Mrkim Report This Comment Date: November 24, 2024 08:59PM
Q ball, as one interested in this wonderful concept of socialism you seem so
fond of extolling please give us some examples of countries where it's worked
out glowingly for the populations there ... I'll wait with bated breath for your
examples
pulse Report This Comment Date: November 25, 2024 12:43AM
I guess it depends on what you call a socialist country. eg, Australia has a
lot of socialist positions. We're quite a hybrid regime in a lot of ways.
Scandinavia is the same, though leaning even further towards socialism.
Certainly you'll see from my previous posts I'm a proponent of socialised
healthcare. I'm not saying Australia has done that well; but I accept my role in
paying for it. I pay both a Medicare levy AND I am effectively forced to have
private health insurance because of the way additional levies work here (if you
earn over $X per year starting at age 30 and you don't have private health
insurance, the tax rate goes up every year and never comes down).
However I believe in the system, I have the option of private hospitals and
doctors if I wish to use them; otherwise I have the option of the public health
system safety net, which is available to everyone. I consider healthcare should
be the same as other basic services such as police, fire fighting and the postal
service. Education should also be included in this.
I do agree with one of your other posts about 'big pharma' though. Something
more needs to be done to reign in some of the prices there; but without
hindering investment into future medical breakthroughs. The biggest problem
there is it's more financially viable to treat an ailment than cure it. There
should be some kind of 'big reward' for a cure to curb that or something, I
don't know, just thinking out loud while I'm meant to be working.
By the US definitions, I believe Australia would be considered a socialist
state.
Anon - not logged in Report This Comment Date: November 25, 2024 01:45AM
By the US definitions, I believe Australia would
be considered a socialist state.
I never use the US definitions, it's adjusted for pecuniary interests. I think
you've been listening to them too much and it's affected the way you worded your
post. Otherwise I agree with you.
I didn't know about rising tax rates, that one passed me by.
Westminster System is best system, we'll agree on that.
Mrkim Report This Comment Date: November 25, 2024 02:44AM
My contention is that no matter how socialist governmental systems work they
are still built and accomplished on the backs of capitalist underpennings and
are not the dreams Q ball and those of his ilk espouse to aspire to of a utopian
society built upon societal equality and social justice.
This at best goes against human nature itself as in such a utopian dream state
there's no reward for hard work and achievement, since that would be unfair to
others for their own lack of capacity to achieve similar successes
quasi Report This Comment Date: November 25, 2024 01:34PM
Hybrid system, as pulse said. Democratic socialism. Our current system is
driving us into a new gilded age.
