New York City

#4,476
#4,476
05_never_again said:
If you want to argue that the city has gotten worse (even if just marginally) since COVID, that's probably pretty reasonable. I think the same can be said for a lot of other cities, particularly very large cities.

It seems very difficult, basically impossible, to argue that the city got worse from about 1975 to 2020 though. There aren't many cities in the country that would fit that bill, actually.
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It ebbs and flows just like anything else. I am fond of the place but they don’t do anywhere near as good of a job keeping it clean as they did when I was there. It honestly is a shithole in comparison. That’s not to say it won’t rebound. I think it’s just the nature of things. It will get better, it will get worse……no Mayer is going to “destroy “ the place. And none will be the ultimate savior either
 
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#4,479
#4,479
Persian Vol said:
Socialism

In socialism, the government or the people own most businesses and services, not private individuals. The goal is for everyone to share resources more equally, and profits are used to benefit society, not just business owners. “The government runs almost everything so everyone’s needs are met.

- An ideological framework that’s hardly ever implemented in real practice. Any leftist politician who’s labeled a socialist, likely doesn’t exactly believe this, but that won’t prevent the false labels and fear mongering.

Democratic Socialism

Democratic socialism wants to move toward socialism, but through voting and democracy, not force. It supports public ownership of big things like healthcare or energy, but also protects free speech, elections, and civil rights. “We still vote, but the economy should serve everyone, not just the rich.”

- The same thing as socialism, but theoretically eliminates the flaw of an authoritarian regime, and allows people to have the final say. Again, rarely ever used in practice. Some people identify as a democratic socialist, but it’s more a political semantics thing, as most of their actual positions fall under social democracy.

Social Democracy

Social democracy keeps capitalism (private businesses, markets), but adds strong government programs to help people—like free healthcare, education, and paid leave. The goal isn’t to end capitalism, but to make it fairer. Think “Let businesses run, but make sure everyone has a safety net.”

- This is nearly the standard in many European countries. Most progressive/lefties are proponents of this. Bernie Sanders policies fall under here, although you’ll hear him identify himself as a democratic socialist.
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Thank you. To put that in layman's terms (mine), it sounds like socialism by dictator, socialism by majority, and socialism-ish by balancing two dissimilar systems.

All are socialism or a degree of socialism. Personally, I think America is gradually moving to social democracy.
 
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#4,481
#4,481
McDad said:
Thank you. To put that in layman's terms (mine), it sounds like socialism by dictator, socialism by majority, and socialism-ish by balancing two dissimilar systems.

All are socialism or a degree of socialism. Personally, I think America is gradually moving to social democracy.
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It’s à la carte for socialism. Pick and choose which part you like or don’t like off the socialism menu.
 
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#4,488
#4,488
McDad said:
Thank you. To put that in layman's terms (mine), it sounds like socialism by dictator, socialism by majority, and socialism-ish by balancing two dissimilar systems.

All are socialism or a degree of socialism. Personally, I think America is gradually moving to social democracy.
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Essentially, social democracy is a form of regulated capitalism that aims to reduce income inequality while avoiding authoritarianism.

America might move in that direction someday, but right now, there’s not much evidence to suggest it’s actually happening. It’s not because Americans are against social democratic ideas—polling shows strong support for things like universal healthcare, affordable college, and expanded public services. The real barrier is the political system itself.

Both major parties tend to resist these policies. That’s largely because American politics is heavily influenced by corporate money and wealthy donors. Regardless of party, many politicians end up prioritizing the interests of their donors over those of their voters.

On the right, progressive proposals are often dismissed with exaggerated comparisons, like equating free public transit to Soviet-style communism. It’s absurd, but it’s politically effective. Meanwhile, establishment Democrats are often at odds with the progressive wing of their own party, partly because embracing bold reforms would upset the very donors they rely on.
 
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#4,489
#4,489
Persian Vol said:
America might move in that direction someday, but right now, there’s not much evidence to suggest it’s actually happening.
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Absolute disagreement. America isn't socialist enough for some. But there is irrefutable evidence America has representative-republic socialism and is moving towards more.
 
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#4,490
#4,490
Persian Vol said:
Essentially, social democracy is a form of regulated capitalism that aims to reduce income inequality while avoiding authoritarianism.

America might move in that direction someday, but right now, there’s not much evidence to suggest it’s actually happening. It’s not because Americans are against social democratic ideas—polling shows strong support for things like universal healthcare, affordable college, and expanded public services. The real barrier is the political system itself.

Both major parties tend to resist these policies. That’s largely because American politics is heavily influenced by corporate money and wealthy donors. Regardless of party, many politicians end up prioritizing the interests of their donors over those of their voters.

On the right, progressive proposals are often dismissed with exaggerated comparisons, like equating free public transit to Soviet-style communism. It’s absurd, but it’s politically effective. Meanwhile, establishment Democrats are often at odds with the progressive wing of their own party, partly because embracing bold reforms would upset the very donors they rely on.
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Hey man. How have you been? Hope you've been well.

What is universal healthcare to you?

What is affordable college? Step one is getting rid of government student loans.
 
#4,492
#4,492
McDad said:
Absolute disagreement. America isn't socialist enough for some. But there is irrefutable evidence America has representative-republic socialism and is moving towards more.
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In what ways exactly? At least compared to the standard comparisons like the Northern European countries.
 
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#4,493
#4,493
Democratic Socialism: It’s laying the groundwork for socialism and communism before your realize what happened and it’s too late.. so we can all be poor together.. no thanks
 
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#4,494
#4,494
05_never_again said:
Downward spiral compared to when?

I am not a fan of NYC; I'm not even the biggest fan of visiting there. However, NYC is undoubtedly better than it was in the 70s and 80s, and "NYC is dying" is a prediction that has gotten trotted out a lot over the years and it's always been wrong. The violence, drugs, and gang problems of the 70s and 80s were supposed to kill it, 9/11 was supposed to kill it, COVID was supposed to kill it, and it's still there.

Maybe the place is a little more resilient and has more going for it than you think it does. And I say that as someone who isn't a huge fan of the city.
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When I went to New York, it cost 15 dollars for one hot dog. Its already dead, imo.
 
#4,495
#4,495
LadyVolette said:
Democratic Socialism: It’s laying the groundwork for socialism and communism before your realize what happened and it’s too late.. so we can all be poor together.. no thanks
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The fastest way to "all being poor together" is the current system where the top .000002% hold more wealth than the bottom 50%, and MAGA wants to give tax breaks to the former
 
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#4,497
#4,497
Persian Vol said:
In what ways exactly? At least compared to the standard comparisons like the Northern European countries.
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Comparison to other types of socialism is the wrong approach in my opinion. Socialism isn't correctly identified when compared to other versions of socialism. I think it is correctly defined the way you worded it earlier (bold by me).

Essentially, social democracy is a form of regulated capitalism that aims to reduce income inequality while avoiding authoritarianism.

The evidence i see is our very large budget devoted to welfare (in all its forms)....Housing, food, shelter, medical, money. Our capitalism is highly regulated. Your industry of Healthcare is especially regulated. The evidence we are moving toward more is both the growth of the welfare budget relative to people AND candidates running and winning with socialist proposals. Like Zorhan.
 
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#4,498
#4,498
NashVol11 said:
The fastest way to "all being poor together" is the current system where the top .000002% hold more wealth than the bottom 50%, and MAGA wants to give tax breaks to the former
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Said differently, the way we're all poor together is for wealth to be concentrated in the hands of a select few, with extreme income inequality, which exists currently and has gotten much worse since COVID. But anything that attempts to reduce income inequality is called communism. Well, guess we're all screwed then
 
#4,499
#4,499
NashVol11 said:
Said differently, the way we're all poor together is for wealth to be concentrated in the hands of a select few, with extreme income inequality, which exists currently and has gotten much worse since COVID. But anything that attempts to reduce income inequality is called communism. Well, guess we're all screwed then
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I love that you don't know what communism is.

You described it in the bold. lmao
 
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#4,500
#4,500
NashVol11 said:
The fastest way to "all being poor together" is the current system where the top .000002% hold more wealth than the bottom 50%, and MAGA wants to give tax breaks to the former
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It's a poorly thought-out position. Isn't it? The top .000002% don't dictate the lack of wealth for the bottom 50%. Money isn't finite. It cycles through our society infinitely. The irony of the stat is that the bottom 50% have a large influence on the wealth of the top .000002%
 
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