Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism

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OPTIONAL777

Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism

Thursday, April 09, 2009


Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better.

Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. As for those who do not invest, 40% say capitalism is better while 25% prefer socialism.

There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism.


The question posed by Rasmussen Reports did not define either capitalism or socialism

It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets.

Other survey data supports that notion. Rather than seeing large corporations as committed to free markets, two-out-of-three Americans believe that big government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.

Fifteen percent (15%) of Americans say they prefer a government-managed economy, similar to the 20% support for socialism. Just 14% believe the federal government would do a better job running auto companies, and even fewer believe government would do a better job running financial firms.

Most Americans today hold views that can generally be defined as populist while only seven percent (7%) share the elitist views of the Political Class.


Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

The Rasmussen Reports Election Edge™ Premium Service offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage available anywhere.

Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
 
Quote from Mag Light:

A Lesson on Socialism

An economics professor said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class. The class had insisted that socialism worked - and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer for all, for society. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.

He said that all grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone was given a B. The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who hadn't studied much for the first test had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard weren't motivated to study hard again, and they decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second Test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else. All failed .... and the professor told them that the socialism they wanted would ultimately fail, as they had, because the reward of success normally goes to those that work harder, but when government takes the reward away; few will try so no one will succeed.
More...

That is a good example!
 
Quote from Mag Light:

A Lesson on Socialism

An economics professor said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class. The class had insisted that socialism worked - and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer for all, for society. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.

He said that all grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone was given a B. The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who hadn't studied much for the first test had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard weren't motivated to study hard again, and they decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second Test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else. All failed .... and the professor told them that the socialism they wanted would ultimately fail, as they had, because the reward of success normally goes to those that work harder, but when government takes the reward away; few will try so no one will succeed.
More...

Capitalism in its purest form is highly destructive. Many people who trumpet the joys of capitalism don't understand what capitalism was (and would be if not for progressive movements). Imagine:

No minimum wage
No OSHA
No 40 hr workweek\Over time for non salaried employees
No concept of public education/student loans/etc
No social security/medicare/medicaid no sense of compassion
No ban on child labor
No ADA (american with disabilities act)
No FDA
No CDC
No ban on monopolies (hello standard oil)

List goes on and on. If you want to live in the time described by "the jungle" of upton sinclair be my guest but realize the aforementioned things were NOT given to us out of the goodness of the heart of corporations. Capitalism is like fission, it needs to be contained and channeled into proper direction to produce benefit, otherwise it is extremely destructive.



P.S For the ignorant, I suggest taking a business management course from a local university/college/etc. It will open your eyes as to how "good" capitalism was in the 19th century.
 
I agree with IShopAtPublix. BTW, I used for work for Publix when I was younger and attended UCF for three semesters before I moved back to Chicago.

Anyway, the "winner takes all" attitude of pure capitalism doesn't fare well over the long term. There were several books written on the topic during the beginning of the industrial evolution and the gilded age.

A large wealth disparity simply creates a lot of pissed off "common people". The members who post on this forum and call themselves traders fail to realize that the opportunity to profit would not even exist if it wasn't for regulation.

This doesn't mean that regulatory bodies are without flaw. An aristocracy exists today just as it did when monarchs ruled Europe. However, they don't have nearly as much power as they once did. Even banking aristocrats understand that some level of regulation is needed in order to prevent a revolution from occurring.

Neither pure capitalism nor pure socialism is the best form of government. For a system of government to last over the long run, there needs to be a combination of the two.
 
The one common element amongst everyone who dislikes capitalism and favors socialism, that I have seen, is they never provide any factual historical data to prove how socialism is better than capitalism.

If it is indeed better, then please point out where it's thriving and compare the two.

The last talking head I saw, when asked to provide data, answered every question by attacking capitalism. Not a good sales pitch.
 
Quote from Mag Light:

A Lesson on Socialism

An economics professor said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class. The class had insisted that socialism worked - and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer for all, for society. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.

He said that all grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone was given a B. The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who hadn't studied much for the first test had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard weren't motivated to study hard again, and they decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second Test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else. All failed .... and the professor told them that the socialism they wanted would ultimately fail, as they had, because the reward of success normally goes to those that work harder, but when government takes the reward away; few will try so no one will succeed.
More...

That was your first decent post.

Bravo!
 
Quote from bugscoe:

That is a good example!
More...

And that's why he never graduated from high school
His teacher was a socialist and he failed.
So he spends his entire day posting all sorts of racism and hate on ET.

Great life, eh?
 
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