Don't get stuck on Socialism

Definition of Socialism: The economic system whereby the means of production are owned and controlled by the government.

Lots of conservatives, Republicans and Libertarians are getting killed in the press because they continue to call Obama and company socialists. They have to stop. One reason is that it isn't productive and the biggest reason is that I don't believe it is accurate. I don't believe President Obama or Hillary Clinton, or Bill Clinton, or Rahm Emmanuel are socialists. The media will continue to hammer them every time they make the charge. They hammer them for good reason, the vast majority of them agree with Obama on most things. They simply ask themselves do I want to see the government own all businesses? The answer is always a resounding no!! That does not mean that they don't want the government to control business to a great degree. They do that by levying taxes and instituting regulation.

Jonah Goldberg uses a term that I believe is true of a great many politicians and not just left wing ones. That term is Corporatism. The leaders at any one time know that can't control all business, but they believe if they work with the biggest leaders in any industry they get input from the industry. That is what lobbyists do. This is their very function. The biggest of the big tell the people in Congress and the President how much regulation and tax they will accept without a major fight. The businesses also benefit from this because they know their smaller competitors cannot absorb this. In essence what happens is the businesses run interference for the government by being a bogey man to slay and the government runs interference for the businesses keeping excessive competition (as if it were possible to have too much competition) out of the market place and thereby keeping the large entities secure. After all the sausage making of government is done they all get to go to cocktail parties together and sneer at those little people who want to start small businesses or live their lives without the guidance of them and their billiance.

There are socialists who are not corporatist. Dennis Kucinich comes to mind. I believe if he had to opportunity he would implement full socialism tomorrow he would. This also explains why outside of his intelligentsia district in Cleveland he has no visible support. He doesn't need it, the only people he needs to please are his district.

The people on the right have to shy away from the word socialism and call it what it is: Corporatism and give the credit to Jonah Goldberg. This term should be part of our political lexicon. The people of the right should spend time explaining this term to the masses because as they get that message out the average person who follows politics will understand the process a little better.

Both parties are going to spend this election year trying to court the tea party groups, the 9-12 groups and they disaffected voters. This is a good thing, but unless we voters are willing to demand results from the people they put in nothing will change. Scott Brown is riding high in Massachusetts but the people of his state have to hold him to a standard. If he falls prey to the double headed monster of the party chiefs and the lobbyists he must go back home after one term. Also leaders must fall! Both parties are glad to let their moderates get replaced after one of two terms knowing that they will not lose their places. The leaders of both parties have to be replaced often. Only then do you drain the swamp. Then and only then do you get them to care about what the voters say. In this next election Harry Reid has made himself vulnerable. I say good! They next time the Republicans get power their leaders will need changed not long after, because they also will start legislating to increase their power, not to enhance the people's power. Vote them out!! Only then can we return power to the voters.