Philosophy Now Forum

bobevenson wrote:I call all of you people dopes because you can't see that free-market capitalism leads to a better life for everyone, but I also realize that you think this way because oppressive European socialism is all you have ever known and grown up with. For instance, when the singing group ABBA was at its height of popularity, it did more dollar volume than any company in Sweden, which is certainly a pathetic economic situation for any country to find itself in, but entirely understandable considering its socialistic foundation.

So that's your thesis is it? Fukuyama could have saved himself the bother of writing The End of History because you've got all the bases covered there. At the height of their popularity ABBA made more money than any other Swedish corporation so that means socialist Europe doesn't appreciate free-market capitalism which is obviously better.

Wow, I had seriously underestimated your powers of analysis before. I mean, I don't even know if it's actually true and I'm not sure what figures you're actually comparing and I do know that the corporation known as ABBA also had interests outside of the music industry, such as property ownership, but how could I seriously doubt your conclusions?

There's a Nobel Prize for Economics in it for you I'm guessing. Bravo.

bobevenson wrote:Another thing, Europe seems to spend most of its time on vacations, something that the government seems to enforce.

It's the USA that's the anomaly here not Europe. Minimum paid annual leave is mandatory throughout most of the world but employers in the USA can get away without it because people like you allow them to do so. You want to free yourself of government oppression but you'll happily bend over for your corporate masters and say "Please sir, can I have another!".

John wrote:There's a Nobel Prize for Economics in it for you I'm guessing. Bravo.

Thank you for your support. Unfortunately, the selection committee in Sweden knows nothing about Evensonomics (my economic/political orientation) and certainly wouldn't be able to understand it if they did.

John wrote:

bobevenson wrote:Another thing, Europe seems to spend most of its time on vacations, something that the government seems to enforce.

It's the USA that's the anomaly here not Europe. Minimum paid annual leave is mandatory throughout most of the world but employers in the USA can get away without it because people like you allow them to do so. You want to free yourself of government oppression but you'll happily bend over for your corporate masters and say "Please sir, can I have another!".

The rest of the socialist world can go to hell and stop asking the USA to always bail them out! And that includes your stupid euro currency.

bobevenson wrote:

John wrote:There's a Nobel Prize for Economics in it for you I'm guessing. Bravo.

Thank you for your support. Unfortunately, the selection committee in Sweden knows nothing about Evensonomics (my economic/political orientation) and certainly wouldn't be able to understand it if they did.

They're probably still all listening to ABBA anyway.

bobevenson wrote:

John wrote:

bobevenson wrote:Another thing, Europe seems to spend most of its time on vacations, something that the government seems to enforce.

It's the USA that's the anomaly here not Europe. Minimum paid annual leave is mandatory throughout most of the world but employers in the USA can get away without it because people like you allow them to do so. You want to free yourself of government oppression but you'll happily bend over for your corporate masters and say "Please sir, can I have another!".

The rest of the socialist world can go to hell and stop asking the USA to always bail them out! And that includes your stupid euro currency.

Because the US economy is in a position to bail out the rest of the world isn't it. Maybe China can bail you lot out as they own a fair chunk of your debt anyway.

I'm sure they're all still listening to ABBA, trying to figure out what made ABBA so successful. The answer, of course, is the free-market USA.

bobevenson wrote:I'm sure they're all still listening to ABBA, trying to figure out what made ABBA so successful. The answer, of course, is the free-market USA.

That's the first argument against free-markets you've offered.

John wrote:
Maybe China can bail you lot out as they own a fair chunk of your debt anyway.

I hope they own an even larger chunk of the USA so they always act in our best interest.

bobevenson wrote:

John wrote:
Maybe China can bail you lot out as they own a fair chunk of your debt anyway.

I hope they own an even larger chunk of the USA so they always act in our best interest.

Hmmmm...on the one hand I agree with you....but only because I think this earth belongs to all of us...so what does it matter if we all occupy each others territory? That being said...there are many ways of conquering a country...one is by forceful invasion another is by peaceful means. So hopefully this is the new trend...to buy other countries and then "invade" them...rather than the old way...which was war, death and destruction. I mean it's only a matter of time where there are no real borders and no real territories....as it should be...after all...that is how it was in the beginning until man screwed things up. Men!

That's absolutely right. The Earth belongs to everyone, and you should be able to live anywhere in the world without restrictions or immigration laws. The problem, of course, is that when you have a country that everyone wants to emigrate to, legally or illegally, it causes problems. The answer, of course, is to crush oppressive governments causing people to want to emigrate.

bobevenson wrote:I call all of you people dopes because you can't see that free-market capitalism leads to a better life for everyone, but I also realize that you think this way because oppressive European socialism is all you have ever known and grown up with. For instance, when the singing group ABBA was at its height of popularity, it did more dollar volume than any company in Sweden, which is certainly a pathetic economic situation for any country to find itself in, but entirely understandable considering its socialistic foundation.

You are living in a Fux/Disney world of fantasy bob. Sweden had a population of about 8 million back then and ABBA were one of the biggest bands in the world at the time, so its no surprise that they had a bigger turnover than current companies. Think of one of your states with a comparable population and resources and you'll find ABBA would have been bigger than any of their companies, its got bugger all to do with socialism.

You are also deluded about this idea of 'European socialism', there is no such entity. You make a common Fux informed Yank mistake that the entity called Europe exists in the same way as the homogenized United States does, we are not a Federal Republic. Although I do think we should become one which would be a situation that Fux and your Govt would oppose.

bobevenson wrote:There is not a free American market in medicine. There is not a free market in starting medical schools and new hospitals in the U.S. The licensing of doctors is government oppression that creates shortages of medical care. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the medical care of others. That's one of the problems of socialism. Another thing, Europe seems to spend most of its time on vacations, something that the government seems to enforce. Everybody there wants a handout instead of working. What a decadent society.

Stop watching Fux news bob. There is no single European society that you wish to defame.

"The licensing of doctors is government oppression that creates shortages of medical care." What would you put in its place to stop you visiting a quack?

bobevenson wrote:The rest of the socialist world can go to hell and stop asking the USA to always bail them out! And that includes your stupid euro currency.

When did we ask you to bail us out!? Your troubles are all of your own making. Tell you what! Why not tell the Chinese to stop extending you credit to make your own goods.

Stop watching Fux news bob. There is no single European society that you wish to defame.
I wish to defame every goddamn last one of them!

The licensing of doctors is government oppression that creates shortages of medical care. What would you put in its place to stop you visiting a quack?
Government licenses are mere instruments to prevent competition, something that socialist Europe is quite familiar with. There are many qualified people who can diagnose and treat a wide variety of medical problems, but they fear being arrested for practicing medicine without a license. It's the fucking medical establishment that is ultimately responsible for this terrible state of affairs. The medical establishment is the biggest union in the world, and they should all be indicted under the U.S. RICO Act (Rackateer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act).