The "S" Word

So the best that we can expect from the Conservative Right is to accuse Democrats of Socialism for having the audacity to hold the belief that government should work for all people and not just the wealthy corporations who have, in the last eight years, had the controls at the White House.

It is as though these people either think no one but them have gone to school and understand Socialism, or they are purposely being misleading by tossing around a word out of context because it carries a lot of emotional juice behind it. If you are a Capitalist, you are as American as apple pie. If you are a socialist, you are a commie, pinko, communist who is hell-bent on seeing the collapse of so-called Capitalism, and by extension, the United States of America.

But what do you call the latest bailout? You know.. the $700 billion that the banks got? What about the banks and homes in foreclosure that the government (government is supposed to be us, remember?) is presently buying? Isn't that Socialism?

Maybe socialism is only bad when people think that the richest country in the world should have health care and do away with poverty at home, but good when greedy bank CEO's who ran their companies to the ground while earning obscene amounts of money needs the money from taxpayers.

It is a double standard. If government is going to run like a business, then the recipients of its profits should be the American people in particular the Middle Class, who afterall, bears the brunt of the tax burden. Not just the CEO's who have helped to ruin this country.

The bailout reminds me of when my friends play Monopoly with some one they like. Some one looses all their money, but the others are enjoying the game so much that they lend the loser money to stay in the game. Ever done that? That is what the bailout is. Except that we neither like the player, nor did we willingly give them our money. Some one reached into our money reserve and gave it to them so that they could stay in the game. Doesn't that sound like Socialism to you?

It basically boils down to this: They *took* our money, or rather: our elected officials GAVE them our money so that we could have the privlidge of begging them for it at an interest. In other words, the money that business and individuals will borrow, is OUR money to begin with, but we wont personally see any benefit from it at all. "Joe Sixpack's" failing construction company isn't going to have access to that money, neither will you or I. But big business surely will.

When will people wake up from this sleep?