[Zhukov]

The Soviet Union went bankrupt during the Cold War.

Did not.

Nothing is guarunteed under a pure, free market. That is, in many ways, the incentive to work. All that aside, I'm no market anarchist. I think basic education should be guarunteed, for example. The fact that Russia doesn't have it does not prove that capitalism did not work for Russia. They should have just maintained a public education system.

Sure, slip that "Incentive" shit in... You are going to have to attack the incentive of work under socialsm/communism if you want to be relevant. Hey, was it you that started that thread about how the entire education system should be completely privatised? Just asking. Besides, Russia does have 'Public' education. It is just that children and young adults have no way to guarantee that they get any education, let alone good education.

50% of Russian adults, eh? Could it be that, perhaps, the women are not working there?

Could be that women aren't working, but how is that an excuse? Women had the same opportunities as men in the USSR, they worked too. Now what? The Feminist movemet in Russia has gone back 100 years. Afghanistan too, and every ex-soviet country.

Could the lack of any regularity in payments be the fault of the police for not enforcing laws against fraud?

Again, whose fault is this? Who runs the police? Police were super corupt under the stainists,they are just as corupt now. Should they be enforcing laws? Of course. Should they have too? No. Society is truly rotting when you have to get police in to make bosses pay workers.

People should be paid. People were paid under the stalinists, the 'freedom' loving Russian capitalists can't even do this; they aren't as well trained as their US counterparts. The Russian Capitalists are truly un-fit to rule.

Army of unemployed? Yeah, right. Entitlement programs and the minimum wage have led to greater unemployment than the free market has.

Err.. The USSR had 100% employment for 90% of th time. (And nearly reached 0 taxes, too!)

You aren't even considering retirees and those who willingly don't work, like strikers, or lazy-ass mofos who live on food stamps.

I didn't think retirees were counted as unemployed, but if they are, ten you aren't even considering that most retirees are dead now (this comes with the extreme poverty. The ave age limit used to be around 75, after the counterrevolution it dropped to 45 before rising to 50/60 - I am not sure of the exact numbers.) and the ones that are still alive have had to go back into the wokforce to survive. Strikers not willing to work? why you little shit, this makes me really angry. I would love to see you work in a a mine someday. Regrdless, strikers are still cosidered employed until they are fired, and this has little importance to Russia since people don't strike there. It was baned under the Stalinsts - so people aren't used to doing it. Also, becasue of the high unemployment there are plenty of scab workers to take over from a striker, and a worker does not want to be replaced. Since ex-Soviet workers are lucky to be paid, they dont want to push their luck by demanding more. What I find funny is that you have the idea that Russia is some kind of welfare state - you may seem to think that greedy welfare queens and dole bludgers are ruining the capitalist dream, but how could anyone survive by relying on the Russian state? Russia does not have any "lazy mofos living off food stamps". People are dying from malnutrition - not lazing aound "living off the taxpayers".

Do I really need to find a paper to tell you that the people were better off under the Czars?

You could at least give it a go, if you dont mind. I need you to if I want to fulfill my next promise...

Care to inform me?

My sentence was meant to have a on the end... I need you to give a fact or a point before I can give a rebuttal.

It was the industrial revolution that raised living standards in the Western world the fastest.

No shit. Hey, lets have another industrial revolution! Oh wait...

By the way: "but the only reason it was industrialized was to increase military capacity. Yeah, industrialisation happenend in the USSR only to make weapons, while in the west it was only to make people healthy, educated and happy.

Without the labour struggles children would still be working in mines. The period directly after the industrial revolutions would be considered a violation of human rights by todays standards. Like I said: the capitalists don't want higher wages, they don't want shorter hours, they don't want to give an inch to the working class - you have to fight them for it.

I find that hilarious. China's living standards have only increased since the move towards capitalism. That is why they have continued the movement.

Yeah, I hear life was peaches and cream before the revolution. But, may I ask you who "They" are? "They" who are 'continuing the movement', that is. Are "They" the workers? Or are the orchestrators of the 'movement' the CCP? IF you say the CCP, then I heartily agree with you - the only reason they are continuing to increase the capitalist reforms are to improve their lives. Are you also saying that the only reason Judas-Gorby thew the USSR to the dogs was because it would improve the living standards of the USSR? If so - please refer to the original article of the thread and refute the points made.

For all you talk about using one country as an example, you sure do focus on the SU.

Eh? What do you mean? All my talk of using one country as an example? Huh? Do you mean that I have said somewhere that one should not focus on a single country so much?

Tell me: which, proportionally, has a better track record - capitalism or socialism?

OH MAN, GOOD QUESTION! How can I get out of answering this one? I have to say Capialism! Because it is the truth! But I do't want to! I am stuffed!

EDIT:SO what is the unemployment rate in the US? 6%? Population? 300mill? http://www.secondworldwar.co.uk/units.html