Making the Case

The following is a letter to the editor I sent to our local paper. People have heard the word socialism and the phrase "spread the wealth" enough in the last couple of weeks to get them thinking. Anti-capitalists of all stripes should be using this window of opportunity to interject and counter the both the overt negative associations promoted by conservatives but also the more subtle disavowels of liberals. Out of the closet ,comrades!

Dear Editor,

In his eloquent public refutation of the charge that Barak Obama is a Muslim, Gen. Colin Powell stated that the “right answer” is : so what if he was? I believe we should apply this same thoughtfulness to the charge that Obama is “a socialist”. We know that he is not, but what would be so wrong about holding a divergent view concerning political economy?

Right-wing pundits and talk radio hosts are saying that such a belief is “anti-American” or aligns one with “Hitler and Mussolini” and sadly this type of ignorance is prevalent in the general populous.

Webster’s defines socialism as: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and the distribution of goods.”

Far from a totalitarian hell, this actually describes most modern societies to varying degrees, including the U.S. ( We just added banks and insurance companies to We The Peoples portfolio) Perhaps the abysmal failure of “market fundamentalism” will force us to consider alternatives, such as real democratic participation in the planning of a sustainable and just economic system. While it may be difficult for Joe the Plumber to understand this concept after so much indoctrination, increased economic equality (sharing) actually leads directly to more social mobility.

Many good citizens of the U.S. and the world, including Helen Keller, Charlie Chaplin, W.E.B.Dubois, Albert Einstien and the Dali Lama called themselves socialists. Vilification and demagoguery does nothing to further understanding.

Tight Lines, Troutsky