Capitalism or socialism?
It seems that most the letters on Nov. 30 were lauding the virtues of socialism and lamenting over democracy and capitalism. To our fair-minded leftist I would ask: "How is President Obama's socialism working for you? How is the socialistic society of Venezuela and Cuba working for the people of those countries? How is the dictatorship in North Korea working for the people of those countries?"
More government simply means more corrupt politicians who collaborate with the 1 percent, and oppression of the masses proliferates. Just look at the source of funding for the mainstream candidates. The remedy is not to take away the only resource that the masses have of escaping poverty, which is capitalism, but to reduce the size of government. As Ronald Reagan said: "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
Our leftist friends readily condemn the Gilded Age as oppressive to the masses; pray tell, why did 25 million flock to our shores? The reason was capitalism. Capitalism gave hope of escaping the oppression throughout the world. The Gilded Age certainly had problems, but during the period the standard of living and life expectancy increased as people experienced freedom that was unheard of in other countries. Compare this to what is happening to the masses in Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea and countless other socialistic countries today.
DONALD R. CREWS
Winston-Salem
Take care
Those who do not have sidewalks and have to walk on the street ("City looks to add sidewalks," Nov. 29) should consider walking on the left side facing traffic. That way, they will see oncoming traffic and are less likely to be hit by a car.
JERE DAILEY
Advance
True concern
Your Nov. 27 "Sum It Up" question, "Should the government be heavily involved in helping the needy?" leads me to think: Of course the government should help the truly needy: Those who are unable to provide for themselves due to circumstances beyond their control, such as illness, disability or being unemployed but searching for work.
Unfortunately, our government has already created a whole population of needy; generation after generation of those who are capable of supporting themselves but instead have learned to rely on governmental programs rather than themselves. They choose not to pursue education or meaningful work, and continue to have children they are financially incapable of providing for.
This dependence, in turn, leads to learned helplessness and hopelessness, which leads to other self-destructive behaviors.
If our government truly cared for them and this next generation of precious children being born into poverty, it would stop this cycle by focusing on welfare reform.
CHRISTY NUNN
Winston-Salem
Paying attention
I wish to give John McHaffie a pat on the back for his letter "A nightmare" (Nov. 30). This was one of the most concise, intelligent and understanding descriptions of the current political and financial scenario that I have seen to date. I agree completely. Obviously this man has been paying attention.
We all should, and must, or revolution will not be unthinkable anymore. This means to do more than turn on Fox News and inhale its "take" on the state of affairs. Please realize that particular station has an extreme right-wing agenda and listen accordingly.
The best sources for real truths, I find, are books. I have been most illuminated recently by a couple written by Ron Suskind. His "Confidence Men" shocked my eyes open, especially in regard to the Obama (and Bush) administrations. Contained therein is also a thorough, revealing look at the Wall Street-Washington connection. One hint: Those who read it will find themselves joining the Occupy movement with blood in their eyes.
Suskind, by the way, is no fringe writer, nor is Obama treated kindly. "Confidence Men" is a best-seller.
GEORGE JONES
Rural Hall
It seems that most the letters on Nov. 30 were lauding the virtues of socialism and lamenting over democracy and capitalism. To our fair-minded leftist I would ask: "How is President Obama's socialism working for you? How is the socialistic society of Venezuela and Cuba working for the people of those countries? How is the dictatorship in North Korea working for the people of those countries?"
More government simply means more corrupt politicians who collaborate with the 1 percent, and oppression of the masses proliferates. Just look at the source of funding for the mainstream candidates. The remedy is not to take away the only resource that the masses have of escaping poverty, which is capitalism, but to reduce the size of government. As Ronald Reagan said: "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
Our leftist friends readily condemn the Gilded Age as oppressive to the masses; pray tell, why did 25 million flock to our shores? The reason was capitalism. Capitalism gave hope of escaping the oppression throughout the world. The Gilded Age certainly had problems, but during the period the standard of living and life expectancy increased as people experienced freedom that was unheard of in other countries. Compare this to what is happening to the masses in Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea and countless other socialistic countries today.
DONALD R. CREWS
Winston-Salem
Take care
Those who do not have sidewalks and have to walk on the street ("City looks to add sidewalks," Nov. 29) should consider walking on the left side facing traffic. That way, they will see oncoming traffic and are less likely to be hit by a car.
JERE DAILEY
Advance
True concern
Your Nov. 27 "Sum It Up" question, "Should the government be heavily involved in helping the needy?" leads me to think: Of course the government should help the truly needy: Those who are unable to provide for themselves due to circumstances beyond their control, such as illness, disability or being unemployed but searching for work.
Unfortunately, our government has already created a whole population of needy; generation after generation of those who are capable of supporting themselves but instead have learned to rely on governmental programs rather than themselves. They choose not to pursue education or meaningful work, and continue to have children they are financially incapable of providing for.
This dependence, in turn, leads to learned helplessness and hopelessness, which leads to other self-destructive behaviors.
If our government truly cared for them and this next generation of precious children being born into poverty, it would stop this cycle by focusing on welfare reform.
CHRISTY NUNN
Winston-Salem
Paying attention
I wish to give John McHaffie a pat on the back for his letter "A nightmare" (Nov. 30). This was one of the most concise, intelligent and understanding descriptions of the current political and financial scenario that I have seen to date. I agree completely. Obviously this man has been paying attention.
We all should, and must, or revolution will not be unthinkable anymore. This means to do more than turn on Fox News and inhale its "take" on the state of affairs. Please realize that particular station has an extreme right-wing agenda and listen accordingly.
The best sources for real truths, I find, are books. I have been most illuminated recently by a couple written by Ron Suskind. His "Confidence Men" shocked my eyes open, especially in regard to the Obama (and Bush) administrations. Contained therein is also a thorough, revealing look at the Wall Street-Washington connection. One hint: Those who read it will find themselves joining the Occupy movement with blood in their eyes.
Suskind, by the way, is no fringe writer, nor is Obama treated kindly. "Confidence Men" is a best-seller.
GEORGE JONES
Rural Hall
Here it is the 21st Century and people still confuse communist/totalitarianism with socialism. And then want to cut education.
ReplyDeleteMany people believe that lack of funding is a problem in public education, but historical trends show that American spending on public education is at an all-time high. Between 1994 and 2004, average per-pupil expenditures in American public schools have increased by 23.5 percent (adjusted for inflation). Between 1984 and 2004, real expenditures per pupil increased by 49 percent. These increases follow the historical trend of ever-increasing real per-student expenditures in the nation's public schools. In fact, the per-pupil expenditures in 1970-1971 ($4,060) were less than half of per-pupil expenditures in 2005-2006 ($9,266) after adjusting for inflation. The Hertiage Foundation
ReplyDelete___________
Plus, there has been no significant increases on performance tests.
So maybe we shouldn't worry about a snip here or there.
I used to think that teachers were honorable people. I've now come to the conclusion that they are just a bunch of Jimmy Hoffa unionize bums.
ReplyDelete'Think of the children' has just become catch phrase for 'give me more money'. They are pathetic.
Good morning Bobby. You weren't very engaged yesterday. Didn't like the main topic?
ReplyDelete'Ole Dotnet.....you never hear a peep out of him during the weekends. He'd rather waste his boss' dime.
ReplyDeleteHe'll be in here about 3:00 pm, after he get through soaking his boss' cash register.
Well I see Tiger Woods finally won a golf tournament yesterday. Will this mean lap dances for all?
ReplyDeleteWow...how long has it been whitewall? Two years?
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that someone could seem to be unbeatable one day, and then the next, he couldn't seem to make the cut.
ReplyDeleteLte1..."Organize labor and workmen."
ReplyDelete"Repress insolence and the tyranny of capital."
"Make experiments upon manure and eggs."
"Cover the country with railways."
"Irrigate the plains."
"Plant the hills."
"Make model farms."
"Found social workshops."
"Nurture children."
"Instruct the youth."
"Assist the aged."
"Send the inhabitants of towns into the country."
"Equalize the profits of all trades."
"Lend money without interest to all who wish to borrow."
"Emancipate oppressed people everywhere."
"Rear and perfect the saddle-horse."
"Encourage the arts, and provide us musicians, painters, and architects."
"Restrict commerce, and at the same time create a merchant navy."
"Discover truth, and put a grain of reason into our heads. The mission of Government is to enlighten, to develop, to extend, to fortify, to spiritualize, and to sanctify the soul of the people." (FB). Song remains the same about government.
Lte2...walking facing the traffic also allows you a better view of the car when it strikes you.
ReplyDelete"Should the government be heavily involved in helping the needy"? It is assumed the government is the Federal? If federal, then no, not very much. The federal level sees a challenge and turns it into a problem requiring a full government study---think the Moynihan Report--of 1965. Illigitimacy was rising in Black and poor families so naturally a National Effort was needed to remedy. The Great Society program followed to fight illigitimacy and poverty and lost the fight.
ReplyDeleteNo large government should do what a lower government can do and no lower government should do what family, church and friends can do. For the truly needy who are beyond the ability of family and community, an effort by state government will be needed. In allowing the Federal Government to run poverty programs, we have poverty that is a way of life, is now a business and is now a special interest group.
Ms Nunn:
ReplyDeleteWhat's especially bad about it is that everybody wants to ride in the wagon these days. Nobody wants to pull anymore. What's worse is that people are coming to the U.S. from other countries to ride in the wagon too.
Lte4....It is a good thing you are now awakened. A good book can be helpful and there are many. Last night, 60 Minutes dedicated the first two segments of their show to this Bank/Washington coupling. They interviewed high level players at Citi Bank, The former Country Wide mortgage lender, the current Justice Dept official responsible for this sort of collusion. 60 Minutes' only question at the end was why no prosecution of people who violated Sarbanes-Oxley provisions and filed false reports with the SEC. Why indeed. The unspoken answer of course is they have cover--for now.
ReplyDeleteWhen people were paying all kinds of ridiculous prices for housing when their incomes were only rising meagerly, no one on Main Street, Wall Street or Washington thought that was odd or unsustainable. When reality hit in late 2008, well then it was too late.
For the writer of this LTE, why do you say the Occupy movement is your vehicle? Were you not front and center with the TEA Party movement? Or was the TEA Party too well dressed and law abiding? If you say you want a Revolution.......the best place to start is between your ears.
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: Lordy have mercy what a mess. Firstly, if you cannot discern the difference between the US economic approach vs. that of Venezuela or Cuba or N. Korea, then don't make statements like your first paragraph because it only makes you look foolish. Secondly, a smaller govt (i.e. fewer regulations) only gives the "1%" a freer reign to "oppress the masses". A prime example of this was the Gilded Age where men and young boys worked 80 hrs a week to take home $8 while the factory owners made thousands. The reason so many came over was because conditions in Europe were even worse (see Ireland and its potato famine). It was not until the 20th century after the Gilded Age had ended that the standard of living and health conditions improved thanks to workplace regulations as well as the influx of unions which improved wages.
LTE 2: Good advice.
LTE 3: Actually, the choice not to pursue an education leads to an inability to find meaningful work whether one wants to find it or not. Unfortunately, single parent households where the parent is a HS dropout sets the example for the children. As Ms. Nunn notes, it is "learned helplessness and hopelessness".
LTE 4: Of course, books are also going to have a particular slant to them. I've seen people warning about revolution over the economy, immigrants, social issues...take a chill pill.
For Bucky's benefit...1) Ol' Dotnet posts on his lunchbreak 2) Ol' Dotnet stares at a computer screen all freaking day long M-F, so the weekends are to shut down and E.A.R.N. Life and 3)Ol' Dotnet's boss, the CIO/VP has budgeted Ol' Dotnet for a 25% salary increase next year...so :-p
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that the only solution that the Democrats can seem to come up with for any/all problems is either to tax the rich or tax everybody. They're real creative thinkers.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations dotnet on your raise. I kinda figured you were tied to a desk given your limited level of creative thinking.
Congratulations, Dotnet.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Dotnet.
ReplyDeletedotnet....well done sir!
ReplyDeleteLooks like I was right. No surprise there.
ReplyDeletePolice's preliminary examination of the accident involving Womble indicated that he crossed the center line. They are still waiting for the results of the toxicology tests. If they come in, and ol' Womble was in the bag, he's in big, big trouble.
Way to go, dotnet. I wish my boss would give me a 25% raise.
ReplyDeleteOops, I AM my boss. Guess I don't deserve a raise. Oh well, maybe if I butter the boss up a bit...
@O.T. Rush's 1902hrs re buttering up the boss:
ReplyDeleteE-E-E-E-W-E ! ! !
Ha, ha! I used that phrase on purpose to give Buckboy a thrill. I'm sure he would love the idea of buttering up some sexy buck.
ReplyDeleteI could have used others that he would like just as much...brown-nose, kiss up, suck up, etc. All guaranteed to give the Buckster some pretty hot dreams.
All are idioms with the same basic meaning:
(phrasal verb) (slang) to behave in a very friendly, flattering, or kind manner to someone higher than you in order to get a benefit
Example Sentences:
Sarah always butters up her boss, because she’s trying to get a promotion and a raise.
A: Who’s your professor this semester?
B: Professor Buckmath.
A: Oh, he’s really tough. If you want to get a good mark, you’d better start kissing up to him!
B: How should I do that?
A: Start by telling him he is the best professor you’ve ever had. Then keep going….
William was angry because he didn’t get promoted to manager, even though he had sucked up to the owner of the company for years.
Good evening, folks! The late worknights continue. . . thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteLTE1: Some good points in a murky LTE. Whatever the lefty economies, be they socialist, communist, or social democracies, they seem to be facing tougher sledding than ours, in the main. dotnet's comment re unions and the Gilded Age is taken, but I note the Rust Belt and the current age as evidence that unions outlived there usefulness several generations ago.
LTE2: Useful advice, but I generally prefer to drive. None of my destinations are in walking distance, and I haven't the time, anyway.
LTE3: The current welfare system does appear to dissuade recipients from marrying. But, there is another facet to this problem: character. I work with a lot of single moms, and they are vehement in their anger at the fathers of their children, said fathers declining to assist with rearing or financial support.
LTE4: I'd like to see a revolution that would run the collectivists to Cuba or N Korea. That isn't going to happen. Neither is a revolution that will install workers' soviets or other leftist fantasies, no matter how long the OWS crab-ins last. As for the book, a best-seller 20 years ago was "Liars' Poker," about Wall Street excesses and self-indulgence. The latest is nothing new, and not going to move people to join the crab ranchers.
Bucky re teachers: you need to know what you're discussing. Many local teachers pay dues to the NCAE, but about all they get out of it is liability insurance, access to a credit card, and their dues used to elect Dem pols. Local teachers, at least in Title 1 schools, are overworked, over-meetinged (by a long-shot), overburdened with non-teaching administration, and under-supported on disciplinary issues that would attract the attention of W. Marshall.
ReplyDeleteYour comment might apply to the unionized teachers in big cities, but you're off base here.
dotnet: Congratulations on the raise, obviously well-deserved. You work for a fine family, also.
ReplyDeleteBucky: there are any number of reasons that Rep. Womble crossed the center line, that do not involve being "in the bag": a seizure, a sneeze, a distraction like a dropped cell phone, an animal running in front of his car, fatigue. As for his being in big, big trouble, he's in critical condition. He's been in big trouble ever since the two cars collided. Try praying for his recovery, or if you don't pray, think kind thoughts.
ReplyDeleteStab...crab ranchers:) that is good!
ReplyDeleteHi WW!
ReplyDelete"crab ranchers": stolen fron Joseph Wambaugh.
Stab...I think the current term is "repurposed". Seems to be the rage on HGTV.
ReplyDeleteOT: we had an exchange a few days ago about the OWS folks. Other than tax increases on rich people and subsidized college educations, I have no idea over what they squat on public property. Can you define their goals? And I note AFL-CIO and SEIU support of the OWS crab-ins. That disquiets me. Please allay my disquiet.
ReplyDeleteHey, WW. Don't watch HGTV, so "repurposd" means changing a place's function, I assume, sort of like turning an outhouse into a Sagebrush steakhouse? I got it.
ReplyDeletemea culpa: I used "there" above, when the homophone "their" was the correct usage. Fatigue tells. I regret the error.
ReplyDeleteStab, I have gone out of my way to chat with OWS in Chicago, NY, and elsewhere, including our own local group.
ReplyDeleteIt will take some time for them to define their movement, just as it did the Civil Rights movement...the 1st sit-ins were NOT in Greensboro in 1960 but in Durham in the 1930s...it took Dr. King to refine the thinking and make it work.
I was opposed to the Viet Nam war before Eisenhower restarted it in 1956. But those of us who were way ahead of the curve didn't know how to articulate what we felt. Many of us had to actually go there and risk our lives, and for some, lose them, before we found the key to getting us out of the worst disaster in US history.
The OWS is a wide ranging group of people, but most of the ones that I have talked to are bright, articulate college grads who are underemployed and furious at you, WW, me and many other old farts for letting the banking and finance scumbags steal their future.
And they are on the right track. In the US today, muggers take $50 and get prison. Financial swindlers take billions and get bailouts and bonuses, along with a free pass to keep on keeping on.
When you refer to these folks as "crab ranchers", you are flirting with the Buckyboy level of discourse.
As to the unions...jeez...obsessive? After 70 years of all out war on unions, they amount to a hill of beans.
Kinda strange, a person who defends gays and lesbians, and then uses homosexual inuendoes in an attempt to degrade someone. Of course, most things coming from the resident nitwit make little sense.
ReplyDeleteHello OT!
ReplyDeleteCrab ranchers: I cite news reports re the garbage and filth the protestors leave v. the tidy Tea Party demonstrators. Please note, I don't share the Tea Party's outlook, but 30 tons of trash in LA and pressure washers in NYC indicate a less than punctilious appreciation for their surroundings.
Unions: they bought themselves a President and an NLRB, so they are not lacking in influence. They also continue to assault individual rights (card check, etc.).
Defining the OWS movement: who is doing that? The AFL-CIO and SEIU, with their millions of dues for politics? Or the squatters with their Che T-shirts? If they need defining, what are they squatting over? And why are they getting so much attention? The Tea Party folks appear to be paying taxpayers for the most part, but receive little credence in reportage, an apparent imbalance.
Nighty night, all.