Socialism in America

During President Obama’s college years, it is said he gravitated toward his leftist professors, fascinated by their teachings and points of view. When Obama first got into politics, William Ayers, a former Weatherman and an avowed communist, gave him an informal campaign event at his Chicago home in the mid 90’s, a political coming out. Obama went on to become an Illinois State Senator.

As president, Obama has nationalized several financial institutions and two auto makers. He wants to nationalize health care at least by fall. By his presidential actions, Mr. Obama appears to have a slight predilection for socialism.

The Democratic Party explicitly and quickly wants to lead America into a state of Sweden-style social democracy. A social democracy is a few steps away from pure socialism.

The Republican Party implicitly wishes to change America's capitalist economy into a social democracy. They want to take the slow road to Marxism, a type of government far more controlling than our republic. After all, it was former President George W. Bush, a Republican, who pushed through the rights-stifling Patriot Act and the first economic stimulus package.

Will America's capitalistic economy one day be converted to socialism? What would that mean to us?

Karl Marx first penned the basics of socialism during the 19th century. A poverty-stricken man, he hated or was at least sour grapes toward capitalism and capitalists.

Marx saw the world as a continual Social Darwinist struggle for progress, replete with violence and wars. Historically, much progress has been made without violence or wars.

Marx said economics was the underlying factor for everything in a nation. Not true. Security and infrastructure are the two basics in forming a nation.

Marx taught that the working classes, oppressed by the property-owning upper and middle classes, would one day rise up. They would overthrow the two other classes and abolish private property. The backbone of socialism is economic equality: the same wages for everyone, whether CEO or janitor. That leaves little or no incentive for upper management to do a superior job.

Socialism means that people would own all the means of production, qualifying it as public property. In practice, “people” would be interpreted as the party/government, which would decide the type and quantity of products manufactured. With capitalism, the means of production are privately owned and consumers choose the type and quantity of goods to be manufactured. That is why capitalistic nations are usually far wealthier than non-capitalistic ones.

Under capitalism, said Marx, workers knew only abject poverty. During his day, it was mostly true. Wages were low, unemployment sporadic and often high, homes overcrowded, hunger prevalent, and work hours long. Children often worked in factories and mines. Working conditions were usually dark, dirty, unsafe, and dreary.

But all that has changed. Today, the lower classes enjoy relatively low unemployment during boom times, livable wages, benefits, less crowded homes, and safer working conditions. Children are not legally allowed to work outside the home. A typical work week is 40 hours, with 2 days off and paid vacations.

Even the poorest in America have plenty to eat, one or two cars per family, kitchen appliances, running water, an operable indoor bathroom, one or two televisions, at least one telephone, and sometimes a computer. The 19th century upper class didn't have it that good.

Today many workers, unlike in Marx's day, are protected by labor unions and various government agencies. The American working class is the most prosperous in the world.

Marx said the people would govern and usher in a new society. Since there would be no capitalist "exploiters," there would be no need of a permanent government. Under socialism, the government would eventually ''melt away" and the people peacefully rule themselves.

The government of the Soviet Union never "melted away" during its 70 years of iron-clad rule. Its citizens changed governments around 1990 to one which now borders on Fascism. Also, none of the governments in the People's Republic of China, Cuba, or North Korea have "melted away." They still exist, oppressing their citizens.

Under Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union practiced severe oppression, made arrests and imprisoned without cause, produced mass mind-controlling propaganda at every level of society, and caused massive starvation. China offers no inherent human rights or freedoms and they force birth control on their populace. Cuba is Fidel Castro’s personal playground. North Korea’s dictator is a joke. So why would any sound-minded American consider socialism for this still-free and prosperous nation?

For over 100 years, presidents have been increasing the power, size, and scope of federal government. This exerts increased control over its citizens, like a typical Socialist nation. It began with Teddy Roosevelt, who fought the Wall Street crooks and expanded the Monroe Doctrine.

America's central government has steadily grown since, especially during and after both World Wars. Western European liberalism crept into our laissez-faire capitalist economy during the Great Depression. FDR and the New Deal, crowned by LBJ and the Great Society, ushered in several socialist components, such as government projects to produce temporary jobs.

Marx was an atheist who wanted to stamp out Christianity. He once said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” Christianity has slowly been leaking out of our society and government for decades. A quick perusal of Supreme Court decisions regarding religious freedoms during the past 40 years will prove that.

President Obama, by his leadership, has America on a fast track to further marginalize Christianity and Judaism. He attended a church for 20 years that preached Black Liberation Theology, a Marxist-backed doctrine of economic equality, with few vestiges of true Christianity in it. Plus, he has been quoted as saying that America is a "Muslim" nation. Also, prior to speaking recently at the Christian school Georgetown University, Obama requested that all Christian symbols in the room-such as the cross-be covered over.

Marx wanted to abolish marriage. We've almost accomplished that with a 50% divorce rate in America. Also, legalized gay marriage would further marginalize the institution of marriage. If the Marxist-backed Gay Rights Movement has its way, marriage will become a mere joke. If two men can get married, why can't one man marry two women? Or why can't a man marry his dog?

President Obama has nationalized several corporations and is pushing to nationalize health care insurance as soon as he can. His administration has toyed with the idea of taking over mortgage payments for mortgage-holders who are behind. The government would allow them to remain in and to rent their homes for several years. Also, Obama has an unprecedented number of unelected tsars in his administration: 32. None of these laws or practices are constitutional.

Supreme Court justice nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, has not always strictly followed the U.S. Constitution in her judicial opinions. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, recently warned of a new source of terrorism in America: those who believe in the Constitution's Second Amendment allowing gun ownership; U.S. military veterans; citizens espousing stronger states rights; and Americans who are pro-life. That would include millions of decent, law-abiding tax-paying patriotic Americans. By the way, President Obama chose both of these nominees.

President Obama once ruminated out loud on the idea of a citizen's militia with more soldiers and supplies than the U.S. military. What is constitutional about that? It reminds one of Nazi Germany's SS, an elite guard which terrorized Adolph Hitler's opponents and citizens. Finally, Obama is in favor of stricter gun control laws. So were Mao Tse Tung and Joseph Stalin.

A socialist nation espouses mediocrity, not excellence. Socialism stifles those who would be the cream of the crop and rise to the top by eliminating private property. Marxism stamps out great ideas by big government control of the economy.

This is not the same America I grew up in. This is not even the same America I experienced last year. President Barack Obama is on a fast track to turn America into a socialist nation and no one is seriously doing anything about it. Except talking. And talk is cheap.

Tom Proebsting is a writer living in Missouri. He may be contacted at http://thulesociety.blogspot.com