Suicide run

[dandi]

RainDog  (1000+ posts)        Sat Sep-25-10 09:39 PM
Original message
Majority of Americans Want Swedish-Style Democracy and Income (Tax) Redistribution
 http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/poll-wealth-distribu... /


Americans generally underestimate the degree of income inequality in the United States, and if given a choice, would distribute wealth in a similar way to the social democracies of Scandinavia, a new study finds.

For decades, polls have shown that a plurality of Americans -- around 40 percent -- consider themselves conservative, while only around 20 percent self-identify as liberals. But a new study from two noted economists casts doubt on what values lie beneath those political labels.

According to research (PDF at link) carried out by Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School and Dan Ariely of Duke University, and flagged by Paul Kedrosky at the Infectious Greed blog, 92 percent of Americans would choose to live in a society with far less income disparity than the US, choosing Sweden's model over that of the US.

What's more, the study's authors say that this applies to people of all income levels and all political leanings: The poor and the rich, Democrats and Republicans are all equally likely to choose the Swedish model.


In other words, if Americans don't see a label meant to scare them, the majority want social democracy in this nation.

70% of Americans want universal health care.

70% of Americans want legal medical marijuana.

Yet what do you hear and read about in the American media? The Dick Armey teabagger pov. The Koch brother DLC pov. The tears of that clown, Glenn Beck. You read lies from the DEA. You hear the Republicans want to continue cutting taxes for the rich (along with some of their blue dog buddies... you know who you are, you scum.)

If I were a teacher and I was grading American politicians and media they would get an F.

They continually fail the American people. I, for one, have HAD IT.

Democrats have the majority. We have the executive branch. Americans want good government that represents the will of the people, not this forced wage slavery that is the Reagan legacy.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9201612#9206451

NatlAnthem (7 posts)      Sun Sep-26-10 09:06 PM
Response to Original message
166. Liar
 Great headline, liar. That poll does not say Americans want to redistribute or have socialism. It says a random set of people wish everyone got everything. Of course only a handful would say no to that fantasy. Try asking if people want that through stealing from their neighbors, or choosing some to die, or by designating a medical slave class to treat everyone for the same pay as the guy who sits on the couch. You Dems are such idiots to listen to this bs. Get the hell off my lawn, out of my pocket, and stop stealing from my family.

Your handlers on this forum will of course use some name calling next, then twist some more poll numbers, or say I am rich and greedy, or some tired strategy.

RainDog  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 09:23 PM
Response to Reply #166
169. Take it up with the guys who did the study
 Edited on Sun Sep-26-10 09:24 PM by RainDog
I'm just passing along the information.

Did you read the pdf? Did you join DU just to call me a liar? LOL. good. glad it made you angry.

They are the ones who, in the article, say that Americans prefer the Swedish model. The article puts the information in context with this paragraph:


Disagreements about the optimal level of wealth inequality underlie policy debates ranging from taxation to welfare. We attempt to insert the desires of "regular" Americans into these debates, by asking a nationally representative online panel to estimate the current distribution of wealth in the United States and to "build a better America" by constructing distribution with their ideal level of inequality. First, respondents dramatically underestimated the current level of wealth inequality. Second, respondents contructed ideal wealth distributions that were far more equitable than even their erroneously low estimates of actual distribution. Most importantly from a policy perspective, we observed a surprising level of consensus: All demographic groups -- even those usually not associated with wealth distribution such as Republicans and the wealthy -- desired a more equal distribution of wealth than the status quo.


iow, you are (probably purposefully) misinterpreting the study.

and, just to say... LOLOL!!!! My "handlers" on this forum? You sound like you might need to check your tin foil and adjust your settings because you sound like more than a bit of your beckerhead is exploding.

I bet it just kills you to know that most Americans are not as nasty and full of putrid hatred as you are.

oops.

RainDog  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 09:30 PM
Response to Reply #166
171. btw, I bet you're on medicare  
 Edited on Sun Sep-26-10 09:30 PM by RainDog
or one of your family members is. and I bet you're all for it. most right wing idiots are just this stupid and hypocritical.

are you the guy with the sign that reads, "Get a clue, Morans?"

did you hope to "refudiate" this study from two professors at two of the most prestigious universities in the U.S.?

flvegan  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 09:56 PM
Response to Reply #166
174. Speaking of "tired strategy"
 7 posts to proving oneself a douchebag. Yeah, pretty tired.

Critters2  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 10:02 PM
Response to Reply #166
175. "You Dems"? I'll bet someone will be willing to share some pizza  
 with you soon!

 

RainDog  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 10:06 PM
Response to Reply #175
176. I'm still trying to find my handlers... wtf??!?!

Commie Pinko Dirtbag  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 10:15 PM
Response to Reply #166
179. Ooooo, a live one.
 Hey.

**** you.

You're a chimpanzee flinging feces.

You are to be pointed at and laughed at.

As expected, none actually try to refute anything he/she said.

Overseas  (1000+ posts)        Sun Sep-26-10 09:29 PM
Response to Original message
170. I was fascinated by different paragraphs in the study, showing how Americans underestimate  
 wealth inequality in the USA. Propaganda has successfully distracted Americans from recognizing the great inequality that built up again since the Reagan era and moved right on to the Bush Crash and Bush Bailout.

The reason people don't know about the "inequality" is that most people don't give a shit, ya dumbass. Normal people strive to provide and do the best they can for themselves and their families without regard for how much better Joe Blow across town is doing. They realize it's not a zero-sum game wherein it means that "if Joe has more that means I necessarily have to have less."

Only a relative handfull of developmentally stunted malcontents like yourself sit around and stew all day over people who have more.
 

 
  
      
 



 
 
 
  
 
 

[thundley4]

No surprise there.

Name removed (0 posts)           Sun Sep-26-10 09:06 PM
Response to Original message
166. Deleted message
   
Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Karin]

Well, thanks for saving it.  At the very end the thread, someone mentions that the study is 5 years old.  I think current sentiments are much different, no matter how flawed or not the study is. 

[zeitgeist]

One will often note that dummies accuse those they disagree with of greed.  They of course are guilty of the sin of ENVY. 

What it is: Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.

Why you do it: Because other people are so much luckier, smarter, more attractive, and better than you.

That about sums up your average dummy.

[blitzkrieg_17]

"70% of those polled" does not mean "70% of Americans", morons.