[MD] socialism

[plattholden at gmail.com]

On 6 Jun 2010 at 13:54, Steven Peterson wrote:

> What was that ideal time in America's pre-1930's history when things
> were better than they are now? If you had to go back to that time now
> but could not choose whether you would go back as a wealthy white
> heterosexual male or a chinese immigrant or a female or a native
> American or a black person would you?
>

Platt:

> Going back to pre-1930's I would choose to be born in the U.S. where the
> prospects for a better life for all children, regardless of sex or color, were
> better than anywhere else in the world. The millions who chose to emigrate to
> the U.S.(and continue to do so today) were living proof of how capitalism, the
> economic system of freedom that allowed individuals to to responds to DQ,
> created opportunity and prosperity unseen before in all of human history.


Steve:
That wasn't the question. I wasn't asking where you would like to live
if you had to go back to the 30's. I asking if you could, would you
rather live in the 30's U.S. right now. Was any time in America's past
better than it is now? Perhaps, but when? And when you answer that
question, there is always a "better for whom?" in there. Was it better
for a racial minority or a woman or a homosexual, etc. than it is now?
Would you rather be born into that era not knowing in advance what
sort of situation you would be born into? I don't think I'd want to be
born in the 30's unless I got to be born into a wealthy family...and
I'd definitely want to be a dude (women only got the right to vote in
1920).

Hi Steve,
I was born in the 30's to a middle class family. I can assure you it wasn't all 
peaches and cream, but we managed. Can't say when it might have been better for 
me. Like everyone, I had some advantages and some disadvantages compared to 
others. The roaring 20's was a fun time for lots of people in the U.S., but a 
lot of men living then got killed or wounded in WWII while women survived. To 
be black back them was tough, but better in some respects than what has 
happened to the black family since Johnson's Great Society. (See Chapter 24 of 
Lila about the urban ghetto). But everyone in the U.S. and world has benefited 
from the inventiveness and productivity of free enterprise, resulting in the 
highest standard of living the world has ever known. Just think of the increase 
in quality of life due to advances in medicine. I don't know much about gays 
except that some have contributed mightily to the arts and made scads of money 
I missed out on that. 

So it all boils down to specific individuals in specific circumstances as to 
the betterness you ask about. Generally speaking, I'd rather be born anywhere, 
anytime as anyone rather than not because being a human individual I would have 
the unique ability to respond to DQ. 

Best,
Platt