Regardless of who's fault it is, we need to make sure we don't become too far socialist.
...yeah, you wouldn't want to end up like the TWELVE chronically socialist countries that have overtaken America on the UN Human Development Index over the past 50 years.
This is how really far-left socialist/liberal policies have damaged my country, Ireland...
-insignificant homicide rate
-very low crime rate
-social inclusion
-free quality schooling
-free quality healthcare (rated better than America's)
-prosperity
-generous unemployment/disability benefits (unemployment/welfare payments of $300+ a week tax-free)
-very low wealth disparity between rich and poor
-free university education (our university system is rated better than America's)
-free post graduate education up to masters level
-free PhD education (often including $400 a week subsidies; my brother is doing one of these)
-one of the highest home ownership rates in the world
-one of the lowest homelessness rates in the world
-approx $13 an hour minimum wage (and minimum wage workers pay no taxes)
-$120 a month maximum limit on medication costs (no matter the treatment)
-relatively low unemployment (lower than the America's true jobless figure)
-governmental transparency with very little corruption
...yes, we do pay a little more in taxes... but we get much better value for money through the tax system than Americans get buying such services on the much vaunted "free market".
There has been an economic effect of such radical socialism though... for the past 15 years Ireland has had to deal with a continuously booming economy, regularly ranked as one of the strongest economies in the world. However, it did take us nearly four full days for the government to sort out the fall out from Irish banks involvement in the sub-prime mess (a full, unlimited government guarantee for all personal accounts held by Irish banks and a $400 billion bank-insurance scheme to allow banks recover).
You Americans are right to fear socialism... it sucks.
The Luke
