gov't control

[JLCecilia]

Forgive me, I’m a little slow on this sort of thing and I don’t keep up with the news much. It seems to me that all of the gov’t bailouts is about like auctioning our nation’s companies and business and the only buyer with bidding power is the gov’t. So now they’re gonna run everything? Ever since I watched ‘Sicko,’ I want to move to Europe!!!

Can someone enlighten me on this? And just what is the official term for a nation where nearly everything is run by the gov’t - to me, this doesn’t sound like a democracy. I’ll ask for your forgiveness in advance for my ignorance - this subject isn’t my forte, just curious.

 

[Eucharisted]

Seriously? “Sicko” makes you want to move to Europe? Geeze, how gullible can you be?

Also, you realize Eurpoe has less freedom than America, right? I mean, we have freedom of expression!

If you want to help America, than pray and get into politics.

 

[Erich]

And just what is the official term for a nation where nearly everything is run by the gov’t - to me, this doesn’t sound like a democracy.

One (or more, in combination) of the following terms comes to mind:

Socialism = public ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution

Communism = all property including industry is owned by all the people and controlled in their name by a totalitarian government through a single political party (in our case, the “Republicrat” party, since there’s plenty of blame on all sides to go around)

Totalitarian = the government exercises complete control over the lives of its citizens and brooks no dissent (e.g. the early April “security threats” memo)

 

[Oscarthecat]

One (or more, in combination) of the following terms comes to mind:

Socialism = public ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution

Communism = all property including industry is owned by all the people and controlled in their name by a totalitarian government through a single political party (in our case, the “Republicrat” party, since there’s plenty of blame on all sides to go around)

Totalitarian = the government exercises complete control over the lives of its citizens and brooks no dissent (e.g. the early April “security threats” memo)

I would add:

Corporatism = governments are predominantly controlled by dominant business interests, industry trade organizations, employer’s groups, and labor unions- and work primarily to protect those interests, generally to the detriment of individual and property rights. Historically, corporatism isn’t a political system in and of itself- it just tends to happen as groups leverage economic power to gain political influence.

 

[JLCecilia]

Also, you realize Eurpoe has less freedom than America, right? I mean, we have freedom of expression!

That is, unless you’re expressing Christian views!

 

[Erich]

While I certainly wouldn’t say that “employers” and “labor unions” are singing from the same page in the hymnal… I would agree that each acts in its own self-interest to the detriment of the other. For example, probably the most important reason for GM’s bankruptcy is high labor costs. Also, while the New York Times Company can’t even sell enough copies of the Boston Globe every day to cover expenses, the journalist unions (by rejecting the most recent proposal) nonetheless expect their pay to remain the same. Wonder how that’s working out for them now…

That said, I might be more inclined to go along with at least part of Wiki’s definition of corporatism:

…Political scientists may also use the term corporatism to describe a practice whereby a state, through the process of licensing and regulating officially-incorporated social, religious, economic, or popular organizations, effectively co-opts their leadership or circumscribes their ability to challenge state authority by establishing the state as the source of their legitimacy, as well as sometimes running them, either directly or indirectly through corporations.

 

[Oscarthecat]

Also, you realize Eurpoe has less freedom than America, right? I mean, we have freedom of expression!

That is, unless you’re expressing Christian views!

I just don’t understand why Americans keep looking to europe for solutions to America’s problems, anyway?

This country is still largely comprised of european immigrants who came here to get AWAY from european politics in the first place!