- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Who said anything about military recruitment?

In Reply to: No, it's not real socialism posted by Samuel Day Fassbinder on November 16, 1999 at 16:49:20:

: SDF: Military recruitment of inner-city (read NONWHITE) kids is, in real life, "Keynesianism with an excuse". John Maynard Keynes was no socialist, didn't advocate anything close to it. Read Bertell Ollman's Marx: An Uncommon Introduction if you want to know where the ideal of "socialism" is headed.

Don't know where that came from, SDF, and not that I'm disagreeing with it, but there is a vast network of government programs which benefit people of all colors and classes. I consider these programs to be socialistic, not communistic or, at the very least, contradictory to laisser faire capitalism. An generic example of what I mean is: the widget producers of America have produced many more widgets this year than they did last year. In fact, they've made so many widgets, they can't sell them all, and what they will sell will be for a smaller price. Now what? In steps the Government with its widget purchasing program; supplies on the open market are reduced, and prices remain stable. Is this Government intervention not socialism? That's what I do (sometimes) at work: I help run the widget purchase program.

Follow Ups:

• *sigh* Samuel Day Fassbinder Citizens for Mustard Greens USA November 17 1999 (3)
  • Jeez, don't get so distraught over it. MDG November 18 1999 (2)
    • With libertarian Newspeak it's tough to communicate Samuel Day Fassbinder Citizens for Mustard Greens USA November 19 1999 (1)
      • And the winner is... MDG November 19 1999 (0)
• Socialism is the public ownership of industry. DonS USA November 17 1999 (9)
  • Oy, and me all out of black shoe polish! MDG November 18 1999 (2)
    • Fascism is an economic system where the government controls, but does not own, industry. dsheckler@yahoo.com USA November 19 1999 (1)
      • Fascists would very definitely disagree Lark November 19 1999 (0)
  • Congratulations. Nikhil Jaikumar DSA MA, USA November 17 1999 (3)
    • I never called him a fascist. DonS USA November 18 1999 (2)
      • Let me re-parse my last sentence Nikhil Jaikumar DSA MA, USA November 18 1999 (1)
        • I never called him a fascist DonS USA November 19 1999 (0)
  • Intellectual regression to babyhood Samuel Day Fassbinder Citizens for Mustard Greens USA November 17 1999 (1)
    • Destruction of Terms and Meanings Kweassa the Great March November 18 1999 (0)