Saturday, December 14, 2013

On This

I'll take, "Three Lukewarm Socialists Having a Whale of a Time and Not Really Harming Anybody (Save for Maybe One Jealous Spouse) in the Process", for a thousand, Alex.

9 comments:

dmarks said...

While you take them for a thousand, they will "take us" for trillions and trillions...

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

Until the day of reckoning.

Les Carpenter said...

Kick the can down the road they (R&D Statists) all say. Pass it on to the next generation.

dmarks said...

RN: The socialist/progressive/etc ideology is indeed based on greed/covetousness toward others. Be they the living, now... or in the future, voiceless descendants.

Les Carpenter said...

Actually it is based on altruism and the belief self sacrifice is the highest moral and ethical value.

What was it Christ allegedly said? Paraphrasing here, it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

It is clear Pope Francis is pitching the philosophy. As his anti capitalist pro socialist/progressive collectivist statements have shown.

The Pope will do many good things to transform the Church and make it more tolerant. His views on economics and capitalism is his Achilles heel. At least for those who understand liberty and individualism are inseparable.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

And you eventually run out of what to be jealous over (or so sayeth - and I agree - Winston Churchill).

dmarks said...

RN said: "Actually it is based on altruism and the belief self sacrifice is the highest moral and ethical value."

I see what you mean, re: socialism. As its first base. But from this base, the ideology seeks to impose the forced sacrifice of others in a megalomaniac fashion.

I guess in this base you refer to, socialism has a lot in common with major religions. It's where they go after that that is very different.

The socialists end up opposing rigid control, and due to the nature of power and corruption, the vices of greed and jealousy are what really rules instead of altruism. You can see this from the Occupy movement all the way to North Korea.

The religions at their best (and, yes, I know, this is only achieved sometimes!) keep valuing self sacrifice and altruism.

dmarks said...

RN: And to address your point on the Pope... he will be OK as long as he is directing his economic comments at individuals and how they control their own resources and decisions.

Once he focuses his comments on government policy, i.e. collectivism which supposedly works toward altruism but really just ends up satisfying greed and avarice, then there will be a problem.

Les Carpenter said...

I see your point. When talks about capitalism, greed, and trickle down to whom is he speaking? Just the individual?

His intent is to influence government and the power it wields as well as the individual with his moral judgement.

He is a force in a world religion speaking out against capitalism. My major point and I find it just a bit unsettling. In the final glance, it is what it is. Perception is ones reality across the board.