Veered To The Left

By Tammy Derouin

I’ll never forget the first time I saw an individual openly promoting and supporting a self-proclaimed democratic socialist in my hometown.  I was on a walk and for a brief moment I was surprised.  But, considering everything that has happened over the last several years, it shouldn’t have been that surprising.  When the course of the path offered two options, I had to chuckle when he naturally veered to the left and I went to the right.

I continued my walk knowing that my chosen path would always be freedom and independence which includes capitalism and limited government. I struggle to understand what makes an individual think that more government control is what’s best for this country.  After all, it was the free market which propelled the United States to become an economic world leader. 

Our country was founded on the beliefs of freedom and independence.  Self-reliance was once a positive attribute.  What happened to us?  Did life get too difficult?  Why would we willingly trade our freedom for a life of government control?  Do we need to be told how we should live, believe and think?  That’s not freedom.

It’s been almost a year since the T-shirt he was wearing caused me to pause and once again acknowledge just how much our nation has fundamentally transformed.  Lawns and car bumpers now display campaign signs in hopes of a democratic socialist becoming the President of the United States.  What a transformation!

The Democratic Party has two options; Bernie Sanders, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist and Hillary Clinton.  Clinton also embraces socialism and has referred to European socialism in the past.  In addition to her socialist tendencies, we get the added bonus that she is backed by questionable organizations and is currently attached to many scandals.  Her integrity is non-existent.  Her suspicious history, unlike the current Executive, is easier to trace.  Yet many will still vote for her.  Are we truly so foolish?

We stopped paying attention.  Many decided it was easier to demand that the government provide services it was never intended to provide.  When the government abused its power by acting outside of its boundaries, many looked the other way because the outcome benefited them and their agenda.   We have abandoned the rule of law in favor of the rule of man.

The government is all too willing to take over every aspect of our lives.  After all, that’s how the government becomes powerful.  If we give up our rights, the government will decide if we even have rights.  That which the government grants, the government can also take away.  We are willingly feeding the government everything it needs to become stronger and more powerful.  Eventually, it will break free from the lack of restraints to our Constitution.  When that happens, we will have entered darkness.  We will experience an overwhelming amount of misery and despair that we could not have ever imagined happening here, in the United States of America.

So many wave the socialism banner but I wonder how many understand what socialism really means.  I decided to re-visit the book I’ve probably read the most, the dictionary, to see if maybe sunshine, lollipops and unicorns had been magically added to the definition.  Thankfully, the definition was just as blunt as I remember from my days of civics classes.

The definition of socialism as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “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.”

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines social democracy as, “a political movement advocating a gradual and peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means.”

The Democratic Socialist of America website states, “Democratic Socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.  We are a political and activist organization, not a party; through campus and community-based chapters DSA members use a variety of tactics, from legislative to direct action, to fight for the reforms that empower working people.”

How does the takeover of private industry by the government, empower the working people?  Apparently, civics classes are non-existent in our schools.  Welcome to the tip of the socialism iceberg.

“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.”

Thomas Jefferson