But for socialism, capitalism would not exist.

If capitalists are the infantrymen, socialists are the medics, rangefinders, artillerymen and sometime snipers on the front line.

Now to the more pertinent question of how to actually create a socialist economy.

@2:

Um, emulate the Scandinavians?

@3: Alright, you get the beer and I'll bring out the ABBA.

It's socialism for Wall Street and neo-conservatism for the rest. And why do we care about them still? This is just a bubble that will probably pop after midterms unless they can keep blowing it up until after 2012. Obama has reached out more to the business roundtable than he has to liberals.

What do Caterpillar, Alcoa and Chevron have in common? Alcoa and Caterpillar are both related to construction and manufacturing. Aluminum and heavy equipment are both in high demand. Aluminum because it is a less expensive building material that can be substituted for higher end materials. Caterpillar because new purchases of heavy equipment have been delayed during the downturn and because of tax incentives provided in the Recovery Act that allow for equipment purchases. Chevron just won an arbitration claim against the Ecuadorian Government which would have cost them $700 million in principle damages alone and commodity prices have been on the rise in general as investors look for safe havens for their capital while they wait to see what will become of real estate and currencies.

This is what it's all about. Not the Dow, not Alcoa or Chevron or Caterpillar, but the economy in general. The Dow going up means pensions and savings (which are almost all mutual-fund-based now) going up. Eventually, to some degree, it will start meaning jobs, and deficit reduction (as tax revenue increases).

These are the only things that matter electorally. All that teabaggery, all that moral compass shit goes away, or boils down to a manageable level, if the economy is strong. People need to believe they have a future. If the economy recovers, the Republicans don't have a prayer; if it doesn't, they do. It's as simple as that.

Mining is mostly about China's insatiable lust for ore to fill their smelters. China's smelters are dependent on America's consumer confidence.

As for socialism, we're about 3% more socialist than we were ten years ago. We were socialist then, we're socialist now. Some countries are more socialist than us, but really, this argument is like arguing over who's taller. Compared to The Good Old Days, everybody's taller.

Yin and Yang.

Capitalism stole my virginity

Please.

The whole time that the Bush Administration and the Republican stranglehold was trashing the economy and turbo-boosting the deficit, we constantly heard "Since Republicans are so much more fiscally responsible and Democrats are all about tax and spend, imagine how much worse thing would be if they were in charge!"

If this information even makes it onto the national news radar, how effortless is it going to be to spin it as "See, even with everything that the Obama Administration is doing to destroy us and implement socialism, real Americans are still striving and succeeding in spite of them. Imagine how much better it will be when you put us back in charge!"

This is a bubble and nothing more. There is false optimism all the time on Wall Street, and this is yet another example. Once Wall Street realizes that the Bush tax cuts will expire next year, the impact of the Kenyan Marxist homosexual's fascist policies will dawn on them and everyone will run for cover.

And sadly enough, that will be the happiest day in Barack Hussein Obama's life, because the destruction of the economy he has been so intent on since Day one will have commenced, and he'll believe this will solidify the Democrat Party and one party rule in DC. But he's got another thing coming!

I predict the Dow will be down to 7,500-8,000 by the end of the year, and this will insure a gain of at least 100 seats by hard traditionalists in the House.

If you want a preview of coming attractions, attend a tea party on April 15th!!!

Gaylord Tarragon, I am sure on the 15th you will have a grand time teabagging your gang of "hard traditionalists" as you run around in aluminum foil hats whining about the scary black guy. Yes, this is truly a vision of coming attractions.

Remember when the stock market went vertical in 2000, and everyone was talking about the "new economy?" And then again in 2007, when sub-prime was "contained?" In each instance, individual investors were euphorically piling in right at the top, just in time for the big investment banks to go massively short and ride it all the way down. That's the way the game works, suckers. You'd have to be an abject fool to fall for it a third time.