Make the US Politics Thread Great Again

Don’t be mislead by the name. The bandicoots aren’t actually terrified, it was a political decision to throw that word in there.

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Brilliant!

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Got to get me one of those to go with my “I am a proud son of immigrants” t-shirt.

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I saw a t-shirt the other day that said “I grew here, maybe you flew here, let’s go have a beer”.

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Except describing this as socialism sounds like a lie. It appears to my (very high level) reading to move it to Australia with no hecs and a greener energy policy. That isn’t particularly socialist.

Unless you’re a USA republican.

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The videos in the article are amazing.

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100 million who have died from socialism? You’re clearly plucking this figure from your rear end. Capitalism IS terribly flawed (like you say). How can the richest country on Earth (the U.S) render half its population poor or low-income. Where 63% of the country can’t afford a $1,000 emergency, that’s a failed system.

Agree but lets be honest, the vast majority of Democrats fall into this category too.

This is an Australian message board however. Decrying “socialism” when many of the elements would bring the USA into reasonably close alignment with Australia is ridiculous and disingenuous.

Seems to me that some people are keen to rail against ‘extreme’ socialism, while never considering the impact of ‘extreme’ capitalism.
We don’t have either.
We have a good mix of the two. The degree could be argued.
And I guess, pretty much is every three years.

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There is no socialist politician in Australia in any parliament. Labor has never been and never will be a socialist party, and trade unions would not exist except for capitalism.

Corbyn and Sanders get labelled as socialists and while Corbyn has some socialist tendencies, Sanders is just a small l liberal.

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As I said, it’s a matter of degree.
Australia has more socialist tendencies than the US.
I see capitalism taken to the extent that socialism has been (and which I wouldn’t support) as no income tax and no welfare of any sort. No government schools, prisons, or other services.

But that’s just my opinion.

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It’s also why I have no time for Libertarianism, as attractive as it may initially seem.
I happen to like big government.
I think seatbelts and RBT’s and…I dunno…government food and medical standards are a good thing, let alone gun ownership legislation.

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Wim the socialist!

I am a big central government person, and would abolish states if I could. So-called states rights is bullshite and it would be easier if we operated under the same rules everywhere.

Australia has few if any socialist tendencies, except for a better healthcare system than the US

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Just to be clear, I was complaining about people on an Australian message board saying that the suggestions by Democrats in America were socialism and would ruin the country, when the vast bulk of their suggestions would hardly move the USA to the left of Australia, were disingenuous. Unless they want to argue that Australia is both socialist and a failed country…

They have this view that socialism = bad, and want to label everything suggested as rampant socialism. I can understand why that might fly in the USA, it should not fly in Australia for anyone who knows how our system works and what is being pushed by the Democrats.

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There are a few others. We have a stronger safety net, we have the aged pension, some states have no-fault defined benefit CTP and/or workers’ comp systems. Our minimum wage is higher, and our OH&S standards are much higher (both of which impact standards for the poor more than standards for the rich). We tax capital gains as income. We also have better childcare support (not that its great). Our University fees are nowhere near the level of the US and not an economic cost of the courses.

We also don’t have the USA system of funding schools through local taxes, which means that rich areas have rich schools and poor areas have poor schools. Gonski has improved that situation even more.

We’re hardly socialist. But we are far further than the USA.

There’s the crux when it comes to voters though. I’m no expert on it myself, but I consider myself streets ahead of 95% of Newscorp readers and Skynews watchers.

We also don’t have hidden state taxes whenever you buy something from a shop and we only have one police force per state (as well as the AFP). Gets a bit confusing for a visitor.

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Exactly. It’s completely disingenuous bullshit.

Socialised Medicine like every other western country?? Ahhhhh, run, … they want us to be Commies!!!

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Hello darkness my old friend…

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