Donald Trump
This topic contains 77 replies, has 17 voices, and was last updated by 
Strega 3 years, 10 months ago.
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And yet…the evidence shows that when limited social programs and health care systems are employed in every single developed-democracy in the world except America (dozens of them)…the system doesn’t remotely resemble your cliche strawman description of it. I was born in and have lived in five countries with social-democracy (Germany, Canada, Belgium, UK, Spain) and I have never encountered anything like your description. I am middle class and if anything the middle classes have grown and become more affluent and no I am not taxed to death and yes, the unemployment rates are usually low and no the middle class isn’t being attacked nor has it, over the last 50 years, disappeared.
The disconnect between the way it works and the disaster that many Americans believe will happen if implemented is astonishing. It is pretty much on the same scale as committed communists. Despite the existence of dozens of communist experiments in the past in many different shapes and sizes they all ended up in catastrophy and yet there are still people convinced it will work if it could just be done in the right way. There is simply no difference between deluded communists and those terrified of social-democracy. The evidence says one thing yet the predictions insist on the opposite.
Meanwhile millions of Americans are pointlessly suffering from poverty and unattended medical problems and homelessness and hunger and desperation…for no defensible reason. Just walk around Detroit, Baltimore or Buffalo and you’ll see the result of “it’s not my problem”.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by
Davis.
1. We saved the world a couple of times.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Volunteers from Ireland, contingents from India and the Carribean etc entered the war to help Europe from nearly the beginning. America entered the war quite late, letting its European allies and trading partners fend for themselves while countless millions died, then at the last minute the US enters, helps the war end switly and save lives and then claims they “saved the world” despite the Russians sacrificing exponentially more soldiers and despite Allied countries sacraficing their cities bombed to rubble in order to end the Axis (which would have been terrible for everyone including the US). What America did in both Wars was admirable (though that whole atom bomb dropped a second time was grotesque) and it is unlikely the war would have been won (or at least not drag on forever) without the help of the US (as well as Australia, Canada, South American countries and even African contingents) so a million thanks are owed to America (and Canada amongst many others) for their sacrafice of young men and enormous spenditure of money and resources. But to say America “saved the world” through its just in time entry is hyperbole. That being said, the Marshal Plan would certainly approach “saving the world” as without that kind of extremely generous investment Europe would have stagnated (and the US would lose its trading partners) and taken forever to recover. Their investments in Japan and Phillippines certainly helped Japan redevelop and bring prosperity and stability to the region!
American films and literature helped save the world to some extent as well, as the ideas transmitted throughout the world, many of which included prosperity through peace, democratic stability and the opportunities of capitalism as well as equality amongst the sexes without a doubt helped speed up social change in many countries (and likely helped avoid some domestic conflict and international wars).
2. Giving:
The US donates more money and resources to the developing world than any other country. Having said that, they give less aid “per capita” is below average with Nordic countries and many European countries giving a notably larger chunk of their GDP to foreign aid.
However, the aid that private Americans give domestically and internationally is quite high. The domestic charity donations can be explained by a notable lack of government funded social services but the international aid cannot. Americans indeed are quite generous when it comes to private individuals donating money to international projects.
@jason: In the end it all boils down to “the big Elephant in the room”; race. The thought of some woman, mostly black and Latina, with four or five children getting a free ride while we have to pay is enraging isn’t it? Yeah, no it’s not enraging to me. We’re crying about social programs that take less than 5% ( Chart ) of the nations capital while we spend more on defense than Russia and China combined.
As holier than thou Christian and “Oh suffer the little children” that we say we are, and by we I mean all of us ‘Mericans ” we give less than two buffalo chips about the poorest and most needy among us. Do I sound like a screaming liberal to you? Probably! I’m a card carrying member. Liberal as the day is long. You use the word liberal like it’s a cus word; doesn’t ruffle my feathers.
My 27 year old son gave up his gym membership and changed his standard of living in order to afford healthcare in Virginia. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by
Reg the Fronkey Farmer.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by
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