Questions that need answering.

[Ramo]

Socialism is not the same thing as "big government spending programs." Fascism (and in general, corporatism) is quite different from socialism.

[Harry Tuttle]

well, ok, if neocon = big govt, big military then what happened during FDR, Truman, and LBJ?

[Dis]

Re: Questions that need answering.

Originally posted by MrFun
1) How long can mass-exportation of jobs continue before American companies have created a long-term economic crisis for United States? Or are we not already in a long-term economic crisis?

Americans will adapt as they always do

2) Why are real wages in United States not keeping pace with cost of living?

We need more unions

3) If we want Americans to stop buying medicine from Canada, then doesn't it make sense to lower medicine prices here in United States?

Drug companies pay off politicians

4) Why are we still in the longest period of political status quo in the history of United States? The last political realignments occured in: 1790s, 1830s, 1860s, 1890s, and finally, 1930s.
The previous political realignments lasted 30 to 40 years -- right now, we are more than 70 years from the last political realignment. Why is this??

I want the whig party to return




Thanks for any meaningful insight, or thoughts on these. [/QUOTE]

[Imran Siddiqui]

We need more unions

No, we need NON-CORRUPT unions .

[Inverse Icarus]

i'll take a stab at #4 by saying that the political machine has gotten too strong and too decadent to allow a major realignment. combine that with increased communication, and the chances grow even smaller.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

We need more unions

No, we need NON-CORRUPT unions .

well that goes without saying. Unions just aren't what they used to be . They started off so well, but many of the largest one's have turned into complete disasters. But I like to think unions still can have some beneficial aspect to them. The one my brother is in, is a sensible union. They don't do unreasonable things.

[Inverse Icarus]

WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Unions just aren't what they used to be . They started off so well, but many of the largest one's have turned into complete disasters. But I like to think unions still can have some beneficial aspect to them.

One of the reasons I dislike unions these days is most of them are run by corrupt bastards. In my work I deal with many people whose unions are stealing their pension money. It's totally ridiculous that these groups are supposed to be working for workers' rights.

[mrmitchell]

Re: Questions that need answering.

Originally posted by MrFun
1) How long can mass-exportation of jobs continue before American companies have created a long-term economic crisis for United States? Or are we not already in a long-term economic crisis?

The Asians are filling the menial, cheap-labor jobs, but we're replacing them with high-skills, very technical jobs. This IS a little worrisome, because if you don't have the skills, then you go to a service job, like McDonald's. However, it's only really a motivator to try to expand your brain as much as possible.

3) If we want Americans to stop buying medicine from Canada, then doesn't it make sense to lower medicine prices here in United States?

Do you really think the pharmaceutical companies want to do that? No. Now, count the huge and vast number of Congressmen they own...

4) Why are we still in the longest period of political status quo in the history of United States? The last political realignments occured in: 1790s, 1830s, 1860s, 1890s, and finally, 1930s.
The previous political realignments lasted 30 to 40 years -- right now, we are more than 70 years from the last political realignment. Why is this??

All I can say is, something's ****ed up.

[OzzyKP]

If neo-cons have no domestic policy, then they have no principles, then they have no problem with steel tarriffs to please PA, or a healthcare expansion, or federal funding of schools, or any other politically motivated handout. With no policy they have no ideology to stand on and are exposed to massive, unrestrained PORK.

[Harry Tuttle]

Unions have their uses, but unfortunately there have been to many abuses in the past to make me a supporter. Take for instance the UPS strike a few years back. UPS is chugging along as the top company in their industry. Then their union decides to organize a massive strike for more overtime pay. One year later the company is being usurped by FedEx, UPS' reputation is shot because of shutdowns and late deliveries, thousands of employees had been out of work for a year, and they had to cut back on how many people they could hire because of lost revenue.

How did that help the workers at the company?

Another one: The Teamsters like to think of themselves as bigshots, so they try to "bargain" with small/medium size business for more pay for their members. So they tend to drop threats, muscle themselves into a company, and then decide they want a part in running things. Unfortunately for their members this only has them working longer hours with a nominal bonus in pay because the company cannot afford to expand their workforce. Thye tried to do it at my father's job.

Now yes, in the face of the extremely greedy boss unions do help the average worker by fighting the slave driver upstairs, but quite frankly that rarely happens in most jobs in the U.S. or (stop me if I'm wrong) Europe anymore. There are so many laws relating to employment that trying to screw over your employees just doesn't end up as being advantageous.

To quote Imran:

"One of the reasons I dislike unions these days is most of them are run by corrupt bastards. In my work I deal with many people whose unions are stealing their pension money. It's totally ridiculous that these groups are supposed to be working for workers' rights."

Union leaders have to be the most corrupt bastards I have seen. They are supposed to do everything they can for their members but all to often there is abuse of power. Remember, there is no regulatory committee minding the union bosses like there is in Congress. I think the argument for unions is extremely flawed considering the reality we live in today.

[Az]

Fascism (and in general, corporatism) is quite different from socialism.

define 'corporatism'.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Ramo


You missed '68. The South used to be Democratic, remember?

I forgot 1960s.

[MrFun]

But wait a minute now -- if many white Souterners felt betrayed by the Democratic platform for racial equality in 1948 so much that they bolted with their failed Dixiecratic party, then after that fallout, went to the Republican party, then this happened BEFORE the 1960s.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle

2) They are. Stop buying a bunch of crap. Your parents made do with a black and white TV (even that might be a stretch) and a crappy refrigerator. No one spent money on $200 game consoles back in the "good old days". Time magazine had an article last month that explained how are perception is warped because we actually live better, on a whole, than we did in the past.

Interesting. I was talking with my dad about his high school days. He grew up in rural Oregon, and got a job in 1954 installing televisions and antennae. This was no small task either, as the nearest station (VHF) was miles away so the antennae were large like one of those expensive ham radio antenna. We figured out that each of these sets cost the purchaser about $4000 in today's dollars. All for one crappy VHF station that probably had programming for about 12 hours a day.