A Voice in the Wilderness In Defense of "Mere Conservatism"

Cuba recognizing Socialism’s follies

Socialism, like most words that accurately describe the modern progressive-liberal's economic/political aspirations for this country, is off-limits when used in reference to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and of course President Obama.  Let's cut through the rhetoric and define what Socialism means, and then you can be the judge of whether or not liberal Democrats bear any resemblance to the appropriately-maligned system.

From Webster's Dictionary Online:

1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done

Do I need to explain why the logical conclusion of the promises and policies of the current administration (and the Democrat's leadership in congress) sound familiar to one or more of these definitions?

But let's even put aside our own ventures into collectivism for the time being.  What about Cuba, that bastion of socialism to our south that everyone from Michael Moore to Stephen Spielberg to members of the Congressional Black Caucus praises to no end?

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) had this to say about how wonderful Castro's socialism is:

Sorry to be the bearer of wonderful news, Maxine, but apparently even the revolutionary trailblazers 90 miles south of Florida are rolling back the over-bearing reach of the government in order to kick-start their economy.

As the Cuban government struggles through a deep recession, its leaders have begun picking away at socialism in order to save it. But experts say the latest buzz by the Cuban government is simply another desperate fix to stem the slide of a failed economy that buckled long ago.

Even one of Havana's leading economists recently said Cuba's economy needed to be turned upside down -- "feet up." So taxi drivers got private licenses, farmers now have their own plots of land and government workers have to pack their own lunches.

"I think what they are trying to do is prepare the people for a hard landing," said Cuba expert Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado of the University of Nebraska. "The government is really saying in so many words: We've got limited resources and can only do so much. I think they are stuck."

Again, I'm not sure I even need to explain why this story is important to what we're dealing with right now in the United States.  Don't be simple and say, "That's the Cubans...we're no where near that bad."  Wealth re-distribution, centralization of power, and increased pressure on media outlets to stop criticizing the government are three HUGE steps in the wrong direction and can, by themselves, bring about a bloodless revolution right under the noses of a public who rightly recognizes "socialism" as a negative label.