Socialism, Is It Good or Bad?

Oy vey, so why do Conservatives want to demonize the term ‘Socialism’ anyway?

We all know that pure anything isn’t necessarily good (unless it’s Maple Syrup), so why pure Capitalism? Let’s face it, unfettered Capitalism is just a legalized pyramid scheme that makes it possible, nay, even desirable, for one person to end up with all the marbles. Socialism on the other hand simply means that everyone gets a chance to share in the wealth based on merit or the amount of labor he or she contributes to society. Similar to Communism, to be sure, but with a democratic form of governance that is not classless. In the best of all possible worlds a democratic society will end up being a mix of fettered Capitalism and beneficial Socialism. Some of us just need to accept that fact and move on.

You could deduce from their actions and words that today’s Conservatives aren’t democratic at all but are actually leaning toward Totalitarianism. At the risk of using the ‘R’ word when ideologues get too hell bent and scripted when promoting their political stance it starts to sound a lot like a religion, not a form of governance, and definitely not the ‘We the People…” kind of governance.

Does Socialism exist in our country? You bet it does, and you can also bet that most folks don’t really want it to go away. Here are a few examples of social programs instituted by our democratic form of governance:

Bike Paths                                    Electric Coops
Fire Departments                          Food stamps
HOA’s                                          Interstate Highways

Mandated Automobile Insurance     Medicaid
Medicare                                      NASA
Port Authorities                            Police Departments

Public Libraries                             Public Parks
Public Transit                               Seat Belt Laws
Social Security                             The Armed Forces

The National Guard                      The Peace Corps
Welfare

(If the military is twice or three times larger than needed, those jobs are not real jobs, but government funded make work projects, and furthermore, the healthcare system enjoyed by all members of the military is a single payer plan run by the government---i.e. socialized medicine.)

Even unnecessary wars are socialistic because they create government funded jobs in both the public and private sectors that are not needed during peacetime.

So, some socialism is good, some is bad. Which would you eliminate? Whose grandmother would you deny Social Security or Medicare, whose town would you deny fire protection, which National Park would you give over to big business, whose children would you deny an education because their parents couldn’t afford private schools? Think about it.

Sure we like the idea of the rugged American individualist, but for much of our history people had to come together forming co-ops to get things done: Raising barns, buying farm equipment, affording a town doctor, a teacher or a sheriff, water and sewage treatment systems. And, we've conveniently forgotten that McCarthy terrorized the country with Communism so much so that every government idea that's not ruggedly individualistic is met with suspicion and fear. We’ve also forgotten that mortality rates from starvation, accidents and childbirth were astronomically high before social plans were put in place. In a pure Capitalistic society you would still be on your own, even when it doesn’t make sense.

So, the next time you hear a Conservative denigrating the ‘S’ word, think twice before you agree. You may be hurting yourself, your country, and your children, and you may be contributing to the dumbing down of a Conservative.