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Socialism in One Picture

November 5, 2008, 9:30 pm

I don't often pass on the cartoons that cross my desk, but I thought this was pretty good:

socialism

Category: Capitalism & Libertarian Philospohy

16 Comments

  1. GU:

    Should read "Democracy Illustrated ..."

    November 5, 2008, 10:53 pm

  2. Danny:

    Democratically elected socialists are still socialists.

    November 6, 2008, 12:08 am

  3. Z. M. Davis:

    Isn't that two pictures?

    November 6, 2008, 12:26 am

  5. Chris Yeh:

    Best...cartoon...ever!

    November 6, 2008, 8:44 am

  6. Mike:

    Speaking of which, anyone see this little gem:

    Personal IRA's Taken Over?

    November 6, 2008, 9:26 am

  7. xpatUSA:

    "Speaking of which, anyone see this little gem:

    Personal IRA's Taken Over?"

    Just read that article . . . a nasty little scheme to be sure!

    The proposed GRA would pay out a whopping 3% APY - I just can't wait.

    Hadn't fully realized that savings are inheritable and govt. income is not.

    So, how would the govt. "seize" 401k and IRA savings?

    They better grab them now, before the much-vaunted "dollar-cost averaging" makes people too rich!

    T.C.

    November 6, 2008, 10:49 am

  8. morganovich:

    as someone with a large (and well performing) IRA, this is the scariest idea i have heard in some time. imagine having the government confiscate your IRA, force you to sell a bottom, and then lock you into a rate of return that barely keeps ahead of inflation. this would be one of the largest thefts of assets by any government anywhere ever.

    this smells a lot like the Argentine plan to seize private pensions to fund near term government spending.

    at this stage, i would leave the country (and find new citizenship) before giving these idiots 20 years of my savings.

    of course, given the new tax laws allowing the IRS to treat all your assets as sold and tax you on them if you renounce citizenship, this may not be a painful dodge, but at least i can keep the rate of return. the difference between 3% annual return and 15% is over 40X. so even if they take half, you wind up way ahead in the long run...

    November 6, 2008, 11:46 am

  9. Methinks:

    given the new tax laws allowing the IRS to treat all your assets as sold and tax you on them if you renounce citizenship,

    Morganovich,

    We were thinking of doing the same thing - leaving. The wealth requirements for citizenship in most other countries are not that high.

    However, I think the law you're describing is worse than you think. They tax all assets in held in the U.S. once your renounce your citizenship and then AGAIN when you actually sell them.

    November 6, 2008, 12:55 pm

  10. Fred from Canuckistan . . .:

    capitalism is the unequal distribution of wealth

    socialism is the equal distribution of poverty

    November 6, 2008, 1:00 pm

  11. ErikTheRed:

    I don't like the heading - it's not really Socialism, it's Progressive Politics. In a socialist society, you don't even bother asking for spare change... nobody has any.

    @Fred from Canukistan - Great quote.

    Overall, I think it's more meaningful to attack Progressivism (not really a word, but it should be) instead of Socialism. Snarks aside, there are some actual differences. They both suck ass, but most leftists these days use the whitewashed (I'm such a freaking racist for using that word) "Progressive" label rather than "Socialist."

    November 6, 2008, 2:28 pm

  12. Fred from Canuckistan . . .:

    Economic models . . . the cow versions

    Economic Models - With Cows

    SOCIALISM: You have 2 cows, and you give one to your neighbour.

    COMMUNISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.

    FASCISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.

    NAZISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.

    BUREAUCRATISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...

    TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
    Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

    SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

    AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows.
    You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
    Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

    ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM: You have two cows.
    You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows.
    No
    balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.

    A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows.
    You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

    A JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows.
    You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
    You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

    A GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows.
    You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

    AN ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.

    A RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows.
    You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
    You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows because your sobering up and open another bottle of vodka.

    A SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5,000 cows. None of them belong to you.
    You charge the owners for storing them.

    A CHINA CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them.
    You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

    AN INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.

    A BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. Both are mad.

    IRAQI CORPORATION: Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
    You tell them that you have none.
    No-one believes you, so they bomb the **** out of you and invade your country.
    You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a Democracy....

    AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows.
    Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers.

    WELSH CORPORATION: You have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.

    November 6, 2008, 4:44 pm

  13. Dr. T:

    This cartoon originally was published in 2007. The cartoonist, Mike Lester at the Rome (Georgia) News-Tribune, has created many great cartoons. You can see his work here.

    November 6, 2008, 5:38 pm

  14. Speedmaster:

    LOL, brilliant, and perfect!!! ;-)

    December 17, 2008, 7:43 am

  15. Patience Sneed:

    what is this cartoon talking about

    February 21, 2013, 2:58 pm