Questions for leftists/socialist

[Fireclown]

I am not a leftist myself. I am doing a project for school where I have to talk with people with opposing viewpoints from my own to better understand them. So, although I may not agree with you, I will make a sincere effort to look at things from the point of view of anyone who wants to chime in. I would appreciate anyone's viewpoints on the following questions:

1. What is the strongest point to defend your beliefs?
2. What is the most difficult question to answer that you commonly receive regarding your economic views?
3. Is your way of thinking the best method for saving our economy, and why?
4. Define wealth in terms of the individual, and in terms of a nation.
5. What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of socialism in America?
6. What is the greatest example of socialism working in the world?
7. What is the greatest example of its failure?
8. How important is economic policy, compared to other government policies such as civil rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc?
9.Where do rights come from?
10.What do you believe the purpose of government is?
11.When and why did you come to the conclusion that you would be a socialist?
12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work?
13.Do you think competitive business in America has led to the evolution of products and an increased standard of living?
14. Do you believe in a Natural Law or Order?
15 If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion?
16. What is your view on private property?
17. Do you own your body? Is it your property?
18. Do you believe in the use of violence to achieve your objectives?
19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?
20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

1. They're correct.
2. Why do you like rape?
3. Socialism sees the inherent flaws in our economy, and therefore wishes to replace it. With a socialist economy.
4. Wealth on an individual basis is measured in relation to the economy in which it is in. A man making $30k in El Salvador will be wealthy, whereas in the US that is a hard life. As far as nations go, everything from Canada on up.
5. A profound lack of critical thinking.
6. I can't say.
7. Germany, following the failure of the socialists to hold on to power following WWI.
8. Economic policy dictates all other policies in every country.
9. The power to prevent others from infringing on them.
10. To preserve the status of the ruling class. Which is why it should be abolished.
11. When I got my first paycheck.
12. So that work can be abolished.
13. Compared to the number of technologies the govt has developed, not really.
14. Yes, depending on us talking about the same thing.
15. If you live in the US you already have a right to a doctor if you have a legit medical issue which needs to be addressed (though it is not a satisfactory system, of course).
16. I have no problem with private property in many senses.
17. According to our government, no it's not. Otherwise I wouldn't be thrown in prison for putting substances they don't like into it.
18. Only if I am not allowed to achieve them peacefully.
19. No, the value of each painting is determined by the viewer (and you're distorting the LTV into something it is not. The LTV believes labor should be compensated fairly for the finished product. If you're finished product garners $5 then that is the value of your labor. Picasso's is worth ifinitely more, to be sure).
20. It's not here.

[JimmyJazz]

12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work? Under socialism, exactly the same as under capitalism: to be compensated better. Socialism is abolishing rewards for pure ownership. This really has no relevance to the question of work incentives. A workers' cooperative can compensate people differently based on their performance just as easily as a corporation can.

Under communism--defined as "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs"--I have no idea what incentive people would have to work. You'll have to ask a communist. Like most people in the world, I would be happy to see communism work, but I don't see how it could. I just consider myself a socialist.

[turquino]

19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?I want to quickly address this, mostly for the benefit of others.

I don't think Marx would agree with your claim that the paintings possess the same value. Marx's law of value describes how commodities are exchanged in a capitalist free market, not how they *should* exchange. Original pieces of artwork are not strictly commodities because they aren't fungible, that is being reproduced for trade on the market and homogeneous. Equally skilled and reproducing the same image, then we might have a different case. Art buyers also care about Picasso's signature on the thing, unlike, say, copper buyers who aren't picky about where, and who produced some copper wire. The art can have a use value and price, but its exchange value isn't determined by an abstract average labour time because it doesn't share the characteristics of normal commodities. Services and land are similar in that they can possess prices but not values.


19. No, the value of each painting is determined by the viewer (and you're distorting the LTV into something it is not. The LTV believes labor should be compensated fairly for the finished product. If you're finished product garners $5 then that is the value of your labor. Picasso's is worth ifinitely more, to be sure).
No, that's not quite correct for some of the reasons I explained above, and due to the fact that a commodity's value is added to by both living labour and dead labour (capital), presumably created by other workers. I can't think of a commodity thats value was created by a single worker in a period. Futhermore, "compensated fairly" ('fair' is hard to define, I'll assume you mean by labour) is a troublesome claim because expanded reproduction doesn't stop after capitalism; the entire surplus doesn't go back to the worker who created it.

[mikelepore]

1. What is the strongest point to defend your beliefs?

For every severe problem that society has, capitalism either caused it outright, or, if it didn't entirely cause it, capitalism strongly magnified the intensity of it. Can anyone name any problem that society faces for which this isn't true?

2. What is the most difficult question to answer that you commonly receive regarding your economic views?

Socialists haven't discovered a way to persuade the working class majority act in their own genuine interests and change the system. All of the media, schools and religions are misleading us about what our true interests are. Most people tend to act habitually in ways that we have been told thousands of times since childhood are normal.

3. Is your way of thinking the best method for saving our economy, and why?

You don't "save" a worn out, broken down and thoroughly malfunctioning device. You scrap it and replace it with something new and better.

4. Define wealth in terms of the individual, and in terms of a nation.

Wealth is the result of exactly two things -- human labor, and nature's raw materials -- being mixed together. There are no other necessary components. The labor must be, of course, intelligent; that is, the word "labor" includes mental labor as well as physical labor. The textbook claim that you need the "entrepeneur" is nothing but a modern equivalent of the ancient priest claiming that a human society could never exist without an emperor or a king.

5. What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of socialism in America?

See my answer to question 2.

6. What is the greatest example of socialism working in the world?

and

7. What is the greatest example of its failure?

No one in the world has ever tried socialism before, that is, an industrial management system democratically controlled by the workers, either directly or through their honestly elected delegates.

8. How important is economic policy, compared to other government policies such as civil rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc?

It's not economic policy that's important, it's what kind of system, with a particular structure and form of organization, that's important. Economic policies will have to be determined after we have a viable economic system in the first place.

To speak of civil rights is an orthogonal discussion. No matter what economic system we have, bad or good, we need a political system with a strictly defended written constitution and body of laws that will protect civil rights.

To speak of foreign policy is nonsense to me because I believe that establishing a world government is essential for human survival.

9.Where do rights come from?

Right and wrong are figures of speech that indicate the state of mind of each speaker. If I strongly want to be in a situation in which something is likely to happen, I say that I have a "right" to it. If I strongly want a situation in which something probably won't happen, I say that the thing would be "wrong".

10.What do you believe the purpose of government is?

Assuming you mean government over individual behavior, its main purpose is to set limits, such as outlawing murder and assault. If you mean government in the general sense of adjusting anything, in the way that a thermostat governs temperature, etc., then I would include industrial management as a form of government -- it always was and always will be, and the only question is what particular kind is preferable.

11.When and why did you come to the conclusion that you would be a socialist?

I was in my second year of high school. It was during the Vietnam War. I became a socialist abruptly, literally within fifteen minutes, after someone handed me a particular leaflet on the street, and I decided to read it with an open mind. Here's a transcript of that leaflet, which was an essay that was first written in 1960:

http://www.deleonism.org/text/ww-60.htm

12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work?

Getting paid by the hour to show up at work and put the time in. I disagree with those who include the abolition of the practice of earning income and spending it as being among the defining characteristics of socialism.

13.Do you think competitive business in America has led to the evolution of products and an increased standard of living?

No. I think there was a combination of three effects: (2) the U.S.A. happened to be founded in the post-Renaissance age in which human scientific knowledge was rapidly increasing and machinery was being invented, (2) the economic stimulus of capitalism being transplanted here from Europe, taking an entire continent of trees, fertile soil and untouched mineral deposits away from the native people by force, and (3) certain other geographical advantages, such as the number of major rivers and total coastal area. Therefore, for some working class people, but not all, the standard of living in the U.S. improved more rapidly than it did for workers in several other parts of the world.

14. Do you believe in a Natural Law or Order?

The laws of physics, yes. Cosmic rules that human society must live by, no.

15 If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion?

I say that health care is a right because I would like to have it. (See question 9).

To say that it makes the doctor a slave would be as absurd as saying that the workers who maintain the town reservoir are slaves because the people need drinking water, or the people who change the light bulbs in the street lamps are slaves because the people want lighting, or teachers are slaves because children need education. The singling out of the doctor in the wording of this question is suspicious. Could that be because doctors are relatively well-paid today, and the composer of the question is more concerned about the doctor's yacht than a hungry child's breakfast?

16. What is your view on private property?

It's a social convention, the same as whether we should spell a word "color" as in the U.S. or "colour" as in England. The people may decide to change such customary practices at any time.

17. Do you own your body? Is it your property?

That's a discussion about how to define some words. Editing dictionaries isn't my field of specialty.

18. Do you believe in the use of violence to achieve your objectives?

No. Once society has achieved the point where the people elect the law-makers, the entire battle of producing a social revolution is about finding some techniques to overcome the indoctination by the ruling class's media and schools, and to persuade a majority of the people to think differently about things. When the propagation of certain new ideas has been successful, the task is entirely done.

19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?

Your question is based on an incorrect assumption. The Marxian theory of value refers to commodies that are continuously produced and then marketed solely by generic category and quantity, such as bushels of corn, square yards of cotton linen, and tons of scrap iron, that is, the goods that economic theory calls "fungible commodities." There doesn't exist any marketplace for selling an endless supply of generic Picasso paintings by the ton or kilogram. If there were, then perhaps Marxian economics could be applied to that marketplace also.

20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?

See question 2. Nothing else.

[Revolutionary Youth]

It seemed that comrade mikelepore has outlined all the necessary things, so I'm here just to add some more:
1. There will be no poverty, no crimes, no discrimination under Communism, all people's one, individuals "own" everything in the society.
2. The high tendecy of human's selfishness.
4. The word wealth does not exist in Communism. But if I have to define it, then I'll put it as a form of seperation among people.
5. The biggest obstacle is that the majority of them only working for one purpose "the more you work, the more you earn" or to put it at their term "capitalism rewards you equal to the amount of hard work you spend". They are driven only by that purpose, like mindless bulls, slaves of money.
11. My purpose of working or studying is not for money, but for the community. I don't require high salary for my job, even if they put me as equal to a worker, I am willing, since it helps to bring me nearer to them, the distinction between intellectuals and workers, farmers will be shortened. I'm a socialist because I live and fight for the rights of the working class and I have the mind of internationalism.
12. In Communism, when money is no more, everything belongs to everyone, so let say that after working hard for a whole week, and when I get bored, I can take anything I want. Since all things belong to everyone, what's the point of stealing and crimes? In capitalism, you get money for your reward of hard work, then we, in Communism, can touch hands in anything we want. Maybe Sunday you can drive a Porsche 911 to go for a beach vacation, Monday, you leave it for someone else to use and you just use another one to go to work, maybe a Lamboghini? Isn't that a great motivation to work?

[ZeroNowhere]

Getting paid by the hour to show up at work and put the time in. I disagree with those who include the abolition of the practice of earning income and spending it as being among the defining characteristics of socialism.
Though presumably you don't advocate LTVs being used for public services, necessities, normal food rations, household applicances, normal energy rations, etc? Also, the 'getting paid' terminology is somewhat misleading, it seems to imply that there'll be somebody consciously doing the paying (leading to the whole, "LTVs means a bureacracy!" silliness), while in modern times it would be rather simple to automate the process.


The laws of physics, yes. Cosmic rules that human society must live by, no.
Well, technically, they're just observations made by scientists, and if something didn't 'obey' them, then they would have to be changed to incorporate this.


19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?
As Mike pointed out, this is a strawMarx argument.


16. What is your view on private property?
You do know that you're talking to commie scum here, correct?


20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?
Trot vs Stalinite debates. Ugh.


Under socialism, exactly the same as under capitalism: to be compensated better. Socialism is abolishing rewards for pure ownership. This really has no relevance to the question of work incentives. A workers' cooperative can compensate people differently based on their performance just as easily as a corporation can.

Under communism--defined as "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs"--I have no idea what incentive people would have to work. You'll have to ask a communist. Like most people in the world, I would be happy to see communism work, but I don't see how it could. I just consider myself a socialist.
Communism and socialism are both synonyms, so you can be a commie if you like. :)
The differences between LTVs vs non-LTVs is between the lower and higher stages of socialism. Of course, some (see:WSM) don't see them as stages, but rather wish to move straight into a non-LTV economy. This, of course, would still be socialism. Unfortunately, they seem to have a strange tendency to then use 'free access' as a part of the definition of socialism, which is also false.


19. No, the value of each painting is determined by the viewer (and you're distorting the LTV into something it is not. The LTV believes labor should be compensated fairly for the finished product. If you're finished product garners $5 then that is the value of your labor. Picasso's is worth ifinitely more, to be sure).
This is incorrect. The LTV doesn't imply any beliefs about capitalism vs socialism, or that labour should be "compensated fairly", it's an observation rather than a proposition. Of course, The Sun likes to claim that Marx meant the LTV to apply to a socialist society only, but that's basically a misunderstanding. And what the hell, it's The Sun. The main point here is that the LTV has nothing to do with Picasso, unused land, etc.

[trivas7]

Under communism--defined as "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs"--I have no idea what incentive people would have to work. You'll have to ask a communist. Like most people in the world, I would be happy to see communism work, but I don't see how it could. I just consider myself a socialist.
Distinguish communism from historical forms of socialism, please.

[Ben Chaser]

1. What is the strongest point to defend your beliefs?
The alienation most everyone feels in their lives, including at work, in the nuclear family, in their role as consumers and voters. Anarchism is a method for destroying this alienation and reclaiming autonomy.
2. What is the most difficult question to answer that you commonly receive regarding your economic views?
Most economists assume the presence of a capitalist market the way that biologists assume the natural world. I don't usually have difficulty answering the questions, but spend most of my time in arguments questioning assumptions. Luckily, most free market types find themselves on the defensive these days.
3. Is your way of thinking the best method for saving our economy, and why? I reject the notion that I have any responsibility to "save" something that has enslaved me for my entire working life. The economy was destroyed by douchebags playing god with our livelihoods, and I think a good way to save the economy from further harm is to blow up wall street. Of course this neglects the fact that the federal reserve probably saw this coming and are the only ones truly benefiting from the crisis, so I guess we should blow them up too. If only we knew who they were...
4. Define wealth in terms of the individual, and in terms of a nation. Wealth is a problematic term, as is nation. I don't find myself using these terms much unless I'm talking to libertarians. There are better terms, like camaraderie and community. I guess I could define wealth as the things inherent in myself and my relationships that give me pleasure, and this does not translate to the scale of the nation unless we redefine nation as something separate from the state, i.e. a tribal group.
5. What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of socialism in America? The fact that socialism, like all leftist terms, have become dirty words. Although a case can be made that since "we" bought wall street we are in fact a socialist country. Other things we hold dear, like the eight hour work day and social security, started out as socialist or even anarchist ideas.
6. What is the greatest example of socialism working in the world? The feeling of class consciousness and hatred of the boss class which is present on every single shop floor.
7. What is the greatest example of its failure? It's marriage to the state.
8. How important is economic policy, compared to other government policies such as civil rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc? None of this matters to me, but to the boss class every policy is economic policy. Foreign policy amounts to, "how can we exploit other countries to enrich ourselves," civil rights is "how can we placate the masses so that they won't revolt or quit their jobs," etc., etc.
9.Where do rights come from? Rights come from the state, which is why I reject them. I don't have a gun because George Washington told me I can have a gun. I have a gun to protect myself from tyranny. I speak freely because I have something to say, etc.
10.What do you believe the purpose of government is? To legitimize domination by the ruling elite.
11.When and why did you come to the conclusion that you would be a socialist? Socialism and leftism has always resonated with me. It is not a label or a party I belong to, it runs much deeper than that. Anarchism is a direct response from the working class against the system of domination. It is not a conclusion one comes to from an exercise of abstract reason, but a deep seated feeling that everything has to come down so we can start over as whole women and men.
12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work? I don't want to be "under" any humanist statist system and the only incentive I have to work is to provide essentials for myself and my comrades. Production to enrich the masters or compete globally will cease and surplus will be avoided except for canning carrots for the winter.
13.Do you think competitive business in America has led to the evolution of products and an increased standard of living? No. Standard of living has decreased since the advent of civilization 6000 years ago. We can hope for no better situation than that of the hunter gatherer. No one is truly fulfilled by her blackberry or his home espresso machine.
14. Do you believe in a Natural Law or Order? I don't understand. I believe that if there were no government and people arranged themselves in small groups where decisions were made by consensus and autonomy was valued an order would emerge, but I don't know if this is what you mean by natural law. I would also like to quote Hakim Bey: "Chaos is the sum of all orders."
15 If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion? Most diseases are caused by civilization, so once we smash that I think people will be a lot healthier. Also we haven't lost all of the herbal knowledge of our forbears, and we can take care of most of what ails us. If not, we die. Oh well.
16. What is your view on private property? Property is theft, and if the purported "owner" of land or anything else does not use her property any one else should be able to use it. This is why I live in a squat. Personal property, such as bicycles and vibrators, which people use, should be respected.
17. Do you own your body? Is it your property? Fuck you.
18. Do you believe in the use of violence to achieve your objectives? Hell yes.
19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this? I believe, unlike the free market, that things have inherent value as opposed to market value, and I am no Marxist. If a picture is beautiful, I will value it. I don't know you, but if your picture is more beautiful to my subjective aesthetic sense then I will prefer yours. This seems obvious.
20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism? The history of state communism has given good ideas a bad name. Marx never meant for communism to be applied to feudal societies like Russia or China. The fact that the Soviets felt like they had to compete with the Americans was a fatal mistake. They could have easily provided for themselves on the massive landbase they had, but were drawn in to this game of global domination which is the true enemy of socialism.

[RGacky3]

1. What is the strongest point to defend your beliefs?

The tyrannical form Capitalism takes, the fact that money is power and thus freedom and equality are impossible under Capitalism.


2. What is the most difficult question to answer that you commonly receive regarding your economic views?

There arn't many, most of the questions ahve simple answeres but the Capitalists responces are generally "well I don't think so".


3. Is your way of thinking the best method for saving our economy, and why?

Despends what you mean by save our economy, it is the best way to create a free and equal society, is it the best way to increase profits? Maybe, maybe not, but thats not our goal.


4. Define wealth in terms of the individual, and in terms of a nation.

Thats a difficult question, under Capitalism wealth is measured with dollars, under Communism wealth takes on a whole new meaning.


5. What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of socialism in America?

Capitalist/Corporate power over the media, the state, and pretty much everything else.


6. What is the greatest example of socialism working in the world?

Anarchist Spain in the 30s.


7. What is the greatest example of its failure?

When the fascists killed all the Anarchists in spain.


8. How important is economic policy, compared to other government policies such as civil rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc?

THey are all intertwined, you can't seperate them.


9.Where do rights come from?

Depends who you ask, I generally follow a Kantian style philosophy, its juts natural and logical.


10.What do you believe the purpose of government is?

Primarily to defend the ruling class, which is why it must be done away with.


11.When and why did you come to the conclusion that you would be a socialist?

Living in Mexico and seeing Capitalism in a very brutal form.


12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work?

Your working for yourself, so betterment of your life, your families life and the community, more incentive than to work for hte betterment of your bosses life in exchange for a little cut.


13.Do you think competitive business in America has led to the evolution of products and an increased standard of living?

For some people.


14. Do you believe in a Natural Law or Order?

Personally yes.


15 If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion?

Nope, health care is'nt nessesarily a "right", however under communism there would really be no reason a doctor would'nt treat someone, thats what he does, thats his contribution, so it really does'nt matter. Under Capitalism the bottom line is'nt health care, its profit, under communism its health (for htat industry).


16. What is your view on private property?

As long as its not inconflict with other peoples intrest, i.e. if you have a tooth brush your not taking any thing away from anyone that they need, if you own a large parcel of land then maybe you are.


17. Do you own your body? Is it your property?

Yeah you own it, thats a given, and its not your property its you.


18. Do you believe in the use of violence to achieve your objectives?


Only as self defence, ask the State that question.


19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?

The value of art is different from utalitarian value, as Anarchists/Communists we are interested in utalitarian value, artistic value is a different issue. Also your talking about dollar amounts, thats not a part of Anarchist/communist value system.


20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?

Compared to Capitalism? None, thats like asking what are the negative aspects of democracy, I guess compared to Dictatorhisp.



BTW, I'm an anarchist-communist, so I don't support the psudo-socialsit USSR or any of that.

[mikelepore]

Though presumably you don't advocate LTVs being used for public services, necessities, normal food rations, household applicances, normal energy rations, etc?

Whatever people may discover they need to do to prevent a free rider problem, where it's discovered that a lot of people act as though there's no need ever to go back to work because presumably someone else will do it. Perhaps it will be enough if people have to work for their luxuries, while necessities are distributed unconditionally. A well designed system will provide for many options by setting adjustable parameters, and it will then operate well after the parameters get adjusted as needed.

In any case, the people whose jobs produce the freely-distributed necessities and also intangible services must themselves be compensated with labor vouchers, credits, whatever they are called -- even though those vouchers get redeemed mainly for, or exclusively for, certain types of physical goods.



Also, the 'getting paid' terminology is somewhat misleading, it seems to imply that there'll be somebody consciously doing the paying (leading to the whole, "LTVs means a bureacracy!" silliness), while in modern times it would be rather simple to automate the process.

I haven't heard of that connotation. "Pay" comes from the old Latin pacere, meaning to satisfy someone, to make someone happy.

[WhitemageofDOOM]

I'm not a socialist, I'm a social democrat.(yes there different, hush.) I'll respond then only to what i find most pertinent.


9.Where do rights come from?

The ability to kill people who violate them.


10.What do you believe the purpose of government is?

To protect people from victimization, and to improve the general lot of society. That's the proper purpose, the usual purpose is to support the people in power.


12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work?

Ideally we eliminate all drudgery. This leaves all "work" as things that people want to do. The scientist and the teacher do what they do not out of desire for money, lord knows teachers aren't paid what the job is worth.
Don't forget there is still an economy in any system, the attention based economy. The internet is a good example of what attention based economics might be like. People would do creative work such as art and science either because they enjoy it or because they want others to pay attention to them.


15. If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion?

If working is enforced by the threat of starvation does that not make the worker a slave via compulsion?


17. Do you own your body? Is it your property?

No. People should not be treated as property.


20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?

The thought that artists might revert to ignoring the masses entirely. Hopefully attention based economy can prevent that.

[couch13]

1. What is the strongest point to defend your beliefs?
Historical Materialism
2. What is the most difficult question to answer that you commonly receive regarding your economic views?
Why?
3. Is your way of thinking the best method for saving our economy, and why?
No, I'm not saving "our economy" I'm all for overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with a totally different system. What I'm doing is saving people not the economy.
4. Define wealth in terms of the individual, and in terms of a nation.
Individual: The accumulation of the wealth produced by others labor.
Nation: The combined accumulation of the wealth produced by others labor.
5. What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of socialism in America?
Mass Media and Public Education have been socializing people for a long time so that they believe capitalism is good.
6. What is the greatest example of socialism working in the world?
Paris Commune of 1871. Today? Venezula almost has it, but not quite, actually not even close, but eh, what can you do?
7. What is the greatest example of its failure?
CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8. How important is economic policy, compared to other government policies such as civil rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc?
Not.
9.Where do rights come from?
The demand of the masses from below.
10.What do you believe the purpose of government is?
To advance the interests of the ruling class.
11.When and why did you come to the conclusion that you would be a socialist?
Seventh Grade when I read the Communist Manifesto. It appealed to my common sense.
12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work?
He who does not work, shall not eat
13.Do you think competitive business in America has led to the evolution of products and an increased standard of living?
Evolution of products, yes through advances in technology that produce abundence.
Standard of Living is the most retarded argument in the world since it means "How rich can you get?"
14. Do you believe in a Natural Law or Order?
No.
15 If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion?
No, people who love to heal people will be doctors. They aren't forced to be doctors. While we're being philosophical, under capitalism the doctor is a slave via money. He does not want to be a doctor he wants to be an artist, but he needs money, therefore he is a doctor against his will.
16. What is your view on private property?
It ought to be abohlished.
17. Do you own your body? Is it your property?
I own it, it is not property.
18. Do you believe in the use of violence to achieve your objectives?
Only if I am attacked first.
19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?
Monetarily, yes. Artistically, no.
20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?
People have been using the terms to support dictatorships that Marx would have been appalled at.

There you go, enjoy

[Bud Struggle]

When the fascists killed all the Anarchists in spain.

Shouldn't that be "Communists killed all the Anarchists in Spain?"

[RGacky3]

Shouldn't that be "Communists killed all the Anarchists in Spain?"

Them too, although it should be "Communists" enphasis on quotation marks.

[MarxSchmarx]

1. What is the strongest point to defend your beliefs?

Everybody should have maximal control over their own destiny, including their work and living environment. Capitalism does not allow people to control their lives.

2. What is the most difficult question to answer that you commonly receive regarding your economic views?

Why is there no example of a viable, full-blown socialist economy on a large scale?

3. Is your way of thinking the best method for saving our economy, and why?

Yes. The key is to get people back to work. Insofar as the profit motive is governing hiring decision, it doesn`t make sense to hire people for a while.

4. Define wealth in terms of the individual, and in terms of a nation.

Wealth for an individual - paying for a generally comfortable lifestyle takes less than 5-10% of your monthly income.
For a nation - GDP > a large 1st world company.

5. What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of socialism in America?

False consciousness of the workers.

6. What is the greatest example of socialism working in the world?

Mondragon Cooperative.

7. What is the greatest example of its failure?

North Korea.

8. How important is economic policy, compared to other government policies such as civil rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc?

Of the different policies, I would say civil rights, environmental policies, and economic policies are roughly equivalent. However, an acceptable civil rights and environmental politics require robust economic policies.

9.Where do rights come from?

The vigilence of the people.

10.What do you believe the purpose of government is?

An instrument of class rule.

11.When and why did you come to the conclusion that you would be a socialist?

When I was a young teenager, because I believed and still do believe in full human liberation.

12 .Under Communism or Socialism what is the incentive for people to work?

Love of one`s work.

13.Do you think competitive business in America has led to the evolution of products and an increased standard of living?

Yes, but it is far below in terms of contributions such as unionization and the New Deal.

14. Do you believe in a Natural Law or Order?

No.

15 If health care is a right, wouldn't that mean you have a right to a doctor? If so, wouldn't that technically make the doctor a slave via compulsion?

No. A health care provider can`t discriminate who they treat based on how rich their patient is. All providers should be renumerated the same for their services. Just as a provider can`t refuse to treat someone because of their race. If they don`t want to provide treatment, they should leave the health-care field.

16. What is your view on private property?

It should be expanded. Google Eugene Debs`s speech on this question.

17. Do you own your body? Is it your property?

Yes.

18. Do you believe in the use of violence to achieve your objectives?

No.

19. The main proponent of Marxism is the Labor theory of value. For instance, I spend the same amount of time and labor, painting a picture. In the same room, with the same equipment and utensils, time and labor - so is Picasso.According to Marx, our paintings are worth the same. They have the same value. Do you agree with this?

Huh? the Labor theory of value is an idea, not a person or group promoting marxism. But anywho, if you are born in a hospital to a crack-addicted homeless single-mother, and Bill Gates`s kid is born in the same hospital, you are almost certainly not going to be as rich as other baby. Do you agree with this? Why is that fair, just, or conducive to human freedom.

20. What do you think are negative aspects of socialism/communism?

That it takes so much work and struggle to bring about.