May 31,1890: Johnston Flood = Step 2 Towards Obama's Socialism

5-31-2009 | RACook

[Robert A Cook PE]

Was the Johnstown Flood - 120 years ago today - a direct cause of today's socialism?

No. Certainly Step 1 (The Union Pacific's Credit Mobilier Scandal) was far more hurtful as a propaganda tool against "those evil rich white male Republicans" corrupting government and "oppressing the working man" while getting rich.

And, the Credit Mobilier scandal is probably (today!) more to blame as the left's most long-lasting scandal that ties together EVERY thing they hate about capitalist America, inductry, republicans, industry, males, the rich, etc.

But the Johnstown Flood had (has!) its role as well: The "evil, wealthy, uncaring" idle rich up begind their lake at the top of the valley were almost instantly criticized for not maintaining the dam, for "trapping their fish" with a bad log screen that blocked the spillway.

When it failed, hate-filled criticism was thrown for years against Carnegie (and his cronies) who had bought cabins at the lake. And that criticism still goes on today.

We hear in today's history books especially about the faults of the men who bought their resort cabins, and that criticism is contrasted against Clara Barton and others who helped the surviors. And that help MUST be applauded.

But notice that the discussion starts by condeming the capitalists who built America up.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Critical steps in socialist America.

Slaves under G. Washington, Jefferson. Credit Mobilier Scandal Johnstown Flood Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire 1920 Anarchists' (SV) Murders, Trials, Deaths FDR's programs ...

[marktwain]

This sounds interesting. Do you have a web page that can be referred to?

[nd2bfree]

Here in PA after 120 years we are still paying the tax. This is a 10% alcohol tax that is now 18%. The temporary tax that just keeps on going. Johnstown was rebuilt from this temp tax long ago. Now it just is put to the general fund to be used at the politicos best interests.

[Eagles2003]

Sorta like the phone tax to pay for the war of 1898.

[Daffynition]

I think that the lovely little libraries that dot the New England small towns are wonderful. Compared to the monolith structures he built, small communities benefited from Carnegie's largess.

**A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems. 1,689 were built in the United States, 660 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, 125 in Canada, and others in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean, Mauritius, Malaysia and Fiji.

At first, Carnegie libraries were almost exclusively in places where he had a personal connection, namely his home-town in Scotland and the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. Beginning in 1899, Carnegie substantially increased funding to libraries outside of these areas.

In later years few towns that requested a grant and agreed to his terms were refused. By the time the last grant was made in 1919, there were 3,500 libraries in the United States, nearly half of them built with construction grants paid by Carnegie.**

Charming architecture. Little jewels