A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Socialism

Toogood Reports.com ^ | September 5, 2001 | Samuel L.

[VoodooEconomist]

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism, but under the name of liberalism they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program until one day America will be a socialist nation without ever knowing how it happened" (Norman Thomas, 1936 presidential candidate on the Socialist ticket) http://www.conservativebeacon.com/essays/Socialism/socialist_platform.html

[from occupied ga]

Good article

[Nevermore]

I believe that is government growth of 5.6 times, not 56. No more palatable, but far less impressive.

[pocat]

BUMP!

[Terry McAuliffe booster club]

LOL. So ensuring that women, minorities, the handicapped, and all have opportunities in life is some kind of evil socialism. Wingnuts are funny.

[bvw]

Funny, but not so funny as the mental picture I have of the Terry McAuliffe booster club:

A bunch of pasty white homeboys and girlies sitting around trading enema bags.

Now that's funny!

[Dick Bachert]

[Soylent-Green-modernitymonster]

Great post title.

[j_tull]

bump for later

[Stand Watch Listen]

Providing a safety net, a boost to their self-reliance may be justified in some cases. But to remain on the government teat for generations, to demand 'entitlements' as a right not as a privilege is to be "steady devouring of our citizens´ productive energy."

The socialist liberals expand their influence by being problem profiteers, race/class/gender/ethnic/creed baiters. The members of the radical elitist left are so transparent.

You have no clothes...peddle your booty elsewhere....perhaps some place where someone gives a damn.

[onedoug]

Nothing from without can sustain what is not within.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I believe that is government growth of 5.6 times, not 56. No more palatable, but far less impressive.

In 1978 government was spending one billion dollars a day. They are now spending 56 billion dollars a day. Try doing the math again and, unless you are a recent grad, you will see that is 56.

[B4Ranch]

Check your math again.

[calljack]

170 billion per month is 5.6 billion per day. That is 5.6 times as great. He did do the math, so maybe you need to clean up your math skills at the same time you clean up your mouth. jeez

[headsonpikes]

Apparently socialism has destroyed most American's ability to do simple arithmetic.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

LOL. So ensuring that women, minorities, the handicapped, and all have opportunities in life is some kind of evil socialism. Wingnuts are funny.

To assume that government is the only avenue to opportunity is the basic misguided principle of the left. To assume government is the only way compassion will be shown is equally misguided and it is insulting to each individual American. Is forcefully extracting money from one person and giving it to another called charity? No, only when willingly and cheerfully given is it charity. Does being a minority or handicapped, accidents of birth, give a person a legitimate claim on the sweat and success of others? Does being born rich and healthy obligate a person to care for the less fortunate? No, but when they do, willingly rather than through government confiscation, they are better people for it and they feel the pleasure themselves rather than passing that on to some faceless bureaucrat who doesn't feel it either. This means that government programs smother and eliminate compassion instead of exhibit it.

Were you lefties truly interested in intellectual ideas which will challenge you and set you free, you would do as Mr. Simon encourages you to do, learn the tenents of free enterprise and individual responsibility and self-created opportunity. Accomplishment is what satisfies, not forced equality.Anyone who is a Terry McAuliffe fan may not be capable of this.

The rich are to be applauded, especially those who start from ground zero. The rich provide the capital that fuels the engine of growth and creativity, they don't selfishly sit on it or bury it in the backyard. Most Americans want to become rich, not condemn the rich. Only those who despair, who don't try, who think life is unfair (the mantra preached by the left), who fail to educate themselves, in other words, those whose choices and attitudes make them the losers in life, hate the rich. The unhappy are fodder for the left and the left is a good home for them, for there they will be assured of staying unhappy.

[Black Agnes]

I think you've mixed up 'Equal Opportunity' and 'Equal Outcome'. No one wants to deny someone 'Equal Opportunity'. However, the so called 'Equal Opportunity' laws do nothing of the sort, they simply mandate and 'Equal Outcome. These are two entirely different things...

[MosesKnows]

They are now spending 56 billion dollars a day.

If the figures of 2 trillion a year, 170 billion a month, and 30 days to the month are accurate then the government is spending 5.6 billion dollars a day.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

My apolgies to you both and all others who may have been offended. I took the author's word for the 56 billion a day rather than checking his math. I only noticed the ratio.