This week in stupid, Royal wedding, Venezuela etc.

Started by pr126, May 21, 2018, 09:31:18 AM

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Shiranu

Quote...I mean your someone who lives in a capitalist society...

Actually, the majority of my life is influenced more by socialist policies than capitalistic... so... *shrug*

From the video...

Quote...the more socialist a country is, the more likely it is to fail. That's really all you need to know.

Cool, so I am going to stop watching there because he told me to, and because that is just a blatantly false statement... unless you mean to tell me Canada, New Zealand, Australia, France, Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium and a hand few more, which rank more democratic, more free, more economically equal, have stronger infrastructures, and so on and so forth, are all more likely to the collapse than the United States.

Also from Venezuelans... socialism also drastically improved the education and over-all health of it's citizens; so it's a bit weird how it is both the greatest evil and a great saviour, isn't it? It's almost like... stick with me here... more than one factor is required to cause the complete collapse of societies. It's almost like life isn't just black and white! Shocking!

- It couldn't possibly be the rampant corruption that spreads from top to bottom in Venezuela, a symptom that is not even remotely isolated to socialist states (see; Mexico, India, Pakistan, pretty much all of Africa and Latin America).

-It couldn't possibly be that instead of reigning in spending as oil prices dropped, Chavez and Maduro decided to increase spending and start printing more money, both increasing his debt and decreasing the value of his currency.

-It couldn't possibly be that Venezuela was economically sanctioned by the United States from having other countries buying off their debt, leaving them to deal with mostly just China and Russia by trading oil for loans and increasingly getting the shorter and shorter end of the stick.

-It couldn't possibly be that they are currently run by a psychopath dictator, which again... is not something that only socialist states are capable of having.

No, it can all be boiled down to one big, bad boogieman... the big, bag boogieman that is allowing you to type how evil it is and is allowing someone on the other side of the world to read it.

Irony.
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

Shiranu

#16
By the way, Venezuela's just as militantly socialist neighbour, Bolivia? Thriving. They invested their cash rather than blew it, and now their country is on the rise. Does that mean I think we should be like Bolivia? No, obviously. But could everyone learn from what they did right, regardless of if they are socialist or capitalist? Obviously, yes.

Again, it's almost like there are bigger factors involved than if a state identifies and capitalist or socialist since there is not a single country in the world that leans particularly far towards one or another...

...it's almost like that is just a big, bad boogieman from the Cold War to scare the little kiddies into voting for people who don't have their best interest in mind... hmmm...

"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

Baruch

#17
Unfortunately there are not many ways to have a successful state, and many ways to make a failing state.  So on average, they fail.  There is a difference between socialism and dictatorship ... but sometimes not much.  I know that if I were Venezuelan, and Maduro did what he seems to have done, and Chavez before them ... I would be happy to see him and his supporters removed any way possible.  If only by violence, then by violence.  Pacifists only lose.  Because a majority of Germans supported Hitler (and tried to deny it afterward) ... that is why it was necessary to kill a lot of Germans.  Majority rule only works if the majority makes the right choices.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Cavebear

Of all the events on Planet Earth, I think the news item of the very least concern to me was the British royalty wedding.  In fact, I thinking I was mowing the lawn while it happened.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Sal1981

Except Bolivia has sound policies, Venezuela is a failed state due to rampant corruption, cult of personality that has a literary totalitarian state undermining democracy.

Cavebear

Quote from: Sal1981 on May 22, 2018, 06:27:45 AM
Except Bolivia has sound policies, Venezuela is a failed state due to rampant corruption, cult of personality that has a literary totalitarian state undermining democracy.

I sometimes think the best choice the US could make about SA (after all the horrible decades of messing it up) would be to help stabilize SA nations.  You have to start making up for the errors of the past somewhere).  You can't change the past, but you can improve the future.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Shiranu

Quote from: Sal1981 on May 22, 2018, 06:27:45 AM
Except Bolivia has sound policies, Venezuela is a failed state due to rampant corruption, cult of personality that has a literary totalitarian state undermining democracy.

That's literally what I just said.
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

Cavebear

Quote from: Shiranu on May 22, 2018, 07:26:01 AM
That's literally what I just said.

Yes, and having someone support your ideas is a GOOD thing, right?  Declare victory and be pleased,  LOL!
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Sal1981

Quote from: Shiranu on May 22, 2018, 07:26:01 AM
That's literally what I just said.
Which would only be possible with a socialist state, that's my point. With real democracy, Maduro would've been booted last election.

Cavebear

Quote from: Sal1981 on May 22, 2018, 10:15:22 AM
Which would only be possible with a socialist state, that's my point. With real democracy, Maduro would've been booted last election.

On the world stage, probaly no cares.  Well you.  But really, I dont...  Venusuela is not important.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Shiranu

#25
Quote from: Sal1981 on May 22, 2018, 10:15:22 AM
Which would only be possible with a socialist state, that's my point. With real democracy, Maduro would've been booted last election.

So corruption, cult of personality and totalitarianism is only possible in a socialist state...

Y'all dudes be getting ridiculous.
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

Baruch

Quote from: Sal1981 on May 22, 2018, 10:15:22 AM
Which would only be possible with a socialist state, that's my point. With real democracy, Maduro would've been booted last election.

Voters are alway stupid, even if you have real democracy.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Baruch

Quote from: Sal1981 on May 22, 2018, 06:27:45 AM
Except Bolivia has sound policies, Venezuela is a failed state due to rampant corruption, cult of personality that has a literary totalitarian state undermining democracy.

Venezuela = USA  ... it can't fail soon enough!
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Baruch

Quote from: Cavebear on May 22, 2018, 10:40:45 AM
On the world stage, probaly no cares.  Well you.  But really, I dont...  Venusuela is not important.

They have the other tar sands supply, other than Canada.  But then, you don't drive or heat or ...
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Gilgamesh

#29
Quote from: Shiranu on May 21, 2018, 09:36:45 PM
Actually, the majority of my life is influenced more by socialist policies than capitalistic... so... *shrug*

We've had this conversation before, and it always boils down to semantics. 'Social policy' has no correlation with 'socialism.'

The capitalism you live in has social policies. This doesn't make it a combination of socialism and capitalism. As long as you understand this then there's no problem.

SOCIALISM is when the government (the people) seize the means of production from private entities, and install legislation to artificially control the economy. Socialism can exist without granting any social services.

So you can sit there and argue that social policies are good. Go ahead. Some are; some aren't.

But SOCIALISM causes misery everywhere it rears its ugly head.

Quote from: Shiranu on May 21, 2018, 07:36:35 PM
socialism has literally next to nothing to do with Venezuela's failings.