SOCIALISM: advocates that the means of production should be owned by the community as a whole

[brooklynite]

Power to the people: Bernie calls for federal takeover of electricity production

Sen. Bernie Sanders has put nationalizing health insurance at the center of his presidential campaign, but his proposal to fight climate change also calls for a government takeover of a fundamental segment of the economy — electricity production.

Sanders has laid out a $16 trillion climate change plan that would transition U.S. electricity generation away from fossil fuels to renewable resources like wind, solar and hydropower by 2030. That’s far faster than any other Democratic candidate's target and sets a pace that rivals like former Vice President Joe Biden say is unrealistic.

And like Sanders' healthcare plan, the green energy push would muscle many of the country's biggest companies out of the business.

A Sanders administration would pour funding into the four existing "power marketing administrations" that are overseen by the Energy Department, as well as the Tennessee Valley Authority and one newly created entity, to vastly expand their solar, wind and geothermal power production. Those organizations currently provide power from hydroelectric dams to 33 states, and would be able to sell the increased green energy to local utilities nationwide — creating a sort of "public option" that would compete with the coal, natural gas and nuclear plants owned by privately owned power generators.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/02/bernie-sanders-climate-federal-electricity-production-110117

[Recursion]

1. Side thought, I wonder what Marx would make of a largely service-sector economy

What's the "means of production" for a hair salon? The business license? The building? The equipment? The skill?

[brooklynite]

2. "Means of production" is generally understood to refer to resources rather than all businesses.

[Recursion]

3. Right, but manufacturing, agriculture, and mining together employ about 20% of the workforce

It's a much different world than the one he lived in.

[robbedvoter]

14. Both actually. Everything.

In Socialism you can only be a state employee. Very poorly paid. Unless of course you are one of the 0.0001% who grabs it all and have Swiss accounts while everyone starves. It's been known to happen.

[Scurrilous]

17. I've met tons of people who got the fuck out of communist countries.

The saying -'You pretend to pay us, we pretend to work.'



Thievery is their signature move.


Daniel Inc: How Nicaragua's Ortega financed a political dynasty

"Since taking office in 2007, Daniel Ortega has funneled more than $4 billion in Venezuelan petro-dollars through 'Albanisa', a spider's web of companies controlled by the Sandinista Front, outside state controls. The accumulated Venezuelan debt now hangs over the country, dwarfing the financial crisis over its social security system that sparked massive street protests."

https://www.univision.com/univision-news/latin-america/daniel-inc-how-nicaraguas-ortega-financed-a-political-dynasty

[brooklynite]

5. Nobody here hates Socialists; they're just not electable nationally.

[brooklynite]

7. In 2016, Democrats had an opportunity to nominate Sanders and he got 43%. This year...

...Sanders is drawing (checks notes) 24%.

[Scurrilous]

9. ...

[Sloumeau]

13. +1

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. Maybe. FDR created the TVA. That proved to be pretty popular

[Sloumeau]

12. +1

[Scurrilous]

11. Bernie will simply run an extension cord to Canada.

'Workers of the World, Unlight!'

'Peace, Bread, Land, Candle.' :

Intermittent Power to the People.

[LongtimeAZDem]

15. +1

[DanTex]

16. Oh, the humanity! He wants to transition away from fossil fuels faster than other candidates!!

Why would he want to do a thing like that?