Monty by Jim Meddick for April 07, 2016

This is why we need Socialism.

They may say your a dreamer…

And all of these marvelous benefits would be paid for exactly how? I mean in the US of A where gov’t already is multiple trillions in debt?

Mitch McConnell and the Koch Brothers.

You get what you pay for, roughly. We pay high taxes in our community, and we get roads that are fixed swiftly and great schooling for our daughter. Ow, ow, we’re so oppressed.

I think Trump’s the candidate for that..

You’ve all read Ayn Rand’s “Anthem,” right? Anyone find it ironic that that whole mindset of “we can’t replace candles with high-bulbs! It would put the candlestick makers out of work” is actually being propagated by American style Capitalism? Let’s take roads in the Northeast as an example. Up here roads take a hell of a beating. I mean, just as far down as Connecticut, the roads aren’t half as bad as the rest of New England. Down in Pennsylvania they’ve got it easy. Now, this means that roadwork is very lucrative up here; this means that all of the viable, superior materials and road design are simply ignored so that local politicians don’t lose the support of the companies who get contracted to repair the roads. Additionally, these contractors take no less, and often considerably more, than twice the time it would take to do any major project that doesn’t interfere with interstate travel. On top of that, they do the work so badly that they have to do repair or maintenance work every 2-10 years (depending on the type of project; obviously they couldn’t “intentionally” [ and legally] make a bridge so bad it needed work every 2 years).

How about something that relates to you?I was speaking to a South Korean woman. What she told me was that our appliances, while larger, are made to considerably lower standards (indeed, they are built to break [like your house and your car]). Additionally, our top level appliances with ALL the fancy doodads and whatnots… lower-midrange appliance features in South Korea, but with cheaper construction. This includes South Korean brands such as LG and Samsung, because why should they bother investing in quality when Americans will buy junk? Why is this so? Why, to keep the company in business! You realize why so few of the machinery and appliance companies which existed back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries actually survived is because once you bought one of their appliances, so long as parts were available, you never needed another one. It’s just getting worse; 20 years ago, your appliance would last you 20-30 years. Now? 7-10.

You know what I want? I want South Korean quality appliances! I want Japanese level and quality public transportation! I want more bus lanes, bike lanes, carpool lanes, subways, light-rail, and interurbans! If Newark, New Jersey can have a brand-spanking new light-rail system, so can the rest of the Northeast!

People need to realize, there’s a difference between Totalitarian Socialism and Democratic Socialism. Many of the countries of Europe have formed coalition parliaments with Democratic Socialist members and these countries are often more advanced than US, in terms of quality of life.

Guys it’s a comic strip here. Your jibber jabber won’t change anything.

Change takes place one jibber jabber at a time.

Ahh! The best senators money can buy! I love Capitalism!

Ahh! The best politburo members money can buy! I love Communism!

Ahh! The best self-righteous bureaucrats money can buy! I love Socialism!

Unfortunately, my Constitutional Anarchy Party never caught on….

“What works for a country that is less ethically diverse than ours…”

I think you left a letter out somewhere in there but either way it makes no sense.

tell me more about france, belgium, the scandinavian countries… riots, bombs, unrest in the disenfranchised. how is that different than any other country?