Bill Maher is interesting.
While I do not always agree with what he has to say, I respect the fact that he is willing to say some things that many on the left shy away from going.
Case in point, Maher recently suggested that socialism, as practiced in wealthy western nations, such as in western Europe and Japan and South Korea and Canada and Australia and New Zealand and Israel, should actually be defined as "capitalism plus," because he says - with some justification - that these are superior systems to the exclusively "for profit" system that we Americans have here in the United States.
How well has our "for profit" system worked for us here? Well, our "for profit" healthcare system literally allows huge, nameless, faceless corporations, from big pharma to health insurance providers to hospitals, to profit from people's pain. We have the highest costs for medicine and healthcare in the world, our system is the most expensive one in the world, and we have little to show for it, as we also are the only developed nation with tens of millions uninsured, and tens of millions more underinsured. Our "for profit" economic system exploits people and resources, so that people are not given fair wages or benefits, and the raping and pillaging of our limited natural resources continues to accelerate climate change. Our "for profit" prison system has made the United States - supposedly the "land of the free" - the nation with far and away the most people locked behind bars, and often for nonviolent offenses. Finally, our "for profit" political system keeps it all in place, and we see examples of blatant corruption and conflicts of interest. Now, we even have it transparently in what passes for leadership in the White House.
It is so bad, that not only do most people wonder if there isn't a better way, but rather, if this is not the absolute worst direction for the country.
What makes things worse, is that other countries have a better way. Literally, all of the developed nations that I already mentioned do certain things far better than we do here in the United States. We literally stand alone as the only wealthy nation to fail to provide citizens an affordable, universal healthcare system. We also stand alone among all nations in our officially critical and skeptical stance towards climate change, standing alone as the only nation not in the Paris Climate Accord because of our disbelief in scientific consensus. And while exploitation certainly exists in every other country in the world, no other country in the developed world seems to embrace it as whole-heartedly and completely as the United States presently does. Results in election after election confirm this.
So, it is fair to say that we have problems that we continue to grapple with, and we, collectively as a nation, are merely dealing with the consequences of our political action, which can hardly even be labeled conservative, but rather, reactionary. We seem to be gravitating towards a new version of feudalism, as Jello Biafra predicted decades ago. And we increasingly stand out like a sore thumb against the overall direction of at least acknowledging that there is an obvious need to take some ownership of past mistakes, and at least attempt to make a better world.
Here, what passes for a responsible political stance is blatant greed. Take care of yourself, and do not worry about the rest. Worry about your bank account and your investment portfolio, and make sure that it is diversified. Do not worry if tens of millions go without healthcare. Do not worry that the NRA is pushing for men with violent backgrounds and with serious mental problems to get better access to guns, all in the name of responsible profits, of course. Do not worry that our economic greed machine is tearing the planet apart, and ruthlessly and blindly destroying our diminishing unspoiled areas, again all in the name of profits. Do not worry that the nation's infrastructure is crumbling, and our schools are failing, but only try and afford to live in a more affluent zip code.
Those seem to be the prevailing "responsible" political winds that have been blowing in the United States for decades now, since at least Reagan, and possibly, since Nixon. We have access to the knowledge that there are better ways. We just cannot get past our own conceit in thinking that we are the best, and that the rest of the world offers nothing that we can learn from. They should be following our example, and never, ever vice versa. God forbid! And as always, God bless America!
We have the very monstrous military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about. We have some of the worst schools in the developed world, and our infrastructure is crumbling at a faster rate than anywhere else, as well. We pollute more per head than pretty much anyone and everyone else, as well, contributing to those carbon gases that cause the climate change that our elected leaders so boldly proclaim do not exist. We have the lowest minimum wage of any developed nation. We also have the most people behind bars of any nation in the world, by far. And we collectively seem so proud of all of this!
Well, some Americans have woken up from this nonsense, and are increasingly critical of the popular American mindset, and the nightmare that it has created. Sure, some remain vehemently opposed to any changes, but at least, finally, we are beginning to have some conversations about how this country needs to be doing better.
One of the most consistent voices has been that of Bill Maher. He consistently has been one of the loudest and least apologetic voices on the left, and he has recently taken what has traditionally been a very unpopular political stance in this country by praising socialism. Indeed, he says, if what other developed nations enjoy is socialism - things like a universal, affordable healthcare, something in the way of an effort to combat climate change, paid maternity leave, longer vacations, better wages and salaries, better schools, better public transportation - then maybe it is time that we at least thought seriously about making some kind of switch in our political thinking and approach.
You see, whenever FOX News or Breitbart try and sell paranoid Americans on the inevitable nightmares of socialism, they point to poor, struggling nations, like North Korea, or like Venezuela. Maybe Cuba, as well.
What they never seem to do, however, is take an honest look at why we in the United States stand alone as the only nation not to have some form of universal, affordable healthcare, for example, and why none of those other countries have the glaringly obvious failures in their system, like we have in ours.
In the United States, we increasingly stand alone - sand not in a positive way - among all other developed nations, because our democracy, and our nation, is failing. This, from what once was probably the most blessed nation the world had ever seen, in terms of natural resources and standard of living. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Other countries not only caught up in a big way, but have outright surpassed us now. Their living standards have passed our own, and ours continues to plummet. Why do we still think, collectively at least, that we have nothing to learn from them?
Well, Maher is suggesting that we can learn and, furthermore, should learn from them. That the approach taken by literally every other modern, developed nation is the one that we should be pursuing, and not digging in our trenches mentally and politically against the rest of the world. He is trashing those who would systematically dismiss this more limited form of "socialism" and try to make it all seem like a nightmare, or like it is not possible.
But a better world is not only possible, it already exists.
Just not in the United States. Not, at least, at the moment.
It is so bad, that not only do most people wonder if there isn't a better way, but rather, if this is not the absolute worst direction for the country.
What makes things worse, is that other countries have a better way. Literally, all of the developed nations that I already mentioned do certain things far better than we do here in the United States. We literally stand alone as the only wealthy nation to fail to provide citizens an affordable, universal healthcare system. We also stand alone among all nations in our officially critical and skeptical stance towards climate change, standing alone as the only nation not in the Paris Climate Accord because of our disbelief in scientific consensus. And while exploitation certainly exists in every other country in the world, no other country in the developed world seems to embrace it as whole-heartedly and completely as the United States presently does. Results in election after election confirm this.
So, it is fair to say that we have problems that we continue to grapple with, and we, collectively as a nation, are merely dealing with the consequences of our political action, which can hardly even be labeled conservative, but rather, reactionary. We seem to be gravitating towards a new version of feudalism, as Jello Biafra predicted decades ago. And we increasingly stand out like a sore thumb against the overall direction of at least acknowledging that there is an obvious need to take some ownership of past mistakes, and at least attempt to make a better world.
Here, what passes for a responsible political stance is blatant greed. Take care of yourself, and do not worry about the rest. Worry about your bank account and your investment portfolio, and make sure that it is diversified. Do not worry if tens of millions go without healthcare. Do not worry that the NRA is pushing for men with violent backgrounds and with serious mental problems to get better access to guns, all in the name of responsible profits, of course. Do not worry that our economic greed machine is tearing the planet apart, and ruthlessly and blindly destroying our diminishing unspoiled areas, again all in the name of profits. Do not worry that the nation's infrastructure is crumbling, and our schools are failing, but only try and afford to live in a more affluent zip code.
Those seem to be the prevailing "responsible" political winds that have been blowing in the United States for decades now, since at least Reagan, and possibly, since Nixon. We have access to the knowledge that there are better ways. We just cannot get past our own conceit in thinking that we are the best, and that the rest of the world offers nothing that we can learn from. They should be following our example, and never, ever vice versa. God forbid! And as always, God bless America!
We have the very monstrous military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about. We have some of the worst schools in the developed world, and our infrastructure is crumbling at a faster rate than anywhere else, as well. We pollute more per head than pretty much anyone and everyone else, as well, contributing to those carbon gases that cause the climate change that our elected leaders so boldly proclaim do not exist. We have the lowest minimum wage of any developed nation. We also have the most people behind bars of any nation in the world, by far. And we collectively seem so proud of all of this!
Well, some Americans have woken up from this nonsense, and are increasingly critical of the popular American mindset, and the nightmare that it has created. Sure, some remain vehemently opposed to any changes, but at least, finally, we are beginning to have some conversations about how this country needs to be doing better.
One of the most consistent voices has been that of Bill Maher. He consistently has been one of the loudest and least apologetic voices on the left, and he has recently taken what has traditionally been a very unpopular political stance in this country by praising socialism. Indeed, he says, if what other developed nations enjoy is socialism - things like a universal, affordable healthcare, something in the way of an effort to combat climate change, paid maternity leave, longer vacations, better wages and salaries, better schools, better public transportation - then maybe it is time that we at least thought seriously about making some kind of switch in our political thinking and approach.
You see, whenever FOX News or Breitbart try and sell paranoid Americans on the inevitable nightmares of socialism, they point to poor, struggling nations, like North Korea, or like Venezuela. Maybe Cuba, as well.
What they never seem to do, however, is take an honest look at why we in the United States stand alone as the only nation not to have some form of universal, affordable healthcare, for example, and why none of those other countries have the glaringly obvious failures in their system, like we have in ours.
In the United States, we increasingly stand alone - sand not in a positive way - among all other developed nations, because our democracy, and our nation, is failing. This, from what once was probably the most blessed nation the world had ever seen, in terms of natural resources and standard of living. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Other countries not only caught up in a big way, but have outright surpassed us now. Their living standards have passed our own, and ours continues to plummet. Why do we still think, collectively at least, that we have nothing to learn from them?
Well, Maher is suggesting that we can learn and, furthermore, should learn from them. That the approach taken by literally every other modern, developed nation is the one that we should be pursuing, and not digging in our trenches mentally and politically against the rest of the world. He is trashing those who would systematically dismiss this more limited form of "socialism" and try to make it all seem like a nightmare, or like it is not possible.
But a better world is not only possible, it already exists.
Just not in the United States. Not, at least, at the moment.
Bill Maher says socialism should be rebranded as 'capitalism plus,' pointing to world happiness statistics Ellen Cranley Mar. 30, 2019:
https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-maher-says-socialism-should-be-rebranded-as-capitalism-plus-2019-3?utm_content=buffer7cce7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-insider-main&fbclid=IwAR0K0ruXIQHTqGdHZFQdKajg-5H302JJfYk_gQLQ5QrwVpzlvm0B4aYaIno
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