barelyawake wrote:I think it would helpful as hell to start here. I simply want to save the middle class. I want the middle class to thrive. I believe a healthy middle class is not only our best customer base, but also will save a failing economy. I want to help the working man to have a livable wage, not just for him, but for the economy as whole -- because I understand the middle class are the customers of the rich.
Now, explain to me how "tea party" values help the above. Tell me how plutocratic jargon helps the above. Because if I've missed something, I want to know.
Not only customers for the existing rich, but the fishing pond by which other lower and middle class people can cast their nets and get more of the pie themselves.
We have an economic system built on some core principles. I think the first place to start is to simply remove the political labels and describe the system. Its a complicated system so this is an simplified explanation. That mean holes can be poked in it but it is a bases for discussion. But it is a system that is designed to allow for upward mobility but for the big winners, there progressive governor. If you win big, you put back bigger. We don't want money to accumulate at the some group at the top generation after generation. But people know the rules going into the game so it is never taking someones money because the rules of the game were explained before you earned it. We walked into an extensive board game all set up and ready to play.
At a very basic level, I say this is our American economic game.
It is not a completely free market system. Not by a long shot. A total free market system would exclude a government or if there was one, it would be very limited. People may yearn for the days of the old wild west but I bet most people that lived back them would choose what we have today over that chaos and low standard of living. And besides, the more people you have the more there is a natural need for organization. As we grow into a system with more government to protect our collective good, we decided we collectively wanted to own some things are well. We have roads, bridges, waterways, parks and of course a military. Individuals don't own those things. We do.
Part of the system involves governance of things we own collectively. In general, the rules, laws and regulations are designed to ensure that people don't exploit our collect resources. ie. Air, water .. the environment. We also have rules about our human, environmental and economic capital. Its a complicated system or say ... a complicated game. Its needs rules. Every quality game has rules. Everyone can't just do whatever they want. That game is call anarchy. Our is called the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Forming a more perfect union. And to day, its the best game ever invented.
So we have these governing bodies to manage our collective resources that are elected. Basically, we hire a management company to manage these things and our collective resources. If we don't think the management company is doing an effective job, we hire new people. These are our Federal, state and local governments. It is socialist in it nature because "we" put them in power to manage these things for "us"
I don't personally want to get involved with ensuring the bay is clean and not over fished, but I want a healthy bay for my family and future generations. I don't want to personally fight the farms or companies that pollute the water and air. Nor do I want to individually take on Wall Street. For this, we have our management team we hired and that we fund that does this stuff for us. They represent us and our collective things and we fund them to do it. And in us forming and funding them to do these things on behalf, they are some of the largest more powerful economic forces in our economy. They hire people for one. So this whole idea that government doesn't create jobs is just beyond silly. It make zero sense. And not only do they hired people on our behalf, but they spending money on things to do what we have asked them to do. They buy building and other resources. And beyond that, we ask them to take it a step farther and beyond just funding their operations, we ask them to make smart investment in things that will benefit us longer term. They build roads, Universities, and they help fund companies as start ups. Its all socialist. The very nature of having governing bodies that are elected by the people and act on their behalf is socialist.
But we have elected a system were everything is not done this way. We leave a vast portion open for us to play. We don't want to do it all collectively. And besides large organization don't respond as quickly and our government system can get stuck sometimes so there is a huge portion on our economy that is private. So we allow for this whole free market system also. We own homes if we want and can afford them. We can own property. We can start business to serve our local communities and get involved severing the management team we hired and funded if we find it profitable. And now with a more global economy, they can even serve international markets.
The two systems compliment each other. Its a balance of power. They both make up important parts of our economic engine. It will never be in perfect balance. Just like our three body government will never be in perfect balance.
So we collectively pay into our management organization to do the things we asked them to do. Some call that redistribution. They hire, manage and invest. They help form markets. They also help keep ensure that people are following the rules of the game so its a fun fair game.
So we fund this grand game via a tax structure. Those that make the most and hit it big, pay back more so as the money bubbles to the top, it gets skimmed and put back into the management team who is doing all the things we collectively asked them to do to keep this game going. But you know the rules before you earn the money so it isn't taking what it ours. Its paying our cut.
So if you know that is the game going in, you choose to play our America game or you don't. If not, go play some other countries game. What we need to do is make sure people can choose to play using all of our resources and game design, and then leave if they win.
This is where politics kicks in. See, there are some that want to change the rules of the game after they have won. They want to raid our management teams banks and our collective resources. Our money, land, environment. They want to have played our game knowing the rules but now they don't want to pitch back into the system. And they want to buy our management team so they double cross us and change the rules. And sadly, because we allowed this to happen in the past, now we have to pay for stuff others should have paid for.
In our American game, there is plenty that you can have that is just yours and yours alone. Tons actually. But there is a part that is ours and the greedy want both. They have no respect for what is ours or rules that keep the game balanced. They even hate the idea that there is some part of this that is ours. Why ? Because what we have collectively that is managed by our management team is the only thing that is as powerful or more powerful they they are. And they don't like that the people have that much power to stand up to them.
So yes, we are Socialist. We have been since we formed our Constitution and separated from England. But we are a Socialist system with a free market element to our system. We are both and we need both.
Stop listening to their total BS. They are using you like a pond and just making up the next lie as they go along because they expect that just because they say it and their is a R behind their names that Rs will buy their crap hook line and sinker. And why not. You keep doing it.