What produces RUTHLESS DICTATORS?

@Setanta,

Interesting in this context are the "Essex pauper letters", which are a kind of "history from below" about the situation (mainly) around the Old Poor Law, health care and ordinary people in the communities ...

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The 17th century in England is a fascinating period of history. One of the most interesting books i've read on the subject is The World Turned Upside Down, by Christopher Hill. I highly recommend it.

While looking for a link to Mr. Hill's book, I happened upon this page at the Street Corner Society. It gives an interesting take on the history made from below, as they put it. They mention Mr. Hill's book, a good deal of which derives from the many pamphlets printed in the mid-17th century, when government censorship broke down. Quakers, Diggers, Levelers--ti's all there. That era of history was a powerful influence on Karl Marx.

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@okie,

okie, The Jews of Israel in 1967 onwards built kibbutzims - a socialized form of society where everybody earned the same income.

What did you think about the Jews back then and now?

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@Rockhead,

Rockhead wrote:

okie, i don't know if you've realized it yet, but the rest of the world is making a damn fine bid to pass us by and leave us in the dust we were created from.

I heard that China is giving more tax breaks to encourage businesses and to help stimulate their economy, and that it is working. Funny, the commies can even see that moving toward more conservative economic policy is the way to grow the economy, while Obama is stifling the economy by wanting to burden it with more taxes, let the government actually take over industries, and threaten huge burdens on energy with cap and trade, all leftist policies. We are heading south while others are heading the other way, you may be right Rockhead.

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@okie,

i'm still on call for work, sir. and don't think i'm up to doin' the okie pokie tonight.

mebbe tomorrow.

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@okie,

Yes, there are a couple of countries reforming their VAT-system. China is one of them.

From the very beginning of the Vat in Germany onwards (has been a conservative 'invention') it grew steadily - I doubt that it has something to do with left or right. But you certainly will prove me wrong.

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@Walter Hinteler,

Walter Hinteler wrote:

Yes, there are a couple of countries reforming their VAT-system. China is one of them.

From the very beginning of the Vat in Germany onwards (has been a conservative 'invention') it grew steadily - I doubt that it has something to do with left or right. But you certainly will prove me wrong.

You doubt tax policies are a function of left and right? You can't be serious, can you? Its not about proving you wrong, its about common sense.

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@okie,

Okie's common sense tells us that the sun rises every morning and sets every evening, The earth never moves. Okie's common sense if adopted by the republican party would insure the demise of the republican party. Go Okie, keep that common sense on the front burner.

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@okie,

okie wrote:

You doubt tax policies are a function of left and right? You can't be serious, can you? Its not about proving you wrong, its about common sense.

Well, VAT has been invented - as said as can be read on numerous websites as well as printed sources as well as an archives - by conservatives.

Might well be it's 'politics' - especially, since the left parties always were against it. (Sources for that: see above.)

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@Walter Hinteler,

Okie's entire political knowledge is based on factoids "something that looks like a fact, could be a fact, but in fact is not a fact".

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@okie,

okie, Common sense is something you lack in spades; you have "never" offered anything that's remotely based on facts or evidence. Only you see your own common sense which is so far off the mark that even most teenagers would laugh at you! You have never "grown up," and believe in your own fantasyland.

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@okie,

okie wrote:

You doubt tax policies are a function of left and right? You can't be serious, can you? Its not about proving you wrong, its about common sense.

Well, it would be nice if your theory that cutting taxes always leads to more tax revenue would work in actual reality, but it seems that it doesn't. And, since running a balanced budget also seems to be what you see as a conservative policy, you'll have to deal with deciding between two 'conservative' principles: cutting taxes or run balancing the budget.

In Germany, the conservatives decided to run on a platform of raising taxes and balancing the budget.

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It would be nice to see okie support any one of his opinion with evidence/fact, but his biggest problem is his inability to learn from facts/evidence no matter how many from various sources are presented. How these people survive in the "real world" is a mystery.

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@dyslexia,

Not so - it just seems that he's expected not simply to justify what he actually says, but also to disprove the faulty interpretations of others here. See, e.g., the idiotic comment alleging that "cutting taxes" will increase tax revenues accurately represents Okie's thinking - it does not.

Supply-side theory calls for "cutting marginal tax rates", not at all the same thing, and not particularly a right-wing idea either: Kennedy did it in 1961 on advice of Ken Galbraith, and that's what led to the long economic boom of the '60s. Reagan did it again in 1981 with even more spectacular results.

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@High Seas,

Quote:

See, e.g., the idiotic comment alleging that "cutting taxes" will increase tax revenues accurately represents Okie's thinking - it does not.

I assume that you have good reasons for calling my comment idiotic. I'm sure you've had a long discussion with okie about his interpretation of the Laffer curve. After all, you wouldn't just pull facts out of your arse, right?

Pompous bitch.

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For the undisputed champion of pomposity to call anyone else "pompous" is verging on the comedic. Not to mention that nobody was addressing the pomposity champ - though I got to fess up on the dog part:

http://members.pioneer.net/~mchumor/00images/5309_veterinarian_cartoon.gif

Maybe champ here can represent me, word reached me he's a lawyer <G>

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@High Seas,

Good thing you had enough restraint not to call anyone else "pompous" then.

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@High Seas,

okie referred to the taxes in China which were lowered.
These taxes are the VAT.

VAT is reduced in other countries as well - no matter, if it's a left (e.g. UK) or a conservative (e.g. France) government.

However, although a kind of VAT already existed about 1850 in some German countries, it was generally introduced for the very first time (worldwide, as far as I know) in 1916 (bill No 19). By conservative politician like Popitz and Müller-Fulda, supported and approved by warehouse chain owners.

But I've some problems how all this is connected with dictators ...

Oh, I see: Popitz was a rightwing conservative and monarchist and later became a Nazi.

Well, but he was hanged in connection with Claus von Stauffenberg's unsuccessful attempt on Hitler's life ...

Never mind.

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@Walter Hinteler,

Walter - you know I served in the first Reagan administration with specific responsibility for that subject, and that I've recently been working in China on a similar assignment. I know what Okie said, and I think I know what he meant as well - how does Stauffenberg come into it, though?!

Btw, please see if you can keep your schizoid guest in line - his hysterical outbursts are becoming quite tiresome. Thanks.

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@High Seas,

hitler was a leftist?

1 Reply

What produces RUTHLESS DICTATORS?

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