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If Socialism and Feminism Had a Baby, This Is What It Would Look Like AlterNet Like the economics of caring, socialism has some decidedly girly aspects, which helps explain why many men are fearful of it. Sounds so soft. In contrast, feminism has some boyish qualities, which helps explain why some women veer away from it. Sounds ...

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If Socialism and Feminism Had a Baby, This Is What It Would Look Like - AlterNet

Its unlikely especially with the big-business administration currently running the country that the United States will ever make a complete switch to socialism. However, socialism is the closest thing, realistically, to a Utopian society.

A workingdefinition of socialism is a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. Many people hate socialism because they think its the same thing as Communism, but its not.

Asimple and funny explanation helps clear upthe differences between communism, capitalism and socialism. Communism is where you have one cow and the government takes it and sells you some milk. Capitalism is where you have two cows and you sell one to buy a bull. Socialism is where theres a cow farm that everyone goes to and you get as much milk as you need.

China, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand and Belgium are all socialist countries. In these countries, unemployment and homeless rates are very lowand college graduate rates are very high. America runs on capitalism and is in permanent debt to China. In America, small businesses struggle because you apparently must spend money to make money and competition with big business usually edges them out. But in places like Sweden, small businesses are the foundation of their economy and are extremely successful. Since everyone has what they need in socialist societies, class systems begin to fade. In this sense, Its the opposite of Capitalism. Capitalism thins out the middle class, making everyone either rich or poor. Socialism increases the middle class, because noone company can monopolize all the money and resources. The biggest problem with socialism, that Im aware of, is that it gives government more control, but is it necessarily a bad thing for a people to need its government?

People who hate taxes usually say its because theyview taxationas stealing. Really, taxation ishow the government pays for things we need, like hospitals, schools, police officers, firemen and the military. In Canada, teachers can make up to a hundred thousand dollars a year, once they hit tenure. Most teachers in America make thirty thousand dollars a year, and rarely make more thanfifty thousand. The average police officer in America makes fifty-five thousand dollars a year, while theymake seventy thousand in Canada.

In a socialist society, everyone can afford education and health care. In America, people who dont know better tend tohate universalhealth coverage like Obamacare. That is, until they need it. Having to pay a little more every paycheck so that poor people can have health coverage might sound unfair, until youre the one in need of an expensive surgery youd have no way to pay for if it werent for taxes.

Its not fair that my hard-earned money allows lazy homeless people to remain jobless, critics decry. Why should I have to pay for other peoples medical problems and poor work ethics? Newsflash, this systembenefits you as well. You would get just as many advantages as everyone else.

Per the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, everyone on the planet has a right to the things they need to survive, like food, a home or the ability to be seen by a doctor if they break their arm. If a little bit more of my paycheck has to go toward paying for a roof to go over a struggling families head, then Im happy with that. Allowing for other people to have a home wont take mine away from me. I would rather share my cow and get all the milk I need than watch my neighbors starve because they dont have a cow at all.

a.patience@dailyutahchronicle.com

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The Case for Socialism in the US - Daily Utah Chronicle

Forbes

Congratulations To Bolivarian Socialism - Venezuela Declares Humanitarian Crisis Forbes The economic horror in Venezuela continues to unfold--the Bolivarian socialists have achieved the entirely remarkable feat of making Cubans flee the country in search of a better life. Seriously, Cubans, from a poverty stricken socialist dictatorship ... Venezuela: queueing to surviveReuters Venezuela's Maduro Asks for UN Help on Medicine ShortageAsharq Al-awsat English Venezuela is out of food, out of medicine, and running out of gasHot Air Daily Beast all 89 news articles »

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Congratulations To Bolivarian Socialism - Venezuela Declares Humanitarian Crisis - Forbes

Ive heard the debate about whether Social Security and Medicare are entitlements or rights. Ive come to the conclusion that this debate really doesnt matter. Both programs are designed to fail just as Obamacare has failed and fiat money will fail. They are both Ponzi schemes and all Ponzi schemes end badly, particularly for the newer members coerced into the schemes. We are now below three taxpayers for every Social Security recipient and the number of taxpayers per recipient will continue to decrease. There are no reserves in the mislabeled trust funds and more benefits are handed out to recipients annually than taken in through working taxpayers under FICA and SECA taxation. This means the general fund makes up the differences that add to our ever growing national debt. Socialism has its price which usually is an economic collapse.

Now is the time for We the People to come to terms with our responsibility as sovereigns of this nation to try and save it or continue the Alfred E. Neuman philosophy of what, me worry? while we continue listening to the fake news and politicians feeding us lies and distractions.

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Hawkins: What price for Socialism? - Today's News-Herald

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Posted: Mar 23, 2017 12:01 AM

The results of a new study were announced this week, and they are consistent with previous findings. The five million or so people who live in the Scandinavian country of Norway are among the happiest on earth.

Writing for Reuters (3/20/17), Patricia Reaney noted: Norway displaced Denmark as the world's happiest country in a new report released on Monday in a study that ranked 155 nations on earth. The United States ranked as 14th happiest, down from 13th last year.

At the bottom of the list? Countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen. The research was conducted and compiled by the UN for the World Happiness Report 2017.

Reaney adds, The rankings are based on six factors---per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and absence of corruption in government or business.

Norway often tops the list of happiest nations. Why is that? Its not the weather. Meanwhile, there are many beautiful places throughout Norway, including the fjords.

My wife is from Norway. We were married in Norway. Most of her family still lives there. We have visited many times. Why do Norwegians tend to be happier?

I would argue that it is the Christian values that can still be found in many parts of Norway. Even todays secular-minded Norwegians are benefiting from Christianitys residue. About a millennium ago, Norway was the scourge of Europe, with the Vikings ravaging people all over the Continent. God, save us from the Normans, went up the prayers. And God answered by converting the Vikings to Jesus. Its one of the great stories of history.

Now Norway, formerly the land of Viking violence, hands out international peace prizes.

When the Reformation took place some 500 years ago, the Scandinavian countries threw their lot with Martin Luther and company. To this day, many of the state-churches in the Scandinavian countries are Lutheran.

When Bernie Sanders ran against Hilary Clinton on the Democratic side of the aisle last year, he made a big deal about the alleged success of the socialism of the Scandinavian countries. Others made similar points. Scandinavia flourishes because it is socialist lite. Were they correct?

Nima Sanandaji, whose family is from Iran, is from Sweden and is the author of the book, Debunking Utopia: Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism (WND Books, 2016).

In an interview we did for one of our D. James Kennedy Ministries television specials exposing the problems of socialism, Sanandaji told me, Nordic countries are not socialist. The prime minister of Denmark came to the U.S. at the end of 2015, went to Harvard, and spoke, and he said in effect, Stop saying that Denmark is socialist; were a market economy. And hes absolutely right, throughout their historyNordic countries have been perhaps the best example of how free markets create prosperity; and how high taxes, overly generous welfare, have destroyed the same prosperity. Today Nordic countries are very much market economies. They respect private property.

Sanandaji drilled deeper: Nordic countries are successful because of their unique culture, and this is why socialists only point to Nordic countries [as examples of successful socialism] because their success predates the welfare state and is because of culture, and their economic success is because of free markets. That is why they can never find a good case for socialism which is not about Nordic countries. Its all smoke and mirrors. [Emphasis mine].

Sanandaji points out in his book that Scandinavians who left Norway, Denmark, Sweden, etc. about a hundred years ago, when compared with their Nordic cousins who never left, tend to fare better by any comparison. He said, Nordic-Americans, because they have a Nordic culture of success, are already more successful than the Nordic people. He said there are 12 million Nordic-Americans, and they have a 50 percent higher living standard than do their cousins who never left Scandinavia.

Nima said something we dont hear often: Culture matters, and so what is Nordic cultural success? Now it has a lot to do with this Protestant, Lutheran working ethics---Protestant, Lutheran responsibility ethics, and the unfortunate thing is that that ethic has gradually been declining over time.

Sanandaji, an atheist, cannot be accused of a Christian bias. Yet he says retaining the Judeo-Christian traditions will be key to the future survival of the West.

Seeing the average Norwegian enjoying so many positive benefits tied to their national Christian heritage does not surprise me. They are consistently listed as among the happiest nations on earth. That is primarily because of their Christian heritage, which, sadly, is fading over time.

At the end of the day, each of us is as happy as we make our mind to be. To paraphrase that quintessential colonial American, Ben Franklin: Contentment makes poor men rich. Discontentment makes rich men poor.

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Is Socialism the Source of Scandinavian Happiness? - Townhall