Topic: Politics

[sgore]

Pat, that is the one true conundrum of our generation now.

[Krakow Sam]

Conundrum: Solved

http://kimjongunlookingatthings.tumblr.com/

[Plank of Wood]

At least the North Koreans are not letting themselves be overwhelmed with grief.

Also lolcomments

[PatMan33]

Conundrum: Solved

http://kimjongunlookingatthings.tumblr.com/

SUCCESS!!!

[Mr. Consideration]

http://kimjongildroppingthebass.tumblr.com/


Cameron's 'Christian Nation' nonsense is just him flirting with the rowdy hardliners in the Tory party. An ugly development (especially as regards Gove's agenda in promoting 'Family values' in Education - which is more than a little reminiscent of Section 28 to me, and disturbing at the very least) but not indicative of the man's ideas. He isn't a social conservative. I'd rather he'd bait them with a referendum on Europe, of course.
 

I think, culturally, we've moved beyond the socially conservative hegemony that these people are attempting to re-kindle, and no amount of tax incentives is going to prevent someone getting divorced or encourage them to get married.  Attempts to push these agendas on children will most likely contradict their experiences in their own lives.

[/lurk]

I was about to go utterly berzerk, but then I remembered that Scottish healthcare isn't run by this maniac.

sux2B Sam though.

Oh Mista' C., I forgot you were english. I guess sux2BU as well.

[Brandonazz]

"theatre time"

Is this referring to operating rooms?

[Plank of Wood]

*explod*

"theatre time"

Is this referring to operating rooms?

It's part of routine treatment in this country to recite Shakespeare to patients.

[Brutus]

One thing on the NHS and the article linked to, One thing that seriously concerns me is these NHS "reforms" and changes, whether or not you beleive in privatised or socialised medicine (I personally support the latter) one thing both sides can agree on is that a social program that has too much interference from the private sector becomes nothing more than a conduit for these private companies to siphon tax payers money into corporate dividends. We've seen it time and time again, the most rediculous example being the American Banks Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac that just became dumping grounds for toxic mortgages and ended up with a system where they nationalise all losses and privatise all profits. They became unmitigated disasters. That's not to say you can't bring in a bit or corporate influence into a social program to make it more efficient but David Cameron is taking it far too far.

[Yokto]

I am just so surprised that people still believe that something become automatic free just because it privatized. Like theses companies would just do all there services without wanting anything in return. You might be able to lower you taxes with privatization but it wont be free. Essentially its the same amount of work still needed to keep people healthy. If it done by the public sector or private sector does not matter.

So what do matter? Efficiency is something quoted by many who are pro privatization. That is true. If you gain real efficiency then is a good thing. Though you do not always get that. First of all cutting wages is not making things more efficient. Thats a illusion. Just means that the nurse gets a smaller share of the economy. (And someone else gets a bigger.) Wages should never be something used to prove that things are getting more efficient. No what creates true efficiency is better work methods and new technology. Only Knowledge improves efficiency in the long term. So the Private sector must prove that with there guidance technological growth and better work methods will improve at a higher rate then the public sector. In some cases they can. In many cases they can not. Sometimes the privet sector have even been harmful trying to stop technological innovation. Cellphones in USA had a uphill battle just because of blocking from the private sector. Wile in Scandinavia the technology was adapted quite fast with only public funding.

The other thing that matters is that everyone gets a fair share of the services provided. This is impotent but overlooked by many. Not only do i think is the right thing to do form a moral standpoint. It also is the right if you want to have a society that is stable. And those that of you that think you deserve more, You should just focus on true efficiency. You will get more in time without needing to take something from someone else. You car will get better. You computer will get faster. You will get better food. You will get a nicer house. But without taking it form someone else. Its is only the poor sod that do not have a home or food that has the really have the right to demand something form everyone else. After all how is you computer going to improve if you do not have one to begin with?

Anyway that was my rant i guess. I agree with you Brutus. Situations like that are really a big part of what is screwing the world over now. The public stands for all the risk wile the private gain all the profit. Especially ruining the positive driving factor of private enterprise.

[PatMan33]

It's a service problem.

[Josasa]

The U.S. is doing it wrong. Meanwhile, in the glorious utopia that is Scandinavia...

I'm just joking, but in all seriousness, Yokto is right. Everything needs to be more fair and based on fair moral values. Without fairness, where would we be? Everyone should just play fair, and therefore everything will be fair. That way, everything is fair.

It's a good thing that we have the perfect model of fairness right here... Wait. Where did it go?

[Brandonazz]

Yokto, there's something you need to understand about the US:

It's not Sweden.

Our private and public sectors are dissimilar to yours. Just because something works in Sweden does not mean it would work in the US. There are preexisting governmental and social structures that do not exist in Sweden. The demographics are different, and the opinions, religious nature, and economic interrelationships of the people are different. What's "moral" to you might not be "moral" to most of the people who live in the United States. The way wealth is distributed in the US is different from other countries, and that directly impacts what sort of taxation laws should govern a country, for instance.

It doesn't matter what is ideal based on an ideal society, what matters is what is best for some purpose in a specific context.

[Yokto]

Except... The underlying laws of economics works the same in USA as they are in the rest of the world. Yeah I know USA is different. Just that USA use it as a excuse not to do anything different form what there doing today.  Its like due to you demographics or you culture that things somehow magic works differently in you country compared to the rest of the world.

If you read what I wrote you will see that I did not say "Do this and all will be much better." or "Scandinavia rocks and you suck!" I talked about how efficiency can not be gained by slashing wages. Does not matter if is USA, Sweden, India or on the Moon. lowering the wages work only to redistribute wealth.

I also talk how the private sector sometimes can stand in the way of true efficiency gain. I gave a example where the Cellphone development was block in USA due to the private sectors control over the radio frequencies.

And lastly I talked about how I think its impotent that everyone gets a fair share of the economy. That holds for any country I believe. But this is my moral standpoint as I said. Also I believe that a country where you have great inequality you will get social unrest. Rather I wanted to point out that if you want to race you Standard of Living is better to focus on efficiency though technological gain rather redistribute wealth so you live on the work of others.

Maybe I was not clear enough. Sorry if that was the case. But USA is not some fantasy land different from the rest of the world. It follows by the same rules as every other nation. Its just the input that is different.

[Inkling]

I'm hearing a lot of talk about fairness lately.  So what do you mean by everyone getting a fair share of the economy?