The loss of individuality, free enterprise, and openness is shared with both of the practically identical ideologies of socialism and democratic socialism. The left loves to attack conservatives by saying existing programs are socialist in nature, so we’re already there! Right?! No. We are not there.We pay taxes so that certain welfare programs and public safety ensure a coherent and prosperous society. The USA is a Representative Republic, not a Democratic Socialist State. An interesting trend is happening in 2016, which is that people are believing the word “Democratic” before Socialism makes everything better.
Bernie Sanders is in the race to be the President Of The United States and is running with the political affiliation that could arguably align with Karl Marx. The Proletariat equate to the American people, and the Bourgeoisie equate to the 1% or Wall Street Corporations. Bernie is running as the people’s candidate, and is ignoring the obvious and failed states that have grown out of his very same ideology. John Sexton with Breitbart News elaborates into this, saying, “As we’re seeing now in Venezuela, and Greece, and to a far lesser degree in France, it is possible to run out of other people’s money.”
The most common argument in support of Democratic Socialism is that it’s only expanding existing services to better provide for the society as a whole. The truth is that democratic socialism means that if 50.1% of the populous feels taxing the nation as a whole for a new welfare service is a good policy, then it gets implemented for everyone. The problem here is that half the nation doesn’t want this new service, and they lose their voice as the democratic socialist system has made their opinions void, for that of the populous. While Bernie Sanders tries to get college students to believe he is a populous candidate seeking to make the nation better, all while giving us free college, he’s actually going to destroy individual freedoms and destroy the economic stability of the nation. Think I’m wrong? Let’s take a look at his policy solutions. In a recent Wall Street Journal article by Laura Meckler, the details are clearly laid out.
- $15,000,000,000,000 – A Single-Payer Health Care Plan
- $1,200,000,000,000 – Social Security Reform By Increasing Benefits & Bolstering Solvency
- $1,000,000,000,000 – Infrastructure Improvement Projects
- $750,000,000,000 – Tuition Free Public Universities & Favorable Refinancing
- $319,000,000,000 – Paid Family Medical Leave
- $29,000,000,000 – Bolster Private Pension Funds
- $5,500,000,000 – Youth Jobs Initiative (Provide 1,000,000 “jobs” for unemployed youth)
A Grand Total Of At Least 18 Trillion US Dollars. Let’s not forget the current debt of the United States is more than 19 trillion. Bernie’s proposed plan incurs almost as much money as the current entirety of US national debt. He’s only accounted for $6.5 Trillion over 10 years, by increasing taxes.
After a series of wins in several states, Bernie is becoming a stronger voice for the socialist movement in the USA. While Hillary Clinton remains to have the largest delegate count and maintains a steady lead thanks to Super Delegate padding through the Democratic National Committee’s primary system, she may need to listen to some of what Bernie has to say. Many critics see Hillary as a Neo-con, and she may need to make amends to the Bernie fan club at the convention later this year. The compromises that could take place at a convention may include Hillary adopting a fiscal policy that is just as irresponsible as Bernie’s.
James Madison, June 26, 1787, Federal Convention
“…No agrarian attempts have yet been made in in this Country, but symptoms, of a leveling spirit, as we have understood, have sufficiently appeared in a certain quarters to give notice of the future danger. How is this danger to be guarded agst. on republican principles? How is the danger in all cases of interested coalitions to oppress the minority to be guarded agst.?…”
That is a fairly prescient caveat Madison noted.
I would agree with the author that the enhanced services this country provides is not truly socialistic and is still holding true to the format of a Republic if the instrument used to pay for everything was not socialistic itself: 1) First we invented our own Customer, “The Federal Reserve”, 2) Then we sold Treasury Bonds based on the social/public concept of “The Full Faith and Credit of the USA” to the Federal Reserve, 3) Then after winning WWII we tied ourselves to the IMF and what became the World Bank through the Bretton-Woods agreement, 4) Then Nixon took the US Dollar off of any peg to Gold or Silver and floated its value to other IMF currencies, 5) Since 1972 our Monetary System has been increased based off of debt created by the social/public concept of the “The Full Faith and Credit of the USA”…to the tune of $19 trillion.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck.
“Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.” – Communist Plank #5
Our whole Monetary System is based off of credit of the “The Full Faith and Credit of the USA”…and that at the foundation…is socialistic.
Great article, in light of rumors that Bernie might be VP for Hillary, it’s good to expose the damages that such policies will cause. Venezuela should be enough of a warning.