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Frankly, it was insane to go down that road in the first place, but Americans have had it drilled into their heads millions of times that the free market is always more efficient than government.

That statement is 100% true, while being completely misleading.

Incandescent light bulbs are extremely efficient... at producing heat instead of light.

Private enterprise is very efficient at creating short-term profits for their shareholders.

Yet Americans seem to think it'll somehow save tons of money so they don't have to pay their precious taxes and everyone can go out and individually buy services for 10x the price they'd pay through the government.

Classic example is GM buying up public transit in the 30s-50s and bulldozing the facilities so everyone has to buy a car. Great for GM, terrible for everyone and everything else (including, ironically, GM in the long run).

Judging from the advertisement on the back, I think that was just a regular public transit bus and not a school bus. Though, maybe all buses should have that option for the rare times they're unloading unaccompanied kids.

Libertarianism is for teenagers and idiots.

Any well-adjusted adult with any ability for critical thinking can see how stupid this is. Even his premise is idiotic. The government doesn't use guns to enforce parking violations (for example) they certainly don't use guns to provide healthcare to people. When was the last time a bus driver pointed a gun at you and said, "Get on the bus, it's public transit, cars are illegal now!"

Just because America has a lousy political system and therefore generally a string of bad governments, does not mean government is bad. It just means American government is bad. The countries with the highest levels of citizen happiness, the greatest spread of wealth, the highest education standards, the longest lifespans, the lowest infant mortality rates, the lowest crime rates, all have the kinds of governments Libertarians rail against.

Libertarianism, in summary, is childish, stupid, and immoral. No big surprise @bobknight33 is a fan then.

Obama, Merkel, Hollande, Renzi and Cameron are going to be in town on Monday. I suppose parts of the city will be locked down tighter than a duck's ass...

As if that wasn't enough, public transit workers are on strike next week, so it'll be quite a mess. On the upside, the resulting traffic jam ought to make it safer for cyclists like myself...

or buses. Yea I'll take my chances with a hot chick in a Lamborghini over public transit any day.

@chilaxe

Wtf are you talking about man.

How is "Public transit's very developed here. It looks like this." followed by a picture of Mad Max's post-apocalyptic wasteland in any way a "reasonable hypothesis" or intellectual argument for the negative consequences of the talking points blanket term: "socialism"?

Secondly, if you're allowed to show extreme prejudice toward your assumed stereotypes of all blacks and hispanics.. why can't I?

By your very own logic, it would be inconceivable to assume you're a successful non-white living in the lap of luxury and high society in the middle of Silicon Valley.

Seeing as you constantly stereotype all non-white [excluding asians] as lazy moochers feeding off the tit of NObama's Socialist Welfare State.

Fer shit sake, you even used the term "societal decay". Which I've already revealed as another talking point for bigots who subscribe to the ideology of forums like Parapundit.com i.e. YOU.

Not that it would matter if you're part of a non-white ethnic group. Every comment you make on the sift about society and races is utterly hateful and presumptuous about scenarios [being a low income single black mother living in Oakland] you have NO CLUE about.

At the very least you're hypocritical and ignorant by choice.

Either way, you're a troll.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

@chilaxe
Why don't you fuckin' move then.
Oh wait, then you couldn't complain about how shitty your life is under this oppressive Marxist regime.
>> ^chilaxe:

>> ^bookface:
>> ^chilaxe:
>> ^bookface:
This is why the socialists win.

Socialists has been winning for 30 years here in California, but despite some of the highest taxes in the country, where I live you can get shot/stabbed just for taking public transit.

There's public transit in CA?

Public transit's very developed here. It looks like this.


Yeah, I think those guys manage the Burbank transit authority. LOL!!

>> ^bookface:

>> ^chilaxe:
>> ^bookface:
This is why the socialists win.

Socialists has been winning for 30 years here in California, but despite some of the highest taxes in the country, where I live you can get shot/stabbed just for taking public transit.

There's public transit in CA?


Public transit's very developed here. It looks like this.

>> ^bookface:

This is why the socialists win.


Socialists have been winning for 30 years here in California, but despite some of the highest taxes in the country, where I live you can get shot/stabbed just for taking public transit.

>> ^bobknight33:

Corporations are not Governments. They know how to spend money. Government does not know how to do anything but waste money. Your head is still up you ass.


Did you know Los Angeles used to have one of the best public transit systems in North America?

Do you know why they don't have a good public transit system anymore?

I'll tell you. The city decided to privatize. They sold the transit system to GM, who promptly shut down the subways and screwed up the buses so people would have to DRIVE to work, hopefully in GM cars.

Millions of taxpayer dollars flushed for corporate greed. They're not wasteful? HA!

>> ^Phreezdryd:

What the hell was the point of doing that?! From this view you can't see any protestors so I'm left to wonder what could've provoked one cop to shoot one guy walking along with a camera? I can't think of anything to justify that. More malicious behavior like the video of the flash grenade lobbed into the crowd trying to help an injured person. Is there something about Oakland I'm not aware of?

Oakland is the murder capital of the San Francisco Bay Area, and its crime spreads out in all directions that are accessible by public transit. Cops are surely more on guard in Oakland than most surrounding areas.

I think it's the segway of light rail public transit.

You can look at it any way you want. I'm considered "middle-class" by all terms. I have super cheap rent in one of the most expensive places in the US, that is of my own accord. But I sure as hell can't afford anything. I take public transit, ride my bike, I still eat the best organics in the nation and have the best friends I could have ever met.

I've had many jobs where I've done the work of the higher-ups and seen what they do while making 5X the amount of money I do. I know they know they're lucky, but, I've also seen how they choose to make financial decisions for their own gain - one of those being getting others to do their work for them. Corrupt fucks.

One of my main influences for being more "socially" inclined was my father. A CEO, he wasn't a scumbag or anything - at least not to my knowledge (he did help build prisons) but just the thought of people putting profit before their own lives & family is sickening.

To his credit, he grew up in Philly with a mother who lost her husband (an olympic athelete) early on. She grew up during the depression and only had a 4th grade education. She was one of those cuties that saved huge tin foil balls. I know my father worked hard and felt obligated to but I think and will always think he cared too much about making profit.

He still touts that. Now that I am nearly an old man he admitted while we sipped on some bourbon and smoked a cigar that, "All I ever wanted was to make money." My reply was "yeah." I looked him in his empty eyes and saw a robot. Sure he has a super nice house on a lake system, an amazing wife, nice cars, a speed boat, a golf course... hardly any friends, kids that don't appreciate him... but he has shitloads of money. Good for him! That's amazing. Money really informs people what life is truly about, keeps people focused on what is really important. Paying your taxes, keeping your yard and hair well groomed, going to stiff social events and working. Man, that is just not a life worth living in my opinion.

On the opposite side of the spectrum their are jobs where everyone is paid nearly the same, they buy into their businesses and co-own their businesses and everyone comes out a winner with 30k+ bonuses at the end of the year. The only people that may not think they're winners are people that are greedy fucks that require too much. But, at the same time these people are able to live regular lives that promote interaction, activity & family. Not that I believe in having a family, but when you do not have to take your bullshit job home with you or work many many extra hours the better it is for everyone.

>> ^quantumushroom:

You fellows are buying into something you don't seem to have thought all the way through. If you spread all wealth equally across the board, in a month things would look about the same as they do now, as foolhardy choices were made and the inexperienced gambled their "profits" away.
Communism attempted to eliminate the profit motive. It's been a disaster everywhere it's been tried.
Socialist countries are not only less competitive than capitalist ones, many of them across Europe are now in serious trouble.
You do know most of the American "poor" are well fed, own their own homes, have two vehicles, 3 TVs, cable, computers, appliances, etc?
One other thing. I do not believe for one second that if any of you "revolutionaries" won the lottery, you wouldn't immediately put together a legal team to rival Mr. Burns' on The Simpsons and proceed to exploit every tax shelter and loophole possible.