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You're right. It's not socialism. It's fascism. The difference is that under socialism the means of production are directly owned by the state whereas in fascism the means of production are nominally owned by private entities but controlled by the state via regulation and legislation...

No no no. Too complicated. Politicians are doing what politicians always to - playing on people's ignorance and fear of uncertainty to increase their own power and thereby increase their own wealth. They will support whatever issue will make them the most powerful.

Oh, that story was nothing. The only reason I survived is because I'm related to prominent (thus, connected) doctors. Oh, but the stories THEY can tell you. How about giving a woman in labour a paralyzing drug so that she can feel every bit of her pain but the nurses don't have to hear any...

Oh, yes! Well, the only way we could get any goods was the black market. In fact, one of the wonders of the Soviet Union was that it survived so long, but when it fell western economists found out just how large a black market was operating in the USSR. You'll die waiting for government to...

Oh, allow me to give you a taste of "healthcare" in the soviet union: One toilet per 76 patients. No hot running water. No medicine due to rationing and underproduction. When I was 4 years old, they ran out of anesthesia in the middle of my surgery. They had to finish up while I was held...

With money you only have the power to buy things (and women). Add a large and powerful government to that mix and you have the ability to buy coercive power. Why? Because for the political class, the power they hold is useless to them unless they monetize it by selling power to the highest...

Jueco2005, Please answer the medical question. I can only answer it from the perspective of the Soviet Union. But some really fat and sloppy filmmakers in America think the medical system offered Americans for pay is the same one offered Cubans. Please set these monkey straight.

I hate to break it to you but....Socialism leads to dictatorship (as Russia proves). Centralization of power brought by socialism attracts and breeds those who wish to usurp it. Interestingly, dictatorship doesn't seam to necessarily lead to socialism always - note Singapore and Pinochet.

You are basically correct. However, it was worse than you describe. The few "party uppers" had a materially better lifestyle than the masses, but they lived in far more fear than the average Joe. These party uppers were routinely imprisoned and killed and they lived in fear of this all of...

Obama is channeling FDR. He's implementing strategies that will cause the U.S. economy to continue to sink and stagnate because everyone feels so insecure right now. After a while, there should be a backlash (as there was with FDR). If there isn't, we're in deep deep trouble.

The Obamessiah knows that this will make nationalized banks (c'mon, we all know the truth) uncompetitive. So, he's seeking to cap pay not only at TARP banks but at non-TARP banks as well non-bank institutions including hedge funds and boutique investment banking firms. Good-bye, America...

Yes, it's urban legend. But we did have a major experiment with this in the 20th century - the Soviet Union. We ended up producing goods that were worth less than the materials that went into production of those goods and the whole country was living in shit. So, pretty much the same...

and he's free to pay more. The question is: why isn't he if he thinks it's his duty? The truth is that Warren Buffoon has always employed an army of tax lawyers and accountants to minimize his tax burden. Now that he's almost dead, he's found religion - for everyone else. Not for himself...

Say, how many of you guys are actual dealers instead of retail traders? I don't know if this effects retail. Does it?

It'll knock out the marginal players and allow the remaining dealers to pass on the cost to customers. Marginal players, thanks for playing. Obama has decided you lose. All the rest, congratulations. Lord Obama has decided you win. YAY. Isn't this MUCH better than the big bad...

Good. The equity markets are not meant to be a "secure form of savings for retirement". They exist for price discovery, to provide liquidity and lower the cost of capital. Again, you're in la la land. The criminal activity - shaken out by the downturn - is an itty bitty, insignificant...

Yes, the French didn't take out ruinous mortgages and save more, this means they didn't suffer the same credit bubble we did. So, they haven't suffered as much of a downturn Other than that, the country is a terrible place to live if you are evenly mildly productive. Bet, hey! No worries...

Because: Things aren't 40% better than they were on March 9th. Much of the rally was on better than expected earnings. However, the better than expected earnings resulted from cost cutting on <i>lower revenue</i>. Companies won't be able to continue to cut costs, so future earnings are...

Awe....well, I was talking about people born in the '50's and '60's. Us oldies weren't allowed to use calculators until sometime during or after our first algebra course. They told us it was for our own good, but I suspect that the real reason was that calculators were big, heavy and needed a...

Sorry, Comrade Mav88. I forgot. Thanks for the reminder. I will check into the nearest re-education camp immediately to avoid execution as an Enemy of The People and an enemy of the The Party.