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SW-User
Media tycoons who control the press and don't like paying either personal or corporate tax have over the last 50 years continually drummed in that socialism is removal of freedom etc...
However most of us on here live in a socialist state in some way or other...
UK NHS is probably the most obvious socialist icon hugely supported by most people. We have state education largely and university education whilst funded through student loans is essentially still direct stare funding. 75% of loans will never be paid back. Recently in the covid-19 pandemic we've seen wholesale socialist policies by a Tory government, paying staff wages, nationalisation of railway companies, direct subsidy to businesses from government to keep going... Hardly free market in any way.
Look through Europe you'll generally find that healthcare is state funded, most railways too, state ownership of companies like German DB railways who incidentally run all freight on UK railways and many buses in UK.
Even the USA has a nationalised railway system AMTRAK.
However most of us on here live in a socialist state in some way or other...
UK NHS is probably the most obvious socialist icon hugely supported by most people. We have state education largely and university education whilst funded through student loans is essentially still direct stare funding. 75% of loans will never be paid back. Recently in the covid-19 pandemic we've seen wholesale socialist policies by a Tory government, paying staff wages, nationalisation of railway companies, direct subsidy to businesses from government to keep going... Hardly free market in any way.
Look through Europe you'll generally find that healthcare is state funded, most railways too, state ownership of companies like German DB railways who incidentally run all freight on UK railways and many buses in UK.
Even the USA has a nationalised railway system AMTRAK.
@SW-User That's a long thread in itself. When does practical collectivism become socialism? We need to pitch in to help "the state" provide many services, and it is the duty of the strong to protect the weak. It's yen and yang. We are all individualist and collectivist to one extent or the other.
What is proportionate, and who sets the bar?
What is proportionate, and who sets the bar?