Socialist America ~ Yes or No

People are calling Pres. Obama a "Socialist", which is neither here nor there, really. Obama is one man, and one man can not change the political and economic structure of a country the size of America. But when these same people call America a "Socialist Country", I have to sit back and laugh. Laugh at the gullibility of people, because they obviously believe everything they are told. But it is not a laugh conceived in mirth, it is a laugh stemming from sorrow, the type of sorrow born from desperation. Before you use words, I think it is important that you know their meaning. But in the America of today, words like Socialism are NOT used to tell the truth, but to SCARE people into voting one way or another. America is not Socialist, far from it.

Socialism, according to the definition in the "Websters New World Dictionary" is as follows: 1. any of the various theories or systems of ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution by the society or the community rather than by private individuals with all members of the society or the community sharing the work and the products.  You may want to read this and learn it before you apply this word so quickly. Since America is solely based on private ownership of business and property, and since people in America have the opportunity to have a business, or to invest in another's business, and since the government is not the owner of business nor the distributor of the products of private business, America is NOT a Socialist Nation, not even close. America is Capitalist to the core!

Socialism does not work, as evidenced by a quick look at history. But, if you look at the problems in America, and the rest of the industrialized world today, you will see that a pure Capitalist system is not perfect either. Beginning with Regan and continuing through Bush "The Lesser", government regulations were reduced and eliminated in this country. The result was the near collapse of the financial industry during the Bush administration. The truth is that the recession happened during the Bush administration, and the repercussions are still being felt today. You can't blame that one on Obama, sorry, but you can't blame it on Bush entirely either. Clinton had his turn before Bush, and his administration also fueled the collapse. How did these administrations cause this collapse?

The collapse was fueled by the gluttony of the banks and insurance industry. In an effort to make more money, the banking industry convinced the government to reduce various banking regulations, and to hedge their bets, they bought insurance against defaulted loans. The banks made record profits, the insurance industry sold millions of policies which made them money, and like anything built on a foundation of sand, the whole thing began to collapse. Another example of the government working for the rich and powerful and not for the people.

If the United States and other major industrial nations are going to survive the test of time, they must find a balance that will allow business to grow and flourish, and at the same time protect the citizens. Easy to say, but difficult to accomplish. To do this, a government must develop "Regulations" that protect the people from the avarice of big business, but at the same time, allow business to grow and expand. Not an easy task, but I think a doable one.

Not everyone is good at everything, and this holds true for society as well. Government is better at some things than private business. Here is admittedly an extreme example. You can't privatize defense! Would you feel safe and confident in your lives if the military was made up of private businesses, competing with each other for the defense dollars? A Military consisting of forces controlled by GE, General Motors, Bank of America and a bunch of insurance companies? Obviously, the answer is no! But the government is not best at everything either.

We wouldn't want the government to take over the auto industry in America, we would end up with cars so safe and so poorly designed that they couldn't get out of their own driveways. Look at things and decide whether it is something best done privately or centrally, and and put it in the right place. But many things are not so easily placed. One of these is transportation. America needs a modern passenger rail transportation system. Amtrak is a joke and an embarrassment. America needs this, but private money is not interested, so I say that this is a good candidate for nationalization. The big one is health care. Many in this country have no health care. Employers who offer health care all do it differently. Insurance companies charge a fortune for individual policies. The rich will always have access to the best health care, but the average American is left hanging, and the poor are swept by the wayside. Every major country in the world has a national health care system except America. We need to join the rest of the world and develop a national health care system that works. We can send a space craft to Mars, I think that we are smart enough to develop health care.

I'm just one old guy, and to tell you the truth, I don't care who is responsible for something as long as it works, works well, smoothly and consistently. There is nothing wrong with nationalizing things that are best done centrally. Doing what is best for the people is the job of the government. But getting a health care system, or a national passenger rail system DOES NOT MAKE AMERICA SOCIALIST. There are too many "Fear Mongers" today who intentionally lie to the American people. Educate yourselves before you jump on the bandwagon of fear mongers. But, I'm just an Old Hippie, but an Old Hippie who can think and make up my own mind. Who are you, and what do you think? Have A Great Day,

The Old Hippie