Re: A new career...?!



On Wed, 04 May 2011 08:37:46 -0500, Mickey wrote:

"Alex W." <ingilt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Tue, 03 May 2011 21:24:31 -0500, Mickey wrote:

"Alex W." <ingilt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Tue, 3 May 2011 16:48:58 -0700, Miss Elaine Eos wrote:

On 2011-05-03 16:14:03 -0700, "Alex W." <ingilt@xxxxxxxxxxx> said:
You may not like the European way of managing their countries (and you
have every right not to like it), but as a model, it works not half bad.

Here in America, things that work in a way that results in a life that
we don't like, we call "doesn't work."

That's rot.
Just because you or I (or Mickey) don't like the way something
works does not mean it "doesn't work". All it means is that it
works in ways we do not like.

Right. Meaning it doesn't work. When something doesn't work properly,
we say it doesn't work, even though it may work badly.

OK, so how exactly does it not work properly?
How does it work badly?

Rather than ask me, why don't you ask those folks in Greece? or
Portugal? Ireland, maybe, a little closer to home?

You mean Ireland as in "let's embrace the free-wheeling American
way of doing business as far as we can" Ireland? The one where
they mismanaged banks and mis-sold mortgages every bit as badly
as they did in the US of A?

Anyway, if you're going down that route, let's start where this
last financial crisis began: in the US. This was not a meltdown
precipitated by vast social spending strangling private
enterprise. It was not a state collapsing under a crushing
healthcare or pensions burden.



A socialist system removes the incentives from people to strive, to
really go for it. Why should they put forth more than minimum effort?
To see the majority of the fruits of their efforts snatched away and
given to other people?

Which just goes to prove that there is no such thing as socialism
in Europe. Or had you utterly failed to notice how few of the
really desirable consumer goods are American, and msot of them
are European? Who displays the biggest push to strive for
excellence -- GM or BMW? Is it just chance that the USMC is
being fed by the French, that parade example of lazy socialised
complainin labouts?



The less said about the recent health care system embarrassments, the
better
And I'd actually be curious for some proper hard arguments about
why the European model "doesn't work". Shouting emotional pop
slogans about "socialism" -- which nine out of ten Americans do
not even know the correct meaning of -- doesn't impress.

Oh, yes yes yes, us 'Merkins are so narrow and unedumacated. 9 out of
10 of us may not know the proper definition of "socialism" but you're
not dealing with 9 out of 10 of us right now are you? 9 from 10 leaves
1 and I am that one. I sure as hell know what socialism is and I know
a bloody socialist when I see one and I see one sitting in the Oval
Office of the White House right his minute.

Which just goes to prove that at the very least, you are using
the word like the other nine Americans who have no idea what it
means.

Oh, they have an idea what it means, even if they couldn't give an
exactly proper definition. All they know is they're working hard and
longer for less, and seeing nearly 1/2 the country paying no income
taxes, and an ungodly number of their fellow citizens suckling off the
government teat.

Got news for you: the exact same sentiment applies over here.
The glory days of effortless wealth creation are over.
Better get used to it.




Tell a real-life Hungarian, Pole or East German that Obama and
his policies are being called "socialist", and you are likely to
get one of two reactions: either they laugh hugely, or they get
quite seriously angry. Meaning that either they laugh at this
utter ignorance, or they get pissed off because they know exactly
and from personal experience what the term really means.

So what? Just because he hasn't reached the stage where purges are
common doesn't mean he's not slouching in that direction.

It means that when you misuse the term in this way, you really
have no idea what you are really saying, and further, that those
people who really do know disagree with you most sincerely.

.



Relevant Pages

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