Quiz... Capitalist or Socialist?

[8th wonder]

You Are 0% Capitalist, 100% Socialist

 

[KitFisto]

I see a lot of 4% Capitalists here. I take it you want your legalized prostitution too.

 

[The Mike]

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<strong>You Are 52% Capitalist, 48% Socialist</strong>
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While you are definitely sympathetic to a free economy, you also worry about the less fortunate.<br />
Wealth and business is fine, as long as those who are in need get helped out too.<br />
You tend to see both the government and corporations as potentially corrupt.
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<div align="center"><a href="https://www.blogthings.com/areyouasocialistorcapitalistquiz/">Are You a Socialist or Capitalist?</a></div>

 

[Mesa]

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<font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'>
<strong>You Are 52% Capitalist, 48% Socialist</strong>
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<tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<center><img src="https://www.blogthingsimages.com/areyouasocialistorcapitalistquiz/politics-3.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center>
<font color="#000000">
While you are definitely sympathetic to a free economy, you also worry about the less fortunate.<br />
Wealth and business is fine, as long as those who are in need get helped out too.<br />
You tend to see both the government and corporations as potentially corrupt.
</font></td></tr></table>
<div align="center"><a href="https://www.blogthings.com/areyouasocialistorcapitalistquiz/">Are You a Socialist or Capitalist?</a></div>

 

[customizerwannabe]

60% Capitalist...40% Socialist I do believe in legalizing prostitution.

 

[barbelith]

16% Capitalist, 84% Socialist

I believe in help for those who really need it and make an effort to help themselves, but too many people believe in handouts and forcing businesses to foot the bill for it.

I'm willing to bet you know nothing about government aid beyond what you've heard on conservative talk radio.

 

[carbo-fation]

I am glad I am not the only socialist on this board.

 

[pixletwin]

I am glad I am not the only socialist on this board.

Erm hi. Alleged socialist here too (did you miss my post?)

 

[carbo-fation]

Just saw it!

 

[DarthNeil]

16% Capitalist, 84% Socialist



I'm willing to bet you know nothing about government aid beyond what you've heard on conservative talk radio.

Is this a personal attack? Is this necessary? Are you taunting in an attempt to get something started?... Please take a moment to answer those questions... Thanks.

 

[barbelith]

Is this a personal attack? Is this necessary? Are you taunting in an attempt to get something started?...

Nope, not a personal attack. In my experience the people who whine the most about welfare know nothing about how it works or who uses it. The fact is that most people who rely on government aid do so temporarily and the sort of "welfare mom" the right loves to demonize is rare.

Perhaps I shouldn't have responded to a generalization with a generalization.

 

[DarthNeil]

Nope, not a personal attack. In my experience the people who whine the most about welfare know nothing about how it works or who uses it. The fact is that most people who rely on government aid do so temporarily and the sort of "welfare mom" the right loves to demonize is rare.

Perhaps I shouldn't have responded to a generalization with a generalization.

Thanks for the clarification. Please continue to post without resorting to any baiting posts that might be misconstrued as personal attacks. Thanks.

 

[drbrad1975]

Nope, not a personal attack. In my experience the people who whine the most about welfare know nothing about how it works or who uses it. The fact is that most people who rely on government aid do so temporarily and the sort of "welfare mom" the right loves to demonize is rare.

Perhaps I shouldn't have responded to a generalization with a generalization.

Umm...no this isn't the case. In one of my offices, I work with patients on Medicaid and on welfare support. Welfare is a form of slavery. It robs people of their initiative. People on welfare tend to breed more people on welfare. I see it in action almost daily. Surprisingly enough, they do most certainly have a ton of kids!!! Statistics show that the more educated that a person is, the less number children they have. Welfare is great when used for what it supposed to be used for. I personally think there should be a time limit to the amount of time spent on welfare. I think 18 months would be a great start!!

 

[wofford29]

Umm...no this isn't the case. In one of my offices, I work with patients on Medicaid and on welfare support. Welfare is a form of slavery. It robs people of their initiative. People on welfare tend to breed more people on welfare. I see it in action almost daily. Surprisingly enough, they do most certainly have a ton of kids!!! Statistics show that the more educated that a person is, the less number children they have. Welfare is great when used for what it supposed to be used for. I personally think there should be a time limit to the amount of time spent on welfare. I think 18 months would be a great start!!

Agreed.

Welfare studies show time and time again that welfare is a failed institution and that it leads to the proverbial "handout" the vast majority of the time. There aren't enough postives to outweigh the overwhelming negatives to warrant it's existence or a serious restructuring of it's application. The same proponents of welfare are typically the same individuals that believe a higher minimum wage helps the economy and the "working poor." It's a vicious cycle of "gimme" with serious adverse effects on our society and economy as a whole.

 

[8th wonder]

Umm...no this isn't the case. In one of my offices, I work with patients on Medicaid and on welfare support. Welfare is a form of slavery. It robs people of their initiative. People on welfare tend to breed more people on welfare. I see it in action almost daily. Surprisingly enough, they do most certainly have a ton of kids!!! Statistics show that the more educated that a person is, the less number children they have. Welfare is great when used for what it supposed to be used for. I personally think there should be a time limit to the amount of time spent on welfare. I think 18 months would be a great start!!

What a disgusting statement. You are probably forgetting that education costs damn much money. Not everybody can afford it. Equal opportunities.... yeah right a myth for the elite. And not everybody on welfare is the untermensch you describing them to be. I do hate people that are only looking for a cheap buck and don't even try to have a good job. they are the people that destroy the aspects of what is fundamentally a good and humanistic idea. Some people have lived troubled lives or aren't physically fit enough to be slaves of a greedy company.

 

[drbrad1975]

What a disgusting statement. You are probably forgetting that education costs damn much money. Not everybody can afford it. Equal opportunities.... yeah right a myth for the elite. And not everybody on welfare is the untermensch you describing them to be. I do hate people that are only looking for a cheap buck and don't even try to have a good job. they are the people that destroy the aspects of what is fundamentally a good and humanistic idea. Some people have lived troubled lives or aren't physically fit enough to be slaves of a greedy company.

How is this a digusting statement? My parents didn't pay a dime for my "education" other than paying my car and health insurance, and that was just for the first four years. The money is there for those who work for it and seek it out. There are so many government lending agencies (Pell grant for instance), The Hope Scholarship (in Georgia--other states may have something similar--I don't know), and other scholarship opportunities. I am all for easing the access to getting an education. I would much rather my tax dollars spent providing these opportunities rather than supporting a welfare society. I am not talking about people with special needs here. Yes, those people need/require our support. What's wrong with helping people succeeding? Welfare, as we know it, is broken. It needs to be fixed. There needs to be limitations on what the need is and how long that they are allowed to be on it. The need requires investigation. I had a patient whose parents were on Medicaid and they drove to their appointment in a brand new H2 Hummer. The sticker was still on the window!! If they can afford a brand new Hummer, do they need government assistance?

 

[drbrad1975]

Agreed.

Welfare studies show time and time again that welfare is a failed institution and that it leads to the proverbial "handout" the vast majority of the time. There aren't enough postives to outweigh the overwhelming negatives to warrant it's existence or a serious restructuring of it's application. The same proponents of welfare are typically the same individuals that believe a higher minimum wage helps the economy and the "working poor." It's a vicious cycle of "gimme" with serious adverse effects on our society and economy as a whole.

I completely agree. I think the concept is "noble" and well placed. It's the execution that requires reform. People need to use welfare as it was intended. I understand people fall upon hard times. Welfare is suppose to be there to help them get back on their feet and not spend a lifetime on it. Helping the unfortunate is a worthy cause but at times it can be a hinderance to their prosperity.

 

[barbelith]

In one of my offices...

Anecdotal evidence is not statistical evidence. I'm sure we can all figure out why it's unreliable for this sort of issue. For example , everyone I've ever met named David has been a jackass. Does that mean all or most or even a significant number of people named David are jackasses? Of course not.

I personally think there should be a time limit to the amount of time spent on welfare.

There are time limits on welfare. I personally think we shouldn't have uninformed opinions about things, but I know that's a losing battle.

Welfare studies show time and time again that welfare is a failed institution and that it leads to the proverbial "handout" the vast majority of the time.

Actually this is completely untrue. The vast majority of welfare recipients are on welfare for a limited window and then continue with their lives.

The same proponents of welfare are typically the same individuals that believe a higher minimum wage helps the economy and the "working poor."

Of course it's actually true that a higher minimum wage helps the economy and the working poor - and moreover a child should be able to figure that out. If your entire economy is based on consumerism you need to maximize the money available for spending. Real wages have fallen over the last few decades despite nominal increases (a sluggish and necessary response to inflation) and the only way this economy hasn't completely collapsed is debt culture.

It just gets silly. Let's look at the minimum wage. Right now the federal minimum wage is $6.55 per hour. $6.55 x 8 x 5 x 52 = $13,624 per year. People are whining about $13,624 per year. I'm sure lowering the minimum wage will have the economy just whizzing along in no time.

 

[drbrad1975]

Anecdotal evidence is not statistical evidence. I'm sure we can all figure out why it's unreliable for this sort of issue. For example , everyone I've ever met named David has been a jackass. Does that mean all or most or even a significant number of people named David are jackasses? Of course not.



There are time limits on welfare. I personally think we shouldn't have uninformed opinions about things, but I know that's a losing battle.



Actually this is completely untrue. The vast majority of welfare recipients are on welfare for a limited window and then continue with their lives.



Of course it's actually true that a higher minimum wage helps the economy and the working poor - and moreover a child should be able to figure that out. If your entire economy is based on consumerism you need to maximize the money available for spending. Real wages have fallen over the last few decades despite nominal increases (a sluggish and necessary response to inflation) and the only way this economy hasn't completely collapsed is debt culture.

It just gets silly. Let's look at the minimum wage. Right now the federal minimum wage is $6.55 per hour. $6.55 x 8 x 5 x 52 = $13,624 per year. People are whining about $13,624 per year. I'm sure lowering the minimum wage will have the economy just whizzing along in no time.

The Facts:

1.) The 4.7 million families currently receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) have already spent, on average, six-and-a-half years on welfare.
2.) When past and estimated future receipt of AFDC are combined, the estimated average length of stay on AFDC, among those families currently receiving benefits, is an astonishing 13 years.
3.) Among the 4.7 million families currently receiving AFDC, over 90 percent will spend over two years on the AFDC caseload. More than three quarters will spend over five years on AFDC.
4.) Recent research by Budget Office Director June O'Neill shows that increasing the length of time a child spends on welfare may reduce the child's IQ by as much as 20 percent.
5.) Welfare receipt as a child has a negative effect on the earnings and employment capacity of young men. The more welfare income received by a boy's family during his childhood, the lower will be the boy's earnings as an adult, even when compared to boys in families with identical non-welfare income.
6.) Receipt of welfare and living in a single-parent family during childhood are strongly associated with criminal activity among young men and having illegitimate children among young women.

Tell me how this system works and how it doesn't breed dependency? You're correct that anecdotal evidence doesn't mean statistical evidence but the statistics don't lie.

 

[wofford29]

Actually this is completely untrue. The vast majority of welfare recipients are on welfare for a limited window and then continue with their lives.

You can tell yourself that, but in the reality it's absolutely true. I spent an entire semester in a Learning and Adaptive behavior research lab, and time and time again the results and research show it to be completely accurate.

Of course it's actually true that a higher minimum wage helps the economy and the working poor - and moreover a child should be able to figure that out. If your entire economy is based on consumerism you need to maximize the money available for spending. Real wages have fallen over the last few decades despite nominal increases (a sluggish and necessary response to inflation) and the only way this economy hasn't completely collapsed is debt culture.

It just gets silly. Let's look at the minimum wage. Right now the federal minimum wage is $6.55 per hour. $6.55 x 8 x 5 x 52 = $13,624 per year. People are whining about $13,624 per year. I'm sure lowering the minimum wage will have the economy just whizzing along in no time.

Couldn't be more off base. It's simple economics. Raising a minimum wage raises the cost of business, it creates fewer jobs, reduces lifetime earning prospects, not to mention that almost 60% of minimum wage earners are single and still live with their parents, a higher minimum wage has shown to reduce school drop out rates, states with higher minimum wages have a directly correlated value of welfare recipients staying on welfare longer, around 9% of the "working poor" have minimum wage positions and barely over 1% of earners on minimum wage were heads of house. Raising a minimum wage does nothing for the economy but weaken it.


No one is arguing to completely get rid of any form of government assistance, there just simply needs to be an enormous overhauling of the system. The government just recently seized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to hopefully right a sinking ship, and they can just as easily take hold of some very outdated programs and reform them for the benefit of all of society.