TED Community » Lina Zaproudi

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I'm passionate about

learning every day, striving to understand the world and the human condition, philosophy, rationality/reason, science, travel

An idea worth spreading

The joy of thinking and using your intellect to find solutions

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• +1

  A comment on Conversation: What are the effects of taxes on motivation and productivity?

  Feb 21 2011: @Hrvoje Very interesting and insightful comments about the state of "post-socialist" countries, of which you have first hand knowledge.
  Your comments "socialistic politics have been unpopular ever since. As a political marker, that is; not as actual policy."
  and "People are socialist or capitalist depending on what they think serves their immediate interests at the time. The long-term and the overall health of the economy is not their concern."
  illuminate for me why this backwardess in former communist countries... I guess people want the freedom capitalism brings, but not the responsibility for themselves (have cake and eat it too).
  
  @Julie "Scandinavia" is a very broad concept. If you start examining Scandinavian countries individually, you will see that it is far from a socialist paradise. There are many problems and a move away from socialism, in order to address them, in many of these countries. And it is not because they run out of resources necessarily or are now unhappy to help their fellow-man. They still want to help. Their mentality does not seem to have changed much. Just the idea of what the better tool is for the job, i.e. capitalism rather than socialism.
  And to make it crystal clear: I think capitalism is the tool that helps the most people (rich or poor or in between) in a country, society, the world. Not socialism.
  
  @Jim I do not believe in or trust records about the particulars of what happened in early Christian days, so your point is moot to me.
  Plus the motivations (e.g. acceptance of original sin and inherent guilt) in such groups distort any useful conclusions about the organization of society on rational terms.

• A comment on Conversation: We need a political party devoted to maximizing the value of people's TIME.

  Feb 15 2011: I want to shout immediately, YES!
  I would vote for them.
  
  For a political party to understand how detrimental the loss of time to interactions with the government is, they would be on the right path (to make their citizens happy).
  To fully comprehend this and champion it, by implication they would be I think a citizen-centric, libertatian party.
  
  Having recently left my home country Greece, significantly because of the continual drain of time and energy I was being subjected to, by one of the most inefficient and bureaucratic governments (present & past), your proposal Chris is very close to my heart.
  
  Perhaps I should run in Greece under that banner. I know many Greek people would vote me in with this!
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: What are the effects of taxes on motivation and productivity?

  Feb 15 2011: Of course this scenario would work like that, "from everyone according to this ability, to everyone according to his need", it is communism, socialism, collectivism, whatever you want to call it and it has proved a failure.
  
  It astonishes me how little we learn from history and are inclined to try the same failed things.
  
  I know if I think that 40%, 50%, or 60% of my income goes to taxes, I am hugely unmotivated.
  
  A low flat tax is whay would motivate me and would unleash my creativity and productivity.