Socialism, socialism, socialism

We all know socialism is in plain terms when the government controlls everything and everyone. Well Obama's new power plan is just that he wasnt to add about 400 dollars a month to everyone's power bill, Your probably like ok sooo well he also wants...

the government to patrol everyones power so say you just had a baby its the dead of winter and theres a snow blizzard if the government feels your using to much heat they will simply turn it off. This is going to destroy us! I am not going down without a fight. I am going to make some havoc and bring an uprise if I can get enough supporters I think I could change something. We are often defined as the country for the people and BY the people. We need to get back to having the people in charge! Is anyone else concerned? And will anyone else take a stand?

Why do people - especially in the USA it seems - persist in confusing Communism with Socialism? And branding both as the devil's invention?

Read up on socialism as practised in the Scandinavian countries for decades now and you'll get a better idea. It is perfectly possible for a country to practise socialism and still have room for private enterprise.

The basic idea is rather that the state has a responsibility to its citizens, and that responsibility usually includes such things as the provision of good health care, education, communications, care for the elderly and other social services - without discrimination. Yes, it is financed by people's income taxes, but it means that no one dies because they can't afford medical treatment. Can you say the same of truly capitalist countries?

our time to stand is coming, anyone who believes socialism is going to stand in this country is dead wrong.

when the time comes - I will be on the line.

Before you begin your revolution get your facts straight.
A revolution based on misinformation, well, how typical.
First - actually understand what is meant by socialism
Second - understand what is actually proposed and how it differs from what FOX news tries to scare you into believing
Third - understand that you are a misinformed young woman who apparantly believes everything she hears and does no research.

Excuse me but I am not uninformed...I research my facts very much and know what Im talking about. All of Obama's views are slightly if not completely socialist like. I am concerned for my country. I do understand socialism very well thank and again its in plain terms the government contolling everything. Also I don't get my information from FOX news I get my information from reliable sources(even though techinically no source is truly reliable). So just because you may disagree dosnt mean you have to attack someone.

All of Obama's views are slightly if not completely socialist like.

socialist like...

name your sources...
or just the one where the government will turn off your heat if it feels you are using too much...lol.

Heres proof his ideas are socialistic.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=78330

There's not much question that Obama has socialist leanings. I think the issues the above responders had were that your (simplified) definition of Socialism isn't accurate - you described Communism...sort of, and that you're talking about some wacky power plan that I've never heard of, and I watch the news pretty closely.

Care to cite your source on that? Also, linking an editorial or opinion piece doesn't prove anything. It's just someone's opinion, although he does make several points which I think are valid/accurate.

I find it interesting the idea that any additional regulation or any extra tax dollar paid is a trend toward totalitarian socialism.

As unpalatable as totalitarian socialism is so too is laissez faire capitalism. No -ism taken to its logical extreme is workable; every working economy in the world is a mixture of elements from different economic ideologies. Ideologues are scary whether they come from the left or right. Pragmatists get the job done borrowing the best ideas from all over the spectrum.

Conservatives have had 30 year run lowering taxes, reducing society's safety net, busting unions and deregulating and where do we find ourselves? Decaying infrastructure, stagnant or lower wages for over 95% of workers, and the highest debt relative to our GDP since the end of WWII.

We basically need more regulation, higher and more progressive taxation, and greater investment. This isn't socialism, it is moving back toward the center from the right wingnuts who have been running things since 1980.

Your proof is an opinion piece by Henry Lamb...
just what I expected...
how about doing some actual research.
The energy control to which you refer is a program that was being researched in California, long before Obama was elected. As I said, it was being researched, not put into action.

This isn't socialism, it is moving back toward the center from the right wingnuts who have been running things since 1980. an excellent and correct point...

Obama has addmitingly said that he will cause the electric prices to skyrocket.

susila2: The anti-collectivist mindset in the US is the product of our cold war. During our cold war communism and socialism were presented as the greatest evil and the largest threat to democracy. The US mindset confuses economic ideology and political systems. Capitalism is equated with democracy and communism with totalitarianism and socialism is seen as the slippery slope that inevitably leads to communism. Even though the cold war is over many Americans still cling to the ideas.

slavaim, not sure how things are in the Vatican but in the US the wealthiest 1% own more than the bottom 95%. I'm not saying that things have to be equal, I don't expect laborers to make as much as professionals but when wealth becomes this lopsided the economy is not working for most people. Since the 1970's inflation adjusted wages for most demographics have been stagnant or have actually fallen. Only the top earners have benefited from our economic expansion. When only the few benefit at the expense of the many there is something seriously wrong.

If you consider trying to build an economy that benefits all Americans to be socialism than so be it.

*** if the government feels your using to much heat they will simply turn it off.

Uhm, isn't that California, with Schwarzenagger in charge?

What does Obama have to do with this?

***Uhm, isn't that California, with Schwarzenagger in charge?
What does Obama have to do with this?

Nothing, she just gets her facts from right wing nut job sources and doesn't bother to actually research what they are force feeding her...

I think Orwell summed up the danger of socialism...All animals are equal... some animals are more equal than others.

Socialism is a political as well as economic philosophy. Communism is a variant.

If socialism could be practiced outside the reins of mans greed... it still has an inherent flaw... the leverage of the commoner is taken. The people put all of their eggs in one basket and task an unknown beast to guard this basket and cross their fingers that the beast will relinquish that basket and hasn't in fact been a weasel with ulterior motives the entire time. When the state controls all aspects of an individuals livelihood that individual becomes a subject of the state. The individuals innate rights are dictated at best by the behest of a mob and at worst by a tyrant entrusted by the mob.

At least a democratic republic can assure the rights of the minority... as long as the people demand the instituted laws be observed and not corrupted by the powers of government.

The Preamble to the Constitution dictates that one role of the Federal Government is to promote the general welfare of the people. Education... Infrastructure... welfare... etc are clearly roles that should fall under the auspices of the Federal government.

Corporate welfare is not a priority of the government and a glaring example of the dangers of unchecked socialistic policy. Corporate Fascism goes hand and hand with this policy.

President Obama recently named a handful of Wall Street insiders in charge of regulating how tarp money is spent by benefactors... some animals are more equal than others.