Taxes and Candidates?

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Which part are you responding to, her first statement, or her comparison to socialism?

When I mention socialism in my post, I'm responding to her comparison to socialism.

Originally Posted by KSigkid

However, if her first point (if I'm reading it correctly) means that the government can't be everything to everybody, then I'll agree with that.

The fact that the government can't be everything to everybody goes without saying. It just can't be and isn't realistically expected to be.

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Also, I disagree that safety nets "were never protested," because I think most every type of safety net, (such as college loan programs, benefits to corporations, lower mortgage rates for those with children, etc.) have been debated and protested over the years.

There are different levels of debate and protest because there are different types of "safety nets" that target a different segment of the population.

I'm talking about the social welfare of the 1920s and 1930s, which many people credit to be the beginnings of the social welfare system as we know it. There were naysayers but there wasn't the same widescale protest that the more recent social welfare/social program models received. People pretty much felt that these programs were helping those who "truly needed/deserved it." There are race, gender, and social class implications in that.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

When I mention socialism in my post, I'm responding to her comparison to socialism.



The fact that the government can't be everything to everybody goes without saying. It just can't be and isn't realistically expected to be.

Ok, fair enough. Also, thanks for the clarification on your earlier point. I had misinterpreted the statement in the context of your post - that was my fault.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Ok, fair enough. Also, thanks for the clarification on your earlier point. I had misinterpreted the statement in the context of your post - that was my fault.

I also want to add that a safety net can't be your everything. This is where it is important to distinguish between the different types of social programs and safety nets. Some are intended to be short term fixes (i.e. you can't live off of unemployment or AFDC forever) and others are meant to be more longterm.

Understanding the purposes, origins, and transformations of the different social welfare programs is important when discussing this issue. It also makes it easier to tell the difference between adjusted-capitalism and pure socialism. One perspective on the longetivity of capitalism is that it will have to adjust to avoid falling apart.