Oh and according to Public Citizen, Gilead made $5,400,000,000 last year.

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

If I did I don't think I would have condemned Ayn Rand. Russia is becoming a Randian paradise with strong men ruling a kleptocracy by force. We don't want that. [quote] it's foolish to allow a few with power to hoard the resources for themselves while others go hungry, live out doors, and die for lack of healthcare.

Democratic Socialism with a capitalist underpinning seems to work the best. Full on collectivism is really stupid because it will always be undermined by natural greed and selfish behavior; Collectivism is just as stupid as Honda being allowed to build a factory in SC and pay no taxes to SC or the county where it is located while the state has to build and maintain infrastructure to the factory and use public police and fire to protect the factory while the government has to derive the taxes from citizen wages and property.

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A couple of points. I probably should have asked you to define what you mean by "collectivism", for me it's a principle of common ownership of the means of production and an end to the private ownership of the same. I'm not suggesting all outcomes be equal, I am suggesting that through automation and technology, we have the capability to produce more than enough to meet the basic needs of everyone. Beyond that, people should be free to spend their time as they will. Some may surf, some may create art, some may labor to create items to sell if they so choose.

The "unproductive" people you mention are not lazy workers, they are the capitalists who accumulate wealth by taking a portion of the value realized by the labor of others. Landlords as well. They are not producers, they are takers and parasites. I also challenge your notion that people would not work without "a stick". The vast majority would love to do work that they find fulfilling, and with 100% of the population participating there would only be enough "work" to take up may be four hours per day.

People act in their self interest because they are taught to from the earliest age. We just as easily could raise generations who know that working together we all benefit and there is no reason to be greedy, as there's enough for everyone. People try to "game" things because they're taught that life is a "game" where you have to try and "win" while others are destined to "lose". That's taught for a purpose, it re-enforces the notion that those who have all the advantages deserve it because they are "better".

And I also thing you're confused democratic socialism with social democracy, which is a common mistake. Socialism is not compatible with capitalism, but social democracy is another term for welfare capitalism. Cars are a bad example maybe, but under socialism if there's something the people need, we create it in common in quantity sufficient that those who need it will have it. There's no need to go around the world looking for the cheapest possible labor so you make the most profit selling the car somewhere else.

You don't raise cows to "give away", you raise cows because that's what you enjoy and people need protein. The farmer doesn't have to buy the feed for another crop, the people who need to crop ensure the feed is available. Our needs are all intertwined, and the same for our responsibility to each other.

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

Oh and a reminder that Gilead is also the company that sells Truvada for $2,000 to Americans but in Australia it costs $8.

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti