That “S” Word

March 2nd, 2009

Here’s a question for you. What exactly is Socialism? Don’t look it up in the dictionary. Just let your brain wander around. Here’s a few definitions that might come across your internal Jumbotron.

Communism. Russia. Sweden. Anti-capitalism. Anti-American. Anti-small business. No freedom. No rights. The state can break down your door and haul you away in the middle of the night. The government tells you what to do. No privacy. Identity papers. Restricted opportunity. Federal government internment camps. Federal government propaganda in elementary schools. Uniforms. Government run media. Newspapers. Films. Television. Radio. No criticism or dissention from government policies or you’ll go to jail forever.

Am I right? Did I cover the bases. I did my best to sample the definitions of Socialism in magazine articles, talk radio commentary and on the street. The right wing uproar right now is that Obama plans to take over America with a European style socialist agenda that will put all our women in head scarves and all the men in the dull, beige overcoats of government labor and no individual opportunity for them, their kids, or their future.

Oh really? Socialism has made Sweden the strongest banking operation on earth. Socialism educated British children with skills and intellectual vistas no American child has ever been exposed to. Socialism is more worldly in its protection of the individual from cradle to grave with a national health care policy that corporations here in America are now pushing the new administration to duplicate. The profit problem, besides sliced and diced mortgage bundling scams that broke the back of investors and lenders, is health care programs that businesses today just can’t afford to offer anymore.

But the true definition of Socialism is this: Socialism is opposition to reckless, unregulated economic markets.

If we’re smart, we’ll adopt the most successful socialist policies while promoting democracy for individual effort and ability. That’s called a Social Democracy. The governments that are poised to pull out of this depression sooner than later are those who realize that in order for any government to work for its nation’s sovereignty is for the people to understand that all philosophies of government must be used at different times in to resurrect the economy, the state of the nation, and most importantly the dignity of the individual.

American style capitalism is part of the solution and the problem as well. Nationally and internationally. The only cure is a shot in the arm of socialist policies as economic lifeguards in order to raise not just the yachts of billionaires on the rising tide, but the fishing boats of working men and women as well.

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