Response to the rebuttal of my previous article: Socialism vs Capitalism

Day 741, 21:16 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by Brian Boru
Article in Question

"I honestly don't see how socialism could be good for anyone. Personally, I would like to be able to do what I wish and when. Those who honestly believe in socialism, put your money where you mouth is and go live in china. That being said, here are the arguments presented by the other side:"

You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding about socialism, Senator McCarthy.
China wears the label, but socialism's fundamental doctrine has always been a combination of direct, workplace and representative democracy. However, this little spat about socialism is irrelevant, as Irish capitalists have long agreed on the worth of our state companies, after all, it was one of Ireland's most prominent capitalists who created them in the first place.

&quot😉ue to the unusual nature of erepublik where a nation is started from simply nothing which can't possibly happen in the real world, socialized companies may do some good for awhile, but not indefinitely."

Ireland is a demonstration of state companies working extremely effectively.
Consecutive Irish Ministers for Finance, including myself and many passionate capitalists, have recognised the value of these companies.

"You do realize that skill level 0's are only that way for 2 days right? For a start up company, employing level 0's for two days, and it's likely they'll stick around for a good while, at least until they're about level 3. Especially if you given them food and advice along the way. A lot of times, skill level 1 and 2 jobs are way too overpriced for companies to make a profit, therefore they hire a skill 0, and lost a few cents a day till he levels up. It's not bad business, it's strategy."

Irish business owners have disagreed with that "strategy" for a long time, they seek productive workers. Businesses exist to make profits, the training of workers is an unprofitable enterprise, therefore the state fosters good business by training workers via state companies and releasing them at a productive point in time. That system has worked successfully for almost a year now. Furthermore, the products that the workers create can be used for military purposes.

"The duty of the state? That's a matter of opinion. When economics is used for political maneuvering it's often a bad thing, especially when others are depending on it."

Where the market fails, it is the duty of the state to step in. If you don't, people suffer, then emigrate or go inactive. Fear of state intervention for the sake of it never got anyone anywhere.

"It's not speculation if you have witnessed it within your own company"

Anecdotal evidence hardly has weight when there are many business voices to the contrary.

"Wrong, I always pay my workers well, it doesn't mean they always stick around. However, I had an employer that I talked with regularly and helped out with planning his business and I stuck with him even after finding better job opportunities, loyalty is an important part of business."

Another great anecdote with no weight.
People do not choose jobs based on the owner most of the time, they choose them because of the wages paid on the job market advertisement.

Loyalty to the business should be, and is, fundamentally linked with the return of the fruit of labour via wages, any sentiment otherwise is a poor attempt at screwing workers for the benefit of the owner. In the eUnited States, such sentiments are common due to the history of the real US.
Seo e Éire, eMeiriceánach!

"Right, but what about the rates of only a handful of low skill players staying for long periods of time to play the game? They don't emigrate, because they can't, they don't have the knowledge base nor the funds, so they simply quit."

Destroying these workers' state jobs would help them how exactly?
The job security in the early days helps to retain more new players, not the opposite.
The vast majority of Irish businesses simply do not want to hire them in the necessary numbers to retain them, and I can't really blame the businesses on that, they're not moneymakers.

"This point I actually very much agree on with you."

Thank you, but you don't seem to understand eIreland very well...

"Who is screwing over new players? Socialism doesn't help, business owners can help things on their own. "

No state jobs for new players leads to a mass shortage of jobs for those workers, which in turn leads to more of those players quitting. Our job market simply does not wish to fill the gap, and pretending it does is ignorance.

I await your response.

Raise the Scarlet standard high,
Within its shade, we live and die,
Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,
We'll keep the Red Flag flying here!

Brian Boru,
Socialist.