Which is the better system: socialist or capitalist?

[it means no worries]

^ i am also a socialist and think that socialism is a far better and more fair way to run a country. But, you cant ignore the fact that almost all socialist/communist countries have been either dictatorships like Korea and Cuba, gradually changed to capitalism like China, or just collapsed like Soviet Russia.

Although i am firmly socialist, i admit that having a purely socialist country would be bad. I believe in practice it is better to have a mix of the two

[FlipMode]

Libertarian Socialism.

[TheLionPrince]

I consider myself a capitalist, though it can be excessive and reward the rich too much which encourages corporate greed and cronyism. So, regulations and strong anti-trust legislation are necessary. There's always the problem of the poor so an efficient government should reward them with a hand-up, and not a hand-out. However, at least in the United States, we curbed the problem with free education, though tuition costs have rose in recent years thanks to the federal government's role in student loans. Because most students can successfully apply for those loans, but there can be fewer admission rates, colleges and universities have to raise the rates or risk an overflow of what's necessary. That's basically what capitalism is: supply and demand. And even with an education, you still may not be hired for a job depending on experience, other qualified candidates, and the market outlook. A rags-to-riches story is achievable, though it requires a healthy economic outlook and personal ambition.

The late Margaret Thatcher best summed up socialism is that "that eventually you run out of other people's money." Socialism guarantees you a job and living wage, though it takes heavy taxation and a heavy role of the government to support it all. With everything provided for you in order to level the playing field for all of society, there creates the lack of incentive, efficiency, and a healthy competition for the best jobs and products.

In the end, the flaws of capitalism can be curbed with socialism and the flaws of socialism can be remedied with capitalism. Therefore, a mixed economy is best where there is healthy competition among competing businesses that can deliver diverse wages and products, and the poor and middle class can have a fair quality of life and achieve upward mobility.

[quote="it means no worries"]I dont really know anything about US politics to be honest i dont know what the republican stance is[/quote]

The Republican Party in the United States basically borders around the center-right on the political spectrum. They commonly endorse less federal government intervention so citizens can exercise their civil liberties, lower tax rates on the rich, a free-market capitalist economy, the right to bear arms, and strong national defense. Most Republicans are very socially conservative on issues such as abortion rights and same-sex rights, though a faction known as the Log Cabin Republicans supports the latter.

[Sigurd]

[quote="it means no worries"]^ i am also a socialist and think that socialism is a far better and more fair way to run a country. But, you cant ignore the fact that almost all socialist/communist countries have been either dictatorships like Korea and Cuba, gradually changed to capitalism like China, or just collapsed like Soviet Russia.

Although i am firmly socialist, i admit that having a purely socialist country would be bad. I believe in practice it is better to have a mix of the two[/quote]

They Said they were socialist but you can argue if they really were/is.
North Korea is a very unequal country, your lojalty to the regime determines whether you rich or poor. And Russias economy had a mayor crisis after they switched to capitalism. There are and have been capitalistic dictatorships too. Like Chile after Pinochets coup against the democratic elected socialist Salvador Allende.

[S1mb4 D4 L10n]

It is impossible to achieve a successful communist society. Despite whatever form of collectivization, no world power has achieved a classless society. I would consider myself a capitalist, with common sense regulations. The ideal form of Capitalism is also impossible, though it is a nice thought. Just a personal preference, if I were to choose an ideal form, I'd still rather choose ideal capitalism because I prefer the idea of merit determining success. Capitalism unchecked will usually evolve into corporate cronyism, then merit doesn't determine success nearly as much as it should. I see the benefits of socialism, though I am usually more libertarian minded and prefer more economic freedoms than lack of.

[zerodix]

well they are actually opposite extremes, I think the right choice is in the middle. I think all people deserve a home and basic needs forfilled, but I also believe that hard work should be rewarded. Now the problem is, not every person can achieve the same thing, since we all differ in abilities, intellect, social environment and education. I live in Holland, there is a lot of poverty here, but in the media it is absolutely hidden. The government wants to keep the reputation of "1st world country" high, over the backs of 1000's of people. To tell you the truth, there are 10's of thousands of people here that go to a "food bank" because they cannot afford groceries. Also, the house prices are very high, which leads to houses that are filled with people who each own one room (if they are Lucky) I consider myself more socialist, since I believe nobody deserves a life in poverty. but I also believe that people who work a lot of hours should earn for that.

[Regulus]

I agree that neither capitalism nor socialism is the right way to go. Both systems have their problems.

However, in terms of American politics, the system we have now is dangerously close to pure capitalism and essentially oligarchy. Most people in America think our system should be fair to everyone starting out, but what people don't realize is that it's much less fair than many think. All too often people think that the poor are poor because they're not working as hard as they should. Sometimes that's true, but as it is today that is completely and utterly false.

I don't think we need any dramatic changes from our current system. For the most part, it works pretty okay. What we need to do is throw away the tax breaks for the rich, so that everyone pays the same percentage of their income. That's what's fair. That increase in government funding should go to making higher education free, and providing all citizens with food and healthcare.

It's true that we can't have everyone on the same class, and asking for that is unreasonable. Some people do work harder than others, or otherwise have more responsibility and deserve to make more money. But, no person in this country should go without food, shelter, opportunity, and proper medical care. That is the least that we should be able to say.

Taxing 100 people with an income of 1 billion by only 1% would leave them each with 990 million left over, and provide 20 thousand students with free education.

So... how many billionares are living in the United States, you ask? The answer is 536. And most of them don't pay a dime in taxes.

[juhouh]

^ if we ever see that happen in the US you should seriously cut your military budget and go to conscription system instead... the money you waste on military is ridiculous for a country of 321m people

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... penditures

[Regulus]

[quote="juhouh"]^ if we ever see that happen in the US you should seriously cut your military budget and go to conscription system instead... the money you waste on military is ridiculous for a country of 321m people

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... penditures[/quote]

Believe me, I already know all this. We'd be just fine if military spending was even 1/10th of what it is right now.

People talk about how unfeasible a manned mission to Mars would be due to costs, but even at the highest estimates, we could fund that with our military budget and still have a few hundred billion left over to wage war against other countries.

[Tsuki]

My way!

That is all

Ok I'm more of a Socialist : P