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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Is Obama A Socialist?
No. So says George Mason University economist Don Boudreaux (who also blogs over at cafehyek.com). But that's no reason to not be concerned over his "socialism-lite". Read the article for the Christian Science Monitor here.
Since we're talking about Socialism, here's a great article in the Wall Street Journal about where the United State may be headed.
This is, I think, the proper way to asses the direction the political class is trying to take the U.S. right now. Not to a Soviet-style hard-core Socialism, but to a stuffy, slow or no-growth European model of decay and constant nanny-state meddling, protectionism, unionism and cultural elitism. We just may be about to take our place with the “retired” old-world powers of Europe.
I would add however, unlike the author, that I don't think a McCain victory next week would really stop it. It has to be a public opinion shift, or else people have to feel what “soft-socialism” is like and dislike it enough to move past it. Most American's still have that "Cowboy" spirit, and I think that if we start to become more Europe-like there will be significant revolt. The college students, professors, do-gooders, non-profit workers, government employees, elderly, and union workers will love it; but the small businesspeople, the salesmen, the low-level corporate employees (not the big-wigs, they'll love the anti-competitive rules) will revolt. They do most of the producing, so hopefully they'll have the power to overcome the rent-seeking class.
It's not damnation we have to fear, it's stagnation.
Posted by Isaac Morehouse on October 30, 2008 | Permalink
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Comments
I'm not so sure. I'm not particularly comfortable with talk of 'soft-socialism'. It may only be partially socialistic, but is there a real difference? So we Yanks go a bit of socialism rather than the whole loaf; it's simply farther down the slippery slope.
Posted by: Charles Martin Cosgriff | 2008-10-30 8:51:11 AM
"It's not damnation we have to fear, it's stagnation."
Depending on your definition of hell, damnation and stagnation don't have to be exclusive states of existence.
And YES, Obama is a socialist.
Keep in mind that Marx used the terms socialist and communist interchangeably.
Posted by: Speller | 2008-10-30 9:00:34 AM
He's more socialist than Jack Layton.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2008-10-30 9:09:41 AM
"Stuffy, slow or no-growth European model of decay and constant nanny-state meddling, protectionism, unionism and cultural elitism"...That sounds a lot like Canada.
I agree that Obama wants to go there, along with a sixties style Peace Corps, contempt for the military establishment, anti-gun, anti-free speech bent.
Whether or not he can build / reinforce his ruler-parasite classes quickly enough to reach that Euro-Canadian point of no return is the question.
And yes, if McCain could squeak out a victory, it looks like all that he could accomplish would be vetoes until Congress over-rides, at best, slowing the decay.
As to the stigma attached to the word socialism, lets call him an anti-capitalist statist of the "social justice" variety, similar to national socialism but not quite true Marxism or Marxist Leninism but just to the left of .......
Posted by: John Chittick | 2008-10-30 9:50:00 AM
"but just to the left of ......."
~John Chittick
Social progress can be measured by the social position of the female sex.
~Karl Marx
I am not a Marxist.
~Karl Marx
Obama has stunted the progress of the social advancement of the female sex and IS a Marxist.
I would say that Obama is to the left of... Karl Marx.
Posted by: Speller | 2008-10-30 10:06:55 AM
I don't think college students would like that kind of socialism once they realize they'd have to do a hundred hours of compulsory community service a year under Obama. Ontario highschool students whine enough about the 40 hours they have to do throughout all of highschool.
Posted by: von | 2008-10-30 10:25:48 AM
The educational system hasn't been teaching history for a long time. At least not the real story. Kids today don't know what the horrors of collectivism can lead to. Neither do many young adults.
Obama is the slippery slope. He is a collectivist, socialist elitist. He is the biggest threat to our freedoms since the beginning of the Islamic Jihad.
I am glad the American people are armed. This is exactly the reason for the right to bear arms in the constitution.
It is the duty of Americans to fight tyranny from outside or from within. Obama represents a potential tyranny from withing. The civil war will happen and will be televised.
Posted by: John V | 2008-10-30 10:40:38 AM
What Boudreaux means in saying he's not a socialist is that he does not openly promote the nationalization of the means of production. "Socialist-lite" simply means all the ethos and values and goals and assumptions of socialism while still allowing, though severely restricting and "managing", private ownership of production. Perhaps it's just semantics, since most people nowadays don't use the term Socialism to mean this narrow definition. In popular speech it usually means basic redistribution, laws for the "common good" as opposed to individual good, the imposition of positive rights, vs. negative ones, and a government that is not restricted by any natural law or rights of each individual, but a government that GIVES rights to individuals and groups, and that defines justice rather than upholds per-existing justice.
By that definition, nearly all politicians are Socialists.
Posted by: Isaac | 2008-10-30 11:07:00 AM
Socialism is government control of:
-The means of production
-The means of distribution
-The means of financing
-The labour pool
-The resource pool
-communications
Democracy is indispensable to socialism.
~Vladimir Lenin
The goal of socialism is communism.
~Vladimir Lenin
Democracy is the road to socialism.
~Karl Marx
The human being is in the most literal sense a political animal, not merely a gregarious animal, but an animal which can individuate itself only in the midst of society.
~Karl Marx
Posted by: Speller | 2008-10-30 11:23:38 AM
Canadian socialism has two elements: rob Alberta and hate America (but not its trade).
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2008-10-30 11:54:32 AM
Who really knows what he is? How do you peg a Democrat anyway? They're all things to all people, just a mirror image of our Liberals.
If the American voters are about to elect Obama, they may wake up to find they've elected the proverbial "pig in a poke". He's just too smooth and full of platitudes.
The only concern we Canadians will have is how he will handle something like free trade. Hope he'll at least be briefed about Canada and now realize we have a Prime Minister, not a President as he once mentioned.
Posted by: Liz J | 2008-10-30 12:15:12 PM
No, Speller, socialism is democratic control of the means of production.
Obama is a believer in liberal capitalism. He's a bit to the left of you but that doesn't make him a socialist.
Posted by: exile | 2008-10-30 8:38:24 PM
Obama is a believer in liberal capitalism. He's a bit to the left of you but that doesn't make him a socialist.
Posted by: exile | 30-Oct-08 8:38:24 PM
His plans to "spread the wealth" make him a socialist, in a literal sense. No matter how many roses you put around him...he's a Cadillac Socialist.
Posted by: JC | 2008-10-30 9:02:22 PM
2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON:
ISSUE: Favors new drilling offshore of US
JOHN McCAIN: Yes
OBAMA: No
ISSUE: Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it
JOHN McCAIN: Yes
OBAMA: No
ISSUE: Served in the US Armed Forces
JOHN McCAIN: Yes
OBAMA: No
ISSUE: Amount of time served in the US Senate
JOHN McCAIN: 22 YEARS
OBAMA: 173 DAYS
ISSUE: Will institute a socialized national health care plan
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
ISSUE: Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
ISSUE: Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
ISSUE: Supports gun ownership rights
JOHN McCAIN: Yes
OBAMA: No
ISSUE: Supports homosexual marriage
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
ISSUE: Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
ISSUE: Voted against making English the official language
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
ISSUE: Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegal’s
JOHN McCAIN: No
OBAMA: Yes
CAPITAL GAINS TAX
McCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples).
McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales.
How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes.
If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community,
28% of the money you make from your home sale will go to taxes.
This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on income from their homes as part of their retirement income.
DIVIDEND TAX
McCAIN
15% (no change)
OBAMA
39.6%
How will this affect you? If you have money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance,
retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will be paying nearly 40% of the money earned
on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would
crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.'
INCOME TAX
McCAIN (No change)
Income Tax
Single, 30K $ 4,500Single, 50K $12,500Single, 75K $18,750Married, 60K $ 9,000Married, 75K $18,750Married, 125K $31,250
OBAMA
(reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single, 30K $ 8,400Single, 50K $14,000Single, 75K $23,250Married, 60K $16,800Married, 75K $21,000Married, 125K $38,750Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!
INHERITANCE TAX
McCAIN
- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA
Restore the inheritance tax Many families lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations
because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will lose them to these taxes.
NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA
New government taxes proposed on homes more than 2,400 square feet.
New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)
New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)
New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....
New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!
You can verify the above at following web sites:
http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.htmlhttp://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_ob ama_offer_di fferent_visions_on_taxes.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/ http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/
IT JUST SEEMS THAT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA WANTS TO CHANGE THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT WE HAVE TO A SOCIALISTS ONE (RE-DISTRUBUTION OF WEALTH) AND STRIP AWAY OUR FREE ENTERPRISE (CAPTIALISTS) CURRENT FORM OF GOVERNMENT.
Obama wants Change: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYEiwR2KklM
Posted by: JC | 2008-10-31 5:47:33 AM
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