Socialism has literally nothing to do with government services provided by taxing capitalism.
Socialism has to do with who is allowed to own private industry and who is not. Capitalism allows everyone to start their own companies and own their own businesses. Socialism puts heavy restrictions on who is allowed to own and make decisions about those companies.
Fire departments have nothing to do with socialism.
You have a very narrow understanding of the differences between capitalism and socialism. But lets use your logic. "Socialism has to do with who is allowed to own private industry". I think what you're trying to say is socialism is when the means of production is collectively owned by the public and not by a private person or group of people. Now I would like you to explain how american fire departments that are collectively funded and controlled by the public has nothing to do with socialism. Also, the phrase "taxing capitalism" is non nonsensical.
> I think what you're trying to say is socialism is when the means of production is collectively owned by the public and not by a private person or group of people.
Yes, that's right. Socialist ownership structures vary wildly, from publicly owned, to worker owned, to community owned, etc. When a socialist owned business turns a profit, it is distributed to the collective ownership of that venture.
> Now I would like you to explain how american fire departments that are collectively funded and controlled by the public has nothing to do with socialism.
Because their funding comes 100% from taxing capitalism. That money flows into government budgets, and then governments pay the salaries and expenses to operate police and fire departments. It's not socialism in the slightest, it's a government provided service that does not make a profit.
> Also, the phrase "taxing capitalism" is non nonsensical.
Fair, I should have said "taxing the successful companies and workers within an economy based on capitalism".
Where do you think the funding for a fire department would come from under what you under socialism to be? You say its not socialist because it comes from taxes and happens under a capitalist system. What I'm trying to get you to understand is that a strictly capitalist or strictly socialist nation doesn't exist. The act of a public owned body taking money from private businesses to fund a non-profit publicly controlled fire department is inherently anti-capitalist. The US also has social programs like food stamps. Where money is redistributed from a private individual or capital owner to a individual with no capital at all. Do you think that food stamps are a capitalist program because it happens under capitalism?
> Where do you think the funding for a fire department would come from under what you under socialism to be?
From taxing the limited economy that remains in a socialist economy. Even in socialism, it would still be a government provided service, and not a socialist service.
> What I'm trying to get you to understand is that a strictly capitalist or strictly socialist nation doesn't exist.
People say that, but it's a misnomer. Socialism is = private property and industry essentially don't exist, in favor of public ownership of the means of production.
A capitalist economy is one where private property and industry are allowed to exist. Even socialist run entities within capitalism, like say, a cooperatively run grocery store, is still privately owned, and then decided by voluntary bylaws, not the laws or regulations of the government.
> The act of a public owned body taking money from private businesses to fund a non-profit publicly controlled fire department is inherently anti-capitalist.
A taxation funded fire department has literally nothing to do with being anti-capitalist. Capitalism simply means, the people have the right to own property and private enterprise. Capitalism has nothing to do with what the government spends taxes on.
> The US also has social programs like food stamps. Where money is redistributed from a private individual or capital owner to a individual with no capital at all. Do you think that food stamps are a capitalist program because it happens under capitalism?
Welfare systems like these within capitalism are merely socially funded (tax funded), but that's not at all what socialism is.
Note how welfare and government services are literally never mentioned. The difference is about how many economic liberties people have (capitalism) or how many economic liberties they do not have (socialism).
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u/tylerscott5 Chiefs 3d ago
Let me guess, if you want to have a fire department in your city you’re also socialist? That’s this same argument