Capitalism Produces Rich Bankers, but Socialism Produces Happiness By Phillip Bannowsky

Dandelion Salad

By Phillip Bannowsky
ICH
May 25, 2009 “News Journal

Socialism is better than capitalism. So say 20 percent of Americans, and another 27 percent say they can’t say which is better, according to an April 9 Rasmussen poll.

There’s hope.

When you consider that virtually no newspaper, broadcaster, well-funded think tank, teacher, or anybody’s boss or commander ever said something nice about socialism, it’s remarkable that only 53 percent of us still favor rule by the moneyed class. Perhaps folks are learning how capitalism sacrifices happiness for individual gain.

As Billy Bragg exhorts us in his update of the socialist anthem “The Internationale”: “Stand up, all victims of oppression/for tyrants fear your might/Don’t cling so hard to your possessions/For you have nothing if you have no rights.”

No less a “capitalist tool” than Forbes Magazine let a red cat out of the bag with a report this month that the happiest countries tend to be Scandinavian socialist democracies. High per-capita GDP certainly plays a role in their felicity, but even social democratic New Zealand, with per-capita GDP only 64 percent of the United States’, ranks with the 10 democracies above us in the happiness index. They pay high taxes in these pinkotopias, but folks enjoy entitlements like free college, extensive elder care, and 52-week paid maternity leave.

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via Capitalism Produces Rich Bankers, but Socialism Produces Happiness

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Billy Bragg: The Internationale

hmc1410
June 20, 2008

performed at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto June 17, 2008

after attempting the Sugardaddy request of a little boy (who, rather than keep Billy struggling, changed his request to A New England) he then did this request of a little girl

see

To save planet, end capitalism, Morales says

Capitalism versus Socialism – Poll confirms massive anti-capitalist shift in US public opinion by Eric Sommer

21st Century Socialism on the Move – Reflections on ‘The Path for Human Development’

2 thoughts on “Capitalism Produces Rich Bankers, but Socialism Produces Happiness By Phillip Bannowsky

  1. As I’ve said before, here, I lived in Scandanaiva for six months, and, my family is from Denmark and Norway (I would have stayed if I’d foreseen this…)

    There are a couple Scandanavian words that are so alien to unregulated Capitalism that they are hard to describe in Anglo, but, here goes: Hygge–rather “cozy”, “comfortable” or at peace. fika–rather like ‘holiday”, except you dont use a cell phone, I guess…lol

    The story of “happy Danish” is no myth, I can tell you. They are agnostic and rather “who ,me??” about it, or , they will say, “here?? where death is the perfect topic of our famous movies? a KINGDOM? I dont know..” but, 6 mos there will tel you–its true.

    You feel it when you walk down the strret in Christiania, where the 60’s never died, and, really meant something. People care about each other. You see nudity on beaches–but not the way the media in the uS talks about it—grandparents with their grandchild. The motto is “small is beautiful”.

    We have much to learn from Scandanavia, in my opinion.

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