The Upside Of Socialism

Socialism — “An economic system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled substantially by the government rather than by private enterprise, and in which cooperation rather than competition guides economic activity. There are many varieties of socialism. Some socialists tolerate capitalism, as long as the government maintains the dominant influence over the economy; others insist on an abolition of private enterprise. All communists are socialists, but not all socialists are communists.”

I’m blogging from East London to share with you my observations about the upside of Socialism. Firstly, much stronger beer. It’s the only real proof that the Government still has a bit of a heart because if you paid outrageous taxes and saw immigrants getting the mother lode of state support over and above your English arse, you too would want to get absolutely blasted every day.

You get to walk around full of pride that everyone is taken care of — except you always end up right back in the pub because you cannot really take care of yourself. Everywhere you go people have jobs that they will never ever lose. And they never ever work too hard, either. And no one TIPS. And why should you when it’s your only drinking money and therefore only escape.

I was down in Kent (a mere hour from London) and stayed at a nice hotel. When I sat at the bar I talked to the young bartender about his country and his future, thinking that like in America, young people have dreams of being something and will pursue them like I did. But not this chap. His reply was simply ,”It’s too expensive to go to London.” and I replied, “Yeah it’s one of the world’s most expensive cities but what about just going for it!” “No, it’s too expensive to just get there.”

English minimum wage is anywhere from 3.40- 5.52 per hour, depending on your age. Then you pay roughly 40% in income tax. On top of that there are all sorts of taxes and fines standing between you and your dream in this over-regulated society. They have something here called a “congestion tax.”

Here’s the actual text from the BBC website explaining it:

Congestion charging is being introduced into central London on 17 February in an attempt to cut traffic levels and help ease severely clogged roads. The scheme will also raise money to re-invest in the capital’s transport system. The area in which charges apply is a zone measuring eight square miles (21 square kilometres) within the Inner Ring Road – the most central and heavily congested part of London. Charges will apply between 7am and 6.30pm from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. Motorists driving into the charging zone have to pay a flat fee of 5, either in advance or on the day of travel. Those who do not pay are liable for fines of up to 120.)

I love how they describe this new way to siphon money from their citizens as a SCHEME. Because that’s what it is. Now imagine if you simply had to be in London to pursue your dream and had a minimum wage job and willingness to do any job to get you there — it’s still too expensive when you have to pay the piper every step of the way.

You’re better off getting drunk.

Let’s not allow this to happen in America. It starts when they tell you that the sky is falling and it’s going to take your cash to fix it. It ends with a jackboot stomping on your head in the name of equality and fairness.