Dont turn communism into this complex "governmentless Utopia Concept

[Wobbo]

its simple, equal profit sharing for the concept creators and the actual industrial workers. If 15 people build a ferrari for 200,000$+, the owners of the company should split the money evenly with the people BUILDING the ferrari. under capitalism, a small elite play golf and get rich while the actual workers are exploited.

thats it, no dictators, no human rights abuse bullshit, no sweat shops, no governmentless society, no utopia

stop beleiving in the propaganda

[Wobbo]

The richest fifth of the world's people consumes 86 percent of all goods and services while
the poorest fifth consumes just 1.3 percent. Indeed, the richest fifth consumes 45 percent nes and owns 87 percent of all vehicles.

The three richest people in the world have assets that exceed the combined gross domestic
product of the 48 least developed countries.

The world's 225 richest individuals, of whom 60 are Americans with total assets of $311
billion, have a combined wealth of over $1 trillion -- equal to the annual income of the
poorest 47 percent of the entire world's population.

Americans spend $8 billion a year on cosmetics -- $2 billion more than the estimated
annual total needed to provide basic education for everyone in the world.

Of the 4.4 billion people in developing countries, nearly three-fifths lack access to safe
sewers, a third have no access to clean water, a quarter do not have adequate housing and
a fifth have no access to modern health services of any kind.

Americans each consume an average of 260 pounds of meat a year. In Bangladesh, the
average is six and a half pounds.

Sweden and the United States have 681 and 626 telephone lines per 1,000 people,
respectively. Afghanistan, Cambodia, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
have only one line per 1,000 people.

Europeans spend $11 billion a year on ice cream -- $2 billion more than the estimated
annual total needed to provide clean water and safe sewers for the world's population.

At the end of 1997 nearly 31 million people were living with HIV, up from 22.3 million
the year before. With 16,000 new infections a day -- 90 percent in developing countries --
it is now estimated that 40 million people will be living with HIV in 2000.

The combined worth of the five biggest pharmeceutical companies is more than twice the
combined GDP of the whole of Africa.
These companies spend $75 million a year lobbying US lawmakers, spent $24 million on
the 2000 US presidential election and employ one lobbyist for every two members of
congress.
Corporations are able to demand the right to be the exclusive producers of medicines to
which they have acquired patent rights for twenty years, even if these medicines have been
developed at universities with public funding.

Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion a year on pet food -- $4 billion more than the
estimated annual additional total needed to provide basic health and nutrition for everyone
in the world.

It is estimated that the additional cost of achieving and maintaining universal access to
basic education for all, basic health care for all, reproductive health care for all women,
adequate food for all and clean water and safe sewers for all is roughly $40 billion a year
-- or less than 4 percent of the combined wealth of the 225 richest people in the world.

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the
existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:
52 would be female 48 would be male
70 would be non-white 30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian 30 would be Christian
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the
United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer.

The richest 1% of people in the world receive as much as the bottom 57%, or in other
words, less than 50 million richest people receive as much as 2.7 billion poor.

Someone with an income equal to US$25,000 is richer than 98% of the world population.

The poorest tenth of Americans have average incomes higher than 2/3 of the world.

The richest tenth of Americans ? about 25 million people ? have aggregate incomes
equal to the poorest 43% of people in the world, almost 2 billion people.

The ratio between the average income of the world?s top 5% and world?s bottom 5%
increased from 78 to 1 in l988 to 114 to l in 1993.

Number of people in the world, (pop. 5.5 billion) that live in abject poverty: 1.4 billion

Number of people currently expected to die from starvation: 900 million

Percentage of those that live in the undeveloped nations: 97

Number of children in world dying each year from controllable illness: 12 million

Number of people in world that died each of the five years of World War II: 10 million

Number of people in world that die each year of preventable social causes: 10 million

Cost of one new Osprey aircraft (50 planned): $84 million

Annual cost of treatment to eliminate world's malaria cases: $84 million

Money set aside annually for malaria control by organized world health: $9 million

Money set aside for Viagra pills per annum by organized world health: $40 million

Number of children in world blinded yearly from lack of Vitamin A: 500 million

Number of women who died during childbirth last year in world: 650,000

U.N. estimate of yearly expenditure on war: $800 billion

U.N. estimate of yearly expenditure on health services: $25 billion

Number of children in world that die by age 5 (yearly): 12 million

Percentage of those that succumb to routine preventable health causes: 90

Ratio of African-American to white new born deaths in U.S. last year: 2:1

Number of reported pediatric measles deaths in U.S. last year: 45

Amount of money not allocated by Congress for measles vaccines: $9 million

Average amount of 1999 year-end bonus paid to Oxford HMO execs: $6 million

Time it takes the Pentagon to spend annual federal allocation for women's health: 15
minutes

The wealthiest 1 percent of Americans (2.6 million) received as much after-tax income in
1994 as the bottom 35 percent of the population combined (88 million). By contrast, the
bottom 35 percent had nearly twice as much after-tax income as the top 1 percent in 1977.

If families in the bottom fifth had received the same share of income in 1994 as they did in
1977, each family would have had $2654 in additional income. Instead, the income of each
family in the top 1 percent increased by $132,955.

Despite several years of economic growth, the poverty rate declined by less than half a
percentage point * 13.7 percent to 13.4 percent * between 1995 and 1997. But this is still
higher than the rate in 1989 (13.1 percent) shortly before the recession of the early 1990s.

In 1997, the average poor family fell another $200 further below the poverty line, until
their income is now $6,602 below the poverty level.

In 1996, the number of "very poor" Americans * those making less than half the poverty
line * increased by a half million, up to 14.4 million people.

Between 1995 and 1997, the decline in the number of people receiving food stamps was
five times greater than the decline in the number of people living in poverty.

The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans enjoy nearly six times more income than those in
the bottom 10 percent, a ratio double many countries and 60 percent higher than average.

According to a Luxembourg Income Study comparing purchasing power in 15 countries,
low-income Americans are worse off than low-income people in every industrialized
country but the United Kingdom.
(This comparison does not take into account the fact that low-income households in the
U.S. must spend more on services such as health care and child care that are more heavily
subsidized in other countries.) At the other end, rich Americans have 42 percent more
income than the rich in the other nations.

The top 1 percent of the richest Americans have wealth equal to the combined wealth of
95 percent of other Americans: "It used to be said a rising economic tide lifts all boats.
Now a rising economic tide lifts all yachts."

Twenty percent of American children live in poverty; in the Netherlands that figure is 3
percent.

The minimum wage today is lower, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than in 1979.

Today's worker works 160 hours longer per year than 25 years ago.

Less than one in 10 workers belongs to a trade union in the private sector.

Two million Americans are in prisons, 500,000 more than in China, which has a 1.3 billion
population.

Forty-seven million people work for less than $10 an hour -- this in a decade of sustained
economic growth. "With a wage like that, people can't be considered employed despite the
fact that they have jobs."

Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations; only 49 are countries
(based on a comparison of corporate sales and country GDPs).

The Top 200 corporations' sales are growing at a faster rate than overall global economic
activity. Between 1983 and 1999, their combined sales grew from the equivalent of 25.0
percent to 27.5 percent of World GDP.

The Top 200 corporations' combined sales are bigger than the combined economies of all
countries minus the biggest 10.

The Top 200s' combined sales are 18 times the size of the combined annual income of the
1.2 billion people (24 percent of the total world population) living in "severe" poverty.

While the sales of the Top 200 are the equivalent of 27.5 percent of world economic
activity, they employ only 0.78 percent of the world's workforce.

Between 1983 and 1999, the profits of the Top 200 firms grew 362.4 percent, while the
number of people they employ grew by only 14.4 percent.

A full 5 percent of the Top 200s' combined workforce is employed by Wal-Mart, a
company notorious for union-busting and widespread use of part-time workers to avoid
paying benefits. The discount retail giant is the top private employer in the world, with
1,140,000 workers, more than twice as many as No. 2, DaimlerChrysler, which employs
466,938.

U.S. corporations dominate the Top 200, with 82 slots (41 percent of the total). Japanese
firms are second, with only 41 slots.

Of the U.S. corporations on the list, 44 did not pay the full standard 35 percent federal
corpo-rate tax rate during the period 1996-1998. Seven of the firms actually paid less than
zero in federal income taxes in 1998 (because of rebates). These include: Texaco,
Chevron, PepsiCo, Enron, Worldcom, McKesson and the world's biggest corporation -
General Motors.

Between 1983 and 1999, the share of total sales of the Top 200 made up by service sector
corporations increased from 33.8 percent to 46.7 percent. Gains were particularly evident
in financial services and telecommunications sectors, in which most countries have
pursued deregulation.

Myth #1: In a robust economy like this, anyone can get a job.
Fact: Government unemployment statistics leave out anyone who is too discouraged to look for work, or who has a part-time job but wants a full-time one. Including them would more than double the unemployment rate, to around 10%. For black men, the situation is far worse: By correcting for their undercount in the census and counting the 800,000 in prison, the unemployment rate for black men becomes a horrific 25%! ("Black Men Still Jobless," Nov/Dec 1998, and "Job Stats: Too Good to be True," in Real World Macro: A Macroeconomics Reader from Dollars and Sense, 1998.)

Myth #2: Stopping global warming will bankrupt the economy.
Fact: By building cleaner, more efficient vehicles, promoting public transportation, and using alternative fuels, the nations of the world can stop catastrophic climate change. While auto companies and the energy industry may lose money in converting to new fuels, U.S. drivers will actually save billions per year in lower fuel bills. ("Who's in the Driver's Seat?" July/Aug 1998.)

Myth #3: Throwing more money at public schools won't fix education, since only private enterprise and family values can save failing schools.
Fact: Reading scores for elementary and high school students more than doubled in Kentucky after the state, under court order, boosted funding for schools by 42% between 1990 and 1994. The money was directed to train thousands of teachers, set up before and after school programs, and help institute curriculum changes. The money also narrowed by 52% the funding gap between the richest and poorest school districts. ("Underfunded Schools: Why Money Matters," March/April 1998.)

Myth #4: Employees won't work hard without strict, well-paid bosses overseeing them.
Fact: U.S. companies employ three times as many managers and administrators as its closest rivals Japan and Germany, with huge income disparities between managers and average workers. But while U.S. companies assume that efficiency requires lots of well-paid managers to keep poorly paid workers in line, studies actually show that profit sharing and employee participation in workplace decision-making pays off with higher productivity! ("Dr. Dollar: Why CEO Salaries Skyrocket," Nov/Dec 1998, and "Why Economists Are Wrong About Coops," Sept/Oct 1998.)

Myth #5: Private companies can do a better job running Social Security than the government.
Fact: Wall Street firms would be the main winners from privatization, charging high fees for managing our investments and paying out the money once we retire. Due to swings in the stock market, workers would face the risk of ending up with far less money than they had expected. A private system would also reduce or eliminate death and disability insurance for workers' families. ("Wall Street's Fondest Dream: The Insanity of Privatizing Social Security," Nov/Dec 1998.)

more money is spent in the U.S. on nuclear weaponry in one year than was spent on housing from 1980-1992.

to date, cleaning up storage facilities for nuclear debris has cost taxpayers 200 billion dollars.

in 1989 the U.S. military used 200 billion barrels of oil, enough to keep all American public transit systems running for 22 years.

1 ton of toxic waste is produced by the U.S. military every minute.

* Since the mid-1970s, the most fortunate one percent of households have doubled their share of the national wealth. They now hold more wealth than the bottom 95 percent of the population. (Shifting Fortunes)

* In 1998, 18.7 percent of American children lived in poverty, a lower rate than 1993 (19.6 percent), but higher than the 1979 rate of 16.4 percent. (Columbia University, http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nccp/)

* Nine states have reduced child poverty rates by more than 30% since 1993. These states include Tennessee, Michigan, Aransas, South Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois and New Jersey. Michigan is a prime example of a national trend, in that even the recent, dramatic improvement did not counter the losses of the previous 15 years, in which its poverty rate increased 121%. (Columbia University)

* In California, the number of children living in poverty has grown from 900,000 in 1979, to 2.15 million in 1998. (Columbia University)

* Nearly 3 percent of all workers live under the federal poverty line, defined in 1998 as $13,003 for a family of three. Counting dependents, this encompasses roughly 5 million people.(The Conference Board, contact Linda Barrington, 212-339-0481)

* In 1998, the top 1 percent of stock owners owned 47.7 percent of all stock, while the bottom 80 percent owned 4.1 percent. Between 1989 and 1998, nearly 35 percent of all stock market gains went to the top 1 percent of shareholders. 64 percent of American households have stock holdings worth $5,000 or less, or own no stock at all. (Economic Policy Institute)

* Between 1995 and 1998, the total wealth of the typical American household rose from $58,800 to $61,000. The average value of stock holdings rose $5,500, the value of non-stock assets (mostly homes) climbed $8,500, and household debt increased $11,800. (Economic Policy Institute)

* Middle-class families enjoyed 2.8 percent of the stock market gains between 1989 and 1998, but accounted for 38.8 percent of the increase in household debt. (Economic Policy Institute)

* In 1998, 62.9 percent of private sector workers had employer-provided healthcare, down from 63.1 percent in 1989. 49.2 percent of private sector workers have employer-provided pension plans. (Economic Policy Institute)

* 60 percent of U.S. workers say that if they were laid off, their savings are sufficient to maintain their current standard of living for a few months or less. Only 29 percent said they are able to save for the future. 40 percent say they earn enough to be comfortable, but not to save, while 27 percent said they earn only enough to get by, and 3 percent said they are unable to pay their bills. (Fleet Bank, contact Rena DeSisto, 212-703-1961)

* 64 percent of U.S. workers say they would rather have more time than more money. Even in households earning less than $25,000, 49 percent said they would still prefer time over money. (Fleet Bank)

* Fewer than 43,000 estates -- 2 percent of the total -- paid federal estate taxes in 1997. (Money, 9/2000)

* In 2000, the federal estate tax is expected to raise $27 billion, more than double the amount of federal income taxes paid by the bottom half of all taxpayers. (United For a Fair Economy, http://www.ufenet.org/activist/acti...lking_Points.ht ml)

* A study by Treasury Department economist David Joulfaian found that eliminating the estate tax would reduce charitable bequests by about 12 percent. (United For a Fair Economy)

* While the top tax rate is 55 percent, on average, estate taxes represent 17 percent of the gross value of the estate. (United For a Fair Economy)

* More than 2.5 million households have investable assets of more than $1 million, up from 2 million households in 1995. (Time, 12/14/98)

* As a result of stock-market gains, the most affluent 25-30 percent of American households) are about 20 times wealthier, on average, than they were in 1989. (New York Times, 9/20/98)

* Among the industrialized nations, the U.S. has the highest concentration of individual wealth--roughly 3 times that of the No. 2 nation, Germany. (UN Human Development Report, 1998)

* As of 1997, the richest five percent of U.S. households held more than 60 percent of the nation's private wealth. The top 1 percent of households held 40 percent of the wealth. (Edward Wolff, relying on data from the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances)

* Between 1983 and 1995, the average net worth of households in the bottom 40 percent of the population declined by 80 percent, from $4,400 to $900. The net worth of the middle fifth of the population declined by 11 percent. (Shifting Fortunes, Edward Wolff)

* Most Americans in the highest-earning one percent of the population (median annual income: $330,000) don't consider themselves rich. (Worth- Roper Starch Survey)

* The inflation-adjusted net worth of the median household fell from $54,600 in 1989 to $49,900 in 1997. In nearly one out of five households, debts exceed assets. Household debt as a percentage of personal income rose from 58 percent in 1973 to an estimated 85 percent in 1997. (Chuck Collins, Betsy Leondar-Wright, Holly Sklar, Shifting Fortunes)

* As of 1995, 40 percent of American households owned stock either directly or through a mutual fund or some sort of retirement plan. Almost 90 percent of the value of all stocks and mutual funds was held by 10 percent of the households. (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances)

* Between 1983 and 1995, only the highest-earning five percent of households saw an increase in their financial net worth. By 1995, the bottom 40 percent of families headed by those between the ages of 25-54 had no savings. The middle quintile of income-earners (the middle class) have enough savings to sustain their standard of living for 1.2 months, down from 3.6 months in 1989. (Federal Reserve data as analyzed by Edward Wolff)

* Between 1983 and '89, the net worth of American citizens grew by $5 trillion. About 54 percent of that new wealth went to the half-million families who make up the top one-half of one percent of the population. Federal Reserve and IRS data confirm that the net worth of the top 1 percent of Americans now dwarfs that of the bottom 90 percent--the most extreme wealth concentration since the 1920s. (Jeff Gates, "An Ownership Solution")

* The likelihood of facing an Internal Revenue Service audit if you earned more than $100,000 last year: 1.03 percent. In 1988, the audit rate was 11.4 percent for such taxpayers. Now their chance of being audited is smaller than that of taxpayers earning less than $25,000 a year; their rate is 1.5 percent. (The New York Times, April 16, 2000)

* The Gini coefficient is a complex statistical measure of inequality; a 0 coefficient is perfect equality (everyone has the same share), while a 1 coefficient is total inequality (one person has everything). In 1997, the United States had a Gini coefficient of 0.375, up from 0.323 in 1973. The 1997 figure is higher than any other "wealthy" country. Britain's is 0.346, Germany's 0.300, Canada's 0.286 and Sweden's 0.222. However, these figures relate to income, and Alan Greenspan points out that when applied to consumption, the Gini number for the U.S. falls by about 25 percent. In other words, the poor are more likely to own the same televisions, washing machines, etc., as the rich, than income figures might suggest. (Fortune, 9/4/00)

* 5.4 million Americans live in substandard housing or spend more than half their income on rent. (Fortune, 9/4/00)

* Income inequality declined from the late 1930s through the '60s. In the 1920s, the richest five percent of American families received about 30 percent of the nation's personal income. That share had decreased to 17.5 percent of income by 1947, and to 15.6 percent by 1969, according to the Census Bureau (whose figures underestimate high incomes by, among other things, excluding capital gains). After a brief period of stability, inequality began widening in the late '70s. The income share going to the richest five percent of families reached 17.9 percent in 1989, 20.3 percent in 1996. The richest one-half of 1 percent of American taxpayers now account for more than 11 percent of aggregate income. In recent years, only college graduates, about a quarter of the work force, have racked up significant wage gains. (Frank Levy, "The New Dollars and Dreams: American Incomes and Economic Change")

* From 1989 to 1999, real compensation for the average CEO rose 62.7 percent. The ratio of CEO pay to average worker pay stands at 107:1. In 1989, it was 56:1.(Economic Policy Institute)

* Since 1979, the average income of the highest-earning one percent of Americans has increased by roughly 80 percent, while the income of the highest-earning 20 percent has increased by 18 percent. The bottom 60 percent of the population has experienced a decrease in real income. (Shifting Fortunes)

* In 1973, the combined income of the highest-earning 20 percent of American families was 7.5 times that of the bottom 20 percent. By 1996, the multiple was 13. (Census Bureau)

* In 1998, the average American worker's inflation-adjusted weekly wages were 12 percent below what they had been in 1973. (Collins, Leondar-Wright and Sklar, Shifting Fortunes)

* In 1947, children were slightly less likely than adults to be poor. Now the reverse is true. (Frank Levy) The official poverty rate among children is about twenty percent. Among adults, it's twelve percent. (New York Times, 1/4/99)

* Although the wage gap has moderated slightly in the last few years, over-all income differences continue to widen, due to the impact of stock market gains. Americans with taxable incomes above $200,000 may only constitute a tenth of a percent of the population, but they accounted for 18.1 of the household income reported in 1996, up from 14.6 percent in 1994. In 1997, that share increased again, to 19.9 percent. (New York Times, 2/28/99)

* Among chief executives of the biggest U.S. corporations, the median increase in overall compensation was about 10 percent last year, up from 25 percent in 1997, according to Graef Crystal. Corporate profits, meanwhile, rose 5 percent, and factory employees' pay, 2.6 percent. (New York Times, 4/4/99)

* With stock options factored in, the average CEO of a major U.S. corporation made $7.8 million in 1997, up from $5.8 million in 1996. (Business Week, 4/20/98)

* The average CEO makes 728 times more than a minimum wage worker. If the minimum wage had risen at the same rate as executive pay over the last three daces, it would stand at nearly $41 an hour as opposed to $5.15. (Institute for Policy Studies/United for a Fair Economy, April 23, 1998)

* As a result of the merger between Chrysler and Daimler Benz, Chrysler chairman Robert Eaton will get $69.9 million in cash and stocks, and options worth another $239 million. In 1997, Daimler chairman Juergen Schrempp took home $2.5 million, while Eaton made $16 million, though Schrempp ran a larger and more profitable company. (United for a Fair Economy)

* Since 1986, Bill Gates has been earning money at the rate of roughly $650,000 an hour. If there were such a thing as a $500 bill, it would not be worth Mr. Gates' while to take the time (circa 4 four seconds) to bend down and pick one up off the ground. (Bill Gates Net Worth Page).

* The average wage of a Silicon Valley software engineer was $95,800 in 1998, the most recent year for which the data is available. In the largest of all employment categories, "local and visitor services" (including retail and restaurant workers), the average wage was $22,9000. (The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2000).

* Eight American infants die for every 1,000 who are born. The infant mortality rate for African-Americans is twice as high: 15.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. (Childrens Defense Fund)

* The only OECD nations with higher rates of infant mortality are Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Poland, and Turkey. In 1994, 31,710 U.S. babies died. Fifteen thousand of them would have survived if our infant mortality rate was equal to Japan's. (Childrens Defense Fund) Life Expectancy

* The United States spends more on medical care--13.6 percent of gross domestic product--than any other advanced industrialized society. Yet among the 29 OECD nations, we rank 21st in life expectancy. (Childrens Defense Fund) The average life expectancy for white Americans is 76.8 years. For black Americans, it stands at 70.2 years (Department of Human Services Health United States Report, 1998)

* Death rates in the most economically divided metropolitan areas--such as Pine Bluff, Ark., an Mobile, Ala.--are sharply higher than the national annual average of 850 deaths per 100,000 people. The increase in mortality--an extra 140 deaths per 100,000 people--is equivalent to the combined loss of life from lung cancer, diabetes, motor vehicle accidents, HIV, infection, suicide and homicide during 1995. (Lynch J.W., Kaplan G.A., Pamuk E.R., et al. "Income inequality and mortality in metropolitan areas of the United States," American Journal of Public Health 1998)

* Roughly forty-three million Americans--one sixth of the population-- have no health insurance. In 1990, the figure was 32 million. (Knight- Ridder 2/19/99)

* Eighteen percent of workers between 18 and 64 were uninsured in 1997-- an increase of 15.7 percent over 1990. Sixty-nine percent of white workers were covered by employer-sponsored insurance, compared with 52 percent of African American workers and 44 percent of Latino workers. (Sacramento Bee)

* One in four American workers has no access to employment-based health insurance coverage at any price. (General Accounting Office, Feb 1997, Employment-Based Health Insurance Costs)

* About ten million children are uninsured. In 1996, 70 percent of all Americans added to the ranks of the uninsured were children. (Census Bureau)

Asked if he liked his job, one of John Updike?s characters replied, "Hell, it wouldn?t be a job if I liked it." All but a tiny minority of specially lucky or privileged workers would undoubtedly agree. There is nothing inherently interesting about most of the narrowly sub-divided tasks which workers are obliged to perform; and with the purpose of the job at best obscure and at worst humanly degrading, the worker can find no satisfaction in what his efforts accomplish. As far as he is concerned, the one justification is the paycheck. The paycheck is the key to whatever gratifications are allowed to working people in this society: such self-respect, status, and recognition by one?s fellows as can be achieved depend primarily on the possession of material objects. The worker?s house, the model of his automobile, his wife?s clothes?all assume major significance as indexes of success or failure. And yet within the existing social framework these objects of consumption increasingly lose their capacity to satisfy. Forces similar to those which destroy the worker?s identification with his work lead to the erosion of his self-identification as a consumer. With goods being sought for their status- bearing qualities, the drive to substitute the newer and more expensive for the older and cheaper ceases to be related to the serviceability of the goods and becomes a means of climbing up a rung on the social ladder.
-Monopoly Capital

The regard capitalists have for human life:
Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman, a heavy smoker, once defended his habit by arguing that it helped his country's finances. "As a smoker, I support the state budget, because in the Czech Republic we pay tax on tobacco," Zeman said. "Also, smokers die sooner, and the state does not need to look after them in their old age."
It somehow was OK--even darkly humorous--when Zeman made such a defense in his own behalf. But Philip Morris, the world's largest cigarette maker, recently made the mistake of distributing a report in the Czech Republic that made those same arguments, opening itself to ferocious criticism from Czech media and U.S. anti-smoking groups.
In its most provocative calculation, the report said that by dying early, smokers saved the Czech government $30 million in 1999 because of reduced costs for health care, pensions and housing for the elderly. That figure reflected "5.23 years of life lost for the average smoker," it said. These "indirect positive effects" of smoking on public finances helped ease the much higher costs of smoking, according to the report, which Philip Morris used in a lobbying effort to influence Czech politicians and officials. In 1999, those costs included $296 million in additional health care for smokers and $29.6 million in additional health care for people sickened by secondhand smoke, the report said.

The priorities of world capitalism

Annual amount that is necessary for:
Education for all man kind 6 billion $
Drinkable water for all man kind 9 billion $
Healthy deliveries for all women 12 billion $
Basic health care and nourishment for all man kind 13 billion $
Elimination of the worst poverty 40 billion $

Annual amount spent on:
Parties and pleasure for managers in Japan 35 billion $
Alcoholic beverages in Europe 105 billion $
Drugs 400 billion $
Weapons 780 billion $
Advertisement and marketing 1000 billion $

Gotta thank 2nd cumming for hooking me up with that

[danarchist]

What an awesome and well-backed argument, Xian. The world is definately headed in a downward spiral if nothing drastic happens soon. This is why a little communism never hurt anyone.

I have basicaly dropped my whole idea of a communistic utopia, finding it too controling, but I do still support a little socialistic reform within government action. Oh well, I'm sure one day the plebs will overrun the aristocrats. Either that or die trying.

[deadnail]

Some things could definitely use a little socialism, that's for Goddamn sure. Like Healthcare.

But as for like 5% of the world having 95% of the wealth... you say that like it's surprising or it's new. I mean, shit, consider the Pharoahs and shit. Hasn't it been that way for the last 5000 years or so?

[ShadyXMR]

This is why a little communism never hurt anyone.

Yes it did. You WILL piss people off if you take away what they worked for and give it to someone else. They WILL get pissed.

Heh, evidently there cannot be 100% capitalism or 100% socialism, because both would end up being exactly the same. Socialized healthcare I have problems with, but public education is a must. In order to have any form of workable capitalism there's got to be equality of opportunity, and the only way that can happen is if everyone had an equal opportunity (hah, I just read over that. DUH) to learn a skill or get an education. Skills and education lead to wealth IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO SOMETHING WITH THAT SKILL AND EDUCATION.

When speaking about government reform/takeover, you must mind how you walk the fine line. That is, you communists SAY that you hate these centralized big corporations, but then the majority of you favor government takeover of everything, which is, in essence, the transfer of stuff from one "corporation" to another.

Remember, a responsible individual knows more about what he or she needs or wants or how to protect himself or herself an INFINITE amount of times more than any group or government. There also HAS to be some sort of free enterprise or capitalism.

[Zaldron]

WHY SHOULD I STUDY MEDICINE FOR 20 YEARS?! I'LL CLEAN THE SHIT IN THE PATIENT'S BED AND CARRY THEIR FOOD AND VOILA! THE NEUROSURGEON'S INCOME IS SPLIT AMONG ALL OF US.

Yeah FUCKING right. Thanks but no thanks.

[ShadyXMR]

WHY SHOULD I STUDY MEDICINE FOR 20 YEARS?! I'LL CLEAN THE SHIT IN THE PATIENT'S BED AND CARRY THEIR FOOD AND VOILA! THE NEUROSURGEON'S INCOME IS SPLIT AMONG ALL OF US.

Yeah FUCKING right. Thanks but no thanks.

[heh]Everytime I think that communism may be legitimate, someone brings up this point and I remember why I oppose it.[/heh]

[dr_st]

[IMJack]

dr_st, the word is SNIP!!!

[danarchist]

Sweet Zombie Jesus! That was unessecary, dr_st...I demand an apology!