Socialism Deux

"schmichael said...
I think you just argued for Obama's tax plan (since we can't exactly mandate what people get paid, all we can do is tax the rich jerks more). :-)While I think Obama is pretty far from being Socialist*, I'm feeling pretty Socialist myself these days. I mean if we're all going to be ruled by a bunch of greedy rich old guys, might as well get to vote on which ones they are."

This is going to be a continuation, musing on, my previous topic and my brother's comment on it.

I agree with Michael's feelings. At heart, I'm a libertarian. I feel that minimal laws and minimal government interference are good things. Unfortunately, I'm also a realist who doesn't believe people are "naturally good." (Note, this does NOT mean I believe we are totally naturally evil, but look where our inclinations head.) I think the current financial crisis should be indication that a "hands off" approach of letting companies police themselves, doesn't work well.

I'm also, because of the current crisis, feeling a bit Socialist. There is apparently zero accountability at the top. You help run a company into the ground, you get bought out and have fun with your millions. You help drive the world economy into the tank, well, since you didn't technically break any laws, you take your money and run.

Now, the problem is, the government is notoriously inefficient at doing things as well. So, I'm not a socialist. I do think we need to find a more middle ground. I don't have a problem with people making lots of money. Especially people like doctors, engineers, etc. Even the financial guys to a certain extent. But, as the market bounces like a yo-yo run by a meth-freak I've pretty much decided they don't know much more than I do in practical terms. (Practical, not theoretical.)

I guess, I'm still in my multi-party mode. We need a couple of Socialists in Congress. We need some libertarians. We need some old school liberals. We need some old-school fiscal conservatives. BADLY!!! We need term limits. BADLY!!!

I suppose what I'm saying in all this is, while I don't think anything is drastically going to change, I don't see how giving the rich more money has helped us out much. I'd be willing to see a little more of the burden get shouldered onto them.