Social programs don’t make socialism
Comments
by Joseph Watts on April 9, 2009 at 4:00 am under Opinion
The conservative right seems to feel, with the election of Barack Obama, our country is suddenly a socialistic nation. It’s a mistake to think any one event, such as the election of a president, would have the power to instantly turn our nation into a socialistic state. Well, here’s a news flash: the United States has become increasingly socialistic over the past hundred years.
Sure, everyone talks about how the economic stimulus bill contains semi-socialistic policies, such as providing subsidized broadband Internet service to underprivileged areas. And Obama’s stimulus bill has been compared to FDR’s New Deal. The New Deal and FDR were both seen as the beginning of socialism in the United States. Our current president and the economic stimulus bill are facing the same criticism. But the New Deal did not create a socialistic nation. Its provisions helped the United States pull out of difficult economic times, through more social democratic means. Then, like now, the public screamed about how the bill would force us into socialism. It didn’t happen then, and it won’t now.
All this controversy has caused me to reconsider my political position. I have been at times a Libertarian, at times a Social Democrat; I tend to oscillate. However, I am now more firmly moving toward a Social Democratic position. The state government supports citizens in need with numerous free programs. I find I agree with many of these, such as helping citizens overcome disabilities.
The sad thing is state-funded programs are the first to be cut in these hard economic times. I know money needs to be saved, which leads to budget cuts.
Eliminating funding for programs that benefit society as a whole — such as education funding, speech and physical therapy programs, and so on — is not a good way to save money. These programs are necessary to the development of young citizens, like you and me, and the mentally handicapped — especially those whose parents (legal guardians, etc.) cannot afford effective care for them.
It pains me to see these programs are the first to go. Our government wastes so much money on ineffective programs and the enforcement of arbitrary laws, like drug laws. And then programs that actually benefit society are cut. When I see this happen, it crushes my spirit and any belief I have in the goodness of our government.
Our nation is not a socialistic state. I don’t know if it should be, but I think the progression toward socialism, which the Social Democrats would like to see, is a good first step toward fixing our nation and its economy.
3 Comments
I am afraid, dear sir, that you are out of step with the times. The president of the Socialist Party of America admitted that Barack Obama is not a Socialist, rather he is a Fascist. That was not meant as a term of abuse, but a point of fact. The reality is that Socialism is literally impossible, as someone has to own property. If the State really abolished property, we would arrive at anarchy (i.e. no state), that and the fact that no one could calculate any prices, amounts to purchase, and other specifics of market transactions. The end result of Socialism is really Fascism, or Corporatism in today’s lingo, where the state plans for all production and pulls the strings on all major economic & political decisions, and bureaucratizes life rather than socialize it outright. Hence, the rapid devaluation of the dollar, deficit spending, and the numerous odious committees that Obama has formed. He so easily grafted his agenda onto what Bush has done because Conservatism long ago ceded the case to Pragmatism (ends justify the means) and Fascism (via Milton Friedman and his Chicagoite Monetarist Economics) Obama has actually held over quite a few from the Bush administration. In fact, Glenn Greenwald noted that Obama’s positions mirror the Democratic positions from 20 years ago, and he chose talking points from Democratic Candidates at random.
The worst part about your post is that it is not even wrong. It is irrelevant. G.K. Chesterton said that if a pickpocket were going around and robbing people, the Socialist’s solution would be to abolish all pockets. In essence that is what Obama’s policies will do and have already done. Why can’t people on their own form groups to purchase insurance or medicine? Or why not turn to truly free business to purchase it? Such services are readily available as they have been in the past. Just because the government isn’t doing something, doesn’t mean it has to. The continued, lame battle cry of Socialism has been “State Ownership” Who said that we needed the State to fix things. Why not devolve these things to localities and states? But that question or the accompanying facts are irrelevant because the argument is made from pity.
The United States was very Fascistic in the 1930’s as it tried to steer a middle course between Capitalism and Socialism (which is what Fascism ostensibly proposes to do) You are once again behind the times. Burton Fulsom Jr. has published a book called “New Deal or Raw Deal? How FDR’S Economic Legacy has damaged America” which traces the supreme folly of the New Deal as it blew through hundreds of billions of dollars and prolonged the recession by easily 7 to 9 years. And all this from the government’s own statistics.
However, even this is immaterial to the argument. Your entire op-ed was nothing more than an argument from guilt or pity, or a combination of both. The whole object of spending these programs is to assuage your conscience. Even then you will not be happy with actually doing these things or seeing the spending done, you want to be involved in the process yourself and then be caught up in the moment.
Why don’t you propose real solutions? Why not deprofessionalize so many of our health care services? Why not encourage citizens to form their own groups to purchase health care, educate people, own buildings? Why not look to businessmen to lead the way and rout the slums from our neighborhoods (like Chuck Costa in Detroit)? Why don’t you abolish the bloated, useless Federal Reserve and let local communities print and coin their own money to make ends meet? (The federal government saw no problems with these measures a century ago)
Your main problem is that you are a universalist, a one-worlder in pejorative terms. All universalists must support Socialism in order to bring the great Brotherhood of Man into being. All local life must be squashed because it detracts from concerns on a world-wide level. Yet it is bathed in self-pity because of the sentimentalism of such an aim. Universalists must become hypocrites, advocating world-wide war to end all war. Peace through death, in brief.
This approach of middle-of-the-road economics has been tried, and it has failed, but I repeat myself. I recommend that you check out the best available literature on the subject: “The Roosevelt Myth” by John T. Flynn and “The Vampire State” both describe life under Fascistic regimes. They are available at http://mises.org under their free downloadable literature. Please read them and then re-evaulate your positions.
As to your Social Deomcracy, John T. Flynn acidly described it as “Capitalism in chains, that must end in the total state, either Fascism or Communism” The book “The Future that Doesn’t Work” writes an obituary for Social Democracy, as well. Read that as well, and then try to champion your viewpoints in all honesty.
Socialism, as defined by our beloved Webster’s Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/socialism)
1. any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
How i see this translating is that over the past 15 years of my working, and paying for all that i have out of my own pocket, now i must stop paying for the items that i want or need because i have to start helping to support those who cant or wont work for themselves through my taxes. Everyone wants a bigger piece of the financial pie, even if it means that they must steal it from their neighbor to get it.
Rather than cutting spending on your precious programs, lets take the prison… oh i’m sorry the “correctional and rehabilitation system” and implement a program of punishment. Convicts don’t need cable television, they need basics, simple clothing, basic food and water. The average convict costs the taxpayers more than $75,000 per year because we dont want to infringe upon their rights; I’m sorry you broke the law you should have no rights while incarcerated, you need to do hard time to remind you not to break the law again. Chain gangs to clean up our highways, ditch diggers, menial labor to help enhance the society and community they helped to destroy.
You want to talk about saving money, how about petitioning against the Civilian National Security Force? Obama is quoted as saying something like, “we can not continue to rely on our military in order to achieve our national security objectives. We must have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded as the US military.” Do you know how much the military spends per year just on payment for our troops globally? Somewhere in the neighborhood of 129 Billion, in addition to nearly 75 Billion for retired and wounded veterans. That’s an additional 204 Billion that is or could be spent on people that are taking over the military’s job here at home. Wouldn’t you rather see that funding go to your after school programs, education, and speech and physical therapy?
I agree… they do not. America has and will continue to be a hybrid of capitalism and other, which equates to the US being more capitalistic/socialistic/democratic society than just a capitalistic/democratic society. The world will not stop spinning on its axis because the whole continues to help a few. Its time people stopped subscribing to the fears and idea that Obama’s only agenda is to usher in the catalyst that will change the US into a Socialist state. This country has already subscribed to socialistic idealogies and programs meant to improve the overall quality of life for everyone in this country and fill in the gaps that a total capitalistic society leaves behind.