Socialism

This makes me so upset! Yet another bank executive, complaining about having to pay his taxes. The rich get richer, while the poor get poorer. Nah, almost everyone has got richer, haven't they? Even if some have got richer faster than others?

Bah. Do you even know how many times more salary a CEO gets, compared to an industrial worker in the same company? Hmmm, an executive probably makes several times more money than a worker. But that's a good thing. An executive has a lot of responsibility, and a lengthy education.

Maybe it would be okay if he made twice as much, or even ten times as much, compared to a worker. But a European CEO makes between 50 and 150 times more than an industrial worker. While it's the workers who do the job: welding cars, and washing dishes, and driving buses. It's the workers who create value in the companies, not the executives. In the United States, it's even worse.

A CEO in the US makes 300 times more than a worker. Is that fair? No, I shouldn't think so. Three hundred? Yes, that might sound like a lot.

But if that's what the owners of the company are prepared to pay him, well then he's worth that, isn't he? It's the market that sets the salaries. Or, do you oppose the market economy as well? Market economy? You mean a system based on egotism, where people grab as much as they can for themselves, regardless of those with less resources?

No, thank you! And what's your alternative? I mean, without a market economy: no competition. And without competition the economy will not work very effectively. Effective?

To have loads of different companies, all producing essentially the same thing is not exactly what I'd call effective. No, we need an economic system that is not based on speculation and selfishness, where the strong grab all they can, and the rest of us can barely afford food... or healthcare... or education. Yes, it would be nice if everything was free.

But seriously, who would pay for it all? The problem with socialism is that eventually, you'll run out of other people's money. If everyone just works and contributes as much as they can manage, there'll be more than enough for everyone to be able to get what they need: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." So, everyone works as much as he likes, and then helps himself to as much as he needs? How do you think that's going work practically? It works fine.

By setting taxes at the right level: the more money someone makes, the larger portion of their salary goes in tax. And the tax is spent helping those who need it. Hm, so he who works hard and produces useful stuff should be punished by having his private property taken away from him? It's not a punishment to participate in and support society together, and make sure everyone gets what they need. That's solidarity.

You're so fixated with private ownership, both of you. A company could just as well be owned collectively by those who work there, or by society. If the companies were owned by us all, in solidarity, there'd be no classes in society, with huge gaps between... But society consists of individuals, not classes. Individuals who are prisoners of their class.

I want a classless society, where everyone can live a decent life, regardless of what parents they happen to have. Hey! Hands off my french-fries! Come on, show some solidarity!