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This is a well-established fact in Economics. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-is-driving-growth-in-government-spending/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/f

This is a well-established fact in Economics. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-is-driving-growth-in-government-spending/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-is-driving-growth-... Annual spending growth (inflation adjusted) on various components of social welfare spending (1972 - 2011): >Pensions and retirement: 4.4% >Healthcare: 5.7% >Welfare: 4.1% Annual economic growth over the time frame: >2.7% This is annual growth, over a course of 40 years, resulting a massive increase in social welfare spending as a percentage of GDP.

jahaja 6y ago
How on earth does that substantiate that the US has made "a massive shift to social democracy"? What typical social democratic welfare state benefits have been introduced during that time? Please link to a single well-established social scientist or respectable political commentator that backs up that outrageous claim.
- CryptoPunk 6y ago
  You don't know how on Earth evidence of a massive increase in social welfare spending, as a percentage of GDP, substantiates the claim that the US has massively shifted to social democracy? Why are we even having a discussion right now, if you're going to engage in such bad faith? >>What typical social democratic welfare state benefits have been introduced during that time? How about you do your own homework. Start with the Medicare Act of 1965, and then continue down the laundry list of social assistance programs provided by local, state and federal government, that have been instituted and expanded since 1960.
  - jahaja 6y ago
    Increases in social spending has no direct relation to "a massive shift to social democracy". Especially in a system where for example healthcare gobbles up vast amount of resources due to too many middlemen and profit motives. > How about you do your own homework. No, no and no. You're making extra-ordinary claims and should provide extra-ordinary evidence. The fact that you can't, never mention to provide some source, or mention a prominent person that actually uses sources that promotes this position, about this "massive social democratic shift" just indicate that you're basically just making this up by yourself using conjecture about policies you deem "socialistic".
    - CryptoPunk 6y ago
      A massive increase in social welfare spending, as a percentage of GDP, IS a massive transition to the social democracy side of the free-market : social-democracy spectrum. Your mental gymnastics, to argue that the particular composition of social welfare programs doesn't qualify the US as a social democracy, even while government is spending a significant portion of GDP on it, is the old 'No True Scotsman' fallacy the socialists are well-known for, that you are now adapting to social-democracy apologism. >You're making extra-ordinary claims and should provide extra-ordinary evidence. No, you should do your own homework on what social programs have been instituted in the US since 1960, given the information is readily available and known to anyone with moderate knowledge of the course of US economic history. You're being pedantic and acting in bad faith.
      - jahaja 6y ago
        Sigh, another non-reply. If this is so blatant as you claim you should be able to tell me who the authority on this massive shift to social democracy in the US is, because this is so market fundamentalistic that I think that you're just making shit up.
        CryptoPunk 6y ago
        I just showed you statistics showing a massive increase in the share of GDP being redistributed by government for social welfare outlays, and your response was to completely dismiss the relevancy of that fact and persist in your extremist commitment to your narrative.
        jahaja 6y ago
        Yes, and I explained why I dismissed it. It has no relation to social democracy. Why are you digging deeper instead of just posting something to back up your point? I'm from a classically social democratic country and I see absolutely no trace at all of that in that period nor today in the US. So I'm dumbfounded about how you can make such a claim. But since you're clearly unwilling to back it up beyond some vague associations to social spending I'll assume that you're a troll now.

jahaja 6y ago

How on earth does that substantiate that the US has made "a massive shift to social democracy"? What typical social democratic welfare state benefits have been introduced during that time? Please link to a single well-established social scientist or respectable political commentator that backs up that outrageous claim.

CryptoPunk 6y ago
You don't know how on Earth evidence of a massive increase in social welfare spending, as a percentage of GDP, substantiates the claim that the US has massively shifted to social democracy? Why are we even having a discussion right now, if you're going to engage in such bad faith? >>What typical social democratic welfare state benefits have been introduced during that time? How about you do your own homework. Start with the Medicare Act of 1965, and then continue down the laundry list of social assistance programs provided by local, state and federal government, that have been instituted and expanded since 1960.
- jahaja 6y ago
  Increases in social spending has no direct relation to "a massive shift to social democracy". Especially in a system where for example healthcare gobbles up vast amount of resources due to too many middlemen and profit motives. > How about you do your own homework. No, no and no. You're making extra-ordinary claims and should provide extra-ordinary evidence. The fact that you can't, never mention to provide some source, or mention a prominent person that actually uses sources that promotes this position, about this "massive social democratic shift" just indicate that you're basically just making this up by yourself using conjecture about policies you deem "socialistic".
  - CryptoPunk 6y ago
    A massive increase in social welfare spending, as a percentage of GDP, IS a massive transition to the social democracy side of the free-market : social-democracy spectrum. Your mental gymnastics, to argue that the particular composition of social welfare programs doesn't qualify the US as a social democracy, even while government is spending a significant portion of GDP on it, is the old 'No True Scotsman' fallacy the socialists are well-known for, that you are now adapting to social-democracy apologism. >You're making extra-ordinary claims and should provide extra-ordinary evidence. No, you should do your own homework on what social programs have been instituted in the US since 1960, given the information is readily available and known to anyone with moderate knowledge of the course of US economic history. You're being pedantic and acting in bad faith.
    - jahaja 6y ago
      Sigh, another non-reply. If this is so blatant as you claim you should be able to tell me who the authority on this massive shift to social democracy in the US is, because this is so market fundamentalistic that I think that you're just making shit up.
      - CryptoPunk 6y ago
        I just showed you statistics showing a massive increase in the share of GDP being redistributed by government for social welfare outlays, and your response was to completely dismiss the relevancy of that fact and persist in your extremist commitment to your narrative.
        jahaja 6y ago
        Yes, and I explained why I dismissed it. It has no relation to social democracy. Why are you digging deeper instead of just posting something to back up your point? I'm from a classically social democratic country and I see absolutely no trace at all of that in that period nor today in the US. So I'm dumbfounded about how you can make such a claim. But since you're clearly unwilling to back it up beyond some vague associations to social spending I'll assume that you're a troll now.