What might the world look like if the bailout works? Like Sarah P

There is no perfect system.  I have seen the results of failed communist economies.  It.s written all over the former Soviet satellites and the Balkans.  Five year plans that produced fertilizer whether or not it was needed.  The excess dumped in the Dnieper River.  Even the Communist regime in China has figured out that it needs an element of Capitalism to transform its economy.

While Marxism, as a Utopia, may sound good, it has never worked in practice.  While everyone is always talking about global warming and a green economy, no one seems to address the problem of overpopulation of our planet.

If we keep going the way we are, we won't have to worry about any system, as we will destroy each other for lack of food, lack of space.

As for Sarah Palin, she is now out of office and keeping quiet, at least for now.  Directing rhetoric toward her only keeps her in the news and justifies to her supporters that there is an element of fear.

One must also ask the question why do those that detest the capitalist system actually live in a capitalist society.

Better still why do those who repeated diatribes against a Capitalist Society yearn by hook or by crook to immigrate to a capitalist society? Certainly Hypocritical of them if you ask me!  Their Commie Society has never worked and never will.

By the way, I would so wreck Palin, she is friggin hot!

The death of the Aral Sea, Chernobyl, the hidden previous accidents at nuclear power plants: yes, heart is necessary, but socialism doesn't guarantee heart.

In fact, the miners of the Soviet Union had injury and death rates far higher than US miners where a democratic government backed unions on the improvement in mining conditions, right down to the elimination of the dust that caused black lung.

So, why doesn't the Chinese Socialist government have safer mining conditions than their American counterparts? Where is the heart in a system that is free from the compulsion to make money?

Simple. There is no free press. There are no opposition parties. There is little or no accountability from the government.

Let's put heart and conscience back in the system, yes, but socialism practiced in the Marxist-Leninist model does not create a system that is conscientious, while using the free press and unions, you can improve industry.

Germany has done an amazing job of going green beginning in the 1990s according to the book, Natural Capitalism.

Both extremes have systemic issues - unfettered capitalism is a great producer of wealth, but struggles with distribution of the bounty and poor social policy (such as the health debacle). Communism is a highly ineffective producer of wealth, and rapidly becomes inefficient in distribution of the meager amounts is produces given its social obligations (i.e. also poor health services as it has limited medical supplies, facilities etc)

However, in the middle in some hybrid-fashion there are possibilities. We can learn from the Scandinavian countries on how the provision adequate services to the population, through a common acceptance of taxation to fund social policy. We can look at Norway who rather than spend all its wealth created a central fund, made strategic investments internationally to continue the country's development. Perhaps we can learn from Germany on how to handle unemployment, France as to fiscal regulation frameworks and on

Somewhere in a blended form of socially responsible capitalism, and it already exists in some places where the recession has been much softer on its inhabitants, that an answer may be found. Generally, extremism of any ilk - fee market or total state control - tends to be problematical, but by taking the best of each maybe be a viable option

Why do communists countries have to erect walls and threaten to kill their own citizens just for trying to leave?  At least in capitalistic-democratic countries you are free to leave if you don't like it.  I am pretty sure N. Korea or Cuba will take you in (but you may stave to death, live in a shack with no clean water or fresh food).  But hell as Mao said "The power of communism comes from the barrel of a gun."

Thanks for all the comments, and recommendations - but I see that our right-wing friend have missed the point.

This post, if you had read it correctly was about how capitalism cannot die - just yet. People are not educated enough for Marxism or Communism to kick in - though, if you did take any time of your day to read, read Marx - he has just about called all the crises etc up to press, not in the prophet way but by saying that history will show this and this happening.

Marx and Engels looked at society as a science and not just a random thing. As an aside there, I would strongly advise you to read the Foundation series of books by Isaac Asimov.

Now, further to our right-wing "capitalist" friends - you are here screaming that communism, socialism doesn't work - well from what you have been taught - it never can, all socialists will tell you the same thing.

Socialism, which does make me giggle at the hard working capitalists, says that you will work or get nothing,  the production of all goods will mean that you can work smarter, and less hard for the same things.

If anything, socialism will mean over production on a massive scale so everyone has everything they need! Capitalism is quite the opposite, it slows down or stops production to make you spend money at over inflated prices.

It also says that you work for your local community - not for the State - that is Statism and totalitarianism, not socialism. Democracy, under socialism isn't about electing a government on the State level, it is about electing those close to you to run the means of production by way of an elected boss - you, the people, can fire them at any time. 

Just for a read - if you can be bothered this

What is more surprising is that you missed the point about Sarah P and her 'socialist' ways of utilising the means of production to give money back to the people of Alaska.

Amazing, eh!?

Capitalists rape your wallets, the right-wingers - and you agree with them!

People, eh?