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EdinVA:
--- Quote from: AbaraXas on February 04, 2016, 01:23:11 am ---We have our first assignment request. Who would like to write an article on the differences between Communism/Socialism and Capitalism; think in context of the current election cycle and practical impact in modern society.
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Rather than an academic discussion of Communism/Socialism vs Capitalism, maybe a conversation of our evolution from a Republic to semi-socialistic government.
Since the Civil War our country has been trending towards our current situation, some due to the likes of Carnegie, Rockefeller and Vanderbilt and their enormous abuse of power which led to a call for congress to get involved and break up the monopolies.
Even in recent history, the corporate raiders of the 60's and 70's like Carl Icahn who would buy controlling interest in a company, strip it down and sell of the parts for a profit, then take all the remaining corporate assets and stuff them in their pockets, including pensions. This, on the surface, looked fairly innocuous, but the impact was millions of retirees lost their retirements so eventually companies moved away from pensions and employees were forced into 401K type programs. Companies maintained pension funds as a source for "venture" capital at a low interest rate, the company benefited because they had funding for growth, the employees benefited because the companies were stable and continued to grow and the pension funds grew from the interest paid. Now that companies no longer use pension funds companies must go thru the big banks for expansion capital. In 1976 Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, PBGC (a federal agency) to monitor the financial health of all companies with pension funds and anytime one of these companies show signs of "failing" the PBGC races in with a team of lawyers and seizes the pension fund to protect it.
In the 1960's we realized the big corporations were dumping toxic waste into our environment and were making people sick, killing the fish and wildlife so we established the EPA.
This is sorta random but I think we need to look at these topics more from an angle of how we got here and how do we return to a Republic form of government.
My own view is, we all have to take responsibility for our actions (personal, business and government) and stop "raping" the system.
Bigun:
--- Quote from: EdinVA on February 04, 2016, 03:14:45 am ---Rather than an academic discussion of Communism/Socialism vs Capitalism, maybe a conversation of our evolution from a Republic to semi-socialistic government.
Since the Civil War our country has been trending towards our current situation, some due to the likes of Carnegie, Rockefeller and Vanderbilt and their enormous abuse of power which led to a call for congress to get involved and break up the monopolies.
Even in recent history, the corporate raiders of the 60's and 70's like Carl Icahn who would buy controlling interest in a company, strip it down and sell of the parts for a profit, then take all the remaining corporate assets and stuff them in their pockets, including pensions. This, on the surface, looked fairly innocuous, but the impact was millions of retirees lost their retirements so eventually companies moved away from pensions and employees were forced into 401K type programs. Companies maintained pension funds as a source for "venture" capital at a low interest rate, the company benefited because they had funding for growth, the employees benefited because the companies were stable and continued to grow and the pension funds grew from the interest paid. Now that companies no longer use pension funds companies must go thru the big banks for expansion capital. In 1976 Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, PBGC (a federal agency) to monitor the financial health of all companies with pension funds and anytime one of these companies show signs of "failing" the PBGC races in with a team of lawyers and seizes the pension fund to protect it.
In the 1960's we realized the big corporations were dumping toxic waste into our environment and were making people sick, killing the fish and wildlife so we established the EPA.
This is sorta random but I think we need to look at these topics more from an angle of how we got here and how do we return to a Republic form of government.
My own view is, we all have to take responsibility for our actions (personal, business and government) and stop "raping" the system.
--- End quote ---
You have made a VERY astute observations there that NEED desperately to be discussed! But I will guarantee you that if we embark on that endeavor this place will explode in arguments like no one here has ever seen before!
ABX:
--- Quote from: EdinVA on February 04, 2016, 03:14:45 am ---Rather than an academic discussion of Communism/Socialism vs Capitalism, maybe a conversation of our evolution from a Republic to semi-socialistic government.
Since the Civil War our country has been trending towards our current situation, some due to the likes of Carnegie, Rockefeller and Vanderbilt and their enormous abuse of power which led to a call for congress to get involved and break up the monopolies.
Even in recent history, the corporate raiders of the 60's and 70's like Carl Icahn who would buy controlling interest in a company, strip it down and sell of the parts for a profit, then take all the remaining corporate assets and stuff them in their pockets, including pensions. This, on the surface, looked fairly innocuous, but the impact was millions of retirees lost their retirements so eventually companies moved away from pensions and employees were forced into 401K type programs. Companies maintained pension funds as a source for "venture" capital at a low interest rate, the company benefited because they had funding for growth, the employees benefited because the companies were stable and continued to grow and the pension funds grew from the interest paid. Now that companies no longer use pension funds companies must go thru the big banks for expansion capital. In 1976 Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, PBGC (a federal agency) to monitor the financial health of all companies with pension funds and anytime one of these companies show signs of "failing" the PBGC races in with a team of lawyers and seizes the pension fund to protect it.
In the 1960's we realized the big corporations were dumping toxic waste into our environment and were making people sick, killing the fish and wildlife so we established the EPA.
This is sorta random but I think we need to look at these topics more from an angle of how we got here and how do we return to a Republic form of government.
My own view is, we all have to take responsibility for our actions (personal, business and government) and stop "raping" the system.
--- End quote ---
Great idea. Thanks for volunteering. :)
EdinVA:
--- Quote from: Bigun on February 04, 2016, 03:22:28 am ---You have made a VERY astute observations there that NEED desperately to be discussed! But I will guarantee you that if we embark on that endeavor this place will explode in arguments like no one here has ever seen before!
--- End quote ---
:beer:
EdinVA:
--- Quote from: AbaraXas on February 04, 2016, 03:33:34 am ---Great idea. Thanks for volunteering. :)
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:thud:
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