Is Socialism Un-American
Apr 11th, 2010 by David Anderson
The surprising answer is no. The Pilgrims are the most American of them all. They tried it in the beginning. The result was starvation and it almost ended the American Experiment in the north. A new governor adopted the Calvinist ethic of enterprise and the colony flourished. Socialism has come up various times in America. Our pledge of allegiance was written by one. Why then is socialism held in such low regard? Early Americans found out that socialism is a dead end. No matter how lofty the rhetoric, the end result is less prosperity, less freedom, and more human misery.
Americans found out that the best system for the new world was to allow people to govern themselves. Our American system is one of individual sovereignty and liberty because it works. Americans knew the feudal system was not for a new world so we experimented with two different systems. One was free enterprise and the other was socialism. The good drove the bad out. Let us remember our history when the siren song of socialism is played to us by the ruling party.
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David, once again I must remind you that the United States is part socialist and part free market. The Pilgrims were pre-United States. Their experiment was more akin to a 1960′s hippy commune. Everybody knows communes do not work. But communal living and socialism are two way different things. Socialism is when the government owns and operates an enterprise. Sometimes that’s the best way to do things. Most times it is not. We are smart enough to know the difference. Public owned libraries yes. Public owned WalMart no.
The United States begins at the Constitution. The Founders clearly said certain enterprises are the duty of the Federal Government. Like postal service, roads, managing intellectual property rights. If the Founders did not want the government owning and operating anything, that had every opportunity to say so.
From socialized mail service, we evolved into a hybrid of socialized national highways, partially socialized health insurance, socialized libraries, fire protection, police, airports, sports arenas, national parks, schools, hydroelectric projects, public ownership of the airwaves, socialized space exploration, and on and on and on. We do it well. Like making a cake. Three cups of capitalism, one cup of socialism. Ingredients adjusted as needed. That is why we are the most prosperous Nation on Earth. Always tinkering with the recipe. Always looking to make things better. Not fixated on ideological purity. (Until recent years.)
Alaska is the most “socialized” state. Embedded in the Alaska Constitution in the late 1970′s is an amendment establishing the Alaska National Fund. Natural resources like Alaskan oil are said to be “owned” by all Alaskans. This uniquely Alaskan scheme was called the “share the wealth” program back in the day when Republican Governor Hammond set it up in the early 1980′s. Now every Alaskan gets a yearly dividend check ranging from $500 to $3500. For doing nothing. Profits normally pocketed by oil producers are taxed redistributed and that wealth is spread around. Not only funding the Alaska budget but spread right directly into individual pockets. No sales or income tax because Alaska has been spreading the wealth of oil producers for the past thirty years.
Acknowledging the success of America’s public sector, the socialist part of America, is not being critical of the private sector. Nor is saying socialism is good for everything. It certainly is not. It’s just a recognition of the facts of life. I don’t care what you call it as long as it works for us.
It’s not smart to wish for ideological purity in America. It’s not right to degrade the socialized sector or public workers as enemies of the People. How can socialism be un-American when the Founders initiated the socialist sector of America? How can socialism be un-American when is so integral a part of the American success story?
Modern private enterprise (capitalism) could not exist without the existence of America’s socialized public sector. Wishing socialism would go away is un-American. Wishing capitalism would go away is un-American. Nothing the American government does is un-American.
Always tinkering with the recipe. Always looking to make things better.
Yeah. That projected $12-TRILLION deficit is fantastic.
Nothing the American government does is un-American.
Yeah. Like tracking your cell-phone calls and internet use.
Rick, thanks for not calling me a communist. I agree about getting to work on those huge deficits. A good place to start would be just whittling away somehow at that $1.2 trillion black hole Bush Cheney left us as a going away present. Looks like Obama is not having much luck with it in his first two years. I will take a long long time. Good news is we had higher deficit/GDP in 1944 somehow it all disappeared. Go figure.
Maybe I am too conservative, but having the government looking into cell phones and internet for terrorists does not bother me. I’m am big on security. Worst government experience I ever had was back in the 1980′s I was writing a string of pretty sharp letters aimed at Joe Biden. For the next four years my business was audited by the IRS. None of my fellow business buddies ever was audited. I was clean, but they actually came into my office opening drawers asking for records. To this day I think it was political. Maybe not ordered by the big boss, but maybe some IRS agent did not like my style wanted to knock me down. That is why we have to watch out for vindictive politicians who see opposition as enemy.
So yeah, there are things to watch out for. Right now my problem is with Verizon Telephone agents. I quit Verizon, they misbilled me, now turned me over to collection. Takes two hours of my freedom every time I call. Private sector can be un-American too. Biden I could vote against. Verizon is a complete shadow entity. The shadows are more dangerous than the visible enemies.
I am sure you were forced into dealing with Verizon right, Donanon2Holt?
To not see or purposely gloss over the complete monopolistic lack of choice and inability to opt-out that is inherent in all dealings with public sector/government versus private sector/free market dealings is ignorance on a colossal scale.
To say straightening out your collection account with Verizon comes even near in equivalence to having IRS agents rifling your desk in your (albeit paranoid) tale of politically motivated auditing, or is equal to any coerced dealings with government authorities is just so far beyond stupid as to boggle.