Common Dreams | Onward Toward Socialism: America's Demise, and One Way to ... Common Dreams It goes far beyond Donald Trump. He's just simple-mindedly exacerbating a trend. Clear signs of deterioration have been building in our nation, some of them ... |
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Onward Toward Socialism: America's Demise, and One Way to ... - Common Dreams
Have you heard the good news?
Jeremy Corbyn loves you, and wants you to love him. He offers you peace and joy and a fulfilled life. So sayeth Monsieur Zen: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. And his disciples said unto him: oooh, Jeremy Corbyn!
The incredibly self-satisfied Labour leader now believes that he will be Prime Minister in six months. The far left is on the march and cannot be stopped, at least according to the narrative that the Corbyn movement is so adept at controlling.
Read more: Labour MPs are jumping on the Corbyn bandwagon
However, it seems clear to me that the foundations of this ascendancy are hollow and will crumble under scrutiny much like the vapid speech Corbyn delivered this weekend.
With the benefit of hindsight, its not difficult to see why a drab Conservative election campaign based on sloganeering failed. It was vacuous and insulting to the electorate.
The far left instigated a battle of ideas and Theresa May ducked the fight. She failed to defend the Conservatives governing record or champion any bold ideas to tackle Britains problems (except on social care, which she quickly retreated from). It was a dreadful campaign and a terrible manifesto that appealed to literally no one, void of any selling points.
And yet the Conservative still have 55 more seats than Labour.
Even with the total failure of leadership, policy and communication by a party that has been in power for seven years, the Labour party lost its third election in a row. Labours vote share surpassed expectations and did indeed prove many pundits wrong, but Corbyn supporters are setting themselves up for a fall by acting like they won.
I can understand why so many people leant their vote to a man promising to turn the table over and change everything. When you want things to get better, strong and stable just isnt going to cut it.
But, young Corbynistas, beware anyone who tries to sell you dreams and tells you, as Corbyn told the cheering crowds at Glastonbury this weekend, that another world is possible. Engage your sceptical mind, because utopianism is the most corrupt and dangerous element of political ideology.
It isnt enough to attack the dubious personalities, rank hypocrisy and immoral affiliations of the people now in charge of the Labour party. Playing the man failed; we must now play the ball. Under Corbyns leadership, plain old socialism has been rebranded for a new generation, so its time to fight the battle of ideas.
Really, it should be a no contest.
The Corbynites believe that the power of the state can bring hope to the masses and solve our social ills. They are dogmatically devoted to the notion of the planned economy, where the state controls industry and alleviates poverty by issuing diktats and clamping down on wealth creators. Corbyns Labour isnt offering anything new. It has all been tried before and the evidence is in: it does not work.
At best, socialism leads to an economic disaster. Beyond that its a social catastrophe; at the end of line youll find oppression and labour camps every time.
Nobody believes Corbyn is going to impose a tyranny on Britain or commit mass murder, but nonetheless nowhere on the socialist spectrum is there prosperity, opportunity or happiness.
Socialist demagogues always promise to heal social ills and improve the fortunes of the poor. Every single time the opposite happens. Capitalism always wins. This is easily proven by observing where the dividing lines are clearest.
The socialist half of Germany was an oppressive and impoverished basket case, while the capitalist side prospered. Those claiming unemployment benefit in West Germany had a better income than the average wage in East Germany.
Socialist North Korea rapidly collapsed into abject poverty and mass starvation and has never recovered. The capitalist South is highly developed, wealthy and ranks as the 11th largest economy in the world.
Former Communist countries in Europe are still scarred socially and recovering economically. They still require aid from their wealthier European neighbours that thrived thanks to capitalism.
Venezuela was the latest beacon of hope for British socialists. The country is now a failing state.
Because the aims of socialism are never achieved, its advocates often point to this as evidence that true socialism has not yet been tried. Nonsense. It has been tried repeatedly. Its aims are never achieved because it is a failed ideology.
The far left is unflinching in defending its ideas and its foot soldiers may have economic liberals on the back foot; but their ideas are bad, demonstrably so.
Jeremy Corbyn is a true socialist snake oil salesman. Stop retreating and take the fight to him.
Read more: Corbyns beloved Venezuela is sinking further into the socialist abyss
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Come clean, Comrade Corbyn: Socialism is always a disaster - City A.M.
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Posted: Jun 27, 2017 12:01 AM
The thing about old socialist politicians, like Bernie Sanders, 75 and Britain's Jeremy Corbyn, 68, is that they have youth on their side.
Across the pond, the youth vote allowed the British Bernie Sanders to do a lot better than the so-called experts thought he'd do in the recent general election. Here in America, we all know how the millennials went ga-ga for Bernie. He got more millennial votes in the primaries than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump -- combined.
I recently made a reservation for dinner at a restaurant in a very liberal city in North Carolina -- using only my first name, Bernie -- and the young hostess told me she was hoping it was Sanders who was coming in for dinner. Maybe she was kidding. Maybe not. She had a pleasant smile on her young face the whole time, but a pleasant smile is pretty much obligatory in the South, especially when you're disappointed.
The fact is, a lot of millennials like socialism. A 2016 poll conducted by Harvard University showed that a majority of voters between 18 and 29 -- 51 percent -- rejected capitalism while a third said they supported socialism.
And a 2011 Pew poll of millennials revealed that there was more support for socialism than capitalism. Forty-nine percent had positive views of socialism while only 46 percent had positive views of capitalism.
How could this be? Doesn't everybody know by now that socialism doesn't work? Haven't they heard the famous Margaret Thatcher line, "The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money"?
If they did hear it, they haven't taken it seriously. In a New York Times op-ed, "Why Young Voters Love Old Socialists," Sarah Leonard, a 29-year old editor at the far-left Nation magazine explains: "(W)ithin this generation, things like single-payer health care, public education and free college -- and making the rich pay -- are just common sense."
Of course they are. Until you run out of other people's money.
Let's acknowledge the obvious: Getting free stuff is fun -- mainly because ... it'sfree!So it shouldn't be a shock that young voters fell head over heals for a (democratic) socialist like Bernie Sanders who promised them a "free" college education paid for by those miserable rich people who have too much money anyway.
And just imagine if the Democrats somehow manage to come up with a young, progressive, attractive, even sexy version of the old socialist from Vermont next time around. Republicans -- and more importantly, America -- could be in serious trouble.
But here's where millennials get off easy: No one is calling them out for what a lot of them are -- which is greedy.
Here's how Thomas Sowell, the great thinker from California, put it: "I have never understood why it is 'greed' to want to keep the money you've earned, but not greed to want to take somebody else's money."
So what we have is a greedy generation that feels entitled to all sorts of things, including other people's money. If this is the future, give me the past.
George Bernard Shaw had it right a long, long time ago when he said: "A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
Who knew that Paul was 25 and voted for Bernie?
Memo to millennials: You won't be young forever. And when you get older and have jobs and pay taxes, who do you think is going to pay for all those "free" goodies you once demanded when you were young and -- forgive me -- not-too-smart? The bill for all that "free" stuff -- with interest -- is going to come due at some point, right? And by then the next generation of millennials is also going to want "free" stuff. You'll be paying for that, too.
One more piece of wisdom from Thomas Sowell, wisdom that young voters in the embrace of socialism might want to consider: "If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else."
Having second thoughts yet, millennials, about the virtues of socialism?
See original here:
Young Voters for Old Socialists - Townhall
The leader of the 1917 Russian Bolshevik Revolution, Vladimir Lenin, once said, The goal of socialism is communism.
In Karl Marx 6 steps of communism, socialism is step 5. Please dont tell me not to confuse socialism and communism.
Save it for the gullible and the uninformed.
In my observations, therefore in my opinion, unknowingly, some very good, very kind, and very religious Christians have had a hand in Americas moral and social decline by voting for and helping elect Democratic and liberal Republican lawmakers.
The reason, one of the first things socialists/ communists that masquerade as liberals do once theyve gained enough politi-cal influence and power, is to suppress any and all forms of religious and Biblical expression in public.
Their ultimate goal though, is to outlaw, then abolish all forms of religion.
Google and read, Wikipedia: Persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union.
Tens of thousands of the Russian Orthodox Churchs clergy were executed. Millions of Christians were imprisoned or killed all across the USSR as well.
All in the communists efforts to erase religion from Russian culture.
You can think or say that would never happen in America. The facts say otherwise.
Even though America was founded on Judeo/ Christian principles, in 1962, liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justices banned the simplest of prayers in all of Americas public schools.
Today, even a moment of silent prayer is illegal in all public schools.
In its place, prayer in has been replaced with mass killings in schools all across America.
Even little Amish girls in a single room schoolhouse havent been spared.
Who would have ever thought that Christmas Carols or even the music would be banned in some U.S. schools.
In 2014, lesbian mayor Anise Parker attempted to subpoena the sermons of 5 Houston pastors that may have dealt with homosexual or gender identity issues.
At the 2012 DNC, Obamas party says no to God (9/6/2012 Washington Times).
At the 2016 DNC, Democrats heckle preacher during opening prayer (7/26/2016 Fox News).
At the 2016 DNC, Who boos an opening prayer ? Berniacs of 2016, thats who (7/26/2016 Religion News Service).
I could go on and on.
You can believe it or not. But as I stated and tried to explain as briefly as I could in my 6/15/2017 VMS Socialist letter, for all intents and purposes, the Democratic Party is Americas Socialist party.
I would ask anyone who says they believe in God or the Bible to Google and read the following: Communists goals 1963, how many have been fulfilled? and Paul Harveys 1965, If I were the devil transcript.
The list of 45 declared communists goals is from The Naked Communist. A 1958 book written by former FBI agent Cleon Skousen.
Goal #28 on Mr. Skousens list, Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground(s) that it violates the principle of separation of church and state .
Paul Harveys, If I were the devil broadcast was a truly remarkable prophecy of what life in America would be like today.
He didnt paint a rosy picture, but an amazingly accurate one.
N. Rodriguez Harlingen
Excerpt from:
'The goal of socialism is communism' - Valley morning Star
Socialism saw its heyday in the 20th century. As it was adapted by a number of countries, itwent through various bastardizations of its message andfaded into relative obscurity. Now it is experiencing a tremendous resurgence in the 21st century due to the growing economic disparity, anger at the establishment and charismatic older socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders in the U.S. and Jeremy Corbyn in the U.K. who gathered massive support from the young. A new wave of socialist thinkers is also beginning to emerge that looks to distance the movement from the historical stigma to formulate a new socialism that speaks to the challenges of today.
What is socialism? In the most basic definition, it is a political and economic system where the means of production and essential resources are owned by the community. Socialism comes in many different forms and has been practiced with great variety around the world.
Jacobin, a magazine thats gained popularity for offering socialist perspectives on political and cultural topics, published a guide on how to redefine socialism for the modern age. In it, the publications editor Bhaskar Sunkara describes socialism as, fundamentally, a way to build the kind of world where people dont take advantage of others for gain but rather for the benefits of cooperation. To Sunkara, socialism is abolishing private ownership of the things we all need and use factories, banks, offices, natural resources, utilities, communication and transportation infrastructure and replacing it with social ownership, thereby undercutting the power of elites to hoard wealth and power.
Private property would not exist, but personal property would remain. The government will not take away your Kenny Loggins records, jokes Sunkara.
An old Russian woman fixing her belongings on a vandalized symbols of the Communism, the Hammer and Sickle, on an avenue of Moscow, on November 1990. At the time of creation, the hammer stood for industrial labourers and the sickle for the peasantry; combined they stood for the worker-peasant alliance for socialism and against reactionary movements and foreign intervention. (Photo credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)
In their guide, the writers and editors of Jacobin also try to dispel some of the confusion related to socialism. In particular, they argue, many people tend to associate any kind of government institution, even the DMV, with socialism. But just because its a part of the government doesnt make it socialist. In fact, an average person has so little say politically due to the stronghold of corporate interests on the government,that any state action will disproportionately benefit capitalist interests at the expense of everything else, writes Chris Maisano in the Jacobins guide.
The journal also offers a defense against the charge that socialism inevitably ends up in authoritarian governments. Joseph M. Schwartz writes how Marxists and European socialists could not anticipate that revolutionary parties would try to create socialism in predominantly agrarian, autocratic societies like Russia and China.
In many ways, one-party Communist states shared more in common with past authoritarian capitalist developmentalist states such as late nineteenth-century Prussia and Japan, and postwar South Korea and Taiwan than with the vision of democratic socialism. These governments prioritized state-led industrialization over democratic rights, particularly those of an independent labor movement, writes Schwartz.
Jacobins prescription for building a more socialist country - mobilize the people through education and direct participation in the government.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (C) addresses a rally with protesters calling for higher wages for federal contract workers in the rain on Capitol Hill November 10, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Is Bernie Sanders a socialist?He is the country's most popular active politician according to the polls, but he's not socialist enough, according to the editors of the Jacobin. Noam Chomsky famously called him a decent, honest New Dealer. Sanders himself draws the distinction, calling his politics - democratic socialism. He often refers to Scandinavian countries as models for what he would like the United States to become. Sanderss key themes of reducing economic inequality and the influence of politics in money appeals to a cross-section Americans from the left and the right.
To combat the negative stereotypes of socialism, Sanders invokes the New Deal policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that were called socialist like establishing social security and the minimum wage. Sanders also links the way he sees the world to Martin Luther Kings calls for social and economic justice.
To Sanders, education, affordable housing and universal health care are the publics right rather than private commodities that can be used to turn a profit. Still, he has not called for nationalizing any industries, saying specifically I dont believe government should own the means of production.
He defined democratic socialism himself in 2015 as a necessary adjustment in an increasingly unequal society.
Democratic socialism means that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy. Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system in America today which is not only grossly unfair but, in many respects, corrupt., said Sanders, adding In my view, its time we had democratic socialism for working families, not just Wall Street, billionaires and large corporations.
Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party speaks during a campaign rally at Union Chapel Islington on June 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Is Jeremy Corbyn a socialist? The leader of UKs Labour Party, which won a surprising number of seats against the ruling Conservative Party in recent elections,also identifies as a democratic socialist. Labours 2017 manifesto, titled For the Many, Not the Few includes plans to re-nationalize the rail, postal and water services, abolish college tuition fees, increase the minimum wage and spending on national healthcare, as well as upping the tax on the wealthy. Many of these ideas are certainly more to the left of what's been proposed by Sanders for the U.S.
Corbyns message has energized young voters in particular, with close to 70% of those 18 to 24 supporting Labour. How much more support can these kinds of ideas gain? The latest polls show the partys appeal growing wider still, now 5% ahead of the Tories at 46%. Corbyns personal approval is also high, better than the Prime Minister Theresa Mays.
To consider why the ideas of socialism continue to have followers in our times, lets turn to Albert Einstein. One of the worlds most brilliant thinkers who had seen the effects of socialism in his lifetime, Einstein wrote an essay called Why socialism in 1949 that still resonates in some of its themes.
German-born American physicist Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) speaking during his Science And Civilization lecture at the Royal Albert Hall, London. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
Einstein critiques capitalism as having a tendency towards becoming an oligarchy where private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands that cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This happens because the capitalists control the main mass media sources (including education) while the members of the government come from political parties that are largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. As as a result of that, according to Einstein, these representatives do not sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged.
Sounds familiar? If similar challenges present themselves almost 70 years later, it is no surprise solutions like socialism come back. Of course, there are now also fears of fascism returning to fashion.
Einstein saw the establishment of a socialist economy with an accompanying educational system thats oriented towards social goals as the only way forward for society.
In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society, wrote Einstein.
Einstein did caution, however, perhaps with an eye towards the Soviet Union, that a planned economy might result in the complete enslavement of the individual by the bureaucracy and saw it essential for socialism to resolve the problem of protecting the rights of the individual.
Historical lessons aside, socialism is a rejuvenated force. Polls show that somewhere between 30 to 60% of Democratic voters have a favorable view of its ideas. Over 50% of millennials have a positive opinion of socialism. As automation is sure to put a major portion of the world out of work, the issues around ownership of necessary resources and distribution of wealth are sure to stay vital.
Cover photo: A US-made 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air races past a billboard that reads,'Stronger than ever, Socialism' 14 February near Santa Maria del Mar, Cuba. (Photo credit: ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images)
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Why Socialism Is Back as a Political Force That Will Only Grow - Big Think