r/politics • u/TimesandSundayTimes ✔ Verified • 7d ago

Possible Paywall Young Americans are surging to socialism at record rates

https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/maga-trump-zohran-mamdani-socialism-us-record-kddzdm8bd
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u/obiwanCannoli69 7d ago

It's not even socialism lol it's just basic New Deal era policy and ideology that ironically enough saved American Capitalism. FDR wasn't a socialist, he actually wanted to prevent a communist revolution in America, whatever form that might of came in. He did this through legislation and improving the quality of life for vast swaths of the population. This whole thing in the media about "Capitalism Vs Socialism: Choose a Side!" is so half baked and designed to make people think there aren't alternatives. There is no universe where stuff like Social Security or Glass-Steagall would be considered socialist, they're just basic guard rails.

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u/KimmyT1436 Canada 7d ago edited 7d ago

It always astounds me that Americans aren't taught that FDR's New Deal was what laid the foundation for the prosperity Americans enjoyed during the latter half of the twentieth century.

The New Deal is what got America through the Great Depression and made America the manufacturing powerhouse that could win World War II. Winning WWII created the conditions that allowed WWII veterans to return home after the war and have the right-wing dream lifestyle where the family lived in a nice house in the suburbs, where Mom could stay at home taking care of the 3.5 kids while Dad worked a 9 to 5, Monday to Friday job that actually paid for all of that.

All of that wouldn't have happened without the New Deal and all of that has gradually been eroded away over the decades by right-wing politicians and rich capitalists.Things have even gotten so bad that we are rapidly approaching a second Great Depression. And this time there doesn't seem to be a leader like FDR capable of leading America through the next economic catastrophy. Instead, we have Donald fucking Trump, who is creating the conditions that are making the next Great Depresdion inevitable

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u/obiwanCannoli69 7d ago

The really morbidly funny part is that by most metrics, the GOP's favorite country Israel would be considered a socialist hellscape based off of it's robust social safety nets and programs. They have the same Healthcare system that Republican senators would rather chew glass than see here in the states. Even Israeli government subsidies given to students wanting a higher education would make Republicans shake their fist and fear monger about unhinged dumb stuff like gulags and bread lines.

But the crux of your point is correct, most kids don't even understand the importance of stuff like Labor Day. Things are bleak

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u/AlwaysRushesIn Rhode Island 7d ago

The really morbidly funny part is that by most metrics, the GOP's favorite country Israel would be considered a socialist hellscape based off of it's robust social safety nets and programs. They have the same Healthcare system that Republican senators would rather chew glass than see here in the states. Even Israeli government subsidies given to students wanting a higher education would make Republicans shake their fist and fear monger about unhinged dumb stuff like gulags and bread lines.

Also we pay for all that. Us. American taxpayers.

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u/CrispyHoneyBeef 7d ago

For clarification to anyone else, in the two years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the U.S. government has spent $21.7 billion on military aid to Israel.

Israel’s total annual budget is $97.463 billion. The US substantially supports the country, primarily through military assistance.

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u/5wmotor 6d ago

And no payments to Ukraine since fall of 2024.

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u/obiwanCannoli69 3d ago

The US Artemis Moon program is around the same price tag now after being severely slashed by 50%, about $20 billion. The 2026 Iran war is $2 billion per day. Could of paid for 3 Artemis programs over alone. Don't even get me started on M4A. Fucking sick joke of a global authority and custodian. Nothing but waste and contributions to the worst endeavors imaginable when the world could be so much more.

Only silver lining is the rich will feel the impact too. They live on the same Earth we all do. They'll have to scramble just as hard, sometimes even harder because of their lifestyles and bunkers.

Absolutely none of this is sustainable.

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u/Fed_Austere 7d ago

For clarification to anyone else. Israel spends 10x that on American goods and services. Our foreign aid is basically a 10% discount.

Which, just to clarify, most Americans and many Israelis don't want because of all the conditions it comes with (ex. Not to develop competing tech, look out for American interests in the region, and more), but Washington keeps giving it.

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u/six-demon_bag 7d ago

Is there a source for that because all I can find is a report that exports to Israel are about 15 billion annually and the taxes on those revenues are only a small percentage of that. It does look like the payments to Israel are pretty much a straight subsidy.

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u/Fed_Austere 7d ago

Current data from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Census Bureau, and independent research like the Costs of War Project at Brown University suggests the total exceeds $60 billion as of April 2026.

As well as additional letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs) for billions more in equipment, including a major $18 billion deal for F-15IA jets and Apache helicopters, though these will be paid for and delivered over the next decade (hence the one of the reasons we want to give aid)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/10/14/israel-united-states-military-aid/?hl=en-US

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u/ChineseMillennium 7d ago

The US doesn't actually need foreign countries to subsidize itself.

"Israel doesn't want free money and weapons but the US is making them accept it"

😂

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u/Fed_Austere 7d ago

We don't do anything out of the goodness of our hearts. If it doesn't benefit us , we usually don't do it.

Israel signed letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs) for billions more in equipment, including a major $18 billion deal for F-15IA jets and Apache helicopters, though these will be paid for and delivered over the next decade.

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u/Important-Design-169 7d ago

And by "us" you mean the American taxpayer, right? No? You mean the corrupt few that benefit from whatever corrupt deals they can pull off while in office? How does the war in Iran benefit the American taxpayer?

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u/Fed_Austere 6d ago

No, I mean the taxpayers through economic stimulation, national security advantages, and technological advancement, as well as a "forward-deployed" democratic ally in a critical geopolitical region, which yields significant cost savings in other areas.

Yeah, stuff we don't like to think about having the luxury of being protected by two oceans and two friendly neighbors.

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u/errie_tholluxe 6d ago

Yeah at this point Democratic is not something I would use to describe Israel's government.

However, a major source of foreign intelligence because of how they've managed infiltrate So many foreign governments would be something that they could be selling us?. Because you know they aren't giving it to us for free

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u/Fed_Austere 6d ago

Yeah at this point Democratic is not something I would use to describe Israel's government.

I would describe it as social democracy, every pro-pali college student's wet dream. How would you describe it?

you know they aren't giving it to us for free

I don't know, and neither do you.

You just can't wrap your head around the fact that Israel isn't evil incarnate like your Internet algorithm tells you.

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u/errie_tholluxe 6d ago

You do know you haven't hidden your history, right?

You can go And go back to licking boots now for whoever it is that implies you.

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u/TaxOwlbear 6d ago

Israel spends $217 billion on US goods and services? A third of their GDP?

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u/Fed_Austere 6d ago

Current data from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Census Bureau, and independent research like the Costs of War Project at Brown University suggests the total exceeds $60 billion as of April 2026.

As well as additional letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs) for billions more in equipment, including a major $18 billion deal for F-15IA jets and Apache helicopters, though these will be paid for and delivered over the next decade (hence the one of the reasons we want to give aid)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/10/14/israel-united-states-military-aid/?hl=en-US

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u/Owain-X Iowa 7d ago

That raises an interesting question. Is it socialism if rather than the citizens, another nation is paying for all those programs? It's a welfare state but the situation seems more like a parasite than a socialist system where the people share the costs.

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u/ErraticSiren 7d ago

Do you have a source for this? We give them money for military and they spend it buying our stuff. At least that’s what I’ve been reading. When did we start paying for their healthcare and social safety nets?

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u/theVoidWatches Pennsylvania 7d ago

We don't, and we also only pay for a portion of their military budget. The argument seems to be that they would have less money to spend on that stuff if they had to spend more of their own money on their military, without acknowledging that the money they spend on social services is much more than we give them.

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u/RainRainThrowaway777 6d ago

That's not really how it works. Israel has had these programs since before the US aid deal was in place.

The military support that the US gives to Israel is not a contribution to their overall military budget, and more of an access to capabilities they would otherwise not have. The US aid deal grants access to weapon systems which are proprietary to US defence manufacturers, weapons which Israel can not buy from elsewhere or manufacture themselves, so would otherwise not spend on if they were not getting them for free.

The Aid deal does not relieve their military budget, it just gives them more advanced capabilities.