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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#41276: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:37:45 PM

Kostya: it would take a LOT of economy wrecking (relative to the alternative) to counteract the kind of good will that sensible copyright policy holds with me. We're talking "return to the gold standard, remove the minimum wage, etc" type.

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#41277: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:38:46 PM

[up][up]Dun't lookit me: I'm a Brit. tonguetonguetongue

edited 19th Nov '12 5:39:39 PM by Euodiachloris

Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#41278: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:43:04 PM

Nope. I'm still blaming you.tongue

You Brits should have pushed for an actual central government in the EU, and the fact that you only have one foot trough the doorway (metaphorically speaking) is probably one of the main reasons there is no actual central government.

edited 19th Nov '12 5:43:57 PM by Ekuran

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#41279: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:44:27 PM

[up]Guilty as charged. Which is why I was using the tongues.

NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#41280: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:45:49 PM

Honestly, if the GOP was to support fair copyright reform rules that I approved of, that would make me vote Republican, assuming they didn't nominate someone like Santorum.
Ditto. Intellectual property rights in general need an overhaul to bring them up to date with the internet age, and (as the article I linked points out), Democrats are generally more heavily supported by — and thus more beholden to — "Big Content" groups like the RIAA and MPAA, so we're not likely to see that sort of reform from them.

I suppose I'm sort of the opposite of people like Grizzly, who dislike parts of the GOP platform but stick with them for their social policy. I like a lot of their platform (gun rights, death penalty, military spending) but their social and economic policies are dealbreakers for me.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#41281: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:45:51 PM

[up][up]The only proper sentence is death.tongue

edited 19th Nov '12 5:46:29 PM by Ekuran

BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#41282: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:46:00 PM

Our governments are being stupid with the Euro-crisis because everyone went and voted for Right-wing parties when they shouldn't have (which is to say, ever.)

There's a Left wave coming in, though, so presumably we'll reverse this bullshit.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#41283: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:48:41 PM

There's a Left wave coming in
Isn't France's most recent president a literally, card-carrying communist?

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#41284: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:50:21 PM

Hollande is a Socialist, not a Communist.

I was trying to remember a certain incident from...I think the '10 budget? The house republicans tabled a hilariously terrible bill and the democrats abstained from voting on it thereby forcing them to agree with a plan that would essentially destroy the economy. They then voted against their own bill. Am I remembering a real incident or am I going nuts?

That's almost correct. It was the debt ceiling crisis of 2011.

edited 19th Nov '12 5:51:23 PM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#41285: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:51:38 PM

[up][up][up]That's great for you, but our right-wing nutjobs will still have bullshit ammunition for a decade or so.

Thanks a lot.tongue

[up][up]Nah, I think they're more of socialist or something along those lines.

Edit: Best Of, why you ninja me? Not cool, man, not cool.

edited 19th Nov '12 5:55:15 PM by Ekuran

deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#41286: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:51:49 PM

Meanwhile, I like pretty much nothing about the GOP platform. From the death penalty to the economics to abortion to gay marriage to the military. I like some, but not all, of the Democrat platform (also, there needs to be some sort of nickname for them, sort of like GOP :/). I like pretty much every part of the Green and Peace and Freedom platforms.

Also, yay Communism~

Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#41287: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:54:31 PM

Communism doesn't work, dude. It's one of those things that relies on perfectly rational actors, like Objectivist bullshit.

NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#41288: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:56:05 PM

Hollande is a Socialist, not a Communist.
The fact that I couldn't recall that distinction may say something about the state of American politics, but I'll forbear from comment.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#41289: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:56:21 PM

If you want to see what a French Socialist would do as President, see here and compare that to what you would consider "Left-of-Centre." (Or rather, "Commie-of-Center".)

Note that Hollande is not a radical, and neither does he represent the far-Left.

Some points of Hollande's programme:

  • Energy: endorses reducing the share of electricity generated by nuclear power in France from 75 to 50% in favour of renewable energy sources.

  • Tax revenues above 1,000,000 euros per year at a 75% rate (rates for part of the income below a million not changed).

  • Taxation: supports the merger of income tax and the General Social Contribution (CSG), the creation of an additional 45% for additional income of 150,000 euros, capping tax loopholes at a maximum of €10,000 per year, and questioning the relief solidarity tax on wealth (ISF, Impôt de Solidarité sur la Fortune) measure that should bring €29 billion in additional revenue.

  • Education: supports the recruitment of 60,000 civil servants (new teachers), the creation of a study allowance and means-tested training, setting up a mutually beneficial contract that would allow a generation of experienced employees and craftsmen to be the guardians and teachers of younger newly hired employees, thereby creating a total of 150,000 subsidized jobs.

  • Hollande supports same-sex marriage and adoption for LGBT couples, and has plans to pursue the issue in early 2013

edited 19th Nov '12 5:59:05 PM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#41290: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:57:46 PM

Communism doesn't work until humanity reaches a higher level of enlightenment. Like I said, I don't trust humans without training wheels.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#41291: Nov 19th 2012 at 5:59:44 PM

@Ekuran: I know it doesn't, and I'm completely against Marxist Communism. That being said, I want to get things as close as possible, while still being practical, though definitely not going the Marxist, Stalinist, Leninist, or Maoist approach. I am a socialist, and proud of it! :D

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#41292: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:11:34 PM

[up] So you want communism, but not communism?

There's a Left wave coming in

Didn't Britain just elect a conservative?

[up][up][up]

When humans reach a higher level of enlightenment, I hope they'll realize Communism was a horrible idea.

edited 19th Nov '12 6:21:46 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#41293: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:11:51 PM

The only proper way for communism to work is for us to live in a post-singularity/post-scarcity society (although the former has a less-than-likely chance of killing us all or worse). Then again, by that point, we probably won't even need a government, but whatever.

I still hold socialist views, though, since a socialist society is the closest we can come to a potopia (it's a thing I made up which means "closest possible thing to what people would consider a Utopia").

Also, I like this Hollande guy. He'll definitely be better than Sarkozy.

[up]dp wants a socialist society that's almost, but not quite, like communism. That is, it's only the slightest bit capitalist.

edited 19th Nov '12 6:14:54 PM by Ekuran

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#41294: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:13:43 PM

[up] Wouldn't a potopia require the government to hand out weed instead of cheese? tongue

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#41295: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:18:19 PM

[up][up][up] More like, socialist, but not quite communist.

[up][up] Post-scarcity is more likely to allow for true communism than post-singularity.

One simple thing that I think we should change that would lead to a much more fair system would be to get rid of inheritance, and allow for everyone to start from the same point, rather than the children of rich people starting rich and the children of poor people starting poor. Of course, that would be a bitch to convince people to implement.

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#41296: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:22:22 PM

Well, that's because everyone thinks they should be able to leave their children something when they die. That's a large part of motivation for people when working, they idea that they can leave their children better off than themselves. Also, family businesses where children gladly inherit/take over are a thing at more than one social class/tax bracket. How would that factor in?

That said, inheritance tax is a thing.

edited 19th Nov '12 6:23:21 PM by AceofSpades

Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#41297: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:22:44 PM

[up][up][up]You got part of the meaning, therefore you win all the liberal cookies. Hehe.

Potopia actually stands for "Looks Possibly Utopianish", since I wanted something I can say when referring to a post-singularity world without people bitching at me about "naivety" and "Utopian bullshit blah blah".

Although the government handing out weed would be pretty Potopian.tongue

[up][up]Which is why it won't be implemented, unfortunately.

[up](Actual) compromise, to the rescue.

edited 19th Nov '12 6:24:39 PM by Ekuran

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#41298: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:26:11 PM

One man's Utopia, is another man's Dystopia.

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#41300: Nov 19th 2012 at 6:27:57 PM

Two years ago, we got a hung parliament. Translated, that means "no real winner". tongue So, two parties had to cobble a workable mandate together, or we faced another General Election, with a high chance of another hung result. tongue

The Conservative Leader became PM, simply due to being the senior partner in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat compact. <shrugs> However, had Labour and the Lib Dems been able to see eye-to-eye in their usual way, it'd've turned out differently. However, that would've been unlikely: the blame game was king. And, deregulation of the banking sector took place under New Labour most recently (although, Maggie did start it).

There: potted History. wink

edited 19th Nov '12 6:30:59 PM by Euodiachloris


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