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WolfpackN64 on 17 April 2016
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sc94597 said:

European states are primarily social democracies (not socialist.) They embrace market economies and the private ownership of the means of production (mostly) something any socialist will tell you disqualifies a person (group of people) from being socialists. 

I have a concern of how European states deal with things like freedom of speech in particular. I hear way too often censorship happening in EU states, and it is something that would be greatly pushed against here in the U.S. Besides that, the freedoms are quite similar in Europe from what I can tell. 

I am against the welfare state and warfare state by the way. I am against them for the same reasons (and differeing ones.) They take GDP out of the hands of efficient spenders and put it into the hands of inefficient spenders (government.) They also allow for massive amounts of debt (19 trillion currently.)

Private charities have existed in the past, and in only the most extreme cases (Great Depression) was government required to supplement them. I think private charities can certainly return (hell, in the U.S there is as much private "welfare" spending as public right now.) As for the military, if it were relegated to only defensive measures then tons of money and resources would be saved. Overall the country and the economy would be much more prosperous for it. 

Ah please. Will you guys stop believing in this Libertarian bullshit?

Europe is becoming more and more neoliberal. Everything is becoming privatised for the argument of efficiëncy.

You know what the funny thing is about the free market and public sectors? They don't mix. The free market is terribly inneficiënt whent it comes to making sure people have good healthcare, decent transport and energy sectors. Why? Because you need to look at the public good, not at the cheapest and fastest way to do it. Private charities are a good way to give the rich some ease of mind. In the ideal world though, we need structural solutions to eliminate poverty and halt the corporate grip on our lives.

The solution, of course, is a modern command economy.

The only part where I agree is that defense spending everywhere is just too damn high.