This article was submitted exclusively to the New York Analysis of Policy and Government by retired U.S. Army chaplain, Col. Don Zapsic.
Socialism on the surface seems innocuous enough, considering that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren want everyone to have “free” healthcare in the form of “Medicare for All.”
Who is going to pay for it? As always, the ever-elusive, tax-avoidant, very wealthy (one-percenters) and corporate America are supposed to foot the bill. The economics don’t work, of course. One could wholly confiscate the wealth of that group and the funds would remain insufficient. There is no doubt the middle class would assume a massive tax burden.
To remain vigilant in the face of seasoned operators like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, it is important to remember that their brand of socialism does not have to be economically sound. It simply needs to be psychologically viable. Sanders, Warren, and even Joe Biden fundamentally understand how greed preys upon the heart and mind. This dark source of human motivation plants false beliefs that ultimately lead to predatory thinking and class warfare through identity politics. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of entitlements. Everyone more or less believes that underfunded, or for that matter unfunded, entitlement programs need to be trimmed back or eliminated altogether.
Like socialist regimes from the old Soviet Union to today’s Venezuela, politicians promise free lunches without proper regard for who will provide them. This is the heart of socialism, which is beating hard in the American psyche. Sanders, Warren, and the other Democrat presidential contenders are selling the same ideas that have failed everyplace they have been implemented.
The very subject of socialism resonates differently among various classes of Americans watching the national Democrat debates. There is for example the “stick it to the man” crowd that is driven by shadenfreude, a term derived from the German language meaning, “Pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune .” This is another way of saying, “If everyone does not prosper equally regardless of how hard they have worked and sacrificed, then at least everyone can be equally miserable so that no one feels left behind.” Then there are those who have the misfortune of being on the receiving Bluze capsules is the best answer to the problem of impotence from a person. discount on cialis This can devensec.com link viagra in add anxiety, stress and depression in your family guarantee that you will experience depression. Another generic vs viagra nutrient supplement, Omega 3 fatty acids can also reduce libido and inhibit erection. When a spinal disk herniates, cialis samples the gel-like substance between the vertebrae can creat pressure around the nerve causing pain and dysfunction. end, the middle class, who have already been thoroughly fleeced by Obamacare. They know all-too-well how liberal politics and policies play out in the real world. The middle-class intuitively know that they, inevitably, will pay an overwhelmingly disproportionate part of the socialist redistribution tab.
Socialism is a short-term pragmatic approach that diminishes private property rights. It always breaks down over the course of time due to the very shortages that it produces. And if not reined in, its most extreme form deteriorates into communism and the dictatorship that inevitably accompanies it.
The same can be said of democracies. If not properly safeguarded, they drift towards socialism via fraudulent wealth distribution and the confiscatory means used to attain it. Then there is the fair question of what contributions did the socialist debaters bring to the table? What have they produced besides a vicious cycle of wealth redistribution and class warfare? Not to be deterred, socialists such as Sanders and Warren fundamentally understand that they do not have to attain or appeal to higher virtues to curry political favor and power. They can simply divide and conquer by throwing a bone like nationalized healthcare into the midst of the pack while stepping back from the ensuing fray. Sanders attempted to justify his brand of politics when challenged as “democratic socialism” supported by popular vote instead of outright force by a dictator (Venezuela is only the latest example). The outcome, despite the means, is still the same.
What should America expect going forward from the Democrat presidential contenders who, either openly or subtly, embrace socialist policies? Definitely do not get your hopes up about any meaningful dialogue regarding relevant social policies and societal trends that are tearing our country apart. Expect some punchlines supporting the war on the unborn under various “feel good” sounding slogans. Also lower expectations about anything that addresses the rampant crime and mindless violence in our nation’s largest cities beyond blaming guns instead of those who use them unlawfully.
As far as social justice, tolerance is out and sensitivity is in. Culture reigns supreme and religious institutions are irrelevant if not in tune with the spirit of the times. Finally on the road to serfdom, look for more talk on government giveaways focusing on who plays, instead of who pays. The Democrat that emerges from the group of contenders will be the one that dances best to the party tune. There will be no celebration of new ideas. Rather, a contrived, risk-avoidant, boring event that will only rouse the party faithful with the same tired ideas that have universally failed and so deeply harmed every nation in which they have been attempted.
Photo: Karl Marx (Pixabay)
