Socialism FAQ

Socialist FAQ

Social media full of socialist who repeat endless slogans about the topic.    However, they rarely understand the subject and resort to name calling and eventually blocking.

The means of production should be owed by the workers

What does this mean exactly?   You can create a corporation now and provide stock options to employees.  Many businesses already do this.  This is the company being owed by the employees.  Not all stocks are publicly sold on the stock exchange.

No one should have billions of dollars

You're talking about someone who owns publicly traded stock in a company.   These are not the same thing as cash.   The value of the stock changes every day and can drop drastically if the company is not making a profit.    If these people were to sell the majority of their shares it would crash the price of the stock and bankrupt the company. 

Everyone should pay their fair share in taxes

What is the total they need to pay a portion of?   The government is constantly spending more money so it's impossible to pay a share of a moving target.  The top income earners already pay a majority of the taxes according to IRS data.   The proper solution is for the government to reduce how much it spends.

My (True) Socialism has never been tried before

This is completely wrong as many forms of socialism have been tried ending in disasters.  What ever you think socialism is has more than likely been tried before.    Socialism is an old idea.  The leaders in Guyana and Ivory coast even tried an experience where Guyana adopted socialism and Ivory Coast adopted free market principles.      Socialism failed miserably.

The Nordic countries are a socialist success

The government of those countries have denied being socialist.    They don't have a minimum wage.  They have low corporate taxes and few business regulations.   They have more capitalism than the United States. At best, they were a welfare state in the 1970's nearly bankrupting the country and have reduced their welfare programs drastically since.

The poor are poorer; rich richer

Who is poor depends on how you measure it and the news media often manipulates the data to support their headlines.   The poverty line is based on the CPI which is constantly modified to hide the true inflation.   The current CPI would be double the reported percentage if using the 1980 calculation. In addition, the poverty level is different depending where you look.   A middle class person in California would be considered rich in Mississippi. 

According to IRS data the median income has increased over the years which indicates growth of wages.   

Trickle Down Economics

This is a political slogan invented by Democrats in the 1920's.   The treasurer wanted to lower taxes on the rich because they were hiding their money in tax shelters.  His reasoning was to increase investments by making it more profitable to invest their money in the economy instead of tax shelters.  His efforts failed and it was dismissed as "trickle down economics" because people failed to grasp how investment in the economy would benefit people.   According to Sowell, the number of those earning over a million per year were 206 before the tax hikes and 21 while the taxes were high at 76%.    207 reported high incomes after the taxes were lowered again.    This is why lowering taxes often increases tax revenue.

There's no economist who invented or advocates this theory.   Keynesian economics, although difference from what the namesake pushed, according to Friedman, is a better description of 'trickle down' which is pushed by both parties.    This theory says the government can spend massive amounts of money on special interest groups that will make it to the pockets of citizens eventually.   The modern version is "modern monetary theory" which suggest the government can spend without consequences.

We should return to the tax rate at 90% like in the 1950's

The effective tax rate paid was never 90%.   At the time the average tax rate was 35% according to IRS data.  The top tax rate was set at 90% but they also had a complicated tax code which allowed many deductions reducing the effective rate.

The rich just move their money to places that aren't taxed.   It's often the middle class who suffer the most because they aren't able to move their money to tax shelters.

We need equality 

Equality under the law is something everyone has in the United States and most Western countries.  This means everyone has the same starting position and is treated the same by the law.

We need Equity 

Equity, the equal distribution of resources is not possible.   Siblings from the same household don't end up with the same distribution.    The only way to attempt this is a powerful central government that forces people to have equal resources.   The way this works is two cattle ranchers start with the same number of cattle; say 10.   Over a year, one works hard and raises good quality herds and increases the number to 20.  The second rancher doesn't put any effort into the cattle and most are underweight plus two die.  The government comes in and takes 12 from the first rancher, keeps 4, sells the remaining 8 to rancher 3.

This is a work in progress and will be updated as I encounter more socialist on social media. Check back often.

Half-Baked Survival Prepping

Half Baked Survival

Imagine a scenario where the government collapses or a nuclear attack.  The news would have you believe this will happen in the next few months. For whatever reason, the modern lifestyle falls apart. Many preppers sell kits and books claiming they will help you. There's endless websites, TV shows, and products available. These people are selling you dreams and products. Most people don't know what it takes to survive without local stores. You might be able to survive with freeze dried food for a couple of months but that's just an extended camping trip with your family not survival.

What most of these people are selling is a temporary solution to minor problems. A prepared "bug out" bag is great if there's a riot and you need to stay with grandma until order is restored. It works if you're avoiding a major weather events. You don't need a food supply for most of these events if you are just getting out of the affected area because most people can survive without food for several days. You will need more water than anything else.

It's important to understand what events you are preparing for and the length of time that might be needed to return to civilization. The chance of something happening that collapses society is unlikely. In most cases, staying in your home is probably the best option. What I will be discussing is things that are overlooked when survival means long term.

Travel

Many say you should avoid interstate highways because you could encounter bad people or traffic jams. Rest assured, you will encounter problems no matter what route you chose since we are talking about the end of civilization. Remember, thousands (or millions) of people are all trying to get out of the population center at the same time you are. The more extreme the event, the worse it will be. It's it's something like an incoming nuclear strike you can bet that everyone will be in a panicked rush to get out of the area.

A significant issue with back roads is they have fewer lanes and more traffic lights often through small towns. If the power is out then none of the traffic lights will be working and traffic congestion will be worse. Many will try alternative routes when the main highways are congested for any reason. These factors will also increase the likelihood of traffic collisions.

Off road paths such as power line and pipeline service corridors are probably the worse route. These are unknown areas and usually not maintained.  There could be ditches washed out from the last storm or creeks that run through them. There maybe downed trees or other debris and the vegetation could conceal obstacles. Rocks can easily ruin a tire. Even in the best circumstances, you will have to go slow through the area which will cost time and extra fuel. If you have a long distance to travel this could add days to get anywhere. Of course, you will need an off-road vehicle to even make the attempt but you will have the constant danger of getting stuck and avoiding obstacles.

The best option is to plan a route that will get you to your destination as quick as possible. You should be familiar with alternative routes along the entire way.

Land

You need to have a destination in mind before you grab that bag and head out You probably want to avoid camping sites with people you don't know. Do they want to help or want what you have? Are they part of the new secret police? Are they contaminated with radioactive fall-out? Did they bring their own supplies? The park could be full before the event occurs.

You need to prepare. You can't build or store things on public land. You can't run to the nearest wildlife preserve to start a colony over night. This means you will need land some where out in a rural area. The best place would be isolated but near a town where you can get supplies and information. You can't leave the city in a hurry with all your supplies.  Gathering and packing everything takes time better spent avoiding the rush out of the city.

Having land of your own will allow you to stockpile items and prepare like clearing trees and building a shelter. You need planning, supplies, and time to prepare. It's a familiar location where you know what's around and what travel conditions are like.

Shelter

A tent isn't going to work long term especially in poor weather. A tent lacks insulation and you can't build a fire inside. If it's damaged you probably won't have the materials needed to repair it. Most people will die from exposure. Sleeping on the bare ground is a good way to get hypothermia. You need a reliable shelter from the elements and storage. Remember, the more things you bring will require more space. If you want to use electronics you will need a good supply of batteries which take a lot of space. You should at least have a RV but a permanent cabin is better.  

Sanitation

Where do you relieve yourself without running water and a toilet? What will you use for toilet paper? You can't just use the local stream or pond because that will contaminate a potential water supply. You can just leave it outside in the open especially in groups of people since it will attract pest and spread disease. You can go for long period without taking a shower but how to handle waste will be a daily problem.

What about trash? You can burn a lot of it like most rural houses do sending smoke signals to your neighbors. You will still have issues with the toxic burnt left overs and metals/glass. This creates hazards for you and equipment.  Food waste will attract the local wild life and pest.

Vehicles

Vehicles are dead weight beyond getting out of the city. Forget what you saw in the Walking Dead where all vehicle will start with a little cursing after sitting for months and years. They rely on fuel. Fuel may not be available due to supply issues. You may not be able to afford it if it is available. The best case is you will have to go to a population center to buy fuel which is bad If you are trying to avoid the new government overlords or zombies. Fuel has a shelf life especially when it has ethanol in it.  Fuel pulls moisture from the air and gets contaminated without a stabilizer. This is usually about a year assuming it's in a good container.

The vehicle won't be worth anything if it breaks and you don't know how to work on it. Spare parts probably won't be available anyway.  Weather degrades the battery and it's worthless without a way to charge or replace it. Don't count on it starting if it has been sitting a couple of months or more. The part that will definitely wear out is the tires. There also the risk of nails or other road hazards. The best tires will also suffer from weathering. Off road travel is very demanding to tires especially road tires.

It doesn't matter what year you have. It's true modern cars have more electronics but they will run without most of them. Even the emission controls will not stop the vehicle from running. There's only a few sensors that will prevent the engine from running. The onstar can be disconnected if you are worried about being tracked. The only way to avoid sensitive electronics is to find a carburetor vehicle made before 1990. Probably from the first half of the 1980's or earlier.

The biggest problem is always going to be spare parts. If parts aren't available then oil and other fluids won't be available. Engine oil needs to be replaced at regular intervals otherwise the engine will wear out quicker and potentially suffer a failure.

Learn how to work on engines. Doing most repair work on vehicles is easy to learn. You also need a tire repair kit to patch tires. You must realize that any vehicle has an expiration date. Don't bet your survival on them.

Electricity

Forget about electronics for your survival.  Electronic require batteries and a power source. Disposable batteries are a limited resource and lose their charge over time. Rechargeable batteries need a power source and wear out fast. You can have an off grid system using solar/wind. These are dependent on the weather and provide limited amounts of power. They usually have deep cycle batteries that are not commonly found and will wear out. A severe storm could damage the solar panels and wind turbines. Wind turbines need lubrication.

Generators are out of the question too since they rely on fuel. Of course, It's possible to make diesel fuel from plastic and the engines are simple compared to a vehicle. Diesel generators are 4x more expensive than gas versions. Generators will also wear out. Most generators need an oil change after every 100 hours of use.  They are also noisy which will broadcast your position to the hungry masses and scare away local wildlife you need for food.

You will have to live without a mechanical machines and electronics.  These all have expiration dates without spare parts and supplies. What "off grid" people don't tell you is they still depend on a local store for supplies and are usually sponsored. This is an easy thing to test in your back yard. Most hunters find this out quickly when they try to make a hunting cabin.

Water

Water is going to be a biggest necessity from the start. You've been spoiled by a life of drinking clean tap water. There are a lot of things in creeks, lakes, and ponds that will make you sick. Maybe even kill you or make you wish for that sweet release. Many diseases and sickness are water borne.  Did someone dump sewer in upstream? Did run off water from your waste or trash burning contaminate the water?

This was a major problem for humans even for those who drank natural sources all their life. Store bought filters or survival straws are short term solutions because they wear out and must be replaced.

Food

You will need long term food supplies. A garden needs seeds, water, time, land, and fertilizer. Working the land by hand will be very difficult unless you have animals available that can work the plow.  Growing your own food requires a lot of land because you need an abundance of food for now and enough to last the winter. The more people you have, the more food you will have to grow. If you have animals then you will need even more food. I've read some say you need at least 800 square feet per person.

It's unlikely that you will find enough forage in a forest to keep you fed since you're competing against wildlife. It's dangerous to eat wild plants or mushrooms unless you know what you're looking for. This means you will need to grow or hunt for the majority of your calories. 

First, you will need a large stash of seeds. Beware of cheap seed kits from "survival" companies that have a low germination rate. You will need a large supply because bad things will happen. You might have crop failure due to weather, pest, or wildlife. Most plants you like to eat are also favorites of the local deer.

Water will probably be limited which means you will have to rely on rain. This will limit what you can grow because not everything does well in your local climate. Another issue is most unused land is highly acidic and nutrient poor. This will require large amounts of lime and fertilizer. This is difficult to do over a short period of time even with supplies readily available.

It could be months before you can plant your crops and if the plants grow it will be months before you can harvest. You will need enough food stored to last anywhere from a few months to a year. You may need more time if you haven't cleared land. Even if you have a bumper crop you will need to understand how to store the harvest.

If you are in an area with few people you can hunt and eat any available animal. The hungrier you get the less cute animals are. Hunting requires skills and is difficult even for the veteran hunter. Keep the ammo for defense which means you need a bow and trapping skills.  Once you have the animal, you have to learn how to process it and store the meat. 

Meal kits are a great supplement. I use them all the time when I go hunting. A lot of the newer kits are freeze dried and taste better than the average MRE. These kits generate trash and will require some kind of preparation.  It could be just boiling water or a heat source. This will be a problem in a time when fresh water and heating is in short supply.

Should you buy a 3 month supply with a 25 year shelf life? Sure. These type of food supplies can provide a good supplement in the case of a short term emergency. If the economy crashes some foods might become unavailable or too expensive. A storm might take out your electricity and food spoils. You can be the one who waits out the rush to the grocery store. If you buy a kit then prepare some of the meals so you're familiar with the method and taste.

Guns

You should have guns and know how to use them. You can never have enough ammunition. A gun will only be good for defense of your supplies from thieves or large animals.

Guns are reliable tools but ammunition is a limited resource.  The components are hard to obtain for most people in normal times. These limitations means that using a gun should be a last resort. A bow and arrow is a much better weapon. Trapping is free. In the worst case, you can run at the animal with a sharp stick.

Medical

You need to take care of yourself.  If you need medicine to survive then just be aware your supply is limited. Living without modern comforts is labor intensive so you better start hitting the gym now.

You should learn first aid and as many survival skills you can for a life without pain killers and anti-biotics. You can get a big supply of anti-biotics but these usually require dry storage at room temperature. Since not all anti-biotics work the same you may find no help from the ton of penicillin you got to cure an infection.

Conclusion

Survival is a lost skill for most people. Information is going to be your best friend.  Check this link for detailed survival information.

At the end of the world, your best bet is to make friends with the local Amish community and hope they take you in. City Boy.