Political/Cultural Chit-Chat

[Ma'ake]

I'm back in what Ma'ake calls my "J.D. Williams" mode. Here's something J.D. might have passed out in class:

Three Reasons Flawed Capitalism Is Still Better Than Perfect Socialism

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/...fect-socialism

Hi J.D... I mean, LA.

Backbencher here....

I propose an amendment to Godwin's Law where if anyone brings up Venezuela in the context of talking about "Socialism" as defined by Sanders and AOC, they automatically lose the debate.

No Ruby Stick Pen for YOU!

Seriously, what Hugo Chavez did to the Venezuelan economy is gross economic malfeasance. Dramatically expanding social programs while state petroleum companies were awash in profits because of high oil prices was bound to have negative consequences, sort of like how running 5% of the US GDP on US federal deficit spending during an economic boom will eventually come back to bite US citizens.

If Hugo Chavez was a Social Democrat, in the Norwegian model, he might have much more conservatively used the public oil largesse to establish trust funds, instead of blowing it like a drunken sailor. Venezuela today is neither socialist, nor democratic, and certainly not social-democratic. Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro were/are neither economists, nor democracy-respecting politicians, but were/are authoritarian dictators who looted oil revenue for votes.

AOC and Sanders are in the Scandinavian mold, and need to educate the electorate on what that means, which is a 21st century reincarnation of Teddy Roosevelt's "Square Deal", which helped save US capitalism from something far worse, as was happening in Russia.

[LA Ute]

Hi J.D... I mean, LA....

AOC and Sanders are in the Scandinavian mold, and need to educate the electorate on what that means, which is a 21st century reincarnation of Teddy Roosevelt's "Square Deal", which helped save US capitalism from something far worse, as was happening in Russia.

Well, young feller, I don’t know about that! The Scandinavian model centers on a robust capitalism with a very generous safety net. I hear Sanders and AOC talking only about the latter, and I see no evidence that they care a bit about the former.