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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGood Socialism and Bad
Good socialism is manifested chiefly in our Interstate road system and all the connectors, and other highways, right down to the street you live on.
Good socialism is also seen in the way government collects taxes and then uses that capital to provide for the general welfare of citizens. The democratic side of that socialism is seen in that we, the people, have a voice in how the government provides for the general welfare.
Bad socialism is best manifested in the privately controlled stadiums that are built using tax dollars, but are then turned over to private control, where we, the people, have no voice.
Another example of bad socialism is seen in the government grants to private corporations to build infrastructure such as offices and the like, where, again, we, the people have no voice in what happens with those tax dollars.
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oberliner
(58,724 posts)That's not exactly providing for the general welfare of the citizens.
NobodyHere
(2,810 posts)Only 28% goes to military spending and interest.
Angleae
(4,481 posts)FY 15
Pensions (Mainly Social Security & Disablity) $959.1 Billion
Health Care (Mainly Medicare) $1,018.6 Billion
Defense $799.7 Billion
Interest $223.3 Billion
Total Spending $3,687.6 Billion
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/year_spending_2015USbn_17bs2n_0010#usgs302
The defense/interest percentage of government spending goes way down when state spending is considered ($1129.7 of $6,156.6).
oberliner
(58,724 posts)About 30 percent it looks like.
rug
(82,333 posts)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System
Socialism is not measured simply by government social programs; it is measured by who controls the means of production.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Providing for the general welfare of the people via a proper defense system is the government acting as a means of control of that production.
When we give money to a private corporation it is flagged as helping to provide for the general welfare and is playing a part in contributing to controlling the means of production of that corporation.
When we provide for the highways which are open to moving goods from corporations to the market, we do as a means of providing for the general welfare. Government does control that part of the production stream. And it does control many items which can or cannot be produced.
rug
(82,333 posts)RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)What we have now is corporations in deep control because they have subverted good socialism to make it work not for the general welfare.
rug
(82,333 posts)Most of the social programs that were enacted in the last century in industrial countries were designed to prevent that from happening.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Not in the US. Classically it was controlled by governments.
What we have now is not much socialism, but rather Fascism.
We are here because the workingman is controlled by capital, in that the main goal of workers is acquiring capital. A Socialistic minimum wage frees some from the quest, in that $15 an hour gives them some rest from having to climb higher as $15 and hour is much more comforting.
