Barack Obama: Socialist?
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A post by "Stacks " To see more posts click here |
Now that the election is over and Obama has taken office, both sides of the political spectrum have been forced to change their message, kind of like the opposite way in which football is played. The Democrats have the ball and must defend any actions, while the Republicans are now free to take shots at any misstep. I have no problem with this as this is the way it is and will always be.
However, there is a particular message that has really begun to get under my skin. The reason that it bothers me so much is that a) it is deliberately being used as a scare tactic and b) it simply is not true.
This message is that ‘Obama and/or the policies he proposes are akin to Socialism’.
Socialism (like Communism) is a word that is often thrown about in an effort to scare, many times by people that don’t even know the definition, so…let’s define Socialism. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia:
Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and an egalitarian society characterized by equal opportunities for all individuals and a fair or egalitarian distribution of wealth. Modern socialism originated in the late nineteenth-century working class political movement as well as the intellectual movement that criticized the effects of industrialization on society. Karl Marx posited that socialism would be achieved via class struggle and a proletarian revolution which represents the transitional stage between capitalism and communism.
The basic idea of socialism is that the government controls the production and distribution of goods, along with the distribution of wealth. The distribution of wealth part is where I often hear references to Obama’s policies and where I take issue.
The election of Obama has brought a spirit of community and togetherness that has not been experienced in a lifetime (at least not in mine). Since we are all in this together, why not help each other out?
Look, I was raised as an upper-middle class white kid in an area that happened to have a great school system. I was given the opportunity to have a good education, clothes on my back, and good meals (thanks Ma!). In other words, I was given the opportunity to succeed. Not everyone (shit, not even 1/2 of everyone) is given this opportunity and with that I come to the point of my ramblings…
Obama is not mandating anything, so it cannot be considered Socialism if it is voluntary.
What if I wanna…pay a little more in taxes because I realize that I was given the opportunity to get a good education, which allowed me to get the job I have now? I’m only earning the money that I spend (yes, and get taxed on) to survive because of opportunities given to me. If my taxes are a little higher because the money is being used to pay qualified teachers to go work in struggling schools to give multiple children that opportunity…that’s money well spent as far as I’m concerned. Plus, you are exponentially growing the base of people that will be able to give back in the same way. Investment going back into the core of this country is what will allow us to thrive for generations to come.
And speaking of money well spent…(ahem bailout?) What if I wanna…contribute more because I believe that this administration will have more accountability than previous ones? We will actually be told (without having to file under the Freedom of Information Act) where the money is going and how it will be spent.
The idea that Democrats just throw money at problems under the guise of “social programs” and that Republicans are small government (have you seen our military budget?) are long gone. What if I wanna…bring home our troops to their families and use some of the massive amounts of money allocated for the war towards easing their transition back home and helping set up their families for the future as a big ‘Thank You’ for everything they have done.
Socialism…hardly. (Cue cheesy patriotic music), America…fuck yes!
and
What if I wanna?
make…
u, do the dishes…
While I really like your reasoning, and I think your analysis is good, I still don’t embrace the ideals of communism as a long term solution.
You addressed this point in your post about it being a temporary phase on a spectrum between capitalism and communism.
Obama believes that these policies are what the Government needs to do in order to save the economy and bring prosperity. He is probably right.
Where I differ is that I don’t think that any government should have the power to collect my money. The should not have to step in at all. If you feel such a sense of togetherness and compassion, wouldn’t you agree that instead of getting taxed, and hope that the governments spends your money wisely, why not push for more tax breaks for making the donations yourself. That way you know where the money is going.
Everyone is an individual, and no government should ever have the right to take my money and spend it as they see fit on things that I may not approve of. But hey, they can just keep creating money (DEBT) out of thin air. Money isn’t even real.
I’m just happy that Obama is a real man that is worth respecting, which has long been absent from politics in America. He’s going to listen to people who don’t agree. Dumb people don’t become the president of the Harvard Law Review. His policies will mold to the will of the American people. He is a man of the people, for the people, and by the people.
Dishes….Done. Dessert please?
I agree that in a lot of cases that the govt. does take taxes out for programs that they really shouldn’t, but to say that they shouldn’t take any is a bit unrealistic. How are we going to pay for schools, roads, and yes…even the military?
My point was that when the Republicans collect taxes on things that are for the greater good of the country, it is labeled “Homeland Security”, when the Democrats do it, it is called “Socialism”.
And George Bush gave a considerable amount more to banks and the automobile industry than Obama is to the American People. Not to mention the 6 year charity effort for Iraq.
I have a solution. Get rid of things like property taxes and income taxes because there are too many shelters and ways smart and/or the wealthy get around it. (The main reason in my mind that Dems want to tax the rich is not only b/c they make more but because they utilize tax shelters)
Then raise the sales tax to a percentage that supports the things our gov needs to get done. Then because everyone buys things the gov will be getting it’s money and subsequently, the citizens will be saving in the long run.
I don’t know if this is an original thought or not but essentially, it creates a scenario where if you don’t have money to spend then you’re not getting taxed and if you do then you are. As I said, everyone buys things. Now ppl who don’t have inordinate amounts of money might be more apt to only buy what they need.
Problem solved?
The reason why his policies are considered socialism is because they are not powers given to government in the constitution. Capitalism and democracy go hand and hand. Listed in section 8 are the powers that the government and more specifically Congress should have. Like establishing a rule of nationalization, maintaining roads, promoting education. Also, listed in that section is to provide for the common defense. That is why military spending and creating the Department of Homeland Security was not labeled as socialism because it was a power given to the government by the founders. There are seven provisions under that clause that allows for military spending of all sorts.
Socialism in Obama’s case is mainly concerning two areas, taxes and healthcare. Ever since FDR’s New Deal, most of which was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, democrats have been trying to make the people rely on government to provide everyday services that most working people could provide themselves with no government intervention at all. Such as social security, Medicare and Medicaid. Once people become reliant on these programs it becomes impossible to get them off of them. It also builds a political base for the party that institutes them even though it is bad for the economy as a whole because they are impossible to support. He is being called a socialist for one reason among many because he has supported a bill that has mandatory government run healthcare coverage. It was labeled as health care for low income families however low income in the bill runs from nothing to $80,000. Also while it was initially only supposed to be for children it also includes provisions for expanding it to adults. Again like the social programs under FDR once they are instituted there is no going back. On the taxes side Obama is inconsistently socialist. He allows for tax breaks for students and for people creating jobs but then wants to give people who don’t pay any taxes in the first place money from people who do pay them. While that sounds great in theory what happens is you take the incentives away from people to better themselves. They instead continue to live their life paid for by the American taxpayer. The current Obama Bailout Plan contains more socialist language such as making the Treasury Secretary directly responsible for the general welfare of society, but that stuff can be saved for another time.
Blake in response to your comment one of the tax shelters given to the rich/wealthy is to hire workers ie bring more taxpayers into the system. The rich get out of paying taxes themselves by hiring workers who then end up paying taxes. That’s why one of the best ways to stimulate the economy is to cut business taxes/ capital gains taxes. If you can keep more of what you make then you are more likely to continue to hire people in hopes of more profit.
Yess, Zeitgeist is wearing off on you guys. Right now any break from capitalism should be encouraged, since the greed spawning from it is what got us in this shithole to begin with.
The Only Break that needs to happen is for Obama to break the dependence of the U.S. on the Federal Reserve.
Money out of thin air. Taxes or not, our dollar will crumble under the current format.
Rep. and Dem. are the exact same, they just spend their money differently.
I want to go back to a day when people took care of themselves and each other, and didn’t rely on Government to take care of them cradle to grave.
I have a better solution Blake. LEGALIZE MARIJUANA!!
now u do the dishes… cuz i’m too smacked!