Sanders Introduces Bill to Break Up Banks

[metis]

I can't take that position. It would be a lovely version of Utopia if everyone just naturally saved for their own dotage, but sadly that's not the case. If it weren't for the social security they paid in while working, many older people would be slowly starving to death or dying of exposure in cardboard boxes. Those who must rely on it certainly aren't living in grand mansions and many still have to decide whether to buy medications or food. And for those of us who DO the responsible thing and save for our retirement, only to see our entire savings wiped away overnight in a big bank collapse? What of us?

Government exists to protect the interests of the governed. I will grant you that we have strayed rather far from that core principle. But remains a core principle of our society nonetheless.

And you've hit upon the reasons why the position of some libertarians makes no sense in the context of both history and humanity. Systems like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, evolved because so many American simply did not have the means to deal with health issues or dealing with sometimes forced retirements.

As we saw in both the Great Depression and Great Recession, the economies took a noser, but not because most Americans did wrong but because of the casino-mentality with our banking and investment systems. And yet, looks what's happen since, with the working stiffs taking it in the ear and so many of the investors making out like bandits.

And what kind of mentality is it whereas these right-wing libertarians cannot be bothered to help their fellow Americans who may be in need out? We know that charity alone cannot handle the work load as that is what used to be in place but failed on way too many occasions to even think about returning to those "good old days".

No, all we see with that approach is an ignoring of both history and even common decency. Based on what we've seen in the fossil record, even Neanderthals took care of their own, and yet we have a whole group of Americans who cannot be even remotely as civilized as they.

 

[Wirey]

I propose breaking up Bernie Sanders.
And then tell the banks there'll be no more bail-outs.

Or, put proper regulations in place so there can't be more crashes, like Canada. And England. And France. And friggin' Peru. And everywhere else that has a government capable of protecting it's citizens from bankruptcy at the hands of some wealthy lunatics.

 

[Marisa]

And you've hit upon the reasons why the position of some libertarians makes no sense in the context of both history and humanity. Systems like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, evolved because so many American simply did not have the means to deal with health issues or dealing with sometimes forced retirements.

As we saw in both the Great Depression and Great Recession, the economies took a noser, but not because most Americans did wrong but because of the casino-mentality with our banking and investment systems. And yet, looks what's happen since, with the working stiffs taking it in the ear and so many of the investors making out like bandits.

And what kind of mentality is it whereas these right-wing libertarians cannot be bothered to help their fellow Americans who may be in need out? We know that charity alone cannot handle the work load as that is what used to be in place but failed on way too many occasions to even think about returning to those "good old days".

No, all we see with that approach is an ignoring of both history and even common decency. Based on what we've seen in the fossil record, even Neanderthals took care of their own, and yet we have a whole group of Americans who cannot be even remotely as civilized as they.

LOL. I don't see Joel Osteen giving up a weekends take to pay for some buttwipe's heart transplant.

 

[metis]

LOL. I don't see Joel Osteen giving up a weekends take to pay for some buttwipe's heart transplant.

Yep.

Several years ago I was having a discussion with a libertarian who believed that charity alone could handle the plight of the poor medically, so I used myself as an example and asked him if he would have paid for the $20,000+ tab I ran up back then when I collapsed three disks in my neck, causing partial paralysis. He told me that there were probably some relatives of mine who would cover that.

As both Barry Goldwater ("Conscience of a Conservative") and Milton Friedman ("Free To Choose") lamented, all too many self-proclaimed "conservatives" use that as an excuse for their greed.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

And you've hit upon the reasons why the position of some libertarians makes no sense in the context of both history and humanity. Systems like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, evolved because so many American simply did not have the means to deal with health issues or dealing with sometimes forced retirements.

That is a right-wing libertarian position that has stumped me as well. Myself, I had two private insurance companies that would not pay for the knee surgery I needed. But once I was finally able to get on the state's health care plan, I got straight into a specialized surgeon, got to go straight to surgery, and a year later I am far more mobile and physically capable.
As for school, my parents didn't save up anything for to go to college on. I might have been able to struggle paying for it out of pocket, taking one or at most two classes a semester, which would have required several years to finish just a bachelors. But yet Todd Rokita, a right-winged fiscal conservative who represents Indiana, wants the state to do less when it comes to helping people fund their higher education. This makes no sense to me, especially when Indiana has some very good colleges and a very low college-grad rate.

And what kind of mentality is it whereas these right-wing libertarians cannot be bothered to help their fellow Americans who may be in need out? We know that charity alone cannot handle the work load as that is what used to be in place but failed on way too many occasions to even think about returning to those "good old days".

A couple of years before the Recession a food-drive program I utilized was shut down because of insufficient funding because people were not being charitable enough. I went from having some decent food to eat for a couple weeks of the month for $20 to having to eat very cheap and poor-quality food because it was all I could afford. When food banks close the doors, gas station reward points became a primary source of food.
I've heard plenty of similar stories throughout America to know that people are not helping enough on their own accord.

 

[Revoltingest]

Or, put proper regulations in place so there can't be more crashes, like Canada. And England. And France. And friggin' Peru. And everywhere else that has a government capable of protecting it's citizens from bankruptcy at the hands of some wealthy lunatics.

"Proper" regulations are the key. Leading up to the crash, we had (have) a plethora of regulations which actually exacerbate the risk of bubbles & their collapse. It would mean disappointing a whole lotta special interest groups who be slop'n at that trough (not just the one percenters), but we'd be better off for it.