What do you believe....
Pages
- 1
- 2
| Author | Topic: What do you believe.... |
|---|---|
|
This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
|
written Thursday, June 30 2005 08:44
Profile
Things in Germany in 1934 were better than in 1932, certainly. Hitler had next to nothing to do with it, however. The initial recovery was due to the policies of the Centre Party of slashing government spending across the board in the early 1930s. As to the later growth of the German economy, Hjalmar Schact was extremely successful. But the Nazi version of government investment was no more radical than the policies any government made up from a group except the Nationalists and the Catholic Centre would have pursued, except in that it was undertaken to wage war over Europe. Besides, the growth of the German economy largely benefitted a few large corporations and the government itself. As the period of Nazi rule progressed the government moved further and further to the economic right and cracked down more and more on labour rights. -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |
|
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
|
written Thursday, June 30 2005 10:32
Profile
Homepage
quote:The same situation existed in USSR: Foreign visitors were always shown the capital (and perhaps a couple exemplary collective farms) so they would come back and tell everybody that things aren't really that bad. They would not see empty stores everywhere else in the country, the "sausage trains" (trains of people coming to Moscow to buy sausages and other products that weren't sold in provincial stores), etc. Somebody talked about free healthcare. Sure the healthcare was free, but it was as likely to kill you as to heal you. It did literally kill my grandmother: when she was having a heart attack, the ambulance arrived half an hour late and took an extra hour to get to the hostpital, because they were assigned to a hospital on the other side of city, despite the fact that there was another hospital 10 minutes away from our apartment. Needless to say, by the time they finally brought her to emergency room it was too late. The healthcare in America migh forse people into bancrupcy, but at least they are alive. -------------------- Be careful with a word, as you would with a sword, For it too has the power to kill. However well placed word, unlike a well placed sword, Can also have the power to heal. Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 5986
|
written Thursday, June 30 2005 10:43
Profile
It seems to me like there will always be someone who worships a Stalin or a Castro as a good leader despite the horror stories. I've come to accept that, but it still irritates me nonetheless. Opinions often stink, as the saying goes. Oh, but I'll be fair and give Castro a point. He did improve the healthcare system A LOT. Cuba therefore now possesses decent healthcare as opposed to dirt healthcare under the Batista regime. I don't think it redeems his poor economic capabilities and resource management skills, however. -------------------- Wu wei... it's the only way Posts: 154 | Registered: Monday, June 20 2005 07:00 |
|
Agent
Member # 4506
|
written Thursday, June 30 2005 11:18
Profile
Homepage
quote:Well, even though I'd vote for teh honest guy,most people would go for some *nice person* like bush... Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00 |
|
Law Bringer
Member # 335
|
written Thursday, June 30 2005 12:49
Profile
Homepage
There's a difference between improving a country and doing everything possible to improve it. Cuba probably is better off under Castro than it was before Castro, but he's certainly not moving things along now. Thus, while he may once have been a Cuban hero, he's resting on his laurels now. That makes him a political villain. Granted, some of that really is due to excessive economic hardship imposed by the United States. All of it? Probably not. —Alorael, who would like to point out that Denmark has free healthcare for life for all citizens (and foreigners under some circumstance). They also have no rationing. Denmark and Cuba are entirely dissimilar, but surely Castro deserves some of the blame. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
|
This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
|
written Saturday, July 2 2005 08:22
Profile
If you're going to tell me that in 1955 Cuba and Denmark were even remotely similar countries, I'd suggest you try something more rational, like joining the Flat Earth Society. I would suggest that whilst the international community remains fairly unsympathetic to it, Cuba's stuck. It has a choice of either trying to get by on socially-conscious tourism and the like or trying to get large amounts of international aid and to do so having to get rid of everything Castro's spent the past forty years working towards. Sure, free healthcare, to take Zeviz's example, doesn't work perfectly. On the other hand, if Cuba started charging patients, it'd just hurt the health of its people as they wouldn't have the money. To a certain extent, politics has to be the art of the possible and that's very definitely a finite thing. -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |
|
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
|
written Saturday, July 2 2005 18:07
Profile
Homepage
quote:Urk... "nice person" doesn't cut it when you have the policy-making skills of a twice-fried turnip. Well, it shouldn't cut it, but today the media makes personality seem like an essential political skill, which it isn't. A good awareness of what's going on should always take priority, not to mention the ability to actually act on that information. Note: I didn't mean to Bush-bash, as I really disliked both him and Kerry. I just disliked Bush more. -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
|
This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
|
written Sunday, July 3 2005 10:32
Profile
I'm no happier that an engaging personality is the most necessary trait than you are, but you can't place all the blame on the media. 'Twas ever thus. How many demagogues were not 'people-people' (that's got to be the daftest sounding plural ever) or went round telling their audiences unpopular truths? None who got anywhere. This is going to happen in a democracy, because it's infinitely easier to showcase somebody's personality in an election campaign than to showcase their skill as a legislator. -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |
Pages
- 1
- 2