Overleveraging Teaches Capitalism

Economic education is almost nonexistent in this country, so people are not taught the benefits of capitalism. This lack of education spills into our political debate, and can cause decisions (elections), that people do not often realize will greatly affect their economic opportunities. The financial crisis of 2008 opened the door for anti-capitalist voices to be heard, and allowed for the election of a President that has socialistic views. Whether Mr. Obama is a “Socialist” or not, he certainly advocates socialist policies. These socialist policies were rejected in two years which is faster than other historical lurches toward socialism in US history. I believe that people being overleveraged, and seeing what is possible well above their current tax bracket helped put the brakes on this socialist agenda.

I'm glad that you didn't accuse Obama of being a 'socialist'. After all, he is not in favor of nationalizing the entire economy.

I do not think, however, that calling him 'socialistic' is a very effective debating tool. It is possible for the government to so encumber businesses with taxes, fees, and regulations that the government is in de facto control of the economy. It does appear that this is where the Democrat party is heading whether or not they admit it to the rest of us, or even themselves. In that sense, what they in general, and Obama specically, are doing can accurately be called 'socialistic.'

However accurate, it is one of those $5 words that is going to go in one ear and out the other of the average voter. For too long Republicans, conservatives, and libertarians have been referring to everyone left of Reagan as a socialist. The word has lost its punch. Adding 'ic' to the end of it only makes it more confusing and less effective.

I think a much more effective tack, one that should have been used for the past ten years or so, is to accuse the Democrats, rightly, of trying to turn the US into part of the European Union. Instead of having to invoke the unbelievable horrors of true socialist states such as the USSR and Mao's China, one need only detail the relatively niggardly life of the average European. This is something Stossel has done quite well: the smaller houses, cars, applicances, paychecks, etc. The larger lines, historically larger unemployement rates, etc. They may get longer vacations, but they have far less money to spend on them.

This is a horrible enough prospect that the average voter can sink their teeth into. The average voter will be more shocked by seeing the thickness of the set of laws created by the European governing council over its relatively short existence than by the deaths of millions of Ukrainians under Stalin's enforced famine. Sad, but unfortunately true.

The average voter really can't imagine that things will get as bad as Orwell predicted, or Stalin actualized. But the average voter is wimpy enough to see what's going on in Europe and cry foul.

The last ten years have been a complete wasteland as far as the conservative cause has been concerned. The message, if the incoherent mumblings rate such a term, that have been coming from the right press lately is a comical mixture of cries that the sky is falling when the Democrats have the upperhand, and nauseating muzak when the Republicans had the upperhand and we were being cajoled to tolerate their inanities if only because they were somehow less nauseating than what the Democrats had in store for us.

It's high time we dropped the amped-up rhetoric and gave the American people a clear choice between the America of the 50's or the Europe of the 70's.

Right now it looks like the Europeans will get back to the America of the 50's before us, without having to accuse everyone and their uncle of being a socialist, commie, islamic terrorist.

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