Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!uwvax!myers
From: myers@uwvax.ARPA (Jeff Myers)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.flame
Subject: Re: Nicaraguan flaming- please move to net.flame
Message-ID: <1073@uwvax.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 14-Sep-83 18:55:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: uwvax.1073
Posted: Wed Sep 14 18:55:05 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Sep-83 00:13:12 EDT
References: <2758@uiucdcs.UUCP>, <1916@rabbit.UUCP>, <210@tty3b.UUCP> <1923@rabbit.UUCP>
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 28

In his article on the self-evident "problems" of socialism, rabbit!jj makes
the common mistake of conflating socialist economics with "actually existing"
socialist states.

First he says, "Gee whiz, the heart of socialism is that it encourages
everyone to be lazy.  That's what it's like in the US today, so the US is
ipso facto Socialist."

Earlier in the article he says that no socialist country has ever been
successful, that there is always a coup, a war, etc.  Jj has the habit
of decrying socialism for inherently being incompatible with "freedom",
broadly defined.  Gosh, the US is socialist, yet we have lots of freedom --
ain't there some kinda contradiction here?

Part of what "true" socialism is all about is extending immensely important
"bourgeouis freedoms" by adding economic freedoms as well; real people with
a real say in what their society chooses to produce and how it is to be
produced.

Jj rants about his opponents railing... Let he who has not sinned, cast the
first stone.  He cries, "none of those lefties out there ever give us any
facts!", yet nearly never says anything of substance with substantive
evidence himself.

How's that for a calm flame?

Burning a cool orange,		Jeff myers@uwvax