Posted by Michelle Cormier on November 29, 2002 at 09:07:51:
In Reply to: is socialism right? posted by Collnes on November 25, 2002 at 15:55:16:
What does it mean to be "right" in the first place!
Marxism sounds all well and good in theory but can never be put out into the real world and expect to sucede. Human nature for one as Mr. Cratchit has pointed out and another that is pointed out throughout dystopian literature, people know of an alternate way of life, capitalism. The failures and misfits of capitalism would probably go for Communism and Marxism hook-line-and-sinker along with the highly educated naive. However if you look around the majority of the population functions somewhat well under the manipulated systems of capitalism as in the US, UK and in the former South Africa.
Socialism is present in nearly all governments to some extent. In the US, welfare, social security and other social programs are present as a form of socialism. Are these good? Yes and no. Welfare is not good because it is much to often abused. I see it everyday whole family lines become dependent on welfare and make it a career. A girl gets pregnant at 16 or 17 and immediately seperates from her single mother to go get her own welfare apartment and start the whole process again. In theory all of these social programs are OK and 'humanitarian' however this world does NOT operate on theory.
I commend Tim Cratchit for his e-mail.