Iraq needed Saddam?

If we figure out WHY Charles Manson did what he did, does that justify what he did?

So ignorance is an excuse? "But officer, I didn't know the car couldn't drive itself while I was texting." No, I don't claim that anything is "the answer". I don't believe that there is a magical "the answer". That idea is pushed by opportunists like Trump for their own benefit.But we are a social species and we do depend on socialism a lot more than some people are willing to admit. You're almost right there. Nobody decides to go broke. But it often does happen inevitably as a consequence of our actions.

That's what I keep saying - from each according to his ability to each according to his need. Everybody should pay what he can. But you and Trump don't want your precious privilege touched. You wan't to pay the same as the starving children in Africa and keep your collection of ivory backscratchers for your retirement.

At least you still have the decency to object. But every topic doesn't have to be about you. I was referring, maybe too subtly, to Trumps constant whining about the other nations not paying their share toward NATO, the UN, etc. That's a Trumpian attitude that Americans don't criticize enough. You helped create the America that you live in.

Not to mention Africa - drawing the lines to divide up the resources, without regard to ethnicities.

In terms of international relations and trade, stability is more important than democracy. Democracies tend to be unstable. The US and Canada, for example, tend to swing back and forth between left and right every decade or so. Sometimes, some clod like Trump decides to undo all the deals done by the previous administration.

Trump's stability isn't really the issue. True, he'd probably be as incompetent a dictator as he is at everything else - but the point is that Americans, and to be fair most nations, don't mind dealing with a dictator as long as they know what to expect.