hands is any different to a democracy? And how is that a representation of an economic system which I believe what the question was about?

Horses for courses I think is the saying. Communism was undeniably good for some nations, like the USSR, as it industrialised quick and it was able to utilise its entire workforce in a way that didnt happen in the west. The number of femal engineers for example in the USSR in the 60s exceeded the rest of the world combined, and it showed with their huge advances in things like space travel that left the capitalist west miles behind!

As a nation gets richer though, its less and less effective. But Like I say, horses for courses

[Dialyser]

http://www.politicalcompass.org/facebook/pcgraphpng.php?ec=-5.50&soc=-3.44

Very interesting, thanks for the link.

[Alrock]

I'm sitting right beside your partner Alrock - I hope she's ok with that! :cool:

As long as you pass your spliff over I'm sure she'll be fine.... :lol:

[secrets in symmetry]

As long as you pass your spliff over I'm sure she'll be fine.... :lol:Sorry, but I don't have a spliff to hand. Does she like Merlot?

[Alrock]

Sorry, but I don't have a spliff to hand. Does she like Merlot?

Aye... That'll do....

[Neil Howie]

Does China still count as a Communist country these days?

[Rheghead]

Does China still count as a Communist country these days?

Nah, capitalist as it gets.

[RecQuery]

What most people call capitalism isn't; what the US, UK and other western countries have is something more akin to state sponsored corporatism. I used to be right leaning in my late teens and early 20s but then I realised that while capitalism was good in theory there are always people who try and game the system.

I'm probably a bit of both depending on the issue.

[ducati]

Me. 100% Capitalist. The one that dies with the most toys wins! :cool:

[secrets in symmetry]

Me. 100% Capitalist. The one that dies with the most toys wins! :cool:Does that make you a loser lol?

[ducati]

Does that make you a loser lol?

I ain't dead yet. :eek:

[M Swanson]

I ain't dead yet. :eek:

Touche, Ducati. :lol: Another one hundred percenter here! :cool: