Barack Obama

[hankhavelock]

Originally Posted by TracyCoxx

Speaking of rhetorical questions. The questions I asked in my previous reply to you were not rhetorical.

You are such a darling conservative, Tracy :-)

No, Barack Obama is not a socialist - so very far from - and since you are so keen on getting into details (aside from just sweeping generalizations, which I seem to master so well :-), then let us, indeed, get into a debate about what socialism truly is.

You confuse a socialistic approach with a social democratic point of view. These are very different in their nature in the sense that the socialist believes in a predominantly state-owned economy where as the social democrat believes in a capitalistic system BUT with certain social measures to stem up the inherent greed in people.

America today is already partly social democratic, even though not as much as Northern Europe where I come from. And Barack Obama is even far from considering the social democratic values and methods that have been in work in my country for more than two generations.

"Social democracy" is the key word, and what it actually is, is a society where we ensure equality to the degree it's possible and also accept that for a country/community/group to work to every body's benefit, we need to look after "every one".

That means, that the broadest shoulders bear the heaviest loads - as well as allowing those with the broadest shoulders to enjoy the fruit of their broad shoulders.

Believeing that non-controlled capitalism will just let wealth dribble down on every body is naiive. That has never happened and will never happen. It's a jungle-law that may seem a wonderful utopia for libertarians and other romantics with similar disregard for societies being entities where we ALL have to as happy as possible, but it will never be a fact of life.

People are greedy - that's why a degree of wealth-redistribution is necessary.

But in time people realize the moral right in thinking beyond themselves... that's why even the rich bitch about the high tax but still prefer a system where we don't accept poverty as a part of the game. As we do in my old country. And as you will, hopefully, one day come to realize in your good country as well.

But that's probably far ahead - and not even Barack Obama has such views.

So no, Barack Obama is far from socialist, but he is, indeed, a guy who seems to chime the bells for a little bit of solidarity.

And again, is that so bad?

H