Socialism

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Actually, I have seen some of that. Has "Power of Choice" come in to your area yet? I know I watched it where I am last night, but I think different areas have different times.

http://freetochoosemedia.org//productio ... t_info.pdf

Naw, it doesn't show until tonight, but that's all good. I'll watch it on TiVo over the next week or so, I think. (Gotta love DVR technology.)

The only way we are going to make the socialist world created is to REVOLT,
it is only to have ideas, but we must act by our ideas, we must have the
masses revolt to the oppression of the higher class, what have they brought
us... nothing but crap up to our knees. People like Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise,
Dick Cheny..... they have only laughed at us while they bathe in the riches,
and the blood of the oppressed.

My people, we will no more be opressed, i have a plan to achive our socialist
revolution by democratic build-up. We, the people have a right to overthrow
a goverment if it is abusing its people. Now, it is time my PEOPLE!! !!

Comrade TN, Oh Wise Philosopher King!

Your writing is very cryptic, and I find it difficult to uncode. My brain is too full of Evil Capitalist Idealism. Must commence with Self Criticisms. Please, Benevolent Leader, explain, for my indoor plumbing has lifted me out of the crap while my brothers in Great Socialist/Communist worlds are literally up to their knees in it. (Or perhaps I am taking things a little too literally.)

Uh, revolt has been tried, it collapsed on itself due to the centralization of power in the centralized economy. Not only that, but the masses are not likely to revolt either as too many of them think that the system currently has working aspects while the alternative has not shown itself to be very workable. Finally, I have never heard of many good radical revolutions and see that most of them end up with a lot of blood spilled and ideals crushed. I also don't know who is bathing in the blood of the oppressed either, I think that most people recognize that as unsanitary.
If this is oppression comrade, it most certainly is nice. I don't think that your plan to achieve the communist revolution will really work while maintaining freedom and prosperity. As I see it we can only choose 2 out of the following: freedom, prosperity, your plan. We can live with your plan and bring down society to primitive communes, we can live with your plan and have the prosperity of forced labor, or we can have prosperity and freedom under the capitalist system. I vote the latter, the latter is working out relatively well for both of us apparently as we share ideas through this powerful technology, that is in the hands of the masses in the capitalist system. As well, I really have not seen much abuse here, my rights seem relatively intact, yours do too considering that you are openly arguing for revolt across a medium where the information is publicly available. I think I'll sit back and enjoy my capitalist oppression.

Comrade TN--

What are your ideas, exactly? Even revolts are started on ideas; you can't just all the people to action without giving them an idea of what they are acting for.

And as far as democratic build-up is concerned, the more "appeased" people are with their living conditions, the less likely a revolt will happen. Now, I am under the impression that socialism is to be brought about by the people through legislation, not armed revolt. I could be mistaken, however.

What have you read so far that has gotten you hooked on socialism? I only ask because I want to understand where you are coming from. I think that my most favorite of all books on the subject is Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis by Ludwig von Mises, and there are others:

The Case for Socialism by Alan Maass (not at all one of my favorites, for obvious reasons)---> And I would stay away from the likes of Howard Zinn until you are well-versed in history (and by well-versed I mean at least more educated than what your social studies book tells you.)

Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy by Joseph Schumpeter (interesting)

The Preconditions of Socialism by Berstein (this is interesting)

Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism by Joshua Muravchik (interesting)

But if all you have read is The Communist Manifesto, there is a great deal more to the ideas of Marx than is discussed in that book. I would also recommend reading up on Chairman Mao, Stalin (especially the Gulag Archipelego, although that is quite long and not exactly full of in-your-face political commentart), Pol Pot, what is happening in Africa and South America. One good book to read is The Bridge at Andau. It is about the Hungarian Revolution.

After all, if you are about The People, you should read about Socialism/Communism from the perspective of The People, not the Intelligentsia.

i thank you, i am impressed with all you, even though some may disagree with me,

to put it thourgh your heads, i am a socialist, not a communist,
i do not promote armed revots, i mean a congress of the people,

i support marx, but not the communist goverments the idea created.

my ideas are that people are to not be abused by a system that has
mostly people we do not need in power.

Right...

but before you said it was time for a revolt.
(And Marx promoted the idea of an armed revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat.)

Again, how do you suggest bringing about this "congress of the people?"

I say the question is not about liberal or republican, right wing or left wing, socialist or capitalist, but is instead simply a question of whether you are authoritarian or libertarian. (I believe that is a paraphrase of Mill.)

I so want to read a work by Schumpeter, I think that the only thing of his that I have read was a critique on Keynesianism and I believe it was on how capitalist economies show change more than anything else.

Does your public library have a copy? Are you close to a university? I know you might not be able to check books out, but I am sure you can read it in the library. I enjoy Schumpeter. Also, I know my library can order books for a nominal fee if I ask them. I think it costs me a whole dollar.

For a dollar that sounds tempting, I don't know how my library has it set up, I can barely even navigate my library. My library does have it I think, if I could only find it. The last time I actually tried to find something there I got lost.

I did find a Schumpeter book called "The Theory of Economic Development", I totally did not find the book I was actually looking for though.

I have not read that book yet. It is on my list. (I have a long list.) Right now I am in the middle of two books, Omnipotent Goverment (Mises), and Law, Legislation, and Liberty (Hayek.) (And actually, the Hayek book is only volume one in a series. It's a good thing I love to read.)

I am not, believe me. I believe in personal choice, however, I do not believe in a capitalist economic system. The incentive of higher wages is intended to make people work. You work well, you get more enjoyment.

Hmm I will explain more later.

Right, well, the only thing is that such an idea sounds shockingly similar to what capitalism already has in place. I'd say that either you disagree with certain uses of property rights or you do not believe that your fellow man wants the things he demands.

I don't really formally have a list. Hmm... yeah, I don't have a list, I just read whatever I can get my hands on, although I do like some diversity in subjects. I was planning on reading about legal structures as taught by David Friedman, however, a person presented at my school about the importance of entrepreneurship in dealing with the problems of how to find out what people need and get the system to work. That sounds shockingly similar to minds such as Schumpeter, Mises, and Hayek so I felt compelled to drop what I was doing and work towards reading about that.