Socialism

In America, ever since the days of McCarthy, the cold war and the days when the term Pinko was an insult (most would probably argue, long before this). Americans have had a strange aversion to the term socialism. If you automatically associate this term with Lenin, Stalin and Mao, then yes you probably would have an aversion to the term. In reality though: today's socialism, the socialism of Marx and the perversions of Mao and Lenin are three entirely different beasts.

I don't want to go to a boring history lesson into how the socialists parties of the world split into two separate factions in 1919, nor do I want to discuss the merits of what Marx had to say, you either agree that there is an inevitable class conflict or you don't. What I find curious though is that Americans mistakenly associate all forms of socialism to radicalism. In reality, modern socialism isn't radical at all. Just look at the world we live in; England's Labour party, France's Parti Socialiste (lol. that says it outright though), Germany's SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), what are they? Nothing more than socialists (social democrats). They don't seem to be afraid of the term socialism. In fact, they all are members of Socialist International. They openly embrace their socialism, as in every other part of the world except ours, the term socialist simply applies to a party who seeks to lower the margin between the rich and the poor. That is modern socialism (I love broad generalizations).

Despite the fact that some of our closest allies are governed by 'socialist' governments and that the Democratic party in this country aligns remarkably close to the goals of Sociliast International. The second anyone suggests the Democrats are socialists, they strike back in fury. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they're socialists. What else do you think Obama's tax plan is trying to do if not tax the rich to bring them down to the level of the middle class? The Democrats wants to bring back inhertiance taxes with full force, meaning that most of the money you work hard for your whole life doesn't go to your children, but to your government (how patriotic right?). This is socialist style down to the fine print.

Just look close and you'll realize this country has more socialists than any other in the world (proud to call myself not one of them), and 90+ percent of them are too ignorant to know that is what they truly support.

In any case (my plug for democracy). Go out and vote on November 4th, if for nothing else than to show how different our socialism is from communism.