Privatized poisons are exploiting us 'useful idiots' ...

[FrankGSterleJr]

Why are sales of alcohol beverages and tobacco products at all privatized, with profits from the mass consumption of two of the world’s worst—if not the worst of—social vices?
The profiteering of these poisons should not ever translate into personal monetary gain by shareholders, etcetera; any such gain should foremost go back into relevant nations’ very-often-lacking public health-care systems.
It’s way past time that governments exhibited the warranted political will to ‘buy out’ all privately-owned alcoholic beverage and tobacco production lines. Such products should be owned by the people, especially if scores of us—and in particular, our young people—are going to pay for, get seriously ill and die from such products. Why should any private interest profit, and so greatly so, from such addictive vices?
And while they’re at it, governments should acquire full control over all natural resources—to be completely government owned and operated, with all profits and benefits going to the entire proletariat … or citizenry.

[HexHammer]

...wauw? You are a communist?

[Kayla]

i am a little confused

should everything be owned by the government or by the citizenry - or two you think the two are the same thing

[bobevenson]

Yes, let Frank determine how everybody should live his life, what you can buy or sell or use in some way. Let the government run your life; you know, the people you wouldn't ask the time of day from for fear of getting the wrong answer.

[Arising_uk]

... Let the government run your life; you know, the people you wouldn't ask the time of day from for fear of getting the wrong answer.

And yet you say you're going to let these same people be responsible for 'social integration'(whatever the hell this is supposed to mean) and oversight of your privatised world? Make your mind up.

[Wyman]

Code: Select all

And while they’re at it, governments should acquire full control over all natural resources—to be completely government owned and operated, with all profits and benefits going to the entire proletariat … or citizenry.[quote]

I love that - 'proletariat... er...' -  'My comrade... er friend'  It's unusual that a Freudian slip occurs in print.

But seriously, regarding the 'poisons,' that was the basis of the State Attorneys General who sued the tobacco companies and finally brought them down (at least a few notches).  They sued for the future medical costs of uninsured tobacco users.

[bobevenson]

... Let the government run your life; you know, the people you wouldn't ask the time of day from for fear of getting the wrong answer.

And yet you say you're going to let these same people be responsible for 'social integration'(whatever the hell this is supposed to mean) and oversight of your privatised world? Make your mind up.

Again, the only proper function of government is social integration, like a traffic cop keeping people from running into each other. The government should not own, operate, support or promote anything. From an operational standpoint, the government should only appoint private, profit-making agencies to carry out these objectives.

[Arising_uk]

But according to you they can't tell the time of day so why on earth would you give them the power to appoint and oversight these agencies?

[Blaggard]

...wauw? You are a communist?

Lol how does being against the taxation of vices that cause mass death make him a communist?

AAMOI in the UK off licences which are licensed to sell tobacco and alcohol make very little profit off of them because the tax is 50% on alcohol and often more on cigarettes, so they only really make money on things like crisps, soft drinks and the various other things they sell. Which is kinda ironic. The government takes a vast amount of money from smoking which it does not even remotely poor back directly to the national health service. I kinda agree with the OP that all the tax should be used to fund health concerns or organisations dealing with the vast cost of coronary heart disease, lung cancer etc. Seems a responsible thing to do, or at the very least don't plow vasts amounts of money into pointless adverts and messages like drink responsible adverts which achieve precisely nothing, or make it illegal to sell cut price alcohol, so that you can maximise your own tax profits while giving a smug nod to the public that we REALLY DO care and so on. And for that matter if you are going to tax things with over 50% don't then whine when shops and businesses go out of business because you have left them relatively little to make a profit out of.

I must admit I am not all that impressed with out Conservative/Tory ubermenshce atm but then being a classic whig I wouldn't be or liberal, look it up they are the ones that rebelled in the American revolution and founded later the American Whig party a party against consitutional strength of the presidency much as whigs in England were against the constitutional monarchy's power and were pro parliament. I suppose eventually they became obsolete and were replaced with the democrats, who are not anti presidency per se. Essentially an anti tyranny movement meant to provide a check and balance against the autocrat gaining too much power.

[HexHammer]

Blagg

governments should acquire full control over all natural resources—to be completely government owned and operated, with all profits and benefits going to the entire proletariat … or citizenry.

= communism.

It's very notoriously that the common gov are extremely inefficient and incompetent. In Denmark we have had our recent fair share of gov owned scandals, the east coast rail road scandal, the DONG Energy scandal, etc.

[Blaggard]

Blagg

governments should acquire full control over all natural resources—to be completely government owned and operated, with all profits and benefits going to the entire proletariat … or citizenry.

= communism.

It's very notoriously that the common gov are extremely inefficient and incompetent. In Denmark we have had our recent fair share of gov owned scandals, the east coast rail road scandal, the DONG Energy scandal, etc.

Ah apologies I missed that fair enough Hex, not sure how I missed that, but meh I am only human...