From Senator Jim DeMint at The Heritage Foundation:
Some may think that socialism is too strong a word and that socialism could never exist in America. I disagree. Socialism is a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by government. Socialists are critical of capitalism, consumer choice and private property. Sound familiar? European socialism in the last century was always closely associated with labor unions, and today in America unions are the strongest allies of the Democrat Party and they continue to advocate collectivist, socialist views.
I’m afraid that America is sliding towards socialism. Government is now the nation’s largest property owner (controlling nearly 1/3 of the land mass), it effectively owns more than 1/3 of the profits of all businesses and more than 1/3 of the incomes of most working Americans. Government controls the majority of education and healthcare services in America. It owns the primary retirement income plan for most Americans (Social Security). The federal government, through a burdensome regulatory system and undecipherable tax code, effectively controls a significant portion of the nation’s economic development and business activity. And now the government has gotten into the mortgage business!
America’s style of socialism is more subtle and, on the surface, appears more benign than early twentieth century European socialism. America’s federal government has not yet taken over or nationalized any industry, but it has increasingly expanded control through regulation, increased government ownership through confiscatory taxes, and in the case of healthcare, expanded control through fixed prices and mandatory service requirements. The Democrats are now openly talking about socializing all of healthcare and nationalizing the energy industry.
The Siren Song of socialism already has many Americans under its control, and unless we change our course, it will devour our prosperity and our hope for a better future. All we have to do is look at the slow economic growth and high unemployment in the more socialized European nations to see the negative impact of socialism. Freedom and socialism cannot exist together; they are incompatible. The fight to save freedom must begin today!
