How can socialism suck if you are already living it?
Yesterday on Facebook I saw someone's profile picture that read "Socialism Sucks" As I looked at the person's profile information I found myself amazed that this person has an issue with socialism since he, and you, and me, if we live in the United States, have lived under socialism since we took our first breath and we will continue to live under socialism until we take our final breath.
Mr. Webster's dictionary (that you can find in a public library which, itself, is a form of socialism) defines socialism as:
a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.
Sounds pretty ominous, doesn't it? It does until you realize that you already live in a socialist society if:
- You want the US Coast Guard to save you from a flood after a hurricane.
- You want air traffic controllers across the nation to keep your plane from colliding mid-air (or on the ground) while you travel
- You want to travel on Federal, State, County and local highways,
- You want to go birdwatching on a National Wildlife Refuge,
- You want to go camping on a National Forest,
- You want to visit a National Park or National Historic Site managed by the National Park Service,
- You want to pick wild flowers on Bureau of Land Management managed lands in the western United States,
- You want single-payer health insurance for all Americans so nobody ever has to file for bankruptcy because they are ill,
- You want irrigation water to nourish the lettuce you are eating in your salad that came from a Bureau of Reclamation project in California's Central Valley,
- You want to dive on coral reefs in a National Marine Sanctuary,
- You want the FBI to track down white supremacist groups that threaten American democracy,
- You want the Drug Enforcement Agency to help stop the opioid epidemic that is crushing the United States,
- You want to breathe clean air,
- You want to drink clean water,
- You want someone to inspect your food to make its safe before its sold in a grocery store,
- You want the United States Marine Corps to defend you against outside aggression,
- You want Navy SEALS to take out an Osama bin Laden wannabe,
- You want the National Security Agency to stop Russian interference of our election system,
- You want the Central Intelligence Agency to monitor terrorist activities in countries hostile to the United States,
- You want career diplomats to help maintain the once-respected name of the United States among nations,
- You want a police officer to save you from a burglar who has broken into your home,
- You want a fireman to administer CPR on you after you have had a heart attack,
- You want a fire rescue ambulance driver to safely and swiftly transport you to the hospital after a car accident,
- You want someone to file your unemployment claim after you have been laid off from a job,
- You want a life guard to save you from drowning on a public beach,
- You want fish stocked in a local lake so you can later catch them,
- You want teachers to teach your children in public schools,
- You want crossing guards at busy intersections to make sure your children can safely cross the street,
- You want flashing red lights at railroad crossings,
- You want to take your dog to the local county-run dog park so it can stretch its legs,
- You want your drivers license renewed,
- You want to register a vehicle,
- You want to obtain a marriage license,
- You are not well off financially and need to be represented in court,
- You want economic relief because a red tide outbreak has scared all the tourists from your area and your business is on the brink of collapse,
- You want funds available to pay construction workers to rebuild a decaying bridge in your home town,
- You want the National Weather Service to inform you that a tornado is forming nearby,
- You want the National Hurricane Center informing you of the progress of a hurricane that is bearing down on your state,
- You want the US Geological Survey to be able one day to predict earthquakes,
- You want the Tsunami Information Center to be able to warn people of a potential tsunami,
- You want your Social Security check issued on time each month,
- You want someone to handle the paperwork for your Medicare claim,
- You want snow removed from your street after a blizzard,
- You want.....
- You want.....
The list goes on and on the more you think about Federal, State, county and local governments, the employees they hire, and the services those people provide to you. All the activities listed above are paid for with tax dollars and each of those tax dollars is a form of "exchange .... for the community as a whole" in the definition of socialism.
I prefer socialism over the capitalist oligarchy we actually live in - one where the six richest members of the Walton family (Wal-Mart) control more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of the American public.
If you believe, after reviewing this partial list, that socialism still "sucks" then you are part of the problem not part of the solution.
