Liberal vs. Conservative (Introduction)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 20:07 (5519 days ago) @ David Turell

My own background is of being brought up in a family that supported the Labour Party and the Cooperative Movement. This was the progressive party of Attlee that brought in the national health service, and gave independence to India. My impression is that Socialism in the US tends to be identified with Communism, and Anti-Americal Activities.
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> > America and socialism: As a country founded on the principles of Adam Smith, and to this day upholds the Horatio Alger myth as a common theme, I think it would be better to say that the independent nature of Americans is split between helping and doing for yourself. "Before you feed the kids in Africa, feed yourself."
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> Matt is right on. 60-70% of all employment growth in America is in entrepeneurial small business growth. Socialistic central planning has been the reason European countries are so laggard in growth. And allowing in a bunch of foreign workers is leading to grave social conflicts. We have had a fairly good method for the 'melting pot' approach, until the increasing liberal government policies of allowing multiple languages and some recognition of foreign customs.We are not melting so well now. I'm all in favor of English only as the official language. My grandparents, all from Eastern Europe, came here and immediately immersed themselves in English, because they had to. Hispanic kids here have to translate for their parents.
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The immigration issue over here is a little overrated. SOME people who came over from Europe learned the language; there's many instances where I remember some stubborn old Italians and Germans who refused to speak english out of pride... it does happen more in Mexican culture, but it is because they identify more strongly with their Mexican heritage than they can with our non-traditional society. The kids are the fulcrum; it doesn't matter if the parents don't adopt the language, only the kids--and THAT hasn't been an issue. -As far as the guest worker program and whatnot... they need to fix the student program as well; most of the foreign engineers we train would rather stay here, but they can't because there is no path to citizenship for them beyond the lottery; we could stop some of the brain-drain that way.

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\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"