Subj : Trump or Harris?
To   : NEOFREE
From : Dumas Walker
Date : Tue Aug 13 2024 09:49:00

> The problem is you really have to study history.

I have studied history, and have a degree.  I have also observed a lot of
human behavior over my adult lifetime.

You *can* have socialism that works on a small scale where all of the people
involved are participating voluntarily and, if they become unhappy, can leave.
Since they are there voluntarily they are more likely to share similar
desires, goals, and a belief that socialism will work for them.  There is
also likely to be less disparity of effort because, presumably, the
collective will ask those who are not contributing to leave.

I can see everyone being happy in such an arrangement because everyone
involved wants to be involved.

On a larger government scale, socialism cannot work and will always devolve
into a dictatorship *if* it even makes it that far.  The people being
governed will be too diverse in their desires, goals, and beliefs and many
of them will not be happy receiving the same level of reward that someone
who is less productive receives for their work.

Those unhappy folks are either going to lose motivation, which causes
productivity to go down, or they are going to start voicing their
displeasure for others to hear.

This decrease in effort, and voicing of displeasure, will spread to others
who are also not happy with everyone receiving equal outcomes, and this
behavior will reach a level where it becomes a real, or at least perceived,
threat to the government.  So the government will need to take measures to
"motivate" those persons to increase their work and to shut up.
Because simple motivation likely won't work, that "motivation" will eventually
take the form of punishment.

Freedoms of speech, assembly, fair trials, and others will be curtailed.
Those who continue to cause trouble will be jailed, or worse.  Those who are
happy but less productive will also be seen as troublemakers and will also be
punished.

Capitalism is not perfect but you do at least have an opportunity to
increase your pay by working harder and, if you don't get an appropriate
reward for your work you can shop around for another job.


 * SLMR 2.1a * It it ain't broke, let me have a shot at it.
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