Re: Understanding Economics Quote:
Originally Posted by blacksport Jeez, reading all the opinions about the US of A, I feel that I should quit on my L1 quest. It seems to be a sad place to live, even sadder than India. This in spite of all those people in tiny boats braving rough sea to set their foots in the American soil. |
Hmm, that's because you enjoy privileged life in USA. So did I, for the most time. Indians who fly into USA with H1/L1 generally enjoy the American dream way more than Americans. I am pretty sure you make at least 3 or 4 times more than the median US income of $31K. You don't have a student loan that will weigh you down until your 40s. I remember how my US colleagues were shocked to know I didn't have any student loan even in my mid 20s. Quote:
Originally Posted by blacksport Well, I don't see any starbucks employee wanting to flee from America and take refuge in Cuba where they boast of free healthcare, free food, free college, free everything. Another country called USSR who provided free everything collapsed a few decades ago. |
Are you confusing socialism with communism? Why don't you think or Denmark, Netherlands or Norway when you think of free healthcare or free college? They are democracies too. Quote:
Originally Posted by blacksport And now one dumb Ocasio Cortez talks about paying people "unwilling to work" and there are people hailing her as a economics whizkid. |
Yes, calling socio-economists as dumb is a favourite pastime for people trained only in business economics. I was in your shoes for a long time before life experiences and exposure to sociology forced me to evolve in my thinking. Quote:
Originally Posted by blacksport I still don't get the fascination of wanting everything free. I thought we all wanted to live on our own terms and money. After all what right do I have to someone else's money even if he was born more privileged than me? And giving free stuff to the "needy" is a disservice to those people who worked their way to prosperity. |
Yes, that's exactly how the thinking goes when everything works in your favour. I used to be very against pension. I mean, why should people get paid after retirement for decades without contributing to the society? It was only when my father passed away at 83 (3 weeks short), I realised something. My father hadn't taken a single rupee from me in the 20+ years of retirement, and even managed to save money and left quite a few FDs in bank in the names of his grandkids. After retirement, he and my mother lived in dignity without having to depend on us kids. How do you put a price on it? I no more grudge pension.
I have two sons, one is 18 and normal, the other is 12 and autistic. The autistic one will never be an useful member to the society, he will always be a dependent and will even require constant supervision all his life. Still, 3 of remaining family members spends most of our spare time caring for him and a big portion of my income goes towards his treatment, and has forced my family to live in Bangalore for his treatment while my company is in Udupi. If I think like a businessman, I should be doing very little for him. But I am thinking like a parent, so I practice socialism at home, and take care of the weak and the needy first.
A good society is the one which takes care their elderly, needy and the weak. It is no different than a family, where dependents like grandparents and children are treated well even though they earn nothing.
That is why a good society can't think or run like business, then only the well earning minority will enjoy while the rest of them live in poverty.
Last edited by Samurai : 19th February 2019 at 12:13.
Reason: typo
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