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Greece Illustrates 150 Years Of Socialist Failure In Europe
Submitted by Patrick Barron via Mises Institute,
Greece cannot pay its debts ... ever. Nor can several other members of the European Union. That’s why Europe’s elite are loath to place Greece in default. If Greece is allowed to abrogate its debts, why should any of the other debtor members of the EU pay up? The financial consequences of massive default by most of the EU members is hard to predict, but it won't be pretty. Europe has built a financial house of cards, and the slightest loss of confidence will bring it crashing down.
The tragedy of Europe has socialism at its core. Europe has flirted with socialism since the late nineteenth century. Nineteenth century Bismarckian socialism produced two world wars. Leninist socialism slaughtered and enslaved hundreds of millions until it collapsed, mercifully without a third world war. Yet, not to be deterred, in the ashes of World War II, Europe’s socialists embarked on a new socialist dream. If socialism fails in one country, perhaps it will succeed if all of Europe joined a supra-national socialist organization. Oh, they don't call what has evolved from this dream “socialism,” but it is socialism nonetheless.
Socialism will not work, whether in one country, a multi-state region such as Europe, or the entire world. Ludwig von Mises explained that socialism is not an alternative economic system. It is a program for consumption. It tells us nothing about economic production. Since each man's production must be distributed to all of mankind, there is no economic incentive to produce anything, although there may be the incentive of coercion and threats of violence. Conversely, free market capitalism is an economic system of production, whereby each man owns the product of his own labors and, therefore, has great economic incentives to produce both for himself, his family, and has surplus goods to trade for the surplus product of others. Even under life and death threats neither the socialist worker nor his overseer would know what to produce, how to produce it, or in what quantities and qualities. These economic cues are the product of free market capitalism and money prices.
Under capitalism, man specializes to produce trade goods for the product of others. This is just one way of stating Say’s Law; i.e., that production precedes consumption and that production itself creates demand. For example, a farmer may grow some corn for his family to consume or to feed to his own livestock, but he sells most of his corn on the market in exchange for money with which to buy all the many other necessities and luxuries of life. His corn crop is his demand and money is simply the indirect medium of exchange.
Keynes attempted to deny Say’s Law, claiming that demand itself — created artificially by central bank money printing — would spur production. He attempted, illogically and unsuccessfully, to place consumption ahead of production. To this day Keynes is very popular with spendthrift politicians, to whom he bestowed a moral imperative to spend money that they did not have.
We see the result of 150 years of European socialism playing out in grand style in Greece today. The producing countries are beginning to realize that they have been robbed by the EU’s socialist guarantee that no nation will be allowed to default on its bonds. Greece merely accepted this guarantee at face value and spent itself into national bankruptcy. Other EU nations are not far behind. It’s time to give free market capitalism and sound money a chance: it’s worked every time it’s been tried.
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This just in: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras has announced that the rallying cry "We are Sparta" is to be replaced with "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a Gyro today"
Obozo is a bigger socialist than all the euroweenies put together.
Greece illustrates the failure of socialism EVERYWHERE. ;-)
Looney
Great article. unfortunately human nature is such that we readily accept when things get better, but reject to give up anything we have wrongfully learned to be a human right. Politicians in a democracy who want to be (re)elected have to pander to these facts.
It’s time to give free market capitalism and sound money a chance: it’s worked every time it’s been tried.
Give even a single example and 100% chance anyone with two brain cells to rub together will be able to point out how the state was involved in the 'free' market.
Reality: there are no free markets, there have never been free markets, there will never be free markets, free markets are not possible.
And Europe is experiencing yet another BANKING crisis, something which has been a continuous theme in Europe (and lead to many wars) since the dawn of time.
Sue GS for the entire debt,
If that doesn’t work, send a legion of dolofonos to NY to visit them.
Interpretative boulderdash, started 2 world wars, HA.
End the FED, end world wars.
Socialism only appears to work in small, homogenous countries with strong cultural traditions. Family, tribe, and shared values do the work of imposing some discipline.
Once some subgroup gets used to free shit, it's all over.
The pilgrims were a small homogeneous group. They only stopped starving in the New World after dropping their communal sharing in favor of private property, to each according to his production, and free trade thereof. The true story of Thanksgiving.
the pilgrims would have starved if it weren't for the indigeneous people saving their butt, showing them what to eat, etc
No good deed goes unpunished.
Free markets are impossible? Go hang out at a parking lot at a music festival. Lots of free market activity there. Everything is cheap and readily available. Bet you don't get out much though, James.
Ever wonder why the beer in the parking lot is $1 and the beer in the venue is $10.50?
by free market you mean printing money out of thin air when you run out like greece.
If you want to say that there have never been perfect markets or perfectly free, then I might categorically agree. However, there have been large periods of time wih much much freer markets. This is especially true when you add in not only taxes but labor laws, certification, registration, product regulations and so on.
The point in this article is more macroeconomic than micro. It is a proper rant against the central planners who prop up their bad political theory, bad economic theory and bad egos with endless state intervention.
Greece needs to default. This produces a new accurate credit rating to price risk. This promotes rational investing so that bad economic news does not become excellent investing news because we anticipate the next central bank intervention. That in turn will put pressure on the government for better policy and fiscal management. All these are good things even though a painful event.
There are a lot more countries that need to go the way of Greece, too.
Well said. I would only add that there have been extended periods where the laws applied to everyone, and when one tribe did not have a complete strangle hold on the media.
This is because new markets can begin at a point near equilibrium, but as they mature this rapidly changes. It's a cliche example, but at the beginning of a game of monopoly the market is pretty free, but that changes quickly and if you play long enough the market inevitably becomes completely rigid.
Larry Fink said it best about mature markets: http://www.zerohedge.com/article/shadow-king-wall-street-markets-love-to...
James is probably the guy who accuses everyone of cheating and throws the Monopoly board after he starts losing.
The game doesn't become "rigged". Actually, the longer you play monopoly, the more it becomes obvious who had the best strategy.
Here is some truth for you. Life isn't fair and not everyone is equal.
R-I-G-I-D
Rigid
adjective
1.stiff or unyielding; not pliant or flexible; hard:
2.
firmly fixed or set.
3.
inflexible, strict, or severe:
etc.
might you begin to *consider* that you are, in fact, a stupid person?
LordyL, Oblamo disagrees
Free market is self-correcting mechanism, while central planning is exactly what you call "rigid". All economic crises are debt related one way or another, - free market solves them by forcing participants to live within their means, while central planning delays solution as much as possible by creating more debt, spending other people's money, imposing price controls etc, which exacerbates problem.
I understand your point that free market usually "matures" at some stage and adopts characteristics of oligarchy and more central planning. That's why I think it is important for people to know economic history (including one of socialism failures) and prevent such tendencies.
Moat ZHers have no problem wtih some rules, what we despise is the use of rules as a weapon. Somehow the country had great success under more limited govt.
Leftists want to take the real rulebook and burn it (the constitution), while they replace it with their whims. Don't talk about rules, leftists have no ground to stand on.
Party pooper! It's already planned.
http://redefininggod.com/?s=mises+mafia
I think it was Ayn Rand who said ..capitalism --'''''' true capitalism -- has never been tried, and thus is unknown.'''' What we have in the US is a mixed system, which Rand rightly pointed out would lead to ever-increasing statism. So do not let the down votes get yuo down .. a lot of people think what this pile of shit we have had for 100 years since creation of the Fed and monopoly capitalism .. is the real deal . its not .. its combo state and monopoly capitalism with some small business thrown in the mix. FREE free markets... human nature being what it is ... likely not happening this side of utopia.
Whenever I see this common rant implying free markets are a fiction unless they are 100% free, and there has never been such a thing (disputable), I wonder what the purpose is. There has rarely if ever been true freedom of anything or anyone, but does that invalidate freedom as a desirable principle governing the human condition? Some market regulation is probably good, but governments always overshoot. That is not a flaw in the principle, it is a flaw in the nature of typical politicians. And that flaw persists in every economic model and form of government. So calling free market capitalism a fiction without specifying what shiny new (or old) superior ideal should replace in the real world it is just an ineffective cheap shot.
Same way as modern socialists (aka "liberals") dont advocate full blown communism, just "light" version of it, - similarly most free market advocates are not for completely free market in all aspects (i.e. anarchy). FM still requires government/rule of law to protect property rights and some other functions.
If we define free market as an economic system with MINIMAL Gov. intervention - then there are plenty of "free market" examples in history, mostly successful btw.
Socialism has never failed, as it has never truly existed.
The label has been put onto various experiments, but they have always fought an uphill battle against the greed and corruption that has ruled humanity for far too long.
The people who produce have always been preyed upon by parasites who would rather steal than do an honest day's work.
The parasites control most of the information that Joe Public gets to see. Given that socialism scares them, the meaning of the word has been distorted. Same goes for anarchism - just means no leader. Those who call themselves 'leaders' are scared by the concept.
I dont know what you define as "socialism" that never existed. My definition of socialism = central planning, and there are many examples in history where attempts were made to to centrally plan economy to make it "fair" and "equal" - all failed as history shows.
U R Clueless.
"It works every time it's been tried" It all depends on your point of view,, or on who you are. If you're a Politician it never works, because you don't get to spend all that money on things like German Submarines, which the Greek Govt. bought, (look it up); and wars everywhere, and so forth, and so on. If, on the other hand, you're just an honest citizen who wants their money to keep it's value and their economy to just work normally, then is works every time. But citizens don't get to decide anything; and the power brokers in the Capital City always want the funny money and the big spending programs. See, if youi had anything to say about it, that would be called Democracy; but that's been gone for a hundred and fifty years now.
pray tell how are democracy and socialism mutually exclusive????---
Socialism always kills democracy,
because it's easier to vote DIM and sit on your ass, than it is to work for a living.
Democracy......
A much bandied-about word.
Can you please tell me what it means, before you go off about how socialism kills it?
Thanks in advance.
Democracy without constitutional restraint is the tyranny of the majority, even if the majority must be manipulated, indoctrinated and generally lied to, to come to the proper consensus.
Socialism is just another system put in place to enforce the perceived democratic vision.
Communism simply is not content with manipulation, indoctrination and lies, and readily resorts to full on force, regardless of majority views. It speaks from a higher platform that does not require consensus and as a matter of fact assumes consensus to be representative of all wrong thinking ideas. Once the non subscribers have been reeducated if not eliminated, democracy and majority rule is just assumed if not actually practiced through polling.
Capitalism claims to represent the free market and all thinking people believe that some rules are needed to have effective commerce. In that theme, capitalists will seek power to better define and defend these rules. Unfortunately over time these rules mysteriously tend to aggregate in favor of certain interests, interests who tend to be well represented within the circles of rulemakers. This of course eventually acquires full corruption status as rulemakers are regulating themselves. This creates great opportunities for the Socialists and communists to clamor for justice through even greater powers bestowed on the rulemakers. One can't help but wonder how things could go wrong???
All of the "isms" work together very nicely
dumb answer Kaiser---sound like a rock, sissors, and paper game--
-the vote is taken all the time in a socialist systems--how do you think it gets it's mandates--(the calling card of socialism)?
Mashugina, IsRaHell had their (2&1/2 worth) German-built, Dolphin class U-boats GIVEN to them. Now that's socially fucked.
Socialism works just fine. It just takes a lot of capital to get it started. It only fails once that capital has been depleted.
None of these so called systems work when they're run by sociopathic thieves and scumbags.
MOAR NAZI NOW!
FREEDOM SUCKS!
I mean seriously..."they don't call them criminal regimes for nothing."
Americans HANGED those people.
Yes, we had the help of Britain and indeed Stalin's Russia as well.
But certainly we can "break bread" with our Law.
The U.S. Constitution isn't just some parchment in my view.
It's who in fact we are.
600,000 dead over that thing just to prove it.
"Law matters here. Lawlessness is punished BY DEATH."
Jamie Dimon doesn't get the memo? I don't hear him speaking out on behalf of Greece.
And the strangest part? He never will...he won't just watch Greece die...he'll put the knife in their back too.
Useless twattle. "He has all the money in the world before him."
I'm sure "privately of course...
The only people who want to work in a "system:" are thieves and scumbags; no honest man wants to live by stealing his neighbors paycheck.
yeah but----the honest guy will sure as heck pick up a Jackson laying in the street---just saying
What's your point?
The honest guy would then, if he ran across the person who lost it, return it to its rightful owner.
If the rightful owner can't be found, handing it in to a corrupt system would benefit neither the honest guy nor the rightful owner.
my point is honest is relative---so a system does not need honesty --it needs laws--laws that are inviolate. what it needs is honor, character, wisdom and equality under the law--
Honesty is not relative.
Laws are only neccessary when honesty is ignored.
Honour, Character, Wisdom and Equality undre the law would, however, fix most of the the problems of humanity.
Trouble is, we suffer under a 'legal' system, not a system of law.
we disagree on the honesty but the rest is spot on IMHO
maybe saying honest is relative but truth is not will unmuddy the water.
honest Injun
I guess USA Illustrates 150 Years Of capitalist success then...
More like the first 100 years of capitalist mediocrity, followed by 40 years of non-capitalist, yet extreme luck being the major arms/supplies/logistics suppliers for two world wars, followed by 70 years of cronyism...
It works out to what we have today. Everyone assumes America is capitalist and that's why it's unequal in practice. What they don't realize is that capitalism had little to do with America becoming a superpower, and cronyism had everything to do with things turning to shit.
There is some truth in what you say; but Capitalism; considered in the correct definition of the word, as a business management system, is the only thing that works; there is nothing else.
wrong capitalism is ownership of the means of production--not a management system-----where'd ya gotta scrull???
Can we abandon the "isms" for freedoms?
The "isms" are just tools used to create more teams, more conflict to keep the game going. Freedom is what it is. It sucks some days it wins in others but whatever it is its ours. This constant theme of those who would seek to rule us is that they can protect us and provide "opportunity" to us that we otherwise would not have...all for the cost of freedom. And we will have neither.
Real money will never be allowed back. Most people have no idea that there was a case that ruled that fractional reserve money creation is not legal consideration for a mortgage. Poof, game over. But nobody has ever heard of the case for a damned good reason. It was too dangerous an outcome. http://www.thetruthaboutthelaw.com/banks-lend-money-they-create-out-of-t...
If you have a free market and sound money but the means of production owned by the workers isn't that still, in Marxist terms, communism? Can't we just all agree that Government whether Socialist, Neo-Liberal or Communist is bad. Any ideaology funded by rampant debt and manipulated markets is gonna be fucked Socialism or not.
correct--gov't simply uses coersion to pick winners and losers--
I buy work boots and shoes from a worker owned group of shops(factories) in Wis. USA and union made----very good shoes and boots I might add and inexpensive considering the quality---
Its just stupid. Workers can own production now. Most choose instead to invest in ATVs, flat screen TVs and numerous other toys. I decided many years ago to forestall those toys and instead invest in myself, in my own business, starting with nothing but a van with payments and a few hand tools.
I OWN MY MEANS OF PRODUCTION
Marx wants to TAKE the means of production from those who CREATED it, and as we know it all fails when you run out of other people's means of production to nationalize in the name of the people.
People just have to stop waiting for someone else to provide their means of living and defense of their freedoms. If you don't fight for it yourself, you don't own it. A job is just another excuse for not doing what needs to be done...stand the fuck up. Even Illegals coming here go out and buy a mower and start their own business, cleaning equipment and start their own business, tools and start their own business, but Americans are lined up and whining because their job sucks. Damned straight it sucks, and it's not much better for those self employed....but WE OWN OUR MEANS OF PRODUCTION.
Socialism is alive and well in the Pacific Islands but it's not a government policy. It's the social norm and will continue to be so probably hundreds of years more.
Bolivia has a socialist government and a stable currency. They have nearly free healthcare and education.
Sheesh, don't them them THAT, man. Remember pearls infront of swine, man. These Libertarians are the most deluded aof all. They always bitch against government as the root of all evil, yet they pretend not to notice that ALL governments are run by Corporations. Especially in so called "Free market" USA.
Sheesh, don't tell them THAT, man. Remember pearls infront of swine, man. These Statists are the most deluded aof all. They always bitch against corporations as the root of all evil, yet they pretend not to notice that ALL corporations are run by the State. Especially in so called "Free market" USA.
mine isn't
Corporations are run by the state?
Who pays who? Which direction does the money flow, and who does the work (favors in this case) to earn the money?
nothing is free - someone is paying for that healthcare and education, sub standard as it is.
"sub standard as it is." Your expert opinion huh? Please share how you have learned this.
Let me just ask, do YOU go there for treatment or stay in US.
Thought so
You thought wrong. My wife and I both prefer treatment there.
I bet you go for the good service and low cost---given by a "doctor" or group of doctors? or do you stop at the local state office and get your que number?? Thought so----money buys a lot in poor socialist countries.
Most of the payments into healthcare are not spent on healthcare.
That's why healthcare in US is expensive and sucks.
Dude.... I've been to Bolivia. Pretty place to visit, other than that it's a total fucking 3rd world shithole run by a bunch of Marxists.
My wife's from Bolivia and I've spent a lot of time there. I doubt that you know it better than I do. I'll debate you point for point if you like but generalizations are ridiculous.
Bolivia is the world’s third largest producer of the coca leaf, after Colombia and Peru. By law, 12,000 hectares of land are designated for the legal cultivation of the crop. The United Nations estimates that another 27,200 hectares are used for unregulated coca production destined for the illegal cocaine trade.
Bolivian prisons are overcrowded and conditions for prisoners are extremely poor. In June 2012 the National Prison Administrator reported that 84 percent of inmates were in pre-trial detention. Trial dates are frequently postponed.
Violence against women is pervasive, and the justice system is ineffective at safeguarding women’s broader legal rights. The penal code does not recognize spousal rape and permits a rapist to escape punishment if he marries his victim. More than half of Bolivian women are believed to suffer domestic violence at some point during their lives.
My Bolivian wife answers your points one by one.
You are correct about coca prodution.
You are completely wrong about prison conditions Your 84% is way off. There are some awaiting trial but not that many. There are pro bono lawyers. My wife's a lawyer there and knows.
You are correct about violence against women but that is mostly among the uneducated campesinos. That same vilence occurs in many countries and Bolivia is not an outlier.
So Bolivia is paradise then?
It can be. Go into coca production and you can have a beautiful house with gardeners and servants and a beautiful wife screwing your brains out every night. But based on your Flintstone body you probably can't get a hard on any more.
ad hominem attacks render you bull shit---
Yet another Libertarian article, deliberatly confusing "Socialism" and "Corporitism". Oh well, that's ZH for ya.
This is what unchecked Corporitism looks like baby, for real Socialism check out Norway, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, etc.
They're tiny little countries of pasty white socialists living in a bubble with no mexicans or black people... if the USA didn't have those two demographics we would have a sustainable welfare system too, but that's not real world.
Norway pays for their welfare with their oil and restricts immigrants. They're part of the oil cartel and predatory. They tell the US and Europe to stop using fossil fuels and gave Al Gore a Prize for scaring people with a fraud. The US is the Saudi Arabia of coal but thanks to warm fuzzy little 'socialist' countries, like Norway, we don't get to use our own cheap energy resources anymore to help support our own welfare state.
There are plenty of Libertarian articles that detail our evolving hybrid Corporirtist/Socialst/Police State many of them here on ZH. I agree with you except your inference about Libertarianism and ZH by cherry picking a short article obviously limited in scope. That is MSNBC type anti-Libertarian propaganda bullshit.
Corporatism & socialism are two heads of the same snake.
profoundly true----+1000
We socialized some folks.
Socialism has never worked, will never work.
But, it does have the appearance of working for a while, until it doesn't, and many have short memories.
Or until socialism runs out of other people's money, e.g. Greece
Ever tried thinking and coming up with your own ideas instead of quoting the evil witch Thatcher?
But Socialism doesn't exist in a Vacuum.
Sure, most of us would agree that Socialism is a System of Systems:
- Education
- Taxes, Property for Education, Income & Sales for other
- Involvement of the Workforce (unions)
- Welfare Programs, Liberal, Progressive ideas to help the Elderly, Infirm, Diseased, Children, Women with Kids and little support
- Social Security & Medicare for Elderly, Assistance for Veterans of Wars
But there isn't a Capitalist System that doesn't use those systems as well... if only to pay for Superpower Status (Or Empire), Paper over past Conquests & Wars, Human Experiments, Secret Spy Programs, Propaganda in Communist Countries
We have a Military Republic with Capitalism & Socialism & Lobbying, Money & Gifts for Officials & Judges & Doctors... but to maintain Superpower Status we went to a Fiat Currency off the Gold Status, Strengthen the Central Government with Gerrymandering & 14th Amendment, Corporate Lobbying, Corporate Subsidies, Public Private Partnerships which marry the Federal Government to Corporations and GSEs to Support the Housing Bubbles & Medicaid/Medicare/Obama Care to Support the Big Pharma & Health Care System
Wow. You could call it Socialism, but the Big money is in Fascism and that is what we got. Superpower Status only comes with Super Finance, Super Hegemony, Super Politics, Super Corruption, and Super MIC
Welcome to 1984 where black is white and up is down.
My point is that Strong Central Government supports Superpower Status just as Fiat Currency & Private Banks are all in a Marriage that have things in Status Quo exactly as they want them. That is why both Democrats and Republicans vote together in all this stuff. Self Serving Deals. Career Opportunists. Greed. Lust. Power. Envy. Sin.
"But, it does have the appearance of working for a while"
Indeed. only until it runs out of other peoples' money.
Then it crashes.
See Greece.
It works for a while, until it scares the parasitic banksters who then set out to propagandize the people and destroy it.
I guess the propaganda worked on you.
There's little about banksters which is free market capitalistic. Many of them are socialists/marxists of one sort or another. Who funded the Bolshevik Revolution?
Not socialists.
Bankers.
"Socialism has never worked, will never work."
Actually, it always works, and it continues to work. It is the most effective method yet devised to convince the population they are ruling and stealing from that what they are doing is for the greater good. People believe it. There is no system like it for making people believe it. And then when the numbers don't add up, people are willing to believe it's because it wasn't socialist enough.
The most effective myth a ruler could ever ask for. Nowhere close to dying yet. Too many still believe.
The last one that came close was the church. The funny thing is that now that the church doesn't have political power, I'm okay with them, because they don't compel anyone to do anything. It is that combination of belief and compulsion that is a real soul killer.
Nice comment. I can only add the bit about when socialism fails, it reinvents itself with a new name, new clothes and new language.
There are still plenty of people who are fooled by all this, so socialism isn't going away any time soon. In fact, it seems to me that it's spreading and peddling itself as the brain disease that's "fair" which amounts to nothing more than its supporters trying to get something for nothing.
What balderdash that article is.
The European Common Market, later European Union, is and has always been, structured around crony capiltalism.
A super-state runs by the planation owners with an (until now successful) aim of keeping the serfs in their place.
So-called "crony capitalism" IS a form of socialism.
+1 spot on.
So-called 'crony capitalism' is a form of corruption.
FIFY
And socialism is a form of corruption.
So we all agree.
PS: All forms of "authority" are corruption.
And corruption is predatory behavior.
PS: So-called "authority" is blatant fiction... "authority" doesn't exist, and cannot exist. But that doesn't stop morons AKA humans from believing in that fiction.
not all--I may be an authority on apple pie baking? Am I then corrupt? Words have meanings --IMHO you should try to be more precise---you will more successful in getting your point across -1
Or did I misunderstand?
Most words have multiple meanings.
The two most common meanings of "authority" are completely different.
#1: authority: tells others what they must do or not do.
#2: authority: someone with significant to substantial knowledge on some topic.
Always looking to replace the "parental authority" in life. Very few people really want freedom.
or can handle it
That is perfectly fine with me... as long as they don't attempt to force me or others who "grew up and know how to take care of ourselves" to obey their favored predators AKA leaders.
All forms of authority are corruption, I would agree, but giving people control over production so that the all of society benefits, which is what I would consider 'socialism' is not a bad idea.
As an anarchist, I'm not exactly comfortable with any 'ism' but socialism as described above would definitely be an improvement on what's happenng to the world right now.
I don't believe anyone has the right to tell me what to do so long as I'm not harming anyone else.
I don't believe I have the right to tell anyone else what to do so long as they are not harming anyone.
Yet anarchism and socialism are mutually exclusive.
Socialism begins with the "we know best" nanny state, progresses to democratic authoritarianism-lite, but as people get fed up with being bossed about by jumped up know-nothing-nobody apparatchiks who just love their job because it feeds their egos, it ends up with jackboot totalitarianism where people don't even have the choice. Laws are enacted to put all this crap into place.
Yes. And since "authority" is fiction, so is "law" (and "state", and "nation", and "government", and so forth).
Every penny that you and everyone else earns can be spent on needs (survival), on wants (not needed for survival), on luxury (feels great)... OR on productive machinery and supplies.
The reason I was more successful than most was PRECISELY because I was very frugal (only purchased necessities), and spent most of the money I earned buying productive equipment and supplies that I then generated output with (goods and goodies that others would purchase).
EVERYONE can be a producer... if they want to be, and are willing to suffer (do without) enough in the short run in order to enjoy life after several years of bootstrapping from little or nothing.
THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION ARE BRAINS AND SAVINGS.
What socialists want is... someone to hand them a million bucks and say, "go open your own business". The problem with that is... where did that million come from? The answer is always "someone else" (taxation) or "everyone else" (monetary inflation). Plus, whoever is the "power" who would hand out that million always keeps most of the loot for themselves and their fellow predators, and only hands crumbs to the true believers (who never get anywhere anyhow, because what they believe is fundamentall self-destructive).
What individuals should do is... recognize how much better off they are than humans in the jungle 25,000+ years ago, and take advantage of what is known about how to produce. Not invent schemes that steal from others, and definitely not sanction and support human predators who PROMISE them a better life at the expense of others.
Redistributionism has many varieties, socialism is one of them. They all have the same feature, cramping the creation of wealth. Mises said, and I agree, that when the producers wealth is confiscated he does not produce. Only production, free trade and voluntary gifting entitles an individual to property ownership, everything else is theft. Socialists are rationalizing moochers, some with a Stockholm syndrome.
Redistributionism is what we suffer from right now.
The rich and powerful redistributing true wealth production from the productive members of society to themselves is the real problem.
i don't think giving people the control of production when they are doing the producing is what you call redistributionism, it's called socialism.
When (if?) people wake up the theft they are suffering from every day, things will change for the better.
Not holding my breath.
Crony capitalizm privatizes the profits, and socializes the losses, it's that simple.
Yeah. I notice all Bailouts turn out to be... Corporate Bailouts.
Nomi Prins did a video recently on how it is all part of plan for world domination. Yeah, she has a new book, but was Managing Director at GS. Anyway the last part of Domination is taking Countries and Taking Deposits (Cash Bailouts).
I think she said after $7 Trillion in Bailouts from 2007-2008 the Bank Executives are Richer, Higher Compensation, TBTF is 30-40% bigger, the control more banking and Deposits than ever in history.
Yeah, Bailouts are Counter-Intelligence Operations against Citizens, Voters, Stakeholders, Future Generations.
I don't hear concern from out Congress & President about us becoming Debt Slaves...
or the use of "Dialog in Hell" from 19th Century as a guide to Dominate the World.
Its a feudalist/mercantilist system with a socialist component used to keep the serfs quiet. Humans adapt, there have been happy slaves and miserable free men, socialism should be a voluntary thing for individuals, I personally don't like it, and neither wish to "contribute" (get robbed) to it nor "benefit" (rob someone) from it.
- MICROSOFT LAYS OFF 7,800
- WHILE LOBBYING FOR MORE IMMIGRANT WORKERS
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dialogue_in_Hell_Between_Machiavelli_a...
I guess this book was written in pseudonym against Napoleon... but really is the basis for conspiracy, antisemitism... and readers are horrified that it is a road map for World Domination.
Of course it looks like Modern America today... I'm just saying someone has implemented these protocols... probably the very Wealthy powers that be, the Globalists.
What is now the European Union was originally the brainchild of a handful of Catholic statesmen determined never again to allow mainland Europe suffer at the hands of British intrigue, which had sucked Europe into two world wars to keep its own hegemony rolling and also to further the cause of the Jews. de Gaspari, Adenauer and Schumann wanted Germany, France and Italy to come together so that British intrigue and finance would have a much tougher time trying to pull the same stunts in future.
Unfortunately their vision of a united, peaceful and prosperous Europe, informed not by socialism but rather by the social teachings of the nineteenth-century Popes, was sabotaged by the accession of Britain to the EEC in the early 70s. Another devout Catholic, French President de Gaulle, strongly resisted their accession, believing them to be a trojan that would work to destroy the union from within. In my view that is exactly what has transpired. For hundreds of years British foreign policy has had one aim - to split any alliances and unions which threaten the Anglo-American hegemony. When their crippled economy in the 70s meant they were no longer able to do this from the outside they sought to join the union so they could continue their fight against Europe from within.
A much more difficult problem for Europe to solve, I'm sure you'll all agree.
They are at work in Greece today, where every second minister is either Oxford-educated or City of London-trained, or both. They want Greece in the Euro because that way they can keep the Eurozone squabbling and quarreling, thus diverting attention from their own crippled currency and debt-ridden economy. That's why I was overjoyed to see the Germans giving the Greeks the two fingers. This is an end-game for the enemies of humanity dealing death, misery and destruction from their base in London, and I think they know it. Which of course is why their IMF frontmen put up a fight last week to keep the circus going a bit longer. Nein said the Germans, and thank God for that. No doubt these enemies of humanity won't go down without a fight, and I fully expect them to reduce Europe to rubble once more in a final effort to keep hold of their special, chosen, Puritan place on God's green earth, but a cornered rat does not go down without a fight. What matters is that in the end he's the one who goes down.
He who laughs last, etc. Bring it on. Let Europe go down in flames once more, I say, because only then will I know Europe is serious about eradicating the parasite within. Even England stands to benefit when that parasite has finally been eradicated, ruthlessly and without a shred of mercy.
anglo-zionist....
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/09/anglozionist-short-primer-for-...
He who controls the present, controls the past...
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/06/17/top-ten-myths-about-the-i...
at Henery H---I thought the ECU and the EU were incarnations of a German national resurgence after reunifacation-- but it's probably just the crony cap boogy man. my bad.
Higher productivity, extensive social services, labor laws protecting workers, less homelessness, less poverty and top spots in every happiness study since that nonsense started. If that's 150 years of failure, I wonder what success looks like. O wait
LOL - good one. Stalin, Mao, all them folks worked miracles for their poeples.....at least the ones they didn't genocide.
Neither Stalin, nor Mao were socialists - they just wore socialism as a cloak to fool the people.
Both were without doubt genocidal criminals, not socialists at all.
LOFL. And Hitler wasnt a socialist either. Or have we forgotten , or unlearned, all the wonderful social programs the National Sociallists put in place in pre-war Germany with Hitler as the head......for fucks sake already.
It happened and we are still here. So that's good isn't it huh.
Dude. It's happening. It's not over. Noone knows what tomorrow brings.
Not a failure of socialism, but a failure of banks, banksters, and oligarchs.
Has Greece run out of fiat?
Every once in a while an American comes out with the solution for all of Europe's woes, blame it all on "SOCIALISM"! Yes yes, blame it all on socialism, but first tell me how the most socialist of all socialist countries here the Scandinavian ones have a lower debt to GDP ratio than the US despite having a much higher social welfare system? It's politicians than are unable to work with the funds they have and make promises they cannot keep, inefficient government agencies and so forth that are to blame and not socialism.
the US is more a conyist state..... Scandinavia reformed years ago....the PIGS and the US & Japan still have a day of reckoning!
What is important here is to demonstrate how unjust your "ism" is and substitute my "ism" to replace it. The beauty is that all "isms" seem to have one commonality and that is a really concentrated central power. That is what we are selling...my central power is strong to protect you while your central power is strong to oppress me. A strong central government's primary action is oppress. ANY society is sustainable if it is voluntary, but impose upon me your need for security, your need for ideology, your need for economic justice and you are oppressing ME for YOUR needs. I say fuck off. Show me a socialist country where the vast percentage of the people participate voluntarily and I will show you relative success. I will say the same for capitalism. But there are few countries like that today. Most have been blended with such diversity of culture and values that there is no common interest, there is not voluntary cooperation as it is groups pitted against each other, and it is getting worse by the day because governments, so desperate to hold power will do all in their power to make sure conflict exists, grows and spills into to every life it can touch.
don't buy it Oldwood --it ain't all that great in those wonderful nordic utopian paradises, --lots of people using Devorkian style assistance.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/27/scandinavian-miracle-brutal...
There ain't no utopia anywhere. The main thing I'm looking at is social consensus over social destruction. Nordics have a history of culling the herd to maintain efficiency. In America we just abort millions. whatever makes us happy, right?
sweden is tiny and until recently had few minorities.
you can not compare it to the much more massive and diverse US, which has an entire underclass of blacks and latinos both disenfranchised by the system and given all sorts of free shit by it.
The Scandinavians had very strong work ethics.
Their governments have been working hard to erode those ethics by rewarding laziness.
Hercules, and Xena will save them. Zeus and the Gods will send them to HADES.......
Actually some of the more "socialist" countries of Europe have large trade surpluses - Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Austria. Greece's main problems could be work ethics and political culture.
Greece's problems are that their country has been ruled (I almost wrote run but that would be too complimentary) by a succession of bandits.
Starting with the Black Colonels in the late 1960s.
This
Societies are failing due to multicultural mayhem. No one is pulling for the success of their country because they don't believe they have one anymore.
Countries are bullshit constructs.
A way to divide society into easily governable chunks with the added feature that they can then be set against each other so that they fight amongst themselves instead of fighting the true enemies - the parasitic banksters and politicians.
So your logic is that we should all speak the same language, ignore or destroy all unshared history and act like one big harmonious family? Why don't we get rid of all the football teams and just do it like high school where we choose team mates prior to each game? Even large businesses will work in separate teams as they find that competition and the comradeship formed is valuable.
But you think countries are bullshit constructs. While many today are, as they were arbitrarily drawn by politicians serving their own needs, most countries have real and meaningful histories that unite them...or at least did until politicians discovered they could wrangle much greater power from a divided society that was diluted and fractured by massive immigration and policies that ensured the people stayed divided.
The more divided the nation internally, the stronger the oppression by their government. They like it that way. Watch as the nations of the world fracture and see who ends up in charge.
I thought I was fairly clear.
Can you name a country that wasn't arbitrarily drawn up by those who seek power over others?
Differences enrich humanity, they don't diminish it.
I think you completely missed my point.
countries are lines on a map to divide the spoils, yes ---but do, over time, have significance for the inhabitat--
Lets not forget US and UK stinky fingers role in making and maintaining this dictatorship.
Well, they were elected, right (except for colonels)? Once, twice, many times ...
Ah, well that explains why all those countries mentioned are busting at the seams with immigrants looking for a better life. And just look at their military might......for fucks sake already........
Yes. Because we all know military might is the only measure that matters.
Which is why brawn will always trump brains in the US. What the world needs is yet more coked-up Marines and drone-operators solving its political, economic and social problems so we can all enjoy the Utopian Dream the Americans wake up to every day. Shooting ten kids a week in German schools would be a good start.
Not even close.
they are just amongst the first to run out of OPM. Of course the problem is not socialism/communism - those have worked magnificently wherever tried, must be too much capitalism goin on over there in Greece.
Well we have 150 years of socialist behaviour in Europe VS 20 years of capitalist behaviour in US before 1929 and then 70 years after 1945 to get where we are today.
Euro socialism vs US capitalism are the only shows in town.... for better or for worse.
Unless you believe in China rising!
Give freedom a chance. Of course no government, regardless of stripe, would ever consider that, now would they? Freedom has not failed as it has never been tried within a system, as a system is the opposite of freedom. We just can't help ourselves. We are so fearful, and increasingly so, with government indoctrination and constant propaganda, as we have no choice but to kill, jail or oppress anyone who we might think constitutes a risk...or today, even an insult.
Reactionary wet dreams of Baron Munchausen of Miser Institute
I want my crony capitalism! I want my corps to lobby gov't for freebies and favors!
ISIS is in Greece...
http://www.globalresearch.ca/planned-us-coup-in-greece/5461051
you know... will be the reason... we needed to send advisors into Greece....