Wednesday, April 3, 2019

On the issues of Socialism in the US. #Election2020

   In the US we have some of the best Socialism, and the some of the worst forms of Socialism.

 We have Socialism for the people and the benefit of our society.  Things like public schools, and the state university systems. The state university systems were mostly funded by public money until the end of the Seventies. Education is one of the most effective ways to stimulate the economy. The G.I Bill after World War Two is a good example.

The fire departments and water systems. Public highways and transportation systems. The Interstate Highway system.
We have Social Security to keep our elders out of poverty, and surviver  benefits for young people who have lost a parent.
Medicare and Medicaid to provide health care for older folks and younger people in need.

Then there is the affordable Care act, a weird hybrid of Socialism and Corporate for profit capatilism. A mix of both good and bad Socialism. At least it provides health care for many people who would not be able to afford it. This does save money over the long run.

Big Pharma put more money into the election of 2016 than any other industries in the country. They got laws passed during the Bush years to prevent negotiating on prices.

  Then there is Socialism for the benefit of corporations.
Mostly a result of the broken election system that allows the corporations to buy influence and politicians and dump huge amounts of money into the campaign contributions of candidates, as well as PACs or super pacs.
 The Citizens United Supreme Court case that decided that money is speech, and changed the direction of political influence in America for the worse is a disaster for the Republic. This must be overturned, or the Constitution amended. Money is not speech and speech is not money.
   During the financial collapse of '08 the same people that caused the problem were given loans of over seven hundred and fifty billion dollars. Wall Street and the Usury bankers made huge profit from the destruction of the economy. All at the expenses of the regular working class people in the country. This all while hundreds of thousands of families were loosing their homes.
 
The fossil fuels industries are given billions of dollars in subsidies for polluting the air and water.  Many of them paying little or no tax on the hugh profits, at the expense of the environment and the people, as well as the economy.  The fossil fuels industries would not be able to continue, or to buy the political influence, and get laws passed contrary to what would be considered common sense to most people if it was not for this political influence.

Subsidies to the agriculture and genetic engineering,  chemical engineering part of the economy produce massive amounts of health problems and environmental destruction.
The agriculture and farming industrial complex that treat  growing food like a war, and the only concern is profit are probably the most destructive of all the things we do to our country and the planet.

There are many who claim Socialism is bad or who claim Socialism is good. Socialism is just an economic system. Like any system of economics, it can be used for good and can be used for bad. 
In Natural Law there is the idea of the Golden Mean, the area in between, a middle area of just the right amount of anything. Not too much and not to little. To much money in politics is a problem. Just like to much of anything, to much rain or to little rain, to much food or to little. To much medicine or to little. We are no longer in that area of the Golden Mean in America. Not in economics, not in politics, not in health care and not in   industry. We have to focus on the issues in a way that considers the Golden Mean.
Consider the Golden Mean in America today.

Some one asked, "How can we Transition to a Green Economy without Causing a Recession?"

  1. Gradual Subsidy Phase-Out for Fossil Fuels and Agribusiness Year 1–3 : Begin by identifying all direct and indirect subsidies to ...