America and Socialism
October 2nd 2007 00:10
We all know the headlines. Social Security is in danger of becoming bankrupt. The super rich are getting richer faster than ever before. The number of people in America living below the poverty line is growing. Health care costs are out of control. Energy prices are spiraling upward. Wage growth is stagnating. Interest rates are on the rise. We are in a war that is more about empire building than it is about "bringing democracy."
What are the differences?
Capitalism, at is most basic, is all about greed. It is about "me" making more than "you." It is about control. The "haves" controlling the "have nots." It has led to a culture of greed that is centered on consumption of resources over the pursuit of higher ideals. It is the reason a lawyer can make 10, 50, or 100 times what a teacher or fireman makes. It has led to a system that values corporations over people, profits over a truly fulfilling life. Of course, it has its good points. It encourages new ideas, although they are usually only new ideas for making money. It allows hard work to be rewarded, at least sometimes. It short, it is a system that benefits those who don't do the work over those who do. Shareholders and CEOs get rich, the wage earner goes in debt to afford heating oil. Companies like Wal-Mart make billions, while the people making their products scratch out a few dollars a day. People like Dick Cheney and Paris Hilton get richer without lifting a finger.
Socialism, especially "soft" socialism, contends that the good of the overall society is more important than growth in company profits. Socialism, sadly, got a bad name because of its affiliation with the former Soviet Union and its puppet states. In truth, those were not socialist societies at all, but dictatorial regimes that claimed a socialist agenda. In true socialism, a person is free to work, live, or believe what ever they want. They are also able to obtain good medical care without going broke, to be assured that when they are old there will be social services available for them, and to achieve higher education if they so desire. Governments that are currently following this socialist model are Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and to a slightly lesser degree The UK and Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, to only name a few. Their citizens, as a whole are happier, healthier, and wealthier than people in the US. Why is this? Why, in one of the richest countries on Earth, are so many people left out of the loop? Hurricane Katrina exposed some of the disparities in glaring color on the news channels.
What are the solutions?
Take power away from corporations and give it back to the people. How do we do that? Full disclosure. Make corporations show that they are a benefit to the area and the residents where they operate, as well as the country as a whole. Ensure that they are more fair to their workers. For example, we could pass a law that no company could pay its highest employee more than 10 times what it pays its lowest employee. This would raise the entire economy through a more equitable distribution of wealth. Make universal health care for everyone a reality, not a far off dream. Make higher education affordable to everyone. Train those in the workforce now without skills. Still reward achievement and invention, through cash awards and recognition. We cannot as a society any longer be so divided between the classes, so driven to own things over enjoying life. We need a tax system that allows the average worker to be able to save for their future.
We need to move beyond the economy of the "robber barons" who only live to accumulate to a society that is more equitable for all its people. In a country that claims to be overwhelmingly religious, it is a sad irony that the truest God is the almighty dollar.
In summary, we are too great of a country to continue to be so greedy. We need to elect leaders that will stop spending money on tax cuts for the rich and wars of empire and start spending it on building our society to one that is fair and free for all its citizens to enjoy. A society that values age and wisdom, health and wellness more than looks and money, and what kind of car a person is driving. Let us begin to move toward a free society that does not forget the least among us.
What are the differences?
Capitalism, at is most basic, is all about greed. It is about "me" making more than "you." It is about control. The "haves" controlling the "have nots." It has led to a culture of greed that is centered on consumption of resources over the pursuit of higher ideals. It is the reason a lawyer can make 10, 50, or 100 times what a teacher or fireman makes. It has led to a system that values corporations over people, profits over a truly fulfilling life. Of course, it has its good points. It encourages new ideas, although they are usually only new ideas for making money. It allows hard work to be rewarded, at least sometimes. It short, it is a system that benefits those who don't do the work over those who do. Shareholders and CEOs get rich, the wage earner goes in debt to afford heating oil. Companies like Wal-Mart make billions, while the people making their products scratch out a few dollars a day. People like Dick Cheney and Paris Hilton get richer without lifting a finger.
Socialism, especially "soft" socialism, contends that the good of the overall society is more important than growth in company profits. Socialism, sadly, got a bad name because of its affiliation with the former Soviet Union and its puppet states. In truth, those were not socialist societies at all, but dictatorial regimes that claimed a socialist agenda. In true socialism, a person is free to work, live, or believe what ever they want. They are also able to obtain good medical care without going broke, to be assured that when they are old there will be social services available for them, and to achieve higher education if they so desire. Governments that are currently following this socialist model are Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and to a slightly lesser degree The UK and Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, to only name a few. Their citizens, as a whole are happier, healthier, and wealthier than people in the US. Why is this? Why, in one of the richest countries on Earth, are so many people left out of the loop? Hurricane Katrina exposed some of the disparities in glaring color on the news channels.
What are the solutions?
Take power away from corporations and give it back to the people. How do we do that? Full disclosure. Make corporations show that they are a benefit to the area and the residents where they operate, as well as the country as a whole. Ensure that they are more fair to their workers. For example, we could pass a law that no company could pay its highest employee more than 10 times what it pays its lowest employee. This would raise the entire economy through a more equitable distribution of wealth. Make universal health care for everyone a reality, not a far off dream. Make higher education affordable to everyone. Train those in the workforce now without skills. Still reward achievement and invention, through cash awards and recognition. We cannot as a society any longer be so divided between the classes, so driven to own things over enjoying life. We need a tax system that allows the average worker to be able to save for their future.
We need to move beyond the economy of the "robber barons" who only live to accumulate to a society that is more equitable for all its people. In a country that claims to be overwhelmingly religious, it is a sad irony that the truest God is the almighty dollar.
In summary, we are too great of a country to continue to be so greedy. We need to elect leaders that will stop spending money on tax cuts for the rich and wars of empire and start spending it on building our society to one that is fair and free for all its citizens to enjoy. A society that values age and wisdom, health and wellness more than looks and money, and what kind of car a person is driving. Let us begin to move toward a free society that does not forget the least among us.
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