General Question

pleiades's avatar

What would a Socialist United States of America be like?

Asked by pleiades (6617points) November 12th, 2013
16 responses
“Great Question” (2points)

For those who don’t know during Presidential election time in the U.S. popular votes for the winning candidate tend to be around the 46–54% they are really close essentially.

My question is, how do you perceive a dominant “socialist” society?

Would we mirror New Yorkers? Or maybe San Franciscans? Or maybe someplace more towny like a Portland? Would teachers in grade school be paid more or less?

I tried putting myself in the shoes of what a completely Conservative USA would be like, and to be honest, all I could think about was my memories of Baptist Church (not to say there is anything wrong, but there is a collective agreement on what is being said and interpreted vs logical thinking :x if you catch my drift)

I still think we’d have a large budget for our military, spending wise, but I think it could be significantly reduced with the rise of technology.

Thoughts about the OP?

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Answers

Blondesjon's avatar

Canada with gun violence.

Carly's avatar

I think a lot of desperate people from other countries would continue to move here. And a lot of people in the US who didn’t want socialism would move out.

Either that, or Texas would secede, and all the ultra conservatives would move there.

SadieMartinPaul's avatar

Canada, except not nearly as clean or polite.

Seek's avatar

@Carly Either that, or Texas would secede, and all the ultra conservatives would move there.

Promise?

ETpro's avatar

From the question details, I must assume you are as clueless as most Americans are about the dictionary meaning of socialism. Yeah, I realize how challenging this is. I mean, both “dictionary” and “socialism” are ten-letter words.

But last time I checked, nowhere near all New Yorkers worked for their state or the federal government. They cash their paychecks in private, for profit banks and not the Federal Reserve. True socialism would look like North Korea, or Cuba; where everyone works for the government, gets paid by the government, shops in government owned stores, and cashes their check in a government owned bank.

I think you want to ask what the US would look like as a social democracy like the Scandinavian states have. If that’s the question, it would look a lot like they do.

ragingloli's avatar

@ETpro
You are as clueless as you accuse him to be.
True socialism would look like this:
People would not work for the government.
The workers in a company would all be co-owners and manage their company democratically.
North Korea and Cuba are State Capitalist.

stanleybmanly's avatar

We are already living in a social democracy. The truth is that it is the socialist aspects of our society that make life here tolerable. There was a time in the country when the conservatives among us had the sense to appreciate this, but those days are evidently behind us. Now there is loud grumbling from the right about the evils of big government, and freeloading defective Americans pampered by their “nanny state” liberal government. And true to form, the rumbling is loudest from regions of the country which without federal assistance would have standards of living comparable to Honduras. The next time some jackass begins spouting nonsenses about big government, ask him (it’s usually a “him”) for an example of a great nation in the history of the world without “big” government.

gorillapaws's avatar

@pleiades Please clarify what you mean by socialism. Are you referring to real Socialism? Or what conservatives have labeled as socialism (Canada, Scandanavia, most of the 1st world, etc.).

SadieMartinPaul's avatar

Roads and sidewalks. Public schools. Public and exempt-organization hospitals. Utilities. Police and fire fighters. The crews that repair streetlights, fix potholes, and snowplow roads.

That’s all socialism. I happen to think that it’s very, very good socialism.

trailsillustrated's avatar

I have lived in both and the only difference I have noticed is the side of the road you drive on, no (or hardly any) social services including healthcare and more and scarier crime that’s about it.

ETpro's avatar

@ragingloli You must have access to dictionaries that clueless people like the editors of Merriam Webster Dictionary can’t even read. Here’s their definition.

pleiades's avatar

@gorillapaws Thanks for asking for clarification, this is what I’m referring to “Or what conservatives have labeled as socialism (Canada, Scandanavia, most of the 1st world, etc.).”

ETpro's avatar

@pleiades Please do look at the dictionary definition I posted a link to. It’s important to know that the way to determine of a “conservative”; i.e. radical revolutionary—the exact opposite of conservative; is lying is to see if their lips are moving. If yes, they are lying. They are spreading propaganda.

By the dictionary definition, I am Far, Far more conservative than the clowns that falsely label themselves as that in American politics these days.

kritiper's avatar

A lot like it is now with more social programs and a whole lot less people screaming in fear of socialism.

kritiper's avatar

FYI – There are at least 20 different forms of socialism so you have to be specific or invent your own style. But people speak of socialism in a general fashion so I presented my response thusly.

mattbrowne's avatar

People waiting ten years for a car.

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