• Solumbran@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I don’t really get why and how lobbies are even allowed.

    I always thought the correct word to describe it was “corruption” and that it was illegal.

    • folaht@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      Welcome to capitalism, where stuff like this is only illegal in socialist countries.

      • Griffus@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        Like… Denmark? Where it’s legal?

        Of course, our socialist ruling party in Norway recently had several former ministers join various lobbies lately, so there’s that too. Not illegal, though.

          • Griffus@lemmy.zip
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            2 days ago

            The US is capitalistic. Most of Europe is some variation of social democratic, with us up in the Nordics more socialist than further down on the continent.

            Yes, capitalistic values increasingly and intrusively are corroding functioning societies towards a more US style dysfunction, but we are still far from as lost a case, so there is still hope.

            And lobbyism has been regularly discussed in the last decade and will hopefully at least get stronger regulation sooner rather than later for several of us, so there is hope for that part at least.

        • folaht@lemmy.ml
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          2 days ago

          Welcome to Lemmy, where ‘socialist countries’ means nations that follow Marxist-Leninism and not a form of modern utopian socialism better known as social democracy that took bits and pieces of Marxist-Leninism under a capitalist umbrella.

          So not like Denmark, but like China or Vietnam.

          • Griffus@lemmy.zip
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            23 hours ago

            That’s an extreme USian way of viewing it. Not saying you’re wrong, 'cause I’ve observed the same. But @[email protected] worded reality really well in a comment just above.

            • folaht@lemmy.ml
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              19 hours ago

              The USian way of viewing socialism is “centre-right liberalism + religious democratics + social liberalism + social democracy + democratic socialism + marxist leninism” = socialism

                • folaht@lemmy.ml
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                  3 hours ago

                  No, they do not.

                  They are two economic systems predicted by Karl Marx to be superseding capitalism,
                  with communism superseding socialism.

                  Socialism is what China currently is.

                  Communism is thought to be like star trek.
                  No one needs to use currency for their survival.
                  There’s no large gap between the rich and the poor.
                  Government plays a small to non-existent role.

    • illusionist@lemmy.zip
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      2 days ago

      Corruption is when you get a million for something. Lobbying is when you do it for a promise to be on the board of directors in the future.

    • Matt@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      It’s lobbying in the West and Euro subsidies embezzlement in the East.

      I’d choose the second option tbh. I’d rather yoink some funds than take a bribe.