Berlin to freeze rents for five years

Not true, Venezuela is not socialist. The failure of Venezuela is due to corruption and extreme capitalism. Their curse of oil wealth enabled a small oligarchy to become obscenely rich (like in Russia) while hurting the masses since there was little incentive to diversify the country into other industries. Social programs which helped garner votes were dependent on oil prices and floundered when depressed oil prices or sanctions hit.

 

Read an economics book once in a while - the whole reason Germany is booming at the moment is because of these immigrants.

The difference between Germany and Italy is Germany knows how to put them to work fast (eg Mittelstand method) and based on how quickly they integrated the East Germans.....they'll be fine.

This said fixing rents for 5 years.....yeh uhm thats not going to work.

 

Its Hugo Chavez, now Maduro's Socialist fat slimming policies in action.

 

Ummmm, Venezuela is definitely socialist - true socialist.

The first thing Chavez did was nationalise oil and energy production. Energy was put under government control, it became "free", and voila - no one gets energy.

This is the great irony of when governments mandate or give away stuff for "free", the result is that you run out of that thing. There is no mechanism to bring it to market once prices are abolished.

Soviets were socialists, Nazi's were socialists, Khmer Rouge were socialists, Mugabe was a socialist, Mussolini declared himself a lifelong socialist after he created the Fascist party (national socialism). The list goes on.

There are lots of things wrong in the capitalist countries, but these are the parts of the economy where governments intervene to block capitalism (ie healthcare, education, banking and energy usually).

Rent controls don't work.

Socialism is stupid, mean, violent and immoral.

 

Fake news. But keep going its entertaining.

 

@John_BridgeToBricks , Capitalism is not a magic bullet either. Look at Healthcare and Education in the US. How is that working for them?

 

Healthcare and education are free market in the US? Both are heavily regulated and subsidised by governments. They don't have universal healthcare, but they have Medicare and Medicaid (free to the poor, free to those over 55yrs). They also can't buy health insurance across state lines. But to the extent that the free market exists, don't forget, the US invents all of the medical advancements. Medial innovations are not coming out of Europe.

Education in the US is where capitalism goes to die. All of the debt behind the universities is guaranteed by government; interest rates on student loans are pushed lower by government mandate, and student loans are excluded by bankruptcy.
How To Get The Government Out Of The Student Loan Business

I agree it doesn't work, but it's not because they let free markets rip.

 

Its failing because of the system not because of capitalism ,

If i remember correctly they spend more per capita than we do.
Although it is later in the cycle of the issue( that is person is already sick and enters hospital for free treatment because they didnt get treated by doctor earlier ) Hospital emergency is a more expensive door to treat patience than a doctor who would have been cheaper earlier in the sickness been cheaper if treated earlier.

 

Well, the US treatment is also better. And patients typically don't wait as long, and are more likely to survive.

So if "free" is the only criteria for a good system, then it would rate lowly. If surviving and getting good treatment is a priority, then the US would rate well.

 

I know how the economic theory of mass migration works on GDP in short term.

I also know what it does the the housing market and affordability. Yes supply and demand.

 

Incorrect

Study ranks Australian healthcare system among world's best

 

Should all markets be unregulated?

I don't like using extreme examples but I am tired and lazy so here goes. Human labour, what regulation should apply? Any? If we go far enough removing regulation we get to indentured servitude. It really gets **** done. You couldn't build the pyramids back then without it. Plus you could trade the people if you didn't have a use for them at the end.

Is the fact we don't allow this socialist?

 

A few of the big cities also have regulations on thermostat settings.

 

No.. None of these regimes were socialist in the context we are discussing. Certainly not extreme far right fascist dictatorships like Nazis and Mussolini (despite what Breitbart might tell you because the word "socialist" is in there). Mussolini was only socialist very early on before he gained power and embraced fascism. Calling Khmer Rouge socialist is like calling Nazis capitalist. It´s BS hyperbole used by the far right to demonize socialist programs that work.

Disagree. A degree of socialism is needed in society and it works across the essential areas of life .. health, education, security, ... and accommodation (this thread)

 

Not sure if you really understand the US system. I work for a US company and know a US citizen who was so afraid of losing her job, because she knew that if she lost her insurance she will die! That’s the rubbish, useless and overly expensive US healthcare system that some tend to drum up. Just like the crap education system they have beyond a few “ivy” institutions.

 

1 point I don't think you can pick a choose socialism it's an ideology much like religion.

Although even a capitalist structure has many social concepts.
Welfare
Free Health care and so on.

Having lived through a socialist rule I for one would not wish it up on any one.

 

Yeah - a guy I know was self-employed - paid for a policy to cover his wife and 2 kids. 24k USD for a yearly policy and he said that was barebones - with massive deductibles and co-pays required.

Was one of the reasons he took up a salaried job, to get the benefits.

There is a study that health care benefits - is actually holding back entrepreneurs.

 

Yes the US health system is a complete disaster, negative effects on employment choices, & people die and are bankrupted because of its failures. Every single country in western Europe has far better health systems, but they are "socialist", a dirty word in the US.

 

I'm pretty sure that Cochlear implants were a Strayan invention (the sign on their head office says so). Furthermore, although many of the advancements may not be solely Australian but our medical R&D have led to major discoveries and changes to treatments (HIV, stretchable skin for burns victims and the like spring to mind).

 

I hope so.
Let me qualify my statement:
The reason this happened is because rents have skyrocketed in the past decade. Should there be a say 50% increase in rents in real terms over the next decade, I'd have absolutely no problem with not being able to increase rents for 5 years after!