Cherry

So many of you are so much smarter than me So when I read this share on my fb page today, I thought of y'all and wanted to see if this appears logical...


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An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that. Remember, there IS a test coming up. The 2012 elections.

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

by: Ed Will

827Aug

I believe this is like comparing apples to oranges on so many levels.

YinPrincess

I like this! I think to a greater extent it's true!

However, things like "taking" from some to give "freebies" to others I think needs to be more contextual in nature... For instance, if you are a contributing member of society, working and paying your taxes, then you are entitled to collect on the programs you helped to fund... And then you aren't really "taking" anything from anyone, right? It seems more like a contingency plan.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I am referring to unemployment.

I'm not a highly political person, so excuse me if I didn't "get" it, but I am always interested in learning more about how things work...

Was there a specific issue that prompted this post?
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Cherry

Oh, I was just bored. No, I thought a lot about the healthcare issue yesterday, and I wondered to myself if our model here in the US is working on many levels. We're a young country and already things seem so fvcked up -- threats of no SSN as we age, our healthcare system is so flawed, our justice system is so convoluted, etc. -- Are we at a point of no return? Should the slate be wiped clean, create a new kind of government -- with new rules based on what we now know? Can a leader get in there and actually make changes in the 4 years he's there with such resistance from other sides that have power to dismiss everything a new leader might want to implement?

Just wondering out loud if there is any real fix to this mess that's been created.

Tall Average Guy

The problem is that it starts with a faulty premise and goes from there. There is no actual definition of "Obama's socialism." It then goes on to imply that it is a complete and total confiscation and redistribution of everything. Since that is communism (not socialism) and is not advocated by anyone that I am aware of, it sets up a nice little story with no bearing in reality.

The other point I will make is that we already have free healthcare, courtesy of President Ronald Reagan.

827Aug

So why do I have a $200K+ medical bill? I can't even get health insurance as an individual now. I must be doing something wrong.....as is my brother and several other people I know personally.

Cherry

^^^ I was wondering the same thing. The last time my medical care was free was when I was on medicaid at the age of 20, when I found out I was pregnant and when my parents cut me off their insurance. But I also know it wasn't actually "free", others were in fact paying for my care.

Lionelhutz

The economics professor should be the one to fail if he imagines that the current health care plan is equivalent to instituting socialism.

All Western Democracies have always and continue to modify the free market to some degree and they have managed to do without falling down the "inevitable slippery slope" into Soviet Socialism.

I know it is very scary and hard to believe for those on the far right, but health care reform is not a short step away from decreeing everyone must drive a Lada.

that_girl

I work hard for what I have. I worked hard to get here...as a single mom I went to night school when I didn't want to, and I got my teaching credential. All on loans.

Why would I want to work my ass off if i can get things for free or whatever?

I never did group projects in school. Why? Because I work my ass off while someone else does nothing but we get the same grade. Lame.

I was brought up with the "American Dream". While it may be dwindling, it's still there. Hubs and I work our butts off and 40% of our money goes to taxes. lmfao. Maybe we should be socialist. Then Hubs and I can relax and start taking instead of giving.

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Cherry

I know and we work our butts off too, only to watch a 4th of our paychecks go to taxes and healthcare.

I know it's still there, I appreciate what we have. But there's no help for the middle class. For example, just before I filed for bankruptcy, I tried to work something out with our mortgage company... Our mortgage wasn't delinquent yet, so there was no help available. I don't get that. We would've had to stop making payments for at least 3 months to even be considered for help and then they would only help if we weren't in active foreclosure and they couldn't tell me when they might start the process (would it be during that 3 months they said I need to be delinquent before they would help?). So I'm suppose to gamble with our primary residence? One we can afford, if they stop garnishing my wages for healthcare related things from the birth of my kids or my stroke that we have not been able to pay on because of our divorce situation?

We don't get hand outs because we make too much money, we don't get breaks because we make too much money. But meanwhile, we are back to ramen noodles with spices. Okay, not quite that bad, but we couldn't go out to a nice dinner on what we have to live on anymore.

Just ranting.

Cherry

I agree, 100%, that's why I said it was free at that time for me, but I know someone was paying for it along the way. I was just commenting on 827Aug because I was wondering too what Tall Average was referring to when he referenced free healthcare courtesy of President Ronald Reagan

Tall Average Guy

I worded that poorly. In the 80s Reagan signed a law requiring emergency rooms to treat people regardless of insurance. Thus, we all have a minimal level of medical care even if we don't have insurance. This care is subsidized by those who do have insurance or can pay the bill.

that_girl

There is NO HELP for the middle class.

We've been struggling because of Hubs job loss which set us back a month and now my surgery which will take 1/2 my pay...blah. oh well.

However, NO ONE will help until we're basically losing our home.

So...wtf? people can be on welfare and get support and sympathy, etc but when hard working people and people who 'follow the rules' so to speak have a problem, there's no help. So we're doing it on our own...with bitterness to people we know who choose not to work (wife wants to stay home), so they have housing and food stamps and get back 8,000 in taxes.

Must be nice.

I'ma back out of this conversation. It really sets me off. I'm sick of paying and working hard to get shet on.

We'd be better off with our taxes if we were single. No joke.

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Cherry

You're right. When I think about it, it pi$$es me off. I just try the best I can do, I have no control over the fairness of the situation. It just is the way it is
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Blanca

I think this is a problem with his analogy. He's equating those who do not do well with those who are not trying. It's not really that simple.

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"I'm a lover of what is, not because I'm a spiritual person, but because it hurts when I argue with reality."
- Bryon Katie